Allion 240 vs Corolla 141

[Night Fury]

Hello everyone,

I'm considering buying a sedan car, and currently, I have two options in mind: Allion 240 and Corolla 141, both below 5.5 million.

I would greatly appreciate your input and ideas regarding the fuel consumption and maintenance of these two car models. If any of you have personal experience or knowledge about these vehicles, your insights would be valuable in helping me make an informed decision.

Additionally, if anyone knows of any other car options within this price range that are worth considering, please feel free to share your suggestions.

Thank you for your assistance, and I look forward to hearing your opinions.

 

[iRage]

Well...first and foremost, the better option to buy is whichever car is in the best condition (as inspected by the agents or a place like car checks) and has the cleanest history.

So even if the Allion is better on fuel the Corolla which might not be good on fuel will be a better buy if the Corolla is in better condition. So...when you consider that, everything below is worthless.

The Corolla and Allion of these generations are based on the same platform. The main difference is that the Corolla you are looking at probably has a 1600cc engine (as it was this and the diesel that were imported) with a MT or AT gearbox. While the Allion would have a 1.5 or 1.8 engine with a traditional AT gearbox depending on the model year and variant you are looking at (CVT for this model was only available in the 2L variant...I don't think these are common in SL).

The first version of the Corolla 141 was known to be fuel hungry because the engine from the previous model was stuck into a heavier body. On the other hand, the Allion was pretty fuel efficient as it had updated engine and gearbox tech. This is when the cars were new. Now this means nothing. Fuel efficiency of these cars today ( nearly 20 years later) depends on the condition of the car you are looking at and how it has been maintained (and how it is driven).

The 1NZ engine in the Allion (I am guessing you are looking at a 1.5L variant here) is used in many other popular Toyota models (including the Axio 140, Allion/Premio 260). So engine parts should be readily available (Toyota and other manufacturer parts both genuine and fake). The 1ZZ engine in the Corolla 141 on the other hand is not found that easily. Parts are available but I would reckon it is not as easy as the Allion. Same goes for body parts.

Which car will require constant fixing and which car will run without issues depends on the condition of the car and how it has been taken care of. Whichever car you buy you should be prepared to do some basic preemptive maintenance work. Also, when you buy a car you should try buy the car that has had regular servicing as well as preemptive maintenance work done on time (the latter is rarely done in SL until and when it gets done it is done when the part fails).

Your main difference is going to be in terms of refinement. The Allion was made for just for the Japanese market. Therefore, the materials used for the interior, the quietness of the body, ride comfort, features, etc...will tend to be better in the Allion.

Some other options :

In the same era (mid 2000s)

Lancer (CS?), Mazda Axela/3 :

You might find a Civic (ES or FD) as well but most of those have gone through bad owners who tried to "modify" them to be sporty.

Don't be stuck to go for Toyotas. 

With the Lancer and the Mazda you will get much more car for much less than a Toyota. Also, cars like Mazdas and Lancers are a lot more cleaner and honest than 90% of the regular Toyotas out there. The Toyotas you are looking at are popular with brokers and people looking to buy a car to run for cheap and sell for a high price. So they don't get maintained properly and they get poorly fixed up for quick sales. With the Lancer you are much likely to find a one or two owner car and even one that has been taken care of by the agents from day 1. 

Do not fall into the myth that Toyotas hold value and are easy to re-sell. No. Any car as long as it is cleaned/well-taken care of and is reasonably priced will sell. Actually most Toyotas are hard to sell because the prices are so high (because you would have bought it for a higher price) and then takes a lot of money to properly maintain it to keep it clean for a good sale.

[iRage]

Oh....and if your budget is 5.5mil...do not spend all 5.5 mil on buying the car. You need to keep about 250 or 300 thousand for some general repairs and post purchase maintenance work that must be done (e.g. you must change all fluids, look for any worn out oil seals, etc and replace them, have brakes, suspension, etc...checked and fixed if needed)

[matroska]

6 hours ago, Night Fury said:

Allion 240 and Corolla 141,

You have better chance of finding an 'honest' 141 than an honest 240 - due to popular demand the 240 Allion is a type of car that changes hands a lot, and will likely have rolled back mileage etc. But of course as irage mentioned it's easier to source parts etc for the 240. The 141 on the other hand might be cheaper (I assume you're looking for the 1.6 Petrol variant as opposed to the diesel) My suggestion - take it case by case...search for both and go for a good unit irrespective of the model. 

6 hours ago, iRage said:

You might find a Civic (ES or FD) as well but most of those have gone through bad owners who tried to "modify" them to be sporty.

The riced-civic syndrome affects mostly the older Civics - almost all the EK3's and EG8's (and the EF grand civics) were riced beyond recognition around 10-15 years back. You can almost not find a stock condition EK3 or an EG8 now. Thankfully many ESx's and FDx's remain unmolested. (Heck the FK's are more riced than ES and the FD) both of these are excellent cars, and the ES is more than 1 mill below your budget  and your budget will easily fetch a good condition FD series civic - an FD1 with a 1800 engine is a blast to drive and a beauty to look at. 

[matroska]

6 hours ago, iRage said:

myth that Toyotas hold value and are easy to re-sell.

on a side note - these 'popular' cars are easy to re-sell for brokers not for you.  When you try to sell one a broker will come smiling and find 147  faults (fake stuff like interior color, badges , number plate i.e : 'apoo 301 market naha ' etc) even for a car in pristine condition  and bring down the price - . This was experienced when selling my dad's B14 (at that time a very popular model) as opposed to selling a kelisa around the same time. 

[Night Fury]

Thank you all for your valuable input. These guides will be beneficial for my future decision-making. Can I get some comparisons between each of the models in the following aspects?

• Fuel consumption (City & Outstation)
• Comfortability
• Maintenance cost

[sathyajithj99]

58 minutes ago, Night Fury said:

Thank you all for your valuable input. These guides will be beneficial for my future decision-making. Can I get some comparisons between each of the models in the following aspects?

• Fuel consumption (City & Outstation)
• Comfortability
• Maintenance cost

Allion 240 would do better on fuel than 141 as explained by iRage in the previous post.

Allion 240 is more comfortable than 141 (I've driven and been a rear passenger in both of these vehicles) Allion has excellent front and rear leg space, climate control AC, rear armrest.

Most 141s in SL have manual AC and do not include rear armrest. (GLS trim may have both these options but hard to find one)

Maintenance cost would be more for 141 since the lack of spare parts freely unlike for Allion 240.

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by sathyajithj99

[Night Fury]

Thank you all, and I apologize for the delay in responding after two months. I have another question: Is it a good time to purchase a vehicle now, or should I consider waiting until early next year?