toyota Buying a Toyota Corolla 121 or Toyota Aqua Car

ajc · May 18, 2023

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and I'm about to purchase my first car for home use. Cars that I'm interested in are Toyota Corolla 121 and Toyota Aqua 2013 or higher. This may sound bizzare. I'll explain why these are the models that I am going back and forth.

Reasons troubling me to make a decision are,

- Kind of want to go for a newer hybrid car ( not a very logical reason. I know that but I just like that ☺️ )

- Aqua is a smaller car but space is limited compared to 121

- Aqua's milage is better since it is a hybrid

- We have 5 members in the home, therefore it is easier to fit in a 121 than an Aqua, and with the ground clearance between the two 121 is better for that

- 121 is more spacious than Aqua and can carry up to 6 people without any problem

- Some are saying that Hybrid batteries and ABS systems are giving some issues and for replacement, it would cost high ( I know I should bear the costs that comes with any car ☹️ )

- I have driven a 121 for about a year and I know the comfort and the issues I could face with this car

Usage

* Car will be for home use

* Most probably it will be parked during weekdays

* For a single weekend there's a good chance I will cover around 250km

* I am from Kandy, so mostly I'm going on hilly terrains

* There is some luggage I'm carrying around, but not heavy and can fit into both cars

* When traveling not always 5 of us are traveling. Mostly 2 or 4 of us will

I know these two cars are completely different from one another for comparison. But, my liking is between these two. Can anyone help me to make the decision on which car should I go for? Mentioned reasons are the ones troubling me.

Thank You!!

sathyajithj99 · May 18, 2023

On 5/18/2023 at 12:44 PM, ajc said:

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and I'm about to purchase my first car for home use. Cars that I'm interested in are Toyota Corolla 121 and Toyota Aqua 2013 or higher. This may sound bizzare. I'll explain why these are the models that I am going back and forth.

Reasons troubling me to make a decision are,

- Kind of want to go for a newer hybrid car ( not a very logical reason. I know that but I just like that ☺️ )

- Aqua is a smaller car but space is limited compared to 121

- Aqua's milage is better since it is a hybrid

- We have 5 members in the home, therefore it is easier to fit in a 121 than an Aqua, and with the ground clearance between the two 121 is better for that

- 121 is more spacious than Aqua and can carry up to 6 people without any problem

- Some are saying that Hybrid batteries and ABS systems are giving some issues and for replacement, it would cost high ( I know I should bear the costs that comes with any car ☹️ )

- I have driven a 121 for about a year and I know the comfort and the issues I could face with this car

Usage

* Car will be for home use

* Most probably it will be parked during weekdays

* For a single weekend there's a good chance I will cover around 250km

* I am from Kandy, so mostly I'm going on hilly terrains

* There is some luggage I'm carrying around, but not heavy and can fit into both cars

* When traveling not always 5 of us are traveling. Mostly 2 or 4 of us will

I know these two cars are completely different from one another for comparison. But, my liking is between these two. Can anyone help me to make the decision on which car should I go for? Mentioned reasons are the ones troubling me.

Thank You!!

Expand

A 121 can carry 6 people without a problem if 2 of them are put in the trunk.

What is the point of buying a hybrid if the car stays at home during weekdays ?

If not all 5 of you are going at once then no need to have a bigger vehicle with 5/6 seats ( like a Toyota Avenza)

Out of these 2 you are better off with a 121

But think twice because it's a bit old and always overpriced. A lot of other options out there.

ajc · May 18, 2023

Hi @sathyajithj99. Thanks for the feedback. I missed mentioning that out of 6, 2 are my brothers and they are in school. So two of them and my mom and one other grown person can fit into the back seat. We had a 121, 2004 car. Unfortunately, we got continuous oil problems and had to sell it under priced. In that car all of us could fit in. Not Ideal. But, good enough for Kandy-Mahiyangana, Kandy-Badulla, Kandy-Colombo trips.

I agree with you on hybrid staying home is useless and 121 is overpriced these days

iRage · May 18, 2023

What @sathyajithj99 said...a Hybrid is pointless if the car is going to be mostly left at home, especially the old one. With any car, the idea is that you get use out of the car that offsets the cost you have to bare. So, at some point there will be a time you spend a lot of money fixing Hybrid battery issues with zero return on it.

