[vigsom]

Introduction

This is a quick account of how yet another Corolla Altis got added to what I fondly call our Toyota Corolla Club. The latest is a 2015 Toyota Corolla Altis VL Super CVT-i.

What's special about this acquisition?

Very simple - the car had 1,41,000km on the odo at purchase, a number most folks would run away from. Pictures will prove that it is not the odo reading, but how the car's been kept that matters in most cases, older Toyotas especially.

[vigsom]

Options considered and sealing the deal

1. 2010 Corolla Altis VL AT in Coimbatore
2. 2013 Corolla Altis Super CVT-i in Chennai

Both these were in the Champagne Mica shade, had between 50,000 and 78,000km on the odo, but neither of the them was priced to sell. In the meanwhile one more option popped up - a 2015 White Corolla Altis VL Super CVT-i single owner company owned. The only downer here was the car had 1,41,000km on the odo. The buyer, a martial arts expert, asked me if this was good to evaluate. All I asked him to check was for continuity in service records, place of service, a physical evaluation of the car and a longish test drive. All checked out well and the deal was sealed for a little under INR 6.5 lacs; not a wow price but certainly better than many new options available these days. Icing on the cake - the shade was white and the buyer's preferred choice!

[vigsom]

The initial encounter and first impressions

Several bits of information around the E170 Altis have already been included here (Pre-Owned 2016 Toyota Corolla Altis (E170) Review| One More Smiley); what's being showcased here is just how a 2015 car, done 1,41,000km has held up over 10 years.

First test drive

This was a 10km drive in the city in the early hours. The drivetrain worked flawlessly, and the only hint of age was in the form of minor rattle from the doors, typical of any Jap. car. Zero suspension or steering noise

Engine bay -the infamous bypass hose and nozzle were intact at the radiator inlet side but the nozzle at the radiator neck had been repaired - no leaks though



Engine internals - note how clean it is for a 1,41,000km done example



Front View


Left Side View



Rear View - a few scuff marks here, a minor dent on the bootlid and a minor crack in the tail lamp lens - caused due to a little inattentiveness while backing up



Front Left Side View



Front View with lights on



View from the Rear Seat



View of the Front seats - Except a bit of imperfection at the seat edge on the driver seat, no damage after 10 years of use



View of the Rear Seats



Rear Seats (60:40 split) with the Sun Blind

[vigsom]

Expenses post purchase

1. Service INR 6,500 approx. (Engine Oil change plus the 1,50,000km service). All unnecessary jobs were all excluded from the job card.

Summing it up - by a Toyota Corolla fan

Adding to my summary in my last thread, here are details of my "Corolla Threads".

1a. Blue 9th Gen (2003 Toyota Corolla H4 Automatic Review – The Blue Beauty!)

1b. White 9th Gen (2005 Toyota Corolla Facelift H5 Review – Clean Pure Love!)

1c. RedNSilver 9th Gen (Pre-owned Toyota Corolla | Two more shades, many more smiles)

2. Three Altis 10th Gen (Toyota Corolla Altis Ownership Review | My rendezvous with a diesel and two petrols)

3. Champagne Mica 11th Gen (Pre-Owned 2016 Toyota Corolla Altis (E170) Review| One More Smiley)

and this one!!

[Sheel]

Mod Note : Thread moved from Assembly Line to Long term ownership review.

[yedukrishnan199]

Quite an Exceptionally maintained Altis you have found, Toyotas are built to last, and if maintained well, they could last as long as you want them to, they are so reliable! For 6.5 lakhs, it is not a bad deal considering you get a spacious car with premium features for its time, excellent build, and a smooth-handling car. Hope to see more of it on this thread!

[svsantosh]

6.5Lacs for a Mint condition Toyota is nothing in todays value. It can be approximated to 3-4 Lacs INR around Covid time.

