Yaris sales hit new low...

[Kal-El]

July 2014 sales - 686 units sold (US) down 62% from last July.
Those numbers could justify actually dropping the model from the US market. Toyota has dropped many models that have sold more. The slow selling Scion xD sold an equal 682 and is being dropped.

Meanwhile, Nissan Versa (2 cars really), sold 15,630 copies (almost 23 times that of Yaris).

This is really sad to see. Especially since Yaris is a very good car with merits being ignored by shoppers, most notably reliability.

Elsewhere at Toyota...

Camry: 39,888 units :eek:
Corolla: 30,833 units

[teddy]

Maybe it's because the Yaris doesn't really offer anything anymore.

The Corolla (especially the new 2014 model) only costs a tiny bit more and offers more room, comfort, quality. It's even slightly better on gas than the Yaris, according to fueleconomy.gov (http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=33925&id=34399).

That's within Toyota's own lineup. The Fit offers a lot more room and the Mazda 2 offers a sportier ride, then you end up with comparable options against the Civic too. I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface. When I bought my 2008 HB there wasn't this tight of a market.

[nookandcrannycar]

July 2014 sales - 686 units sold (US) down 62% from last July.
Those numbers could justify actually dropping the model from the US market. Toyota has dropped many models that have sold more. The slow selling Scion xD sold an equal 682 and is being dropped.

Meanwhile, Nissan Versa (2 cars really), sold 15,630 copies (almost 23 times that of Yaris).

This is really sad to see. Especially since Yaris is a very good car with merits being ignored by shoppers, most notably reliability.

Elsewhere at Toyota...

Camry: 39,888 units :eek:
Corolla: 30,833 units

:cry:. If Toyota decides to drop the Yaris, do you think it would be so abrupt that the 'refreshed' 2015 Yaris (scheduled to debut THIS month) would be pulled ?

[Kalispel]

The ONLY reason I can think of that people are buying a Versa over a Yaris is cost savings. The Versa isn't even on my radar for my next car purchase, nor is the ugly new Corolla, Fit or Civic, while either a used (2009-2011) or new (2015) Yaris is at the top of my list.

[nookandcrannycar]

The ONLY reason I can think of that people are buying a Versa over a Yaris is cost savings. The Versa isn't even on my radar for my next car purchase, nor is the ugly new Corolla, Fit or Civic, while either a used (2009-2011) or new (2015) Yaris is at the top of my list.

:thumbsup: I wholeheartedly agree. I hope the 2015 USDM Yaris is allowed to hit the market. The article below (posted a few hours under 8 days ago) states that even the L will have a 60/40 split rear seat :wub::wub::wub:.

http://stylemagazine.com/news/2014/jul/24/toyota-redesigns-yaris-subcompact-2015/

[matti]

686 units for the month is incredible. Sales have always been low (compared to other models), but that's incredible. I won't be surprised if they completely pull the Yaris from the U.S. market.

[Kal-El]

686 units for the month is incredible. Sales have always been low (compared to other models), but that's incredible. I won't be surprised if they completely pull the Yaris from the U.S. market.

Remember the 2nd gen was in the 5000+ unit month range for a while. Of course that was with 2-3 body styles - sedan, 3 door, & 5 door.

[The Limo 2]

769 Yarii sold in Canada in July
Roy

[tk-421]

:cry:. If Toyota decides to drop the Yaris, do you think it would be so abrupt that the 'refreshed' 2015 Yaris (scheduled to debut THIS month) would be pulled ?
Not at all. The investment has already been made. That said, 2015 could be the final refresh for the Yaris...

[nookandcrannycar]

Not at all. The investment has already been made. That said, 2015 could be the final refresh for the Yaris...

:thumbsup: Thank you. Music to my ears re the 2015 model year. I hope a healthy resurgence in sales results :thumbsup:.

[matti]

I've always wondered about the "role" of the Yaris in Toyota's line-up. They don't advertise much for it (if at all) in the U.S. Is it kind of a loss-leader? I always felt the Yaris, in a way, serves two purposes:

1. Get people in the showroom so they can be talked up to a Corolla.
2. Get people to buy the Yaris so they become brand-loyal for life.

[tk-421]

I think there is such a thing as "too reliable a car for too little a profit" for a car manufacturer, and the Yaris most definitely fits that description. They are in the "selling cars" business, after all...

Smaller cars with less stuff in them are easier to make, ship, store and thus they should be easier to sell. It makes no sense to retire the model, other than lack of sales due to current Yaris owners keeping their cars for 10 years (and Toyota is to blame for that).

Another thing one should consider is that newer Yaris models have become pretty expensive. People expect more for that $15K these days...

[nookandcrannycar]

I've always wondered about the "role" of the Yaris in Toyota's line-up. They don't advertise much for it (if at all) in the U.S. Is it kind of a loss-leader? I always felt the Yaris, in a way, serves two purposes:

1. Get people in the showroom so they can be talked up to a Corolla.
2. Get people to buy the Yaris so they become brand-loyal for life.

.....and to help Toyota make their CAFE numbers work.

[matti]

I agree with you.

[Kal-El]

The Yaris exists in America only because it already has to exist for other markets where sub-compacts sell big. Doesn't cost Toyota all that much to ship another model here, especially since they barely spend for marketing it.

[kimona]

I've always wondered about the "role" of the Yaris in Toyota's line-up. They don't advertise much for it (if at all) in the U.S. Is it kind of a loss-leader? I always felt the Yaris, in a way, serves two purposes:

1. Get people in the showroom so they can be talked up to a Corolla.
2. Get people to buy the Yaris so they become brand-loyal for life.

Well, you can buy a Corolla L automatic (with customer incentives) for less than a Yaris LE automatic (which has no incentives).

[bronsin]

Meanwhile, Nissan Versa (2 cars really), sold 15,630 copies (almost 23 times that of Yaris).

This is really sad to see. Especially since Yaris is a very good car with merits being ignored by shoppers, most notably reliability.


Yaris = $20,000 Versa = $15,000 may have something to do with it. People buying a small car for them a thousand or two less will cinch the deal.

Maybe Toyota will get smart and bring back the $11,000 2001 ECHO? :iono:

[nookandcrannycar]

Yaris = $20,000 Versa = $15,000 may have something to do with it. People buying a small car for them a thousand or two less will cinch the deal.

