New member looking for Yaris!

[sixstring]

Hi all,

I just went to see my first used Yaris today. Private sale, 3rd owner (I'd be the fourth probably).

The car has just shy of 150,000Kms on it and mechanically, everything seems fine. The clutch is responsive and light. The gear selector is smooth (except when changing down to first).

The issues with the car are largely cosmetic. The front bumper has alot of damage: The bottom of the bumper is warped slightly (probably hit a rodent or something) and the top right of the front bumper seems to be fastened with screws. Like visible screws. The right fender has a dent. The left windshield pillar has a tiny tiny dot of rust (I'm not sure if this is a panel or a part of the chassis).

If I ever wanted to repair all the exterior damage, I'm guessing it'll cost around $1000. Thats with professional paint and OEM parts.

The owner wants $4,500 for it. What do you Yaris gurus think? Buy? Pass?

[Betrivent]

talk him down to 4000 at least because of the rust. If there's visible rust, you damn well bet there's rust elsewhere too, like under the car, in the wheel wells (specifically the front shocks and brakes) and rear axle (on the rear drum brakes etc.)

[white_rice]

I don't believe you mentioned the year and is it hatch or sedan?

[sixstring]

It's a 2006 2 door hatch.

I decided to give it a pass. Took a look at carfax which showed 3 accident reports which explained the two main bits of damage I spotted and uncovered a third on the rear bumper which I did not. I figure the bodywork alone would cost like $1300 to fix and the owner doesn't seem to think bodywork is a huge deal and won't come down in price.

I also found another 2006 manual 2-door hatchback Yaris sold by a dealer. From pics, it looks mint. Fewer kms (123,000) and about $1300 more than the other one. I figure for the price difference I don't have to deal with getting the body fixed myself and the dealer might offer some extras thrown in with it as well. Who knows, lets see what happens. I'm gonna go have a look at it later today or tomorrow.

[Altitude]

Ya, good luck with the second one. Buy it!

[sixstring]

Bugger. Just called the dealer. Sold.

Next cheapest manual 2-door hatch has 139,071 kms and listed by dealer at $6,488. Although alot pricier than the other two, this one has power everything and fancy aluminum pedals :p. It's sold as is. E-test and safety can be done by me or by the dealer for another $400 (!). Quite a bit over my budget of $5,000.

Maybe I should forget the Yaris and pick up a Echo.

[Betrivent]

If you get an echo you'll end up regretting not getting a Yaris :S

Based on the number of KMs on the third one I'm sure you can negotiate it down more. Alimunim pedals hardly add more than 40 bucks to the worth of the car.

[sixstring]

What are Yaris' going for in Vancouver? 6-7k seems to be the price range that the vast majority of them go for in Toronto. The ones that dip below the 6k mark are usually crap (extreme kms) but occasionally there's one worth seeing.

[WeeYari]

Anything sub 6K is going to be a very rare bird indeed.

[Betrivent]

Actually about the same.. but ours won't have as much rust. Unless its mine.. mine came from Quebec (I didnt know better at the time)

[hoperrs]

Good luck with it if you get one. My 06 hatch has 151,000 km. Just replaced the brake pads for the first time in Nov. Had to replace the alternator in Sep. OEM wiper blades were cheap and had to be replaced early. Otherwise, only fluids changed.

Ron.

[thebarber]

Scour kijiji for a good used one...

[Viperoni]

If you get an echo you'll end up regretting not getting a Yaris :S

Based on the number of KMs on the third one I'm sure you can negotiate it down more. Alimunim pedals hardly add more than 40 bucks to the worth of the car.

I doubt it, the Echo's a couple hundred pounds lighter, but (obviously) has less cargo volume.

$4500 for that Yaris was a good deal IMO - if you want to deal with the cosmetic stuff.


FWIW, I got rear ended in my Echo last winter, and because of the situation it went through insurance, the shop replace the skin, styrofoam absorber, reinforcing beam, some plastic sheilds, and obviously paint and blend. Wasn't a small bill considering there was a 4" wide crack in the bumper.