Jim Grant's Tech Tips

'03 Toyota Corolla, The Worst Mistake of My Life

Q: I bought a ‘03 Toyota Corolla “the worst mistake of my life”. It is the noisiest car I have ever driven and a terrible riding car. I took it back to the place where I bought it and no one agreed with me. I am very unhappy about the whole thing. What would make a motor so loud and such a bumpy ride? Am I missing something here? I wrote to the company but received no answer. Have you ever heard of any other complaints? Thank you-A bumpy Ride

A: Dear Bumpy Ride,
Did you test-drive this car before you bought it? Whenever a customer asks me what type of car I think would be best for them, I reply with the following. It has to be a color you like. Be sure you fit, as in -can the seat be adjusted so you’re comfortable? Can you reach and operate the radio, heater and other controls safely? I have found some cars that I can’t turn the ignition switch on without hitting the wiper switch because of my hand size. Can you get in and out of the vehicle easily? There is just a lot of “does the human fit the car” issues that have to addressed. Once you have found a car you like, that fits and looks like it would function for you then, test drive it. A test drive should be for a bare minimum of a ½ hour and cover a variety of road conditions and speeds. Be sure the radio is off (that was part of the human fit stuff) and pay attention to the vehicle. When making such a purchase you need to know that the product you’re buying is right for you. Once the doted line is signed, money has changed hands and the vehicle has been driven off the lot, it is next to impossible to get a replacement because it sounds too load or the ride is too bumpy. If you’re that unhappy with the vehicle, you may want to take the hit and trade it in for a car you like. Just be sure you spend some time with it before you take it home.