Maybe Toyota will get smart and bring back the $11,000 2001 ECHO? :iono:

Cheapest Versa vs cheapest Yaris (Base) for 2014 = a bit under $2500.00. From what I've noticed in the past, dealers in NJ tend to order option laden Yarii. In the past couple of years I've noticed that trend spread to some high volume dealers in other areas as well.

I wonder how many of those '1-2k less will cinch the deal' people are looking at total cost of ownership....and basing the MPG off what owners are getting (can discover online), rather than the EPA ratings.

[nookandcrannycar]

Well, you can buy a Corolla L automatic (with customer incentives) for less than a Yaris LE automatic (which has no incentives).

^^^^^ ....but the Yaris is much easier to park, and probably gets better MPG. I know, I'm in the minority...a huge percentage of people in the U.S. don't look at it that way. Some people want as much car around them as possible for 'protection'.

[kimona]

^^^^^ ....but the Yaris is much easier to park, and probably gets better MPG. I know, I'm in the minority...a huge percentage of people in the U.S. don't look at it that way. Some people want as much car around them as possible for 'protection'.

It seems bigger is generally considered better here in the US. BTW, the Corolla gets better gas mileage than the Yaris!

[nookandcrannycar]

It seems bigger is generally considered better here in the US. BTW, the Corolla gets better gas mileage than the Yaris!

EPA MPG, but what about what real world users get ? I'd bet most Yaris drivers do better than the EPA numbers.

Is the Corolla LE available with a manual ? If not, then that alone changes the equation for those of us who prefer a manual.....I know, a minority of potential buyers.

[kimona]

If a Toyota buyer is simply in the market for a compact economy car, then it makes sense to overlook the Yaris when he/she can buy a Corolla for less... especially when it's bigger, gets better gas mileage, and has the popular Corolla nameplate. Besides hatchbacks are still not that desirable to many US buyers.

And, if the buyer is simply looking for any Japanese economy car, then the Yaris is far too expensive! For example, a basic 4-door Versa has a window of $12800, while a similarly equipped Yaris is $16280.

Bottom line: A new Yaris is way overpriced... even if it is a Toyota.

[Kal-El]

Yup, and it comes down to the Yaris being built in Japan vs the Versa being built in Mexico. That's the main disparity. Which is why Toyota has decided to team with Mazda to have its next model built in Mexico alongside the Mazda2. It's the only real way to get the price down.

The other thing Versa has going for it is that it is the biggest sub-compact package. Really, it is the size of a compact. That's what gets American buyers to sign on.

[roxy1]

I bought the yaris because I wanted a hatchback. corolla doesn't come in a hatch.

only the corolla with the cvt gets better mileage than the yaris. the corolla that starts at $16800 is the stick, rated at 28/37. the cvt in the corolla (and most every other cvt ive driven) takes the last bit of joy out of driving.

if Toyota wanted to push the yaris, they would market it more and push up inventories. in the subcompact market, hatch sales have either caught up or surpassed the sedan sales over the last few years.....sonic, fiesta, versa...and Honda doesn't even bother with a fit sedan.

[kimona]

I bought my Yaris because it was a Toyota... and because I wanted a hatchback. My 2007 was very reasonably priced equipped with automatic, power windows/locks/mirrors, and 60/40split folding rear seat. Even though I'm not a big fan of the 3rd generation Yaris, I'd still buy one similarly equipped if the price was right... which isn't the case.

[Flipper_1938]

Dealers make more money on corollas. That's why they push them.

Same thing went on with the ECHO. You had to want an ECHO to get somebody to actually sell you one. When I bought my 2010 Yaris sedan, I had to drive 100 miles to find a dealer who had a MT sedan...next closest one was 400 miles away. My car was built in April, I bought it in November.

The average fat-ass american would rather have the bigger car for the same money anyways.

[nookandcrannycar]

I bought the yaris because I wanted a hatchback. corolla doesn't come in a hatch.

only the corolla with the cvt gets better mileage than the yaris. the corolla that starts at $16800 is the stick, rated at 28/37. the cvt in the corolla (and most every other cvt ive driven) takes the last bit of joy out of driving.

if Toyota wanted to push the yaris, they would market it more and push up inventories. in the subcompact market, hatch sales have either caught up or surpassed the sedan sales over the last few years.....sonic, fiesta, versa...and Honda doesn't even bother with a fit sedan.

I read Kimona's post #22 and Kal-El's post #23 (filled the 15.6" on my smaller windows laptop on whatever zoom setting I have right now in Safari). I highly respect Kimona's opinion and highly respect Kal-El's opinion, but I was still SMH. I was already starting to write the reply in my head. Two thoughts stuck out above others. One, we're kind of talking about apples and oranges because Kimona mentions/prefers an automatic, and Kal-El a sedan, while I prefer a manual 3-door hatch. Two, I thought if one took me, roxy1, and other like minded owners (from YW, and people posting their results/opinions on Yahoo Autos, Edmunds.com, etc.....who don't go crazy re hypermiling or maintenance, but do try to drive to generally drive to get the best fuel economy we can)....and took (let's say) 300 new cars for 300 people and 100 had a manual 3-door Yaris, 100 had a manual 5-door Mazda 2, and 100 had a manual Versa sedan and each one was driven the same number of miles (but over 200,000 for each), that the Yaris would have the lowest overall cost of ownership. It might not beat the Mazda 2 by much, but I think the Yaris would deliver the lowest overall cost. I think the Versa would bring up the rear, given those parameters. I started to scroll down to reply and......LOL, I see this as the next post. If I had elaborated beyond the above, some of our thoughts would have run together.

[nookandcrannycar]

Dealers make more money on corollas. That's why they push them.

Yep.

Same thing went on with the ECHO. You had to want an ECHO to get somebody to actually sell you one. When I bought my 2010 Yaris sedan, I had to drive 100 miles to find a dealer who had a MT sedan...next closest one was 400 miles away. My car was built in April, I bought it in November.

Yep. When I bought my Yaris in Rhode Island (October 2006, 2007 model year), there were only 5 manual transmission 3-door Yarii in the entire Northeast (USA).....and at least one of those was a lie (the car was still on a boat..on the way :rolleyes:).

The average fat-ass american would rather have the bigger car for the same money anyways.

:bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll: Yep.

