Corolla XRS, Would you buy one? Options

[Celicav]

Alright, so there is a 2005 Corolla XRS for sale at a local dealership. As you may know, this car is the short-lived and limited production hot-rod version of the current gen Corrolla...6-Spd, Celica GTS engine basically (but 10 less HP and about same torque). I drove it the other day and have to admit that it was fun, esp. when you hit that lift at close to 7K RPM and it throws you back in your seat. It is marginally sporty compared to our Celis...Corolla S exterior look, nice strut tower bar, Matrix XRS 16" wheels, spoiler, 1/2 in. lower than other Corollas...BUT if anyone has driven a Corolla, you feel a lot higher up in the air, and the seat height does not feel sporty.

What do you think? I like it, but it is just not as sporty and cool as the Celi. But it is a rare car, sort of a "sleeper", and it's Toyota...and faster.

[hellsyphon]

Funny you ask lol. After my celica got totalled, I bought a 2006 Corolla XRS. It is a rare car at around 6500 made from 2005-2006, but it's a kind of rarity that'll get you brownie points with people who actually know what it is. The nice part about almost no one knowing what it is, makes it a semi-sleeper was it is a fairly quick car. Here is the down low comming from someone who actually drives one.

There are very subtle differences that differentiates it from a regular corolla S. It has a color matched front grill, an X brace in the trunk, which stiffens the chasis, but you lose the ability of folding your rear seats. It has stiffer shocks, is lowered 0.5", a faster steering rack supposedly from the mr-s, and 16" rims with slightly wider tires. In the interior, it has a black interior with more supportive "mesh style" seats.

Yes it is equipped with the 2zz-ge, but the ECU has been retuned with lift at around 6800rpm and a very restrictive intake and exhaust. With a 2.5" exhaust and injen intake, it will put down ~169 whp and ~124 ft/lbs of torque. I will post my dyno sheet later. There is not much of an aftermarket support for the Corolla, but lots of Matrix and 7th gen Celica parts will work on.

Stock it handles 100x better than a normal corolla, but that isn't saying much. The steering rack has good feel and is fast to respond to imputs. It is a fun to drive car with a peppy engine, but honestly it is hardly a sporty car. Its a nice daily driver with the versitility of a sedan and has lots of spunk and gets awesome gas mileage even when you beat on it. I usually get around 30mpg in the city and 40 on the highway even with the occasional redlining. It is a nice car for what it is.

Honestly I love my car to death, but the major selling point of the car was the price. I scored an awesome deal on it brand new because at that time no one wanted the xrs and dealers just wanted to get them off the lot. Now that they are gone, I've heard that dealers have been inflating the price and that just isn't worth it. I'd say in perfect condition pay no more than 14k for an xrs.

Sorry about the long read, but if you have anymore questions feel free to PM me, or if you want to learn more about it go to www.9thgencorolla.com. I have the same sn on there too. Just becareful of the fanboys that believe the xrs is the greatest car ever made lol.