GR Corolla first ride

[DB_Cooper]

Originally Posted by Donatello.

Then maybe look at the new BMW grille. You'll prefer the C8

I'd prefer the Bimmer Schnoz to the entire C8 design. At least the grill problem is an isolated mistake.

[Red Bread]

Agreed, a big nose is a lot easier to accept than a huge, loaded diaper, square ass. I was excited for a mid engine Corvette, but reality hasn’t come through for it yet. Maybe the C9 won’t be a glorified golf cart.

[sgsdownhill]

Coworker of mine has an allocation. He plans to daily it; with a commute of 55 miles each way. Will report back.

[AWDtoRWD]

GR Corolla is unobtainable

[Tejas1836]

Originally Posted by sgsdownhill

Coworker of mine has an allocation. He plans to daily it; with a commute of 55 miles each way. Will report back.

$10 says he'll take the long way to work and back home

[OkieSnuffBox]

Originally Posted by DB_Cooper

I considered a Golf R in 2019. Needed a hatch and something that would be an all year car anyone in the family could use.

I walked away from the last MY Golf R feeling like the interior was really cheap, overuse of hard plastics and the dealer experience was awful at every dealership I visited. I drove two of them, both were brand new and had squeaky clutches & interior rattles. Went with a 2019 Mazda 3 hatch; best bang for your buck and a much more handsome car vs the Golf R, even better than the GR & CTR. Different leagues in terms of performance but utility for us was the same. In fact if Mazda were making a performance hatch option I'd wait on the GR purchase, that's how impressed I am w/ Mazda quality and overall purchase & ownership experience.

Back to the new Golf R, which I think is way overpriced, FUGLY, overly complicated & something I'm def not considering if a CTR or GR C are options. For what it's worth these are proper Japanese sports cars, built in Japan and that matters to some people.

110%. Then again, I've realized I'm kind of a Mazda fanboi with how many I've had over the years. If they had brought back the Speed3 I absolutely would have bought one hands down. My '10 Speed3 was a blast.........only got rid of it because at the time I was building a track car and was planning on doing NASA TT, so I got a truck to tow it.

Originally Posted by Donatello.

LOL several people here gave me a lot of crap because I would not drop $40K+ on a Corolla. I am referring to them. How many of these folks bought one? I bet maybe 1 tops...

I was very interested in them when the news dropped. But I knew it would be impossible to get one without paying a huge markup and waiting a long time, which I wasn't willing to do.

[86Zed]

At the risk of shifting luck... GRC allocation en route to USA now, should be in my garage sometime in March.

[DocOfTheDead]

I’m number 36 on my dealer’s wait list with a signed agreement for MSRP and no add ons.

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by DocOfTheDead

I’m number 36 on my dealer’s wait list with a signed agreement for MSRP and no add ons.

I sincerely hope you are kidding or on the list at another dealer or two? Given the volume of cars and Toyota's dealer allocation process you may never see a car during the production lifetime. Most dealers will be lucky to get a couple of GRCs annually, if any.

[Clark_Kent]

To those of you who have purchased a GR Corolla (or intend to), what is the draw over the FL5 Type R or the Golf R? It's a good crop of hot hatches to select from but would be curious to hear perspectives from my BP brethren.

[DocOfTheDead]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

I sincerely hope you are kidding or on the list at another dealer or two? Given the volume of cars and Toyota's dealer allocation process you may never see a car during the production lifetime. Most dealers will be lucky to get a couple of GRCs annually, if any.

No. I’m not kidding. I’ve purchased several cars from this dealer and they have a very large volume. I was 36 about a year ago when I signed up long before any were allocated. The Morizo is going to be low volume but the Core and Ciruit will be much better. Honestly, I have so many cars I really don’t care if I get one. This dealer never charges over MSRP for anything and I’ll happily wait to give them business if possible.

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

To those of you who have purchased a GR Corolla (or intend to), what is the draw over the FL5 Type R or the Golf R? It's a good crop of hot hatches to select from but would be curious to hear perspectives from my BP brethren.

Both the Golf R and Type R are better family cars with larger seating and cargo areas. The creature comforts are improved too. The Type R is even tougher to find than the GRC with insane markups. I also do not want FWD.

We owned a MK7 GTI and I was not super impressed with the mechanical build quality. The MK8 is strangely worse than the generation before it aesthetically (exterior) and user friendliness of their infotainment. In fact I am explicitly seeking a non-German daily for lower running costs. It should be a Lexus if I were smart but I want a rowdy, AWD, 6MT car with four doors. The WRX is so ugly I don’t know where to start.

If for some reason the GRC fails to meet my needs I’ll part ways and look for a MK7 GolfR.

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by DocOfTheDead

. This dealer never charges over MSRP for anything and I’ll happily wait to give them business if possible.

Pulling for ya and that’s the adult way to do business. With interest rates sky high a lot of folks have given up allocations or been unable to secure financing. That’s how I jumped up lists so quickly. West coast, TX, and the east coast will see a lot more cars. Toyotas “Chicagoland” region including the surrounding states is rumored to only receive 80 2023 GRC Core models.

