Corolla vs Auris

aardvark65

Hi, I posted a while ago on what car to replace my old Corolla with and got some helpful advice. As you can see I am still dithering. I think I want to stick with Toyota because have been v happy with Corolla. I have also test driven an Auris.
I am now considering a 3 year old Corolla (test drive easy+++ but then that is what I am used to) or a year old Auris for 2.5k more. The Auris obviously felt a bit different to drive but I think I would adjust.
I was wondering if anyone has experience of both Corolla and Auris and has an opinion on how they compare?
As you can see, I am not the most decisive of people!!!:o

jack_spratt_2

Sorry to be no help but it is really down to your own decision !!just consider what you are getting for your extra money ( warranty ,equipment )!!both should prove reliable .

AdrianHi

I've never driven either of these cars but I can make an observation from a cost point of view.
The way I look at it the real cost of a car is not the purchase price, it is the depreciation plus any finance charges or lost interest on savings it costs you to meet the purchase price plus everything else.
The 3 year old Corrolla 1.6 T3 trade in value reduces by £915 (source parkers.co.uk) a year. The similar specification Auris reduces by £1365 a year. There is the cost of difference between purchase price and trade in value to account for but the significance of that figure depends on how long you keep the car.
So far the Auris is at least £450 more in depreciation but for 2 years it does not have the following annual costs that the Corrola does:
MOT £55
Break down cover approx. £100
Extended warranty cost / allowance for repairs now not under manufacturers warranty estimate £250 (my more expensive car extended warranty is £350).
Total £405

There are a few other smaller sums of money that would push the difference one way then the other but roughly speaking the Auris is about £50-£100 a year more expensive than the Corrola for the next 2 years then it becomes about the same. A very small difference.
If you don't take and extended warranty on the Corrola the cost of out of warranty repairs becomes unpredictable and you could loose out a lot compared to the in warranty car, or loose nothing at all becuase your Toyota will never go wrong... will it?

If funding the extra £2500 for the Auris does not cause you difficulty and most importantly you like the Auris I would go for that. It has 5 star instead of 4 star (Corrola) crash safety if thats imporant to you and it's generally a more modern car with less wear and tear on it.

aardvark65

Thank you Adrian! What a well thought-out and researched reply! I agree about value - the other advantage is that they will offer £5000 interest free over 2 years in monthly payments - this applies to both and we will definitely take advantage.
I am fully aware that in the end I have to just decide:eek:. It's just that I hate these decisions and want to atleast be able to say to myself that I've thought it through!!

I can't wait til I just do it and then forget about it!!:rotfl:
Many Thanks again.

AdrianHi

No problem, I do a lot of this kind of number crunching on relative costs of cars (sad hobby :rotfl:) so I knew before I started there wouldn't be much difference between the two cars, just a quick look to get the right depreciation figures.
This excercise demonstrates doing a lot of miles makes a car expensive no matter how old it is, a younger more fuel efficient car rarely in need of repair can be the same or cheaper than an older one - most often still cheaper but not by very much.

dopester

If the 3 year old Corolla is an end of the line model, I reckon it would be totally superior in build and reliability to a new model 1st year released Auris.

Inactive

dopester wrote: »

If the 3 year old Corolla is an end of the line model, I reckon it would be totally superior in build and reliability to a new model 1st year released Auris.

Agreed, also the Corolla name is respected worldwide for very good reasons, why on earth Toyota chose to ditch the name is beyond comprehension.

Buy the well proven Corolla.

AdrianHi

Buying the older Corrolla may ... or may not get you an extra 1% (or whatever) reliability but why do this and miss out on the newer technology and possibly new improved more reliable components?
A matter of personal choice.

pinkneonmartini

personally the dash mounted gearknob on the auris is enough to sway me towards the corolla, but my head is screaming, go for the younger/lower mileage vehicle!