[timothyone]

I can't imagine why so many would choose the Nissan or even the Honda over the Yaris. I studied and drove them all and found nothing out there that seriously challenged the Yaris. I do believe the ugly and confusing to pronounce name is a turn off for many. Yaris sounds a bit Star-Treky to me, but it is a great car. The Toyota Paris would have been a nice name had it not been for that slimy Hilton girl.

[Gogogordy]

Toyota had a similar problem with it's Starlet many years ago. Wisely, significant price discounts cleared the backlog. It too was a fine automobile, but outgunned competitvely and under-appreciated.

[nookandcrannycar]

The Toyota Paris would have been a nice name had it not been for that slimy Hilton girl.

:bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll: Barron Hilton (her grandfather) has stated publicly how profoundly her antics have embarrassed him and have sullied the family name.

[YodaBird]

Dealers make more money on corollas. That's why they push them.

Same thing went on with the ECHO. You had to want an ECHO to get somebody to actually sell you one. When I bought my 2010 Yaris sedan, I had to drive 100 miles to find a dealer who had a MT sedan...next closest one was 400 miles away. My car was built in April, I bought it in November.

The average fat-ass american would rather have the bigger car for the same money anyways.

True, dealers don't make any money. My next car I hope to be a VW Jetta, I always wanted one, that and a Porsche, don't know if I'll be able to afford one. I've thought about a Benz too, then again same as a Porsche, don't know if I'll ever be able to afford.

[Onwrdigo]

I drove and/or rented everything too.

Fiat 500: Fun, but tiring after a long drive on the interstate. Did not trust it for long haul reliability either. And now, it is known for many problems.

Kia Rio5: Engine sounded like a blender on first start-up. Sales guy said "they all do that when cold due to the new fantastic direct injection that you are going to really love". Yea right, that is what I want...a car that sounds like crap every single morning.

Nissan Versa: has been the brunt of a lot of motor-magazine flack early-on for cheap feeling. I think it is downright ugly, both the four-door and hatch. And recent Nissan reliability records are not all that great either.

Current Mazda 2: Too small for me. Plus my previous experience owning both a Protege'5 and a Mazda3 hatch were nightmares from new.

Ford Focus & Fiesta: typical "Ford" lack of reliability....the absolute"worse" transmission and steering I have ever experienced on any car.

Honda Fit: Ok, more room. But never liked the old one's looks (looks like the Alien himself from the movie "Alien"). Funny how the new one looks like our Yaris now. "Hmmm". But it is made in Mexico and Honda delayed sales to "quality control something-something"....Raised my eyebrows. And to get a good one, you will spend more than a well-equipped Yaris.

Having owned my Yaris for over a year now, it has been great and "cheap to maintain". Rides great, is quiet and really does have good power and gas mileage. Yes, have had a few issues, but dealer fixed everything within minutes. The only thing I cannot cure, is the upper middle dashboard buzzing at low speeds...."grrr". But I still really like this car. :headbang:

"Now", I like the looks of the new '15. And supposedly according to the Canadian press, Toyota has done a lot to the suspension, stiffened the structure (IIHS small overlap improvement???), made the interior nicer, better dashboard materials, better seats/fabric and is using new "quiet' seals to make it more silent. I do not know if this will translate to the cars sold in the U.S.; that is a question I want answered. :iono:

I don't care if it is made in France. In an earlier post, I mentioned a friend who rented a 2014 Yaris LE from Enterprise. It was made in France. Had 35,000 "rental car" miles on it. And I got to tell you; it was still very tight, well made, nicer seats, no rattles at all. I am seriously thinking of trading my '13 LE for a '15 SE.....That is if I can even find one. Toyota Southeast does not bother bringing SE's to their port. I have never seen an SE in North Carolina, only L's and LE's. I guess I will have to go to Virginia, Maryland or higher-up even to find one if that crazy logic continues? I do say...Shame on you Toyota for not bringing SE's to the SouthEast...If you do, I have yet to see one. And "market/advertise" the dang thing.

I do not want a re-designed '16 Mexican made-rebadged Mazda 2. I don't care how much the auto magazines praise Mazda. If you look at the ownership results, they are not consistent and they still have some major problems even after ditching Ford. :evil:

And this is "rich".....I was getting an oil change the other day and there were not one, but two families trading in late model Mazda 2's...one for a new Corolla and one for a "used" Yaris...go figure. :bellyroll:

[Frank Necrosis]

My dealer kept pushing the Prius. They kept telling me how hard the Yaris is to get and how much better the Prius would be. I am sure the Prius is a good car, but the lot was packed full of used hybrids. That alone told a big story.

I am happy with the Yaris. It has the 3 things I wanted: manual transmission, air and cruise but none of the extra stuff that always seems to break.

[nookandcrannycar]

My dealer kept pushing the Prius. They kept telling me how hard the Yaris is to get and how much better the Prius would be. I am sure the Prius is a good car, but the lot was packed full of used hybrids. That alone told a big story.

:rolleyes: Better for the dealer and the sales rep because both will make more money

none of the extra stuff that always seems to break.

:thumbsup: I wish the 2015 L would carry on with the hand crank windows, but one can't always have everything :biggrin:.

[nookandcrannycar]

I drove and/or rented everything too.

Fiat 500: Fun, but tiring after a long drive on the interstate. Did not trust it for long haul reliability either. And now, it is known for many problems.

Kia Rio5: Engine sounded like a blender on first start-up. Sales guy said "they all do that when cold due to the new fantastic direct injection that you are going to really love". Yea right, that is what I want...a car that sounds like crap every single morning.

Nissan Versa: has been the brunt of a lot of motor-magazine flack early-on for cheap feeling. I think it is downright ugly, both the four-door and hatch. And recent Nissan reliability records are not all that great either.

Current Mazda 2: Too small for me. Plus my previous experience owning both a Protege'5 and a Mazda3 hatch were nightmares from new.

Ford Focus & Fiesta: typical "Ford" lack of reliability....the absolute"worse" transmission and steering I have ever experienced on any car.

Honda Fit: Ok, more room. But never liked the old one's looks (looks like the Alien himself from the movie "Alien"). Funny how the new one looks like our Yaris now. "Hmmm". But it is made in Mexico and Honda delayed sales to "quality control something-something"....Raised my eyebrows. And to get a good one, you will spend more than a well-equipped Yaris.

