Howdy howdy howdy!
Long time no see! It has been a hell of a year and I've sort of been AWOL from just about everywhere else online too. We had a baby last June and my wife quit working and I hit the detailing like 20 hours a week on top of my normal job that I started in November. Then I sold my Accord and shared the Pilot with my wife. Well, that sucked, so I bought a motorcycle and rode that till I sold it and bought a scooter that I just sold and then I bought a Corolla XRS. Now I feel worthy to participate in a car organization once again.
I've been missing the interaction and the get togethers, so hopefully I haven't been gone too long and everybody hates me.
I don't know how many people even realize that Toyota made a more performance centered sedan at one point. I sure as hell didn't know until I saw one in the parking lot at work. I thought it might be an AWD Corolla or something, so I did some homework and found out it is a pretty sweet whip. Basically it has the same performance numbers as an Integra GSR, but with better suspension and better fuel economy. I can drive it like I stole it and I still get 33 mpg on a regular basis.
You can't complain about that. From what I read it was toted as the Toyota version of the Type R. It has the same relative impovements over the regular Corolla that the Type R made over the GSR. Suspension, motor, looks, etc. Anyway, I am liking it a lot. I haven't done anything to it other than the tint and shaving the side moldings off. I did disable the daytime running lights and also the irritating reverse beep. I don't know what it is about Toyota, but they decided that we needed a beep in the car when we are in reverse. It is a funky six speed with reverse in the left and up position, but it isn't like this is the only car in the world with that configuration. So I put an LED on the wire that controls the beep and that let's me know instead.
Anyway, here are the pictures.
