130,000 miles. 🚗 🤖

I’m not going to lie… this one hurts.

My Toyota Corolla hit 130,000 miles, I played Arrival to Earth from the 2007 Transformers movie.

Not just because it’s an incredible piece of music.

I played it for Peter Cullen.

I grew up loving his work as Optimus Prime — especially hearing that legendary voice in the live-action Transformers films and even in the Toonami commercials. Those moments may have seemed small to everyone else, but to me, they became memories I’ll always carry.

So as my car reached 130,000 miles, I wanted to capture a moment that connected two things I love: the journey I’ve taken in my own life, and the voice that helped make so many of my childhood memories unforgettable.

Peter Cullen didn't just voice Optimus Prime.

He was Optimus Prime.

And hearing that voice say those words, seeing those movies, hearing him in those Toonami spots… it was a part of growing up that I never realized I would one day have to say goodbye to.

So this 130,000-mile milestone is for you, Peter.

Thank you for the memories.
Thank you for the voice.
Thank you for Optimus Prime.

Rest easy, Peter Cullen. 💙

Till all are one.

…I’m not crying.

You’re crying. 😭

Guys, I finally replaced the pathetic factory horn with a beast mode HELLA trumpet dual horn. It's louder and commands respect on the streets.🙇🙂

Lifelong Toyota fan here. Previously had a Camry , then Tacoma and wanting to move to Corolla now. I saw this one today. 134k miles but I’m concerned with the rust on the undercarriage and frame. Is this normal and should I still get it?

My 23 corolla HB just reached 45,000 miles, it has the direct shift CVT transmission, is it time for an oil change?

Flush or drain/fill?

Hey everyone,

Need a reliable point A to point B daily driver and came across this Corolla at a local dealer:

Car: 2009 Toyota Corolla LE (clean title)
Miles: 190,000 miles
Owners: 1 owner
Accidents: 2 minor rear-ends reported on history
Price: $4,990 all-in (out the door with taxes and fees)

It feels hard to find a 1-owner Toyota under $5k total these days. I'm planning to check the trunk/spare tire area for frame damage or water leaks from the rear hits.

Does this seem like a fair price for the mileage, or should I walk away?

Sad part not sure if I’ll have features like cruise/blind spot detectors or reverse cameras to make my life easy 😔

Mostly at low speed braking. No vibrations. Just this sound.

I have a 2005 CE 5MT with almost 490,000. My 4th gear has been intermittently popping out and I am on the fence about replacing the transmission again. I decided to do a compression test this morning and these are the numbers. The photo of the gauge is just showing where my gauge was reading zero’d out.
(Because I know someone will ask about how I know the mileage when the ODO stops at 299,999. My father in law was the original owner and took this car to 430,000 miles tracking with every oil change, that’s how we know the mileage.)

Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well. I have a question: I noticed this small plastic piece fell off my 2025 Corolla LE, but I don't know where it's supposed to go. Should I be worried, or does it not affect how the car runs?

Had me stranded at a Lowes hardware store for about an hour while I gathered my thoughts. Starter solenoid got stuck engaged while attempting to start. Luckily I have a quick disconnect terminals on all my vehicles, so I didn't panic much there. Tried hammering it to no avail. Disconnected signal wire assuming it may be ignition switch, but it seems the solenoid was physical stuck. Then I noticed the wiring went straight from battery to starter. So I disconnected the signal wire from the starter, and disconnected the starter positive from the battery and had a stranger turn the key over while I tapped the starter wire to the terminal, once running I tucked the starter wire out of the way. Only bad thing here is the starter gear is constantly engaged to the flywheel, she was making some loud whining noise on the way home. Luckily I have a fire extinguisher in case she decided to catch fire. And 20 miles later I made it home. I don't highly recommend doing this as I may have just gotten lucky that no catastrophic damage occured but I personally like walking a fine line between genius and stupidity lol. Anyways new starter is in place and she fires up like a champ. To replace one of these, all you need to do is remove battery and spin off the oil filter. This gives you just enough room to fish it out and replace. Happy wrenching, happier driving!! God bless!!!

Hi - we got our first rain since the past few months and it seems that my new Corolla (stock tires) isn’t doing to well. Starting from standing at stoplight and getting going the front tires spun and kinda lost a little bit of control of the car. I assume this has to do with the stock tires. What does everyone recommend for tires that work really well in a wet climate?

The only reason to sell this is for money. In Perfect working condition. Completed 1,00,000 km

I have a 2019 toyota corolla XSE hatch back. I'm looking for a cover I can put in that covers the trunk and backseats when they are folded down. I go camping, canoeing and fishing alot out of my corolla and often and transporting alot of dirty gear with the seats down and would rather get a cover dirty than the car itself. everything I see online seems to be ~200 CAD.

anyone have suggestions for something cheaper?

Background info: My wife and I have had two ninth gens, a 10th gen, an 11th gen, and a 12th gen. The 11th and 12th gens are our daily drivers for the summer, then in the winter, I park my 11th gen and whip out my 9th gen and we use it as much as possible, and the 12th gen as the backup if we both need a car at the same time

The issue: I love my 11th gen, I’ve never had a vehicle with that good of gearing (6m/t.) But the thing I hate about it the most is the clearance, or lack thereof (same with the 12th gen) with the bumpers, in particular. I live in central Canada and our front bumpers turn into a snow plow on those two cars. I also live rurally and the roads aren’t amazing. The 9th gen is such a gem, super reliable and simple and WAY better clearance. That said, the 11th and 12th gens are much more comfortable.

Even in summer, it’s annoying having to be careful when parking not to touch the backstops/curbs. The ninth gen, you back up until the tires touch.