And 1.4Lac Km in a Toyota, especially the King of the worlds' roads for last 4 decades - "Corolla", is absolutely nothing. These are made to last 7-8Lac kms before the first sneeze, only needs 5k oil change done correctly. Auto box can last 4Lacs Kms easily, just need an reliable auto mechanic to service the valves/internals/filters and the regular 'magnet in pan' checks to ensure its life.

Niggles in HVAC are known, not a deal breaker, very rare and very cheap to repair too. Overall, you landed a diamond in the dust, great investment!

[rajshenoy]

Aah, so nostalgic - Reminded me of my Corolla altis 2014 (MT) and perhaps the only reason I had to depart was because I needed an automatic and lack of space to keep the car. Car was super smooth, had ample grunt for the highways and was mostly stock OG factory fitted (even those little bulbs) when I sold it in 2024 after 10 long years

Had I got a CVT, would have held on to it. You wont get such near perfect cars in our market today!

[gopa99]

How do toyota dealerships treat a 11 year old car? In Hyundai I have seen my car age with the dealership showing a “no so caring “ attitude after the car crossed the 5 year mark! The most I get this feeling is when i run in for a running repair where a diagnosis requires an earnest effort and an expert’s time on the vehicle.

[Wheeloholic]

Originally Posted by gopa99

How do toyota dealerships treat a 11 year old car? In Hyundai I have seen my car age with the dealership showing a “no so caring “ attitude after the car crossed the 5 year mark! The most I get this feeling is when i run in for a running repair where a diagnosis requires an earnest effort and an expert’s time on the vehicle.

I got a 2014 Altis same model, Toyota ASS experience is exceptional. I service in Chennai, sometimes in Salem. The service is always 5 star.

Unlike Innova/Fortuner, these Toyota Sedans does not command a good resale value, so it's a value buy I would say. Mine has done 1.2L km and still going strong.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by yedukrishnan199

Quite an Exceptionally maintained Altis you have found

Thank You Yedu. Helping the buyer with a preliminary on line assessment was the most difficult part; happy that it didn't backfire

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Overall, you landed a diamond in the dust, great investment

Absolutely Santosh. Thank You for your nice words and insights. These cars just go on and on. I've also been mighty impressed with how many Marutis and the older Hyundais have held up with time.

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Car was super smooth, had ample grunt for the highways and was mostly stock OG factory fitted (even those little bulbs) when I sold it in 2024 after 10 long years

Thank You Raj for your memories; I guess we change cars more since we get bored, and not because they begin giving issues.

Originally Posted by gopa99

How do toyota dealerships treat a 11 year old car?

Friends in the Club tell me that their older Altis /Corollas are treated with as much respect as the new ones. Only downer is that the service estimates would show a lot of unnecessary items, which one can politely refuse.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by gopa99

How do toyota dealerships treat a 11 year old car? In Hyundai I have seen my car age with the dealership showing a “no so caring “ attitude after the car crossed the 5 year mark! The most I get this feeling is when i run in for a running repair where a diagnosis requires an earnest effort and an expert’s time on the vehicle.

Toyota service in general is top notch. In fact I was doing EM60 (1 hour service) for my almost 10 year corolla altis and they would do amazing job(even top up wiper washer) in 1-2 hours window.

But sedans are definitely rare as the bays are mostly filled with Innovas. I never needed running repair so can't comment on walk-in experience though!

Surprisingly I get even better treatment with local Maruti service centers for my humble 2018 Alto K10. In case of running repairs, I inform over WhatsApp so that they stock the parts and then it is a short walk-in and out.

[EVBOSS]

Welcome to Corolla fan club.

I have a Corolla Altis of 7/2010 manufacture, going strong at 1.8 lakh km. Still smooth and trouble-free. Mileage is above 22 km (diesel). White pearl Mica.

The only problems faced are with AC (persisting even after replacing).

Toyota cars can last beyond 5 lakh kilometers and service/maintenance costs are quite low.