Having owned my Yaris for over a year now, it has been great and "cheap to maintain". Rides great, is quiet and really does have good power and gas mileage. Yes, have had a few issues, but dealer fixed everything within minutes. The only thing I cannot cure, is the upper middle dashboard buzzing at low speeds...."grrr". But I still really like this car. :headbang:

"Now", I like the looks of the new '15. And supposedly according to the Canadian press, Toyota has done a lot to the suspension, stiffened the structure (IIHS small overlap improvement???), made the interior nicer, better dashboard materials, better seats/fabric and is using new "quiet' seals to make it more silent. I do not know if this will translate to the cars sold in the U.S.; that is a question I want answered. :iono:

I don't care if it is made in France. In an earlier post, I mentioned a friend who rented a 2014 Yaris LE from Enterprise. It was made in France. Had 35,000 "rental car" miles on it. And I got to tell you; it was still very tight, well made, nicer seats, no rattles at all. I am seriously thinking of trading my '13 LE for a '15 SE.....That is if I can even find one. Toyota Southeast does not bother bringing SE's to their port. I have never seen an SE in North Carolina, only L's and LE's. I guess I will have to go to Virginia, Maryland or higher-up even to find one if that crazy logic continues? I do say...Shame on you Toyota for not bringing SE's to the SouthEast...If you do, I have yet to see one. And "market/advertise" the dang thing.

I do not want a re-designed '16 Mexican made-rebadged Mazda 2. I don't care how much the auto magazines praise Mazda. If you look at the ownership results, they are not consistent and they still have some major problems even after ditching Ford. :evil:

And this is "rich".....I was getting an oil change the other day and there were not one, but two families trading in late model Mazda 2's...one for a new Corolla and one for a "used" Yaris...go figure. :bellyroll:

:thumbsup: Great post. Didn't someone else post that the SEs for the USDM are going to continue to be assembled in Japan ?

[Thirty-Nine]

I wouldn't worry too much about this month's sales. It's likely dealers are low on stock since the 2015 models should be out in the next couple of months. Expect sales to be slow until the '15 models hit.

This happens with all outgoing models.

[why?]

um, Southeast Toyota is a privately owned company Toyota has no ownership stake in. It covers all the traditional Southern states.

I'm not going to buy another Yaris. I bought mine because I was looking for gas mileage, a 3 door, and a manual.

However Toyota refuses to put any new tech into the Yaris, because God forbid its EPA numbers are anywhere near the Prius. I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers a Yaris gets from the EPA test is actually higher than Toyota chooses to report.

When I bought my Yaris is had the highest MPG for non hybrid vehicles. Now it is way down the list.

But the biggest problem is price. The Yaris is a car that has to come in $10k - $15k at absolute most. The car is just too expensive, and unlike other cars in its class, it has next to no features.

[matti]

Are you saying you want the Yaris to have the same features it has now for <$15k, or would you be willing to pay more for more features?

[nookandcrannycar]

unlike other cars in its class, it has next to no features.

Which features that other cars in the class have do you wish the Yaris had (or think the Yaris should have) ?

[Onwrdigo]

I can understanding wanting more compared to the competition.

Thing is, the Yaris seems to have everything except a Moon Roof, standard alloy wheels across the range, variable delay front wiper and an intermittent rear wiper and an armrest ( I bought a square, black "pleather" pillow to put in-between the front seats and it is way more comfortable than any armrest I have come across.)

Then again...

We have all the safety stuff: ABS, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Control, Brake Assist, 9 airbags including seat bottom and knee airbag and more.

A "spare tire is standard" instead of a "kit" that almost all the other competition had instead. Kia wanted $300 bucks for me to add a spare tire and jack to replace the kit. Fiat wanted about the same. And for my beach trips, I am able to pack a lot of items around that tire and still close the lid even before I start packing the cargo area.

We have outside temp reading, instant and overall mileage readouts, miles to empty, Bluetooth phone hook-up, plug-in for devices.

We also have a cool little feature of being able to roll-up the power windows after the ignition is shut off.

Interior lights will shut off after a few hours if you leave them on accidentally...at least mine does. I don't recommend testing this. It happened once to me. I was like "whoa, that is cool".

I am glad we have the old 4-speed automatic...it is proven, bulletproof and shifts way better/smoother than any of the others that had more modern transmissions. "And", I am averaging 37 m.p.g. on pure highway driving at 70-75 m.p.h. with a/c on; almost the same as those 6-speed automatics. Go drive a Focus/Fiesta, you will be shocked how bad those transmissions act.

If direct-injection makes a car better, yet sounds as bad as it did on first start-up and driving the first few minutes (at least on the Rio), you can keep it. Give me the old-school Yaris. I have owned many types of cars.... 1 Ford, 6 VW's, 2 Isuzu's, 2 BMW's, 1 Saturn, 1 Jeep, 2 Mazda's, 2 Toyota's, 1 Scion. My Yaris handles hills and has a power to weight ratio better than most of them. Believe or not, it reminds me of the "good" traits" my BMW's had in many ways. I still have my '05 Scion xB with 95,000 miles on it and it has been "amazing" in reliability with the same engine and transmission as our Yaris'. I know one guy with an '06 xB that has 340,000 miles on it and he has only replaced the water pump and oil pan gasket besides the regular maintenance. That engine is still quiet and that auto transmission still shifts smooth-as-new. To me, "Old-School" can have some really nice advantages. I like "longevity and proven reliability" that goes with the old-school Yaris....That was one of the top reasons I bought it.

And the maintenance schedule is just dang-awesome. It is so easy and cheap to do.

Personally, I think it is a hell-uv-a-deal....and not all, but "some" dealers will deal on them. I got almost two grand off the sticker of my brand new Yaris LE with 5 miles on the odo. It had been on the lot for only 4 days.

But I "do" respect those who want more''''.....All of us will always want more of something in some way.

Peace''

[nortonfb]

My Yaris never struck me as a BMW in any regard. I have owned 2002's & 3 series cars.
The Yaris does remind me of one of my favorite cars to drive. A real Mini,
the kind with the 10" radial. You can drive it flat out most of the time through any twisties. Just fun to push it the corners, easy to park, fun in the city and good on gas.
The only thing I can't do is make a u-turn in my garage or the apron up to.
Just wish they were a little lighter.
Steve

[nookandcrannycar]

I can understanding wanting more compared to the competition.

