Yaris?

djm · Post by **djm** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 3:45 pm

This may not apply to your area, but one girl I know who bought one of these little puddle jumpers got rid of it after the first significant snow. The thing went through six inch snow drifts as if it were slamming into brick walls. It just couldn't take it.

djm

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:01 pm

I've looked at these vehicles since my younger daughter is saving for a car- everything I've read steered toward either the Honda or the Scion.
My elder daughter's mother-in-law bought a Scion, the boxy one, last year and loves it- so much for the under thirty target buyer, she's almost seventy.

Chrisoff, I'd love to find a straight stretch of road around here. Our mountains are nothing but curves, the switchback ones are lots of fun

Oh and a cup holder is vital equipment for me, but then I work out of my Jeep, which also has manual windows that even my husband has trouble winding, they are so stiff. But, on the bright side, it keeps the old arm muscles in shape, since I roll the right one up and down all day.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:07 pm

chrisoff wrote:I've never understood America's obsession with cup holders.

This may be due to the distances we drive and food-related habits we have developed.

Many of us have extremely long distances to drive, some on a regular basis. A 45-minute or hour-long commute is not unusual. It's very common to use that time for eating a meal or at least consuming a cup of coffee. That's one reason we have so many drive-thru fast-food places--it's not just to take food home, but to get a meal to eat in the car.

With the heat in much of our country, we don't want to become dehydrated. It's common for people to drink water all day, including bringing a bottle along in the car. This is especially true if you have children, who can dehydrate very rapidly.

We also don't stop the workday to have tea at a particular hour, but tend to keep a cup of coffee (or whatever) on our desk all the time. If you don't want to drink the overpriced, rot-gut coffee at work, you might prepare this at home or stop by a drive-thru coffee shop on your way in to work to pick up the first very large cup of coffee, or even two. Transporting it requires . . . a cup holder.

carrie · Post by **carrie** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 5:48 pm

Thanks to those who contributed since my last thank you! All these comments are very helpful.

Carol

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 7:52 pm

Carol, I'd be more concerned with safety. It's not so much how well a car performs on it's own...

It's how well it performs alongside Hummers, Excursions, Dodge Ram pickups with doolies and other substantially oversized 'family' vehicles.

How well do you think you'd fair (fare?) in a side impact with a vehicle who's bumper is shoulder height to a Yaris?

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:26 pm

Oh, perhaps I should mention that I felt like a sitting duck in the thing. I went to work extra-early the next morning to avoid being in traffic.

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:43 pm

Tony wrote:Carol, I'd be more concerned with safety. It's not so much how well a car performs on it's own...

It's how well it performs alongside Hummers, Excursions, Dodge Ram pickups with doolies and other substantially oversized 'family' vehicles.

How well do you think you'd fair (fare?) in a side impact with a vehicle who's bumper is shoulder height to a Yaris?

So I have to drive a Hummer in case I'm hit by a Hummer?

djm · Post by **djm** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:09 pm

It helps.

djm

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:39 pm

Pretty much, Congrats. Studies are showing that heavy, high vehicles are causing more serious injuries in crashes due to their mass and bumper height, which is often right at head height for smaller vehicles.

Finances are a concern, but you should always go with a vehicle that has a good safety rating. The higher the speed and the more time you spend in the car, the bigger and better you should buy.

The increased cost is partially offset by insurance rates. The vehicular damage and injuries in an accident are proportionately less than a smaller car, so the insurance is lower.

Also consider the resale value after 4 years. If you buy a better car that sells for about 50% of the original price, you end up paying only a little more than you would have paid for the cheapster.

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:25 am

Lamby wrote:Also consider the resale value after 4 years. If you buy a better car that sells for about 50% of the original price, you end up paying only a little more than you would have paid for the cheapster.

I'm gonna jump in and second this idea here.
Whenever I look at another car to buy (granted, most of my cars are over thirty plus years old, my oldest being my Barracuda at 43 years old) I always look at not only the short term payoff (i.e., can I economically use this car as a daily driver, what's the five year reliability rating, etc.), but also the long term payoff (i.e., if I get into trouble, can I sell this car for the total of or more that what I owe on it? If I paid cash for it, how does it hold value compared to other candidates I'm considering? etc, etc).
Granted, buying the cars I'm interested in is a slightly different bag o' cats, but the same principles still apply.
I'd go for a combination of safety and affordability, however, if one area has to be regarded less, I would regard less the initial price and fuel economy (tho mot as much as price) in favor of safety (and cupholders!!!

