Newbie questions: Yaris and child safety, buying used, compared to Scion, etc.

[yarro]

Hi, new guy here. I used to own a Scion xA and started missing it once gas prices soared. I now drive an SUV, which is great in the snowy mountains I live in but sucks gas.

Now I'm thinking about a Yaris LB. How does it compare with the Scion in terms of handling on the highway, interior space, build quality, and comfort on long road trips? I thought my xA was great on all counts.

I'll have to travel about 100 miles to test drive a Yaris, so any advance help I can get online would be appreciated. Has anyone compared the xA and the Yaris hatchback?

Also, does anyone carry young children in the Yaris? Do you feel safe doing this? On cars.com, the Yaris gets a "best bet" rating for safety, but I'd like to hear some reports from the real world.

Finally, has anyone bought a used Yaris from a dealer lately? There's a Chrysler dealer 100 miles from me that has a 2008 LB with 19K miles. It has MT, no power package, no cruise control. It's a base model, and the asking price is $10,900. Seems like a new 2009 would not be much more, especally if there's a rebate.

Would it be worth trying to haggle down to $9,000 or so on the used one? Or should I just look at new ones?

Thanks!

[roxy1]

the first thing i would say about safety is this: yarii without side airbags do quite poorly in crash tests. if safety is a big concern, then be certain that a 2008 has the side airbags. many of them were not equipped with them. all 2009 yarii have as standard side torso and curtain airbags in the front and rear curtain airbags. antilock brakes are also standard.

[Grandieri]

I love my yaris! We have owned two scions xb's a 06 and now a 08.I have a 5 year old that I feel very safe putting her in the back seat. The scions come with a lot more standard options but I can live with no power locks and windows.Gas mileage is awesome and so is my ride quality even being lowered.I commute 50 miles a day and wouldn't trade it for anything!If You buy used just get the carfax to be safe. Its a toyota you wont be disapointed.

[yarro]

Thanks for the info. I'm traveling tomorrow and will stop by a dealer in the next state. There's a silver 2008 LB I plan to look at. I also found a blue 2008 LB with an AT at another dealer. Might check that one out too. Any advice on used prices, per my question above? Wish me luck.

[wiirenet]

If I had kids I wouldn't get a LB. Can't really explain specifically why, but I have driven a sedan and it feels safer. If you go on the highway a lot the LB sways and feels unstable. And I would def get a 4 door, if I were you also.

Can't give you any info about a scion though.

ps, tips on pricing, there are a lot of threads about pricing you can search here for, also check edmunds.com, they are good for pricing research too.

[roxy1]

Thanks for the info. I'm traveling tomorrow and will stop by a dealer in the next state. There's a silver 2008 LB I plan to look at. I also found a blue 2008 LB with an AT at another dealer. Might check that one out too. Any advice on used prices, per my question above? Wish me luck.

i would strongly urge you to look at the 2009 and take the $1000 rebate (unless the 08 you are looking at has the side airbags). the side airbags could easily be the difference between life and death/permanent brain damage. the yaris (and many cars in this class) are very unsafe even in a 30 mph side collision without the side bags.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/crash-test-2008-toyota-yaris-belta-vitz-side-iihs/356092605

[yarro]

Thanks, Roxy. That's good advice. I know kids cannot ride in the front seats of cars with airbags. Does this law not apply to side bags? I don't think I've ever had a car with side bags (unless my Scion did, which I don't remember). Right now I am just looking to take a test drive. I don't even know yet if I like the way the Yaris feels. I really liked my xA, so I'll be comparing the Yaris LB with that.

As fort the sedan, I if I were to go with a sedan or other four-door car, I think I'd just look at a Corolla. No offense, but I'm just not wild about the Yaris sedan. I've always had wagons or hatches. A Marix is another possibility, but I'd rather stay in the Yaris price range.

Thanks again for the info.



P.S. I just watched that video. I think I'm sold on the side airbags!

[supmet]

the yaris (and many cars in this class) are very unsafe even in a 30 mph side collision without the side bags.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/crash-test-2008-toyota-yaris-belta-vitz-side-iihs/356092605

That's scary if you pull out in front of snow plows on a daily basis, but that's a one in a million crash. I recommend the side air bags, but that's one of the most retarded test setups I've seen. The front end of the test sled is taller and more solid than any vehicle on the road. Its like it was custom built to hit the yaris' sweet spot. Plus, a sitting car(when's the last time you got t-boned sitting still) has more resistance to sideways force than a moving car. I'll bet 999/1000 real world tests with a moving yaris and any pick of t-boning cars at 30 mph - the yaris driver walks away with minor cuts and bruises, curtain air bags or not.

on a side - I like how the narrator says "with the curtain air bags, the driver and back passengers are likely to not receive AAAANNNYYY injury" right as the neck on the back passenger is exploding into pieces from the force of the airbag

[roxy1]

That's scary if you pull out in front of snow plows on a daily basis, but that's a one in a million crash. I recommend the side air bags, but that's one of the most retarded test setups I've seen. The front end of the test sled is taller and more solid than any vehicle on the road. Its like it was custom built to hit the yaris' sweet spot. Plus, a sitting car(when's the last time you got t-boned sitting still) has more resistance to sideways force than a moving car. I'll bet 999/1000 real world tests with a moving yaris and any pick of t-boning cars at 30 mph - the yaris driver walks away with minor cuts and bruises, curtain air bags or not.

on a side - I like how the narrator says "with the curtain air bags, the driver and back passengers are likely to not receive AAAANNNYYY injury" right as the neck on the back passenger is exploding into pieces from the force of the airbag

-there are plenty of larger vehicles that would intrude into a small car at those points. there are many stationary objects that could intrude at all points high and low (think telephone pole or tree). at very high speeds, it may not matter, but at more reasonable speeds, that side airbag could make all the difference.

-side impacts are not a "one in a million" event



to the OP, no, side airbags would not make it legal to have a smaller child in the front seat. there are side curtain airbags in the rear of all 2009 yaris. i also agree that if you want a sedan, you might as well see what kind of price you can work for a corolla vs a yaris sedan.

[yarro]

to the OP, no, side airbags would not make it legal to have a smaller child in the front seat.

Sorry if my question was unclear. What I meant was would it be legal/illegal for a small child to be the back seat, since there would be bags back there. I'm guessing it's OK because the rear bags would not deploy into the child's face. Is that right?

[supmet]

-side impacts are not a "one in a million" event


side impacts aren't, but aside from spinning perfectly into a telephone pole(and still then your car will rotate some, not just wrap, unless your going incredibly fast, and at that point I doubt a 1 inch thick bag of air will save you) nothing is as solid as that sled. Walls are, but that won't enter the vehicle like the sled. Ask Saildesign, he just got t-boned by a minivan and walked away. Why? Because the minivan wasn't solid steel, and didn't hit center mass to center mass(that's the 1 in a million part). If the sled was 1 inch to the left or right, the yaris would have spun, instead of wrapping, and the sled wouldn't have entered the cabin. If the sled had a crumple zone and a bumper(a bumper required by law to be lower than the windows) like 99% of cars, they would have been fine.

Side impacts happen, and curtain airbags will definitely happen. But like I said, that test is ridiculous. It looks like some big-SUV propaganda to me..

[roxy1]

Sorry if my question was unclear. What I meant was would it be legal/illegal for a small child to be the back seat, since there would be bags back there. I'm guessing it's OK because the rear bags would not deploy into the child's face. Is that right?


it would have to be since i believe many (all?) cars are now made with rear curtain airbags.