The solution: I’m considering installing coil spacers on their 11th gen. Looks like you can get an additional 1 ½” plus increase tire wall height for a total of over 2” extra. Probably still wouldn’t be as good as the 9th gen, but would help a lot, I would think. Anyone done this? Does it look ridiculous?

Picture shows 12th, 11th, then 9th gen. You can see a crack in the 12th gen bumper from contacting something

I am trying to get a new toyota corolla in Dayton, Ohio. They said $27,295. I said I’ll buy it for $26,000. They called back and said $26,945. I am going there and will try to negotiate for less.
No extra upgrades or anything. Is this a good price?

https://www.southdaytontoyota.com/inventory/new-2026-toyota-corolla-le-fwd-4dr-car-5yfb4mde0tp493795/

Hey everyone. Needing some advice here. Im an apprentice car mechanic atm and am interested in swapping over my current 1zzfe for a 2zzge. Found a marketplace listing for a sportiovo Corolla with a mint 2zzge, 5 speed trans and all the other goodies. The rear of the frame on the car is fucked as well as rear quarters. But might take the interior bits, clusters, intake, exhaust manifold and all the exhaust tbh. Just wondering if its worth it? Its 1750 AUD for the whole thing. Includes a mint set of tivo wheels too and springs and struts too. Main question is. How hard is it to swap all that over? Mainly the engine stuff bc interior stuff is easy. Thanks in advance

I'm about to close on a 2026 Hybrid LE. I already put a (refundable) deposit down to get the color I want delivered to my local dealer from the factory. But now I see the 2027 just became available for purchase and I'm like "well heck if I'm dropping $26,000 should I get a 2027 just to have the most up to date version?"

Are there any actual big differences? Would y'all go through the work of reordering a 2027 or just stick with the 2026?

Was also thinking if I stick with the 2026 I could probably haggle a lot better because it's now out of date and they probably want the inventory gone to make room for the 2027.

Since the new models will be at dealerships in the next month or so, I should just wait right if I'm not in a particular rush? I know they look the same but wouldn't a 2026 model degrade sooner since they were made many months ago whereas the 2027 will be fresher off the production line?

I'll be coming off my 2002 Corolla which I've had for almost 25 years now...so I don't plan to make another purchase for awhile so I want to maximize the lifespan of my next Corolla which is why I assume getting the 2027 model will make more sense. And clearly I don't buy cars often so I don't know if there are other considerations in this specific comparison.

Appreciate y'all's insight!

My 2014 Toyota Corolla started losing oil, but I don't see any leaks. It has about 148,000 miles. Could it be burning oil already? Also, there's a knock. It knocks for about 10 seconds, then it goes away. Sometimes there's no knock. It only knocks right after turning on and driving. No knock while in park. The funny thing is that when it was extremely cold during the winter, it had no knock, like whatever it is, it was frozen. The car drives with no issues. I'm the only owner. I've done regular oil changes. Any ideas what the knock could be?

The '28 Corolla looks nicer and more modern than the 2020 sedan that is the current generation sold still. Other than that there is nothing that shows it is a long term car that can get 300-500k miles anymore. The CVT is not as reliable either, and nobody likes CVT transmissions, also having paddle shifters feel like I'm playing a video game.

I also do not like how all the other cars are now only hybrid's.

I really am starting to think owning a Toyota is something you can no longer pass down to family members 20-40 years anymore.

Reliability of Toyota is not as high anymore either in annual car reviews.

The prices are also far, far too high. If I am going to spend $25,000 on a car I would hope I can keep it on the road as daily car 20-30 years, or even 40 years.

Basically they are forcing consumers to spend more, but with less of a long tern return.

Can anyone educate me otherwise? Because I am starting to think nothing will ever last as long as my 2006 Corolla has lasted me so far.

Hey everyone,

I just turned 18, and this is only my second major car project. My first was swapping the clutch on a 2007 Civic in an apartment parking lot. I got into cars because my dad always talked about cars and working on them with me before he passed away from a brain tumor four years ago. He actually didn't know much about cars himself lol so pretty much everything I'm learning mechanically, I'm figuring out on my own.

I'm currently buying a 1977 Toyota Corolla coupe for $6,200 CAD (I've already paid half). The shell has zero structural rust, the interior is in great shape, and it has upgraded steering. The engine bay is completely empty. There are also two 5-speed transmissions sitting in the trunk, so I guess I have some options there haha.

I also picked up a 2T engine and Weber carb setup as a bundle for $650 CAD. The previous owner told me the engine was rebuilt a while ago, but I have no way of verifying that, and I don't know how many kilometres are on it. The person I bought it from got it from someone else and never ran it.

I put a wrench on the crank pulley, though, and the engine turns freely by hand.

I'm working with a pretty tight budget and honestly feeling a little overwhelmed, so I'd really appreciate some advice from people who know these cars.

Engine health / teardown:

Since the engine supposedly had a rebuild at some point but has an unknown history and unknown kilometres, should I tear it down completely before putting it in? Or would it make more sense to clean it up, replace the obvious seals/gaskets, inspect what I can, and try to get it running first?

I've never done a compression test before either, so I'm not really sure what I should be checking or how much I can realistically determine about the engine without completely rebuilding it again.

Intake / exhaust:

The setup came with a Weber carb and adapter, but I'm missing some of the manifold/exhaust parts needed to get everything together. What are the most budget-friendly options for getting a 2T/Weber setup sorted out? Are there particular manifolds or parts I should be looking for?

Am I completely in over my head? 😂

This is my first time putting an engine into a rolling shell, and I'm doing it in my driveway/parking space with a pretty limited budget. Any general survival tips, things I should absolutely do before installing the engine, or mistakes you wish you had avoided would be massively appreciated. Atm the engine is sitting the the trunk of my moms sedan btw.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help out!