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My friend is moving out of town and he's offered me a great deal on his 2001 Corolla LE with 62k miles. I'm in the market for a car like that and it seemed like a no-brainer. Then when I did some research, I discovered that 1998-2002 Corollas are susceptible to a serious oil consumption problem. See discussions below:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=235960
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Corolla/2001/engine/
http://www.corolland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/21808-8th-gen-oil-consumption/
http://www.corolland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/23262-corolla-excessive-oil-consumption/

Now I'm torn because I'm not sure I want to buy a car that's predisposed to a major engine issue. I don't have a sense for what percentage of the cars are affected by the problem, but it seems pretty widespread. Should I avoid this car and look elsewhere because of this, or will I probably be fine? For what it's worth the current owner says it doesn't consume any oil, and I'm not likely to put many miles on it if I buy it.

Coincidentally, I rode in a Honda Fit today, and I was totally blown away. I sat in the middle seat between two other people, and I wasn't touching either of them and had plenty of legroom (I'm a big guy). Not like any other "subcompact" I've experienced. Then we ended up loading my bike into it, without taking off either wheel, and it was astonishingly easy. I really want a Fit now, but I don't think I'm willing to pay the prices that even used ones are going for. It's too bad it's only been around for a few years and almost none have depreciated enough.

Hi, Aaron -- why are you looking to replace your Echo?

If you are serious about the Corolla, take it to a mechanic to have it checked over first and ask him/her to pay specific attention to the oil consumption question.

I have a friend that has an 01. He gave it to his daughter over a year ago with nearly 150,000 miles on it. It had not had any issues that I know of. I will try to find out how it is doing now.

Replacing the Echo was a difficult decision, especially because it's pretty much the most economical and fuel efficient car that I could own. The main reason is that I think I'd be a lot happier with an automatic transmission. I much prefer the manual transmission on backroads, but I'm getting tired of dealing with it in San Francisco, with its heavy traffic and numerous 20%+ grades. I'm also starting to really miss power steering. When I first bought the Echo I thought manual steering was fine, but I didn't parallel park much until I moved to the city. Having air conditioning for the few occasions when I need it wouldn't hurt either.

Another thing that's been bothering me about the Echo is the way it feels on the freeway. It's always been blown around a lot by crosswinds, but since I got new tires for it (and an alignment) that kind of thing has worsened. I'm not sure if it's more susceptible to wind or if the new tires tend to track imperfections in the pavement, but it moves around in the lane almost enough to make me nauseous. There may be a solution to this, but since I want an automatic transmission anyway I think I might as well switch cars.

No matter what I get I'm going to take a FE hit, and that's especially disappointing now that gas prices are high (by US standards). Fortunately I don't drive many miles

You haven't truly experienced oil consumption until you have owned an early 70's Chevy Vega. I had one that consumed exactly one quart of oil per tank of gas. Every time i filled the tank i put in a quart of oil. I never changed the oil in that car, it was self changing.

Take a look at the plugs-fouled??
Ask your buddy- does it use oil??
Did he maintain it?

If the price is right- I would buy it.
It is probably worth taking a chance on- if the price is under $5000 or so.
I'm a big fan of low miles cars.
Buy it- put Mobil 1 "high miles car" oil in it.Maybe even use 10w30-high miles oil - if you live in a warm climate.
I forget exactly what Mobil 1 calls that oil.
Change your oil every 3-4 months no matter the miles.
Charlie
PS We had a 2001 Prizm(corolla clone) - no problems with it.

The price is so good that I think it probably makes sense to take the risk. It would be nice if I could find something reassuring about the frequency of the oil consumption problem, though. It would be very disappointing to start burning oil after a year or two. I understand this can damage the catalytic converter and other emissions equipment, and even progress to the point where the engine needs to be rebuilt or replaced.

What's different about high miles oil? Some posters at Toyota Nation recommended using synthetic oil - is that good advice?

I don't really know how Mobil 1 oil for higher mileage vehicles is supposed to be "better".
I seem to remember other oil claiming to have seal treatment that is supposed to make them less likely to leak.
Not sure what you could do to oil- other than maybe make the molecules bigger- to make it less likely to not get swept off by the oil scraping rings.

I just don't really know why/how it is better for high mile vehicles.

I would take a chance on it if the price was right.
Charlie