Thing is, the Yaris seems to have everything except a Moon Roof, standard alloy wheels across the range, variable delay front wiper and an intermittent rear wiper and an armrest ( I bought a square, black "pleather" pillow to put in-between the front seats and it is way more comfortable than any armrest I have come across.)

Then again...

We have all the safety stuff: ABS, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Control, Brake Assist, 9 airbags including seat bottom and knee airbag and more.

A "spare tire is standard" instead of a "kit" that almost all the other competition had instead. Kia wanted $300 bucks for me to add a spare tire and jack to replace the kit. Fiat wanted about the same. And for my beach trips, I am able to pack a lot of items around that tire and still close the lid even before I start packing the cargo area.

We have outside temp reading, instant and overall mileage readouts, miles to empty, Bluetooth phone hook-up, plug-in for devices.

We also have a cool little feature of being able to roll-up the power windows after the ignition is shut off.

Interior lights will shut off after a few hours if you leave them on accidentally...at least mine does. I don't recommend testing this. It happened once to me. I was like "whoa, that is cool".

I am glad we have the old 4-speed automatic...it is proven, bulletproof and shifts way better/smoother than any of the others that had more modern transmissions. "And", I am averaging 37 m.p.g. on pure highway driving at 70-75 m.p.h. with a/c on; almost the same as those 6-speed automatics. Go drive a Focus/Fiesta, you will be shocked how bad those transmissions act.

If direct-injection makes a car better, yet sounds as bad as it did on first start-up and driving the first few minutes (at least on the Rio), you can keep it. Give me the old-school Yaris. I have owned many types of cars.... 1 Ford, 6 VW's, 2 Isuzu's, 2 BMW's, 1 Saturn, 1 Jeep, 2 Mazda's, 2 Toyota's, 1 Scion. My Yaris handles hills and has a power to weight ratio better than most of them. Believe or not, it reminds me of the "good" traits" my BMW's had in many ways. I still have my '05 Scion xB with 95,000 miles on it and it has been "amazing" in reliability with the same engine and transmission as our Yaris'. I know one guy with an '06 xB that has 340,000 miles on it and he has only replaced the water pump and oil pan gasket besides the regular maintenance. That engine is still quiet and that auto transmission still shifts smooth-as-new. To me, "Old-School" can have some really nice advantages. I like "longevity and proven reliability" that goes with the old-school Yaris....That was one of the top reasons I bought it.

And the maintenance schedule is just dang-awesome. It is so easy and cheap to do.

Personally, I think it is a hell-uv-a-deal....and not all, but "some" dealers will deal on them. I got almost two grand off the sticker of my brand new Yaris LE with 5 miles on the odo. It had been on the lot for only 4 days.

But I "do" respect those who want more''''.....All of us will always want more of something in some way.

Peace''

:thumbsup:. Under 47k miles behind your friend with the '06 xB and (other than regular maintenance) I've only replaced the alternator and the front wheel bearings.

[roxy1]

im happy to have all the advanced safety features that really matter, though I think I draw the line at cars self maneuvering for accident avoidance and such.

however, all the tech stuff just does nothing for me. power locks and windows is as much as I need (and I don't really need the windows).

id love to see a return to true quality built stripper cars with a few essentials.

[The Limo 2]

ONWRIGO hit it on the head for why I own a Yaris instead of some other car. Something simple, reliable and easy to maintain and repair.
Roy

[why?]

Are you saying you want the Yaris to have the same features it has now for <$15k, or would you be willing to pay more for more features?

I'm saying to be competitive the Yaris needs to start near $10k, like it did when it came out. The strength of the Yen is the main thing that is killing Yaris sales.

Which features that other cars in the class have do you wish the Yaris had (or think the Yaris should have) ?

Direct Injection, a 6 speed manual and a modern at least 6 speed automatic. Automatic stop start when you come to a light. All tech that would help gas mileage and should come on all modern vehicles. Other things not mentioned, but that is blamed on all auto manufacturers who have focused on hp so much and have not really tried for better gas mileage.

I can understanding wanting more compared to the competition.
Thing is, the Yaris seems to have everything except a Moon Roof, standard alloy wheels across the range, variable delay front wiper and an intermittent rear wiper and an armrest ( I bought a square, black "pleather" pillow to put in-between the front seats and it is way more comfortable than any armrest I have come across.)

Then again...

We have all the safety stuff: ABS, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Control, Brake Assist, 9 airbags including seat bottom and knee airbag and more.

A "spare tire is standard" instead of a "kit" that almost all the other competition had instead. Kia wanted $300 bucks for me to add a spare tire and jack to replace the kit. Fiat wanted about the same. And for my beach trips, I am able to pack a lot of items around that tire and still close the lid even before I start packing the cargo area.

We have outside temp reading, instant and overall mileage readouts, miles to empty, Bluetooth phone hook-up, plug-in for devices.

We also have a cool little feature of being able to roll-up the power windows after the ignition is shut off.

Interior lights will shut off after a few hours if you leave them on accidentally...at least mine does. I don't recommend testing this. It happened once to me. I was like "whoa, that is cool".

I am glad we have the old 4-speed automatic...it is proven, bulletproof and shifts way better/smoother than any of the others that had more modern transmissions. "And", I am averaging 37 m.p.g. on pure highway driving at 70-75 m.p.h. with a/c on; almost the same as those 6-speed automatics. Go drive a Focus/Fiesta, you will be shocked how bad those transmissions act.

If direct-injection makes a car better, yet sounds as bad as it did on first start-up and driving the first few minutes (at least on the Rio), you can keep it. Give me the old-school Yaris. I have owned many types of cars.... 1 Ford, 6 VW's, 2 Isuzu's, 2 BMW's, 1 Saturn, 1 Jeep, 2 Mazda's, 2 Toyota's, 1 Scion. My Yaris handles hills and has a power to weight ratio better than most of them. Believe or not, it reminds me of the "good" traits" my BMW's had in many ways. I still have my '05 Scion xB with 95,000 miles on it and it has been "amazing" in reliability with the same engine and transmission as our Yaris'. I know one guy with an '06 xB that has 340,000 miles on it and he has only replaced the water pump and oil pan gasket besides the regular maintenance. That engine is still quiet and that auto transmission still shifts smooth-as-new. To me, "Old-School" can have some really nice advantages. I like "longevity and proven reliability" that goes with the old-school Yaris....That was one of the top reasons I bought it.

