Toyota Corolla 2018 Problems

Locking your keys in a car, or just flat-out losing them altogether, is a horrible experience. While the movies make it look easy to break into a car, the reality is quite different. Even a humble Toyota Corolla is difficult to break into without smashing the door glass with a hammer. If you have locked your keys in the car, the first port of call should be a locksmith, who can come unlock it for you for a fee. If it is an emergency, you can normally access the hatch or boot (otherwise known as the trunk in the USA) by punching the lock out using a large flat-headed screwdriver and a hammer. You will have to get a new lock fitted, though this is often cheaper and less hazardous than breaking a window and replacing that glass. Vehicles built in the last 30 years are next to impossible to hotwire in the conventional sense, so don't even fantasise about that - call a towtruck and get it taken to your local mechanic!

Though they were originally rear-drive, Aussie Corollas have been driven by the front-wheels since the era of stonewash and perms (that is the 1980s, kids). We also had a Corolla-based four-wheel drive in the early '90s badged Tercel, though it didn't last long. Overseas, the Corolla has had all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants, some even featuring turbochargers. For Australia, the last rear-drive Corolla was the KE70-series, though the early 1980s rear-drive Sprinter was also based off a Corolla platform.

Toyota's Corolla has built its giant-killing reputation on the fact that, while they might not be the flashiest or most dynamically appealing, they have always been rock-solid reliable. What the Corolla may lack in tar-shredding performance it makes up for with dependable reliability and cheap running costs. As with any car, regular servicing and care will be key to maintaining that reliability in the long term.

As a car, yes. While the humble Corolla might not be a Ferrari, they are solid, dependable transport that has served the world brilliantly for half a century. Cheap to buy and run, they are a bastion of reliability, they have good safety and equipment levels, and aren't bad on the eye, too. Classic Corollas are an excellent introduction to historic vehicles, while new vehicles are possibly the safest purchase in the new car market today.