I have a Corolla, it's a good car but for me it's way too damn small! I have a hard time getting in and out of it. My cousin has a Camry and it's much better for me.

My cousin's Camry has been a very good car also. Both get similar MPG, so if it was me buying a new one I would go with the Camry.

ARman

I was at the auto show this past weekend. Corolla is a little small for me.

If your looking at that size and features take a look at the Mazda3. A friend had one and I drove it a few times and rode in it a lot. Great little car.

Thanks for all the good info guys. Wife is relatively petite so a small car for putzing around town is probably okay.

That being said, I'm relatively price indifferent between the Corolla SE and the Camry LE, so if the Camry is better ("big difference") on every metric (other than mpg), Camry sounds good.

We sat in both (and I'm indifferent) but haven't driven either yet. I'll check on the Mazda3 - I've had Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi and a Mazda before but have been loyal to Toyota for the past 30 years or so. They're not perfect but haven't given me reason to not be brand loyal either. Still, it's been 20 years since I've bought a car so it's probably worth taking a look given that it'll probably 20 years again before buying another after this.

We'll go test drive the Mazda, Camry and Corolla but I'm now leaning toward the Camry for her based on the above. When my GS dies (no signs yet - still running strong at 18 years, 150K) I'll probably get the Corolla for commuting.

We still have the LX if we have company.

These may be the last cars we ever buy.....

Mom has a 2014 Camry and I really like it. The 4 cylinder has plenty of power and it’s very comfortable.

Anecdotal for sure, neighbor was having his 12 year old car towed, starter went out, and while talking to the tow truck driver (we were all talking about what new cars to buy) he said he tows a lot more Camry's vs Corolla's and Honda's (accord or civic). take it with a grain of salt.

Another factor to consider is that larger cars are generally safer in car accidents than smaller cars, assuming similar modern construction methods. I witnessed the aftermath of a crash where my friend's Taurus T-boned a Dodge Neon that had run a stop sign. The Taurus was going about 35 mph, and my friend called us to say he was hurt since we were just a block away. We arrived just minutes after the impact, before any first responders.

The Taurus was totaled but my friend only had minor injuries. The Neon looked like a bomb went off. The B-pillar was pushed in several feet. The driver died on the scene, it was very gory. All side impacts are serious, but seeing first hand what a minor size difference could do, with a mid-sized sedan hitting a compact economy car at normal speeds, left a lasting impression.

My wife is also very petite and was driving a Corolla at the time which was a fantastic little car. We immediately traded it in on a mid-sized SUV for her that will fare better in an accident. I'll gladly pay the extra money for the decreased fuel mileage.

quote:

Originally posted by hambony:
Anecdotal for sure, neighbor was having his 12 year old car towed, starter went out, and while talking to the tow truck driver (we were all talking about what new cars to buy) he said he tows a lot more Camry's vs Corolla's and Honda's (accord or civic). take it with a grain of salt.

That's probably because the Camry is the #1 selling car in America for the past 15 years. They are also one of the most reliable cars you can buy today, 90% of all Camrys sold since 1995 are still on the road. So of course a tow truck driver, who tows cars for all sorts of reasons (accidents, blown tires, etc.) would tow more Camrys then other cars.

I can only speak about the 2014 Corolla I drive. The doors are ludiscrously long. I have to make a super effort not to hit cars parked next to me. And the sun visors are far too short. About 7" too short. Most likely due to the long doors. Otherwise, it's a car.

I rented a Corolla recently for a trip to civilization. It has a camera or sensor based cruise control, front collision avoidance and lane position sensor. These are mounted in front of the car. And they got blocked by snow. The cruise control then refused to work and the dashboard began to nag the crap out of me to clean off the sensors. Which I did at each fuel stop. And they plugged up again within 5 miles.
Stupid system! Toyota should know better. Otherwise, a pretty decent little car.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I rented a Corolla recently for a trip to civilization. It has a camera or sensor based cruise control, front collision avoidance and lane position sensor. These are mounted in front of the car. And they got blocked by snow. The cruise control then refused to work and the dashboard began to nag the crap out of me to clean off the sensors. Which I did at each fuel stop. And they plugged up again within 5 miles.
Stupid system! Toyota should know better. Otherwise, a pretty decent little car.

I'm telling you, of all the Japanese makers, I think Subaru is the way to go. I honestly feel like Subaru has an R&D team that actually uses some common sense. They're not always the prettiest or spec-topping cars, but their Engineers are masters at those "well, duh!" decisions.

Subaru's sensor based cruise control, lane position, and collision avoidance system is camera based. It's mounted high up, on the inside of the windshield, above the rear-view mirror. Wipers can reach it to keep it clear, and it's one less 9expensive) thing to fix if you get into a fender bender.

I have owned three Camrys and each one was a good reliable car. My last Camry was a hybrid and this one was my favorite. It rode like a luxury car and the mileage was awesome (40 mpg or better).

I personally prefer the Camry line to the Corolla.

Just my $0.02 and experience,

Mike

quote:

Subaru's sensor based cruise control, lane position, and collision avoidance system is camera based. It's mounted high up, on the inside of the windshield, above the rear-view mirror. Wipers reach it.

The new ones are mounted on the windshield, behind the rear view mirror.