The Corolla needs an overhaul badly. Toyota's been coasting on its reputation for years now, and the new stuff doesn't live up to the hype. Poor fuel economy, utterly boring drive, not nearly as well-built as the older ones.

Cruze, Dart, Civic, Focus, whatever the Kia/Hyundai ones are called -- I'd take any of them over the Corolla at this point.

I had a 96 Rolla that I loved and couldn't wait to see how many miles it would have on it when it finally gave up the ghost. Unfortunately, a pickup pulling in front of me killed it just before it hit 200k miles. Bought a Scion after it died but then a Suburban ended its life prematurely so now I'm on my second Scion and love it like crazy. I imagine if it died I'd go out and buy one just like it tomorrow.