).
There's all sorts very well made japanese cars out there that do very well in safety, reliability, economy and price. If it were my dicision to make, I would go with the Honda over the Toyota as they have a bit better track record with me for being reliable and efficient.
On top of that, there's more fun toys on the aftermarket for the Honda than for the Toyota

I would also stay away from the "sub-compact" scene if you live in an area where there's LOTS of traffic and the people tend to "need" their SUVs and trucks (like utah

).
If you really really want a really really good car, save up some dough and buy a Volvo.

Another little item....I think I remember seeing someone mention Consumer Reports earlier on in the thread...
After a twenty year lust affair with cars I can say from some authority that almost 90% of the information that comes out of Consumer Reports is absolute hogwash and bunk from people who woudn't know the difference between engine oil and radiator coolant (they're out there, believe me, we had some lady in to the shop once who filled her radiator and overflow with 10w30 and dumped coolant into her crankcase and wondered why her engine siezed

)
My parents still read C.R., and I get a kick out of seeing them give totally different reviews on platform share cars that are, in essence and practicality, identical.
Don't read Consumer Reports to find info about cars, read real reviews in magazines by reviewers that specialize in cars, like Car and Driver, Road and Track, etc.

there was something else I was going to say about this, but I forget what it was, must be the onset of premature old age...if I think of it I'll come back and post it

missy · Post by **missy** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:02 am

also - don't forget the warrenty. We keep our cars until the die (or blow a head gasket and warp the head, like my Grand Am just did...) so a good long warrenty is essential.
That's what steered me toward a Huyndai (Sonata). Plus, after two months of driving it, I have to say this is the best built car I've every had. It's rock solid, but quite responsive. I still have trouble figuring out when it shift from 4th to 5th gear, it's so smooth. I've yet to find ANYTHING wrong with it. It's due for it's first oil change this week (which is free at the dealer) so we'll see how things are holding up on it.
And it's got a lot of safety features including side air bags that are standard.

Sylvester · Post by **Sylvester** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:57 am

I rented a Yaris in my first trip to Scotland. It was a small nice car. Although I'm rather tall (1.88 cms) the Yaris roof was high enough to keep my head safe (in some smallish cars a bump has a terrible effect!)

The car resulted reliable and comfortable. I drove 700 miles. Quite a nerve and responsive if you push it. Small boot. One of our suitcases had to travel at the back seat. Very cold weather ( frosty december) but never had a problem starting the engine in the morning.

We stayed some nights in expensive castles. The parking was sprinkled with Jaguar, Porsche, BMW and the like. It was funny going to the parking lot and seeing the Yaris in such a honorable company.

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:18 am

missy wrote:also - don't forget the warrenty. We keep our cars until the die (or blow a head gasket and warp the head, like my Grand Am just did...) so a good long warrenty is essential.
That's what steered me toward a Huyndai (Sonata). Plus, after two months of driving it, I have to say this is the best built car I've every had. It's rock solid, but quite responsive. I still have trouble figuring out when it shift from 4th to 5th gear, it's so smooth. I've yet to find ANYTHING wrong with it. It's due for it's first oil change this week (which is free at the dealer) so we'll see how things are holding up on it.
And it's got a lot of safety features including side air bags that are standard.

Missy,

Did you get a 2006-07 model Sonata? I recent;y also chose an 06 myself and love it. In fact an interesting point about warranties: My dealer extends the usual 10 yr/100,000 mile to 250,000 miles if you keep up on sched. maintenance. I still think the best warranty us the one you never have to use, but still it says something for the quality of car I hope that they're willing to extend it that long.

missy · Post by **missy** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:32 am

Brian - got the '07. If you search back through a thread on here somewhere, you'll see we got a heck of a deal - got the top of the line model without paying for the sunroof, 6CD changer, gold trim, etc.

Post by **Dale** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:01 am

I believe I understood that the Corolla did surprisingly well on recent crash test results.