The problem with the Aqua is that the type of people who bought it (ones looking for a car to run cheaply) have not taken care of their cars. So finding an honest car might be a bit of a problem. Then the issue with the 121 is that, again, people who bought the cars were lookking for cheap to run cars Which meant repairs were not done properly and services were..well..they just do servicing for the sake of doing things for an advertisement but not proper servicing (Aqua is also the same). I am sorry to say this but you 121 also seems to have been a victim of it at some point in time. There is no such thing called a recurring oil leak. Being one of the last mechanical/analog cars, if fixed properly then it will last (proper fixing means PROPER parts, complete A to B attention when fixing something and not just fixing a symptom, etc...). The thing is for 99% of the Corolla owners, fixing it in such a manner is not worth the cost to them or not willing to spend that much. So...repairs are just surface jobs. So, because of the mythical beliefs and inflated value cars like AE100, 121, etc...have, most of the cars are just shoddily covered up.

Sadly I don't think either of those cars work well for you. FInding a good car is tough and then one car is impractical most of the time and is some of the time; whilst the other car is practical for most of the time but finding an honest car is difficult. If you wanted a 121...you should have kept your old one and given it a proper ground up fix-up/restoration (now you are buying another 121 which you have no idea what is lurking underneath).

Have you considered something like a 140 series Axio/Fielder ?

or anything like a Mazda Axela/Mazda3, Lancers ? Especially the latter since you still have well loved permit imports with proper service history around

ajc · May 19, 2023

Hi @iRage

I have to agree with you for whole not giving A to B attention on proper fixing

On 5/18/2023 at 10:23 PM, iRage said:

If you wanted a 121...you should have kept your old one and given it a proper ground up fix-up/restoration

Expand

My father sold this one saying the above mention oil issue. At that time I had no idea waht was that or when will I buy a car or even he is selling the .

On 5/18/2023 at 10:23 PM, iRage said:

The thing is for 99% of the Corolla owners, fixing it in such a manner is not worth the cost to them or not willing to spend that much.

Expand

Unfortunately I know I am in this category 😟

I will look into the alternative options you mentioned. Thank you for your insightful feedback

matroska · May 19, 2023

On 5/18/2023 at 12:44 PM, ajc said:

- We have 5 members in the home, therefore it is easier to fit in a 121 than an Aqua, and with the ground clearance between the two 121 is better for that

- 121 is more spacious than Aqua and can carry up to 6 people without any problem

- I have driven a 121 for about a year and I know the comfort and the issues I could face with this car

Usage

* Car will be for home use

* Most probably it will be parked during weekdays

* For a single weekend there's a good chance I will cover around 250km

Expand

I'd say you've answered your own question. Better off with a a 121. (even though you are buying something grossly overpriced)

Word of Advice - Corolla 121's are currency cars as in they were used in the past as a tradeable commodity. So people who bought them were only concerned about selling it off with a few lakhs profit hence poorly maintained. And mind you these are 2 decades old - so strongly recommend
1) Getting the Car Checked

2)Take along a mechanic/mechanically inclined friend

3) Pay attention to the documents - popular cars have dodgy documentation

4)Disregard mileage and number of owners - 90% of 121's have the mileage rolled back , book will have 4 owners but have passed hands more than the sauce bottle at Perera and Sons.

5) Keep aside some money for any eventual repairs that might come.

If you want a common and basic A-B car to drive during the weekends, simple mechanically and parts widely available consider Nissans of the same era - much much cheaper than 121. A 20 year old Nissan Sunny will cost about 1Million less than a 20 year old corolla.

ajc · May 19, 2023

Hi @matroska

On 5/19/2023 at 6:34 AM, matroska said:

1) Getting the Car Checked

2)Take along a mechanic/mechanically inclined friend

3) Pay attention to the documents - popular cars have dodgy documentation

4)Disregard mileage and number of owners - 90% of 121's have the mileage rolled back , book will have 4 owners but have passed hands more than the sauce bottle at Perera and Sons.

5) Keep aside some money for any eventual repairs that might come.

Expand