And the maintenance schedule is just dang-awesome. It is so easy and cheap to do.

Personally, I think it is a hell-uv-a-deal....and not all, but "some" dealers will deal on them. I got almost two grand off the sticker of my brand new Yaris LE with 5 miles on the odo. It had been on the lot for only 4 days.

But I "do" respect those who want more''''.....All of us will always want more of something in some way.

Peace''

The safety stuff is garbage. It only adds weight and unneeded complexity. It is also federally mandated because apparently we are too stupid to be able to actually drive ourselves. Airbags are weapons, and there is no real correlation to safety above the actual injuries they cause.

So you get 37 mpg on the highway and think that is good? It is not. I get around 45 driving in stop and go traffic on roads with a max speed limit of 50 mph. And I don't mean to pick on you specifically, but a modern automatic transmission could probably get what I do without a sweat.

Toyota does not really want to sell the Yaris. They don't want to let everyone know it could get gas mileage just as good if not better than a Prius. They don't want to put any money into really making it better, it has used the same transmission and engine since the Echo.

Now I love my Yaris, and I probably will keep it forever, but I would not buy another one unless Toyota shows it really wants to give the US what it gives other countries, and it does not try to protect the Prius for some idiotic reason.

[Lost4Kate]

i was in for an oil change, 110K, and asked to look at a new yaris. The largest toyota dealer in rochester does not have a yaris on the lot, has to be ordered.

they say the prius c is better. I sat in one, there is 2 inches less headroom. I actually can rub my head on the ceiling

sucks,

before my yaris, i was a die hard saturn owner

toyota is getting like GM, just wants to sell more expensive cars

[Flipper_1938]

I personally don't want stop-start or direct injection. Neither of those technologies are proving to be trouble free.

I really would prefer my existing yaris didn't have ABS (ASB= Anti-Stop Brakes)

A 6 speed manual trans would be nice though.

[nookandcrannycar]

I think I draw the line at cars self maneuvering for accident avoidance and such.

:thumbsup: Yep. I'd think the appeal would be for people who really don't like the act of driving.

id love to see a return to true quality built stripper cars with a few essentials.

:thumbsup:

[nookandcrannycar]

ONWRIGO hit it on the head for why I own a Yaris instead of some other car. Something simple, reliable and easy to maintain and repair.
Roy

:thumbsup: Yep. I echo (:biggrin:) those sentiments. *


* (yes Bronsin, I know it's ECHO not echo :biggrin:).

[nookandcrannycar]

needs to start near $10k, like it did when it came out.

I'm assuming (from a U.S. perspective only, of course) that you mean when what we call the ECHO first came out ? The base pice on the 07 5M USDM 3-door was at least 11k+, IIRC.

The strength of the Yen is the main thing that is killing Yaris sales.

:thumbsup: I agree.



Direct Injection, a 6 speed manual and a modern at least 6 speed automatic. Automatic stop start when you come to a light. All tech that would help gas mileage and should come on all modern vehicles. Other things not mentioned, but that is blamed on all auto manufacturers who have focused on hp so much and have not really tried for better gas mileage.

Good points. The only one of those that matters to me personally is the 6-speed manual (which of course the Yaris has in other markets :cry:).



federally mandated because apparently we are too stupid to be able to actually drive ourselves.

:bellyroll: (:clap:)

So you get 37 mpg on the highway and think that is good? It is not. I get around 45 driving in stop and go traffic on roads with a max speed limit of 50 mph. And I don't mean to pick on you specifically, but a modern automatic transmission could probably get what I do without a sweat.

What percentage or fraction of your ability to do the above is attributable,do you think, to the fact that you've removed your rear seating area, and other items :biggrin:. Even if I could squeeze a couple more MPG out of an automatic over the same car with a manual, I'd still want the manual (as long as the model in question isn't really heavy) knowing I could push the car and compression start it in a pinch if I needed to do that.

They don't want to let everyone know it could get gas mileage just as good if not better than a Prius. Yep :thumbsup: +++ .

[nookandcrannycar]

i was in for an oil change, 110K, and asked to look at a new yaris. The largest toyota dealer in rochester does not have a yaris on the lot, has to be ordered.

The two Toyota dealerships closest to me are Fred Haas Toyota World and Gullo Toyota. Yesterday, I stopped by both of them. Fred Haas Toyota World is the #1 Tundra dealer in the world, and (overall) the #2 Toyota dealer in the United States (Longo Toyota in El Monte, California is #1). Fred Haas Toyota World had one Yaris....an SE with an automatic transmission. I didn't see any Yarii at all at Gullo.

they say the prius c is better

:rolleyes: Better as in more profit for them.

[nookandcrannycar]

I really would prefer my existing yaris didn't have ABS (ASB= Anti-Stop Brakes)

:thumbsup: One thing I am not looking forward to with a newer Yaris.

[matti]

I can say that I don't care if the Yaris has an old "non-tech" engine and transmission. I don't care if the technology is 30 years old: if it works and is proven to be durable, that's all I care about. I could not care less about having a "more modern" drivetrain if it would cost me more.

[nookandcrannycar]

I can say that I don't care if the Yaris has an old "non-tech" engine and transmission. I don't care if the technology is 30 years old: if it works and is proven to be durable, that's all I care about. I could not care less about having a "more modern" drivetrain if it would cost me more.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: However, the 6-speed manual would be worth it to me if = +++ MPG and the +++ MPG paid for the increased cost by the 100k mile mark. If the increased cost wasn't paid for until the 150k mile mark, better 'manners' might still make the 6-speed manual worth the cost.

[kimona]

I can say that I don't care if the Yaris has an old "non-tech" engine and transmission. I don't care if the technology is 30 years old: if it works and is proven to be durable, that's all I care about. I could not care less about having a "more modern" drivetrain if it would cost me more.

I think the current 1.5L and 4-speed automatic transmission are brilliant! I wouldn't change a thing.

[roxy1]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: However, the 6-speed manual would be worth it to me if = +++ MPG and the +++ MPG paid for the increased cost by the 100k mile mark. If the increased cost wasn't paid for until the 150k mile mark, better 'manners' might still make the 6-speed manual worth the cost.

at 15,000 miles/yr and $3.70/gallon, a 40 mpg car would save $112/yr over a 37 mpg car.

id guess that 6 speed version would be at least $1k higher, so you'd be looking at a good decade to recoup the costs.

