Well-appointed tuning is why this GR Corolla fetched a nice price

The Toyota Corolla arguably makes a nice daily driver, but not an ideal investment. It depreciates like any other car, especially with amateurish mods. Counterpoint: this particular MY2023 GR Corolla, which went for $45,000 this weekend.

A new car like this would be close to $40,000, so why did this one go above MSRP? We suppose it’s thanks to all the aftermarket modifications, strange as it may sound. Let’s recap.

The hot hatch came pre-equipped with a Performance package including front and rear diff locks and GR brake calipers. The owner then replaced the stock wheels with 18-inch TE37 rims by Vol Racing, wrapping them in Falken Azenis tires sized 265/35. Height-adjustable suspension, a new front strut brace and Endless brake pads were also installed.

Still more happened under the hood. The 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine ended up with a carbon-fiber air intake, an SXTH Element intercooler, a new ECU, a blow-off valve and a high-flow exhaust system with sports-grade catalysts. The listing neglected to mention the output after all the modifications, but it must be well beyond the standard 304 PS (300 hp / 224 kW).

The GR Corolla had around 11,300 kilometers (7,000 miles) on the odometer by the time it went up on sale.