[86Zed]

Took delivery yesterday. This car feels poised to GO, so eager and quick! Certainly not a BMW interior but I am looking forward to drier roads this spring (not getting a winter wheel/tire setup until next fall).

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

Took delivery yesterday. This car feels poised to GO, so eager and quick! Certainly not a BMW interior but I am looking forward to drier roads this spring (not getting a winter wheel/tire setup until next fall)

Congrats! That's awesome.

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

Took delivery yesterday. This car feels poised to GO, so eager and quick! Certainly not a BMW interior but I am looking forward to drier roads this spring (not getting a winter wheel/tire setup until next fall).

Congrats! The GR Corolla is a good looking car and looks like plenty of fun. I've only seen one on the road here in Atlanta. Would be interested to learn more about the buying experience. Specifically, did you pay an ADM? If so, how much? When did you start looking for an allocation? Any other pertinent information would also be helpful.

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

Congrats! The GR Corolla is a good looking car and looks like plenty of fun. I've only seen one on the road here in Atlanta. Would be interested to learn more about the buying experience. Specifically, did you pay an ADM? If so, how much? When did you start looking for an allocation? Any other pertinent information would also be helpful.

I paid $1,500 ADM which I found to be more than fair given the market environment. My search began in December 2022 (way too late!) and lucked out as folks dropped off the waitlist with rising interest rates etc. Here in the Midwest demand is lower but allocations are also significantly reduced, most dealers will see 1 allocation annually, if at all.

My only requirement was that the car be equipped with the performance package (LSD). I reached out to eight dealers and only three were allocated a car so far with waitlists ranging from 6 to 48 people.

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

I paid $1,500 ADM which I found to be more than fair given the market environment. My search began in December 2022 (way too late!) and lucked out as folks dropped off the waitlist with rising interest rates etc. Here in the Midwest demand is lower but allocations are also significantly reduced, most dealers will see 1 allocation annually, if at all.

My only requirement was that the car be equipped with the performance package (LSD). I reached out to eight dealers and only three were allocated a car so far with waitlists ranging from 6 to 48 people.

Thanks for sharing. Some of these cars' waiting lists and ADMs have gotten a little wild. Glad you were able to secure one. Looking forward to hearing your impressions after more seat time.

I presume you will track this car. Any concerns with the cooling issues uncovered by a few YouTubers?

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

Thanks for sharing. Some of these cars' waiting lists and ADMs have gotten a little wild. Glad you were able to secure one. Looking forward to hearing your impressions after more seat time.

I presume you will track this car. Any concerns with the cooling issues uncovered by a few YouTubers?

The stories I hear from the Honda Type R folks are even worse, plus ADM for high demand mini-vans, SUVs, etc recently.

I have a small track event in April and will probably take it out 1-2X a year, curious to see if I experience the same issue. Folks have had OK success wrapping the exhaust that routes directly next to the diff. My real plan is to source -1" 17" wheels and meatier tires to have fun in the dirt and snow!

[blinkme323]

Over the weekend, I went to check out one at my local dealer. Kind of funky looking in person, not my cup of tea but not terrible either. T

hey wanted 20k over sticker though, which is just ludicrous. Even the Type Rs have settled around 10-15 over, which is still insane.

[OkieSnuffBox]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

Thanks for sharing. Some of these cars' waiting lists and ADMs have gotten a little wild. Glad you were able to secure one. Looking forward to hearing your impressions after more seat time.

I presume you will track this car. Any concerns with the cooling issues uncovered by a few YouTubers?

ADM's wouldn't be a thing if people just refused to pay them.

When I ordered my '23 BRZ, the sales guy tried to add like $1500 on to it. When I asked what the fee was he told me, I stood up, shook his hand and thanked him for his time.

They immediately removed the ADM.

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

The stories I hear from the Honda Type R folks are even worse, plus ADM for high demand mini-vans, SUVs, etc recently.

I have a small track event in April and will probably take it out 1-2X a year, curious to see if I experience the same issue. Folks have had OK success wrapping the exhaust that routes directly next to the diff. My real plan is to source -1" 17" wheels and meatier tires to have fun in the dirt and snow!

Originally Posted by blinkme323

Over the weekend, I went to check out one at my local dealer. Kind of funky looking in person, not my cup of tea but not terrible either. T

hey wanted 20k over sticker though, which is just ludicrous. Even the Type Rs have settled around 10-15 over, which is still insane.

Originally Posted by OkieSnuffBox

ADM's wouldn't be a thing if people just refused to pay them.

When I ordered my '23 BRZ, the sales guy tried to add like $1500 on to it. When I asked what the fee was he told me, I stood up, shook his hand and thanked him for his time.

They immediately removed the ADM.

Agree to all of the above with respect to ADMs. It is really wild in the Honda Civic Type R world. I lived through it the last several months. One thing I told myself early on: I would not pay an ADM on the CTR, not even a modest one. I was able to secure an allocation for MSRP last month and the car arrived at the dealership last week, delivered to me today. I don't want to hijack the GR Corolla thread with CTR stuff so here's a link to my post:

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=183