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Thread: 2005 Toyota Corolla CE. 4,860 miles.

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  1. #1
    Metal Detector pl8ster's Avatar
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    2005 Toyota Corolla CE. 4,860 miles.

    Probably mentioned this previously, but we inherited a 2005 Corolla that has 4,860 miles on the odometer; it has spent most of the past seven years slumbering in garages. We inherited it from my mother-in-law (it belonged to her father) for my soon-to-be-licensed son to drive, and said mother-in-law had her mechanic 'go over it' before handing it over to us. The car seems to be none the worse for non-wear, aside from the rodent nests we found in the airbox and cabin air filter (which seem like something a mechanic would have found, knowing that the car had been sitting for extended periods of time, but whatever).

    So the car runs and drives well enough, but I don't know that the mechanic actually replaced anything aside from the engine oil. The tires are original but show no signs of cracking at all. My mother-in-law says that the full tank of gas is the same gas that was in it when it was parked in 2007 or so

    I'm going to try to get in touch with the mechanic to see exactly what work he did on the car, but I'm basically wondering if there are things we should replace 'just because' or issues we should be on the lookout for down the road. The engine does seem to feel a little flat and buzzy in the upper rev ranges - I haven't exactly been redlining it, just something I've noticed. It does seem better after vacuuming out the airbox and replacing the filter, but the gas would probably benefit from some octane booster after all this time. And it could also just be that the standard Corolla engine from 2005 is never going to sing like the one in the TSX

    Interesting aside: the car has roll-up windows, but A/C and a six-disc in-dash CD changer...
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  2. #2
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    That's impressively low mileage for an American car of that age. I'm sure the tryes are shot, though.

  3. #3
    Spiny beast TheBenior's Avatar
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    In all fairness, the tires were probably hard as rocks to begin with.

  4. #4
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    I'd be suspect of anything made of rubber - tires, belts (including the timing belt), and hoses. All the filters should be replaced (oil, air, fuel) and probably all the fluids (ESPECIALLY the brake fluid and coolant), I wouldn't do much driving on it til filters and fluids have been replaced, and then I'd watch the rubber parts like a hawk. They may not show signs of wear until they've been used for a little bit - hoses will get soft, belts and tires will crack. Personally I think it would be worth doing the timing belt pre-emptively as they are typically rated for mileage or time replacement, and nine years is a long time.

  5. #5
    mAdminstrator Random's Avatar
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    ^^ what he said.
    Whoomah!

  6. #6
    Corvette Enthusiast Kchrpm's Avatar
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    Make him fix it himself, LEARN HIM GOOD.
    Get that weak shit off my track

  7. #7
    Metal Detector pl8ster's Avatar
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    Let's just say I didn't vacuum up the rodent nests
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    I'll echo tsg on all points.

  9. #9
    Metal Detector pl8ster's Avatar
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    The timing belt thing is exactly the feedback I was looking for, thanks. Really interested to hear what the mechanic did besides change the oil/filter...
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  10. #10
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    If he doesn't do the other stuff....find a new mechanic.

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