[bronsin]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: However, the 6-speed manual would be worth it to me if = +++ MPG and the +++ MPG paid for the increased cost by the 100k mile mark. If the increased cost wasn't paid for until the 150k mile mark, better 'manners' might still make the 6-speed manual worth the cost.


Actually as long as the highest gear ratio (ie 4th in a four speed, 6th in a six speed) are the same so will the mileage be. And because you are winding through the gears (and burning gas as you do so) the more speeds the transmission has the worse the mpg.

Thus the most efficient transmission is a three speed NOT a six speed.

Get it?:iono:

[nookandcrannycar]

Actually as long as the highest gear ratio (ie 4th in a four speed, 6th in a six speed) are the same so will the mileage be. And because you are winding through the gears (and burning gas as you do so) the more speeds the transmission has the worse the mpg.

Thus the most efficient transmission is a three speed NOT a six speed.

Get it?:iono:

I was going by a general assumption that the set up on a 6-speed vs a 5-speed (on average) would allow the 6-speed to be at a lower rpm (and likely higher MPG) than the 5-speed at the same MPH.

If one wound through the gears ALWAYS at a low rpm (trying to get to 5th or 6th as quickly as possible without 'bogging'), wouldn't the diminished efficiency of more gears to 'row'/'wind' through be minimal, or almost non existent ?

[nookandcrannycar]

at 15,000 miles/yr and $3.70/gallon, a 40 mpg car would save $112/yr over a 37 mpg car.

id guess that 6 speed version would be at least $1k higher, so you'd be looking at a good decade to recoup the costs.

Yeah, but I've averaged about 2.5 x the 15,000 per year with my Yaris, accelerating the break even point had a 6-speed been available :smile:.

[bronsin]

I was going by a general assumption that the set up on a 6-speed vs a 5-speed (on average) would allow the 6-speed to be at a lower rpm (and likely higher MPG) than the 5-speed at the same MPH.

If one wound through the gears ALWAYS at a low rpm (trying to get to 5th or 6th as quickly as possible without 'bogging'), wouldn't the diminished efficiency of more gears to 'row'/'wind' through be minimal, or almost non existent ?

In most six speed transmissions the highest speed is equal to or lower than the comparable highest speed in a five speed, four speed etc.

It is unusual for it to be higher which would result in lower rpms.

If you accelerated the engine to the same rpm in a six, five, and four speed transmission before shifting up you would have slightly less mpg the more speeds you shifted through. More speeds does NOT mean more mpg. The eight speed autos Chrysler and others have come out with are just pulling the wool over the eyes of the unwary consumer.

However as you suggest the difference might not be much or even noticeable in practical experience.

And a three speed transmission would not be as adaptable to varying road conditions as a six, five, or even four speed.

HOWEVER!

Manufacturers are guilty of misleading the public in many things. All the time they were increasing the size, weight, and displacement of cars like the Corolla they said "And the mileage is improved!"

Not so.

My sister in law had something like an 85 Camry that got 38 mpg around town while my wifes 05 Camry gets 22.

If you have your heart set on a six speed (soon to be SEVEN speed!) before purchasing get a print out of the final drive ratio of each speed and compare it to the five speed. In many case there IS no five speed to compare it to!

BUT you can always SKIP gears as I did on my motorcycles when going cross country or commuting to work. I shifted my ST1100 and 1300 1-3-5.

[Superfly]

The lack of models on the sale floor has to be the first killer. No one is going to buy the Yaris if it is not there. Then all the competitors offer incentives, slightly lower MSRPs and more modern "conveniences". Plus Toyota has so many incentives for the Prius C and the Corolla. The Yaris is really in a rough spot.

However, the biggest problem probably deals with the people most likely to buy the Yaris. We all want cheap, lightweight fuel-sipping strippers that will last 1 bagillion miles without incident. I can imagine it is difficult for TMC to push for more research and development investments if they know most US Yaris buyers are going to be around once for the initial purchase and then ten years later for a newer model. Shoot, most of us don't even visit the dealer for anything more than the oil changes. Realistically, I just don't see a simple solution for improving Yaris numbers which sucks because it is simply a sweet ride.

[Superfly]

I think the current 1.5L and 4-speed automatic transmission are brilliant! I wouldn't change a thing.

I agree. I appreciate the simplicity of the 4-speed and the 1.5L but I would kill for some more torque. Not horsepower, but torque.

[juicyjosh]

Guys and gals, we all realize the 2014 Yaris is a 2005 Yaris, which is a 2007 Daihatsu Charade..., right?

Would YOU buy a 2005 100-hp FWD car... TODAY IN 2014?

I know I wouldn't.

There's also a minimal commission payout to Toyota sales reps for selling the Yaris, so the sales reps aren't going to be pushing these cars to begin with. The point is significant: Salespeople aren't going to spend 4 hours to trying to convince someone to buy a cheaply-made car hoping to make $1xx.00 commission when they can much more easily sell a "nicer" Camry or Corolla and make $3xx.00.

But Toyota's milking the 2005 Yaris (a.k.a. 2007 Daihatsu Charade) for all it's worth. The 2012-on Yaris has an exterior and interior refresh, but it's only a facelift. Like everything else in life, what's inside is more important. In the case of the Yaris, the engine, drivetrain, suspension are all circa 2005. (So the 2012 SE has disks in the rear; There's so little weight back there that there's no significant performance benefit.) However for 2012, Toyota remapped the ecu for "softer" throttle response to get an extra 1 mpg City and Highway for the MT. Thanks Toyota for completing the initially only partially botched castration of what little cojones this car ever had to begin with.

I leased the car because of a unique situation I was in at the time where I needed something cheap with Toyota reliability, and I had no time to be working on cars. And I got a 5-speed fwiw. At least it was cheaper than the auto, and I'm averaging 29 mpg on 87 octane, which isn't bad, though could be better for a 2300-lb. car with a very optimistic 106-hp rating.

Hopefully this helps ppl to not lose any sleep over this car's demise.

[roxy1]

Manufacturers are guilty of misleading the public in many things. All the time they were increasing the size, weight, and displacement of cars like the Corolla they said "And the mileage is improved!"

Not so.

My sister in law had something like an 85 Camry that got 38 mpg around town while my wifes 05 Camry gets 22.

.

that's because up until 10 years ago, manufacturers cared little about improving economy. it was all about making the car bigger, more comfortable, and quieter. that 85 camry had a big advantage in weight and was also infinitely less safe. that 85 camry got a rating of 23/29 (and 24/31 for the manual)

now that efficiency is being demaded from all sides, cars are getting bigger and more efficient. the 2014 camry (non hybrid) is close to 1000 lbs heavier, much larger, and far safer than that 85 camry. it is rated at 25/35 and I can get 39-40 in that car all day long.

[roxy1]

Guys and gals, we all realize the 2014 Yaris is a 2005 Yaris, which is a 2007 Daihatsu Charade..., right?

Would YOU buy a 2005 100-hp FWD car... TODAY IN 2014?
.

I owned an 07 yaris and now a 14 yaris. the 14 is a little longer, has different sheet metal, a different interior, is definitely quieter, has a better ride, gets a little better mileage, and is safer. it is definitely a different generation yaris. so no, a 2014 yaris is not a 2005 yaris.

the 2007 charade is a 2nd gen yaris that was simply given the charade name, and that was just to make it as easy as possible for diahatsu to carry on in those markets. who cares? nobody here, im sure.

at 2300 lbs, I will gladly buy lots of 100-ish horsepower cars. the fiat 500, at 101 hp, is the most fun car ive had since a 1980 vw rabbit. the service experience more than the car led me away from fiat.

if hp is ones only determining factor then you will always be chasing more hp. for many small car drivers, hp is not a major determining factor.

we will see, in the next 10-15 years, more subcompacts, perhaps even diesels, with a little more torque but under 100 hp.

would I buy a 100 hp car in 2014?......heck, id buy a 85 hp diesel subcompact in a second.

[why?]

I'm assuming (from a U.S. perspective only, of course) that you mean when what we call the ECHO first came out ? The base pice on the 07 5M USDM 3-door was at least 11k+, IIRC.
:thumbsup: I agree.
Good points. The only one of those that matters to me personally is the 6-speed manual (which of course the Yaris has in other markets :cry:).
:bellyroll: (:clap:)
What percentage or fraction of your ability to do the above is attributable,do you think, to the fact that you've removed your rear seating area, and other items :biggrin:. Even if I could squeeze a couple more MPG out of an automatic over the same car with a manual, I'd still want the manual (as long as the model in question isn't really heavy) knowing I could push the car and compression start it in a pinch if I needed to do that.
Yep :thumbsup: +++ .

Actually the base 2007 Yaris was $9999. And the 6 speed Yaris manual in other countries has a much better ratio for gas mileage than our 5th gear does, our 5th gear is totally useless.

As to my gas mileage, very little. My 2nd tank of gas I managed to hit 44 mpg. The car was completely stock, and I still have no idea how I managed it. A better sorted gear box would make it easier.

I personally don't want stop-start or direct injection. Neither of those technologies are proving to be trouble free.

I really would prefer my existing yaris didn't have ABS (ASB= Anti-Stop Brakes)

A 6 speed manual trans would be nice though.

stop start is simply a better battery/heavy duty starter. Other countries, such as Japan, they are standard and have been for quite a while.

While Direct Injection has had some odd problems, I am sure they will be taken care of, and the benefits are massive. A 2liter turbo Mercedez Benz can get a 26/38 EPA rating, am I really suppose to believe a Yaris cannot match that?
I was going by a general assumption that the set up on a 6-speed vs a 5-speed (on average) would allow the 6-speed to be at a lower rpm (and likely higher MPG) than the 5-speed at the same MPH.
If one wound through the gears ALWAYS at a low rpm (trying to get to 5th or 6th as quickly as possible without 'bogging'), wouldn't the diminished efficiency of more gears to 'row'/'wind' through be minimal, or almost non existent ?

Totally non existent if you do it right, and much better than a "three speed." That is just absurd. If you shift our current 5 speed at 1500 rpm's, you are in 5th before you hit 25 or so. And if we had a 6 speed and better gearing it would help gas mileage.

In most six speed transmissions the highest speed is equal to or lower than the comparable highest speed in a five speed, four speed etc.
It is unusual for it to be higher which would result in lower rpms.
If you accelerated the engine to the same rpm in a six, five, and four speed transmission before shifting up you would have slightly less mpg the more speeds you shifted through. More speeds does NOT mean more mpg. The eight speed autos Chrysler and others have come out with are just pulling the wool over the eyes of the unwary consumer.
However as you suggest the difference might not be much or even noticeable in practical experience.
And a three speed transmission would not be as adaptable to varying road conditions as a six, five, or even four speed.
HOWEVER!
Manufacturers are guilty of misleading the public in many things. All the time they were increasing the size, weight, and displacement of cars like the Corolla they said "And the mileage is improved!"
Not so.
My sister in law had something like an 85 Camry that got 38 mpg around town while my wifes 05 Camry gets 22.
If you have your heart set on a six speed (soon to be SEVEN speed!) before purchasing get a print out of the final drive ratio of each speed and compare it to the five speed. In many case there IS no five speed to compare it to!
BUT you can always SKIP gears as I did on my motorcycles when going cross country or commuting to work. I shifted my ST1100 and 1300 1-3-5.

The Yaris six speed box has a lower 6th speed, which would result in much better gas mileage.

Guys and gals, we all realize the 2014 Yaris is a 2005 Yaris, which is a 2007 Daihatsu Charade..., right?
Would YOU buy a 2005 100-hp FWD car... TODAY IN 2014?
I know I wouldn't.
There's also a minimal commission payout to Toyota sales reps for selling the Yaris, so the sales reps aren't going to be pushing these cars to begin with. The point is significant: Salespeople aren't going to spend 4 hours to trying to convince someone to buy a cheaply-made car hoping to make $1xx.00 commission when they can much more easily sell a "nicer" Camry or Corolla and make $3xx.00.
But Toyota's milking the 2005 Yaris (a.k.a. 2007 Daihatsu Charade) for all it's worth. The 2012-on Yaris has an exterior and interior refresh, but it's only a facelift. Like everything else in life, what's inside is more important. In the case of the Yaris, the engine, drivetrain, suspension are all circa 2005. (So the 2012 SE has disks in the rear; There's so little weight back there that there's no significant performance benefit.) However for 2012, Toyota remapped the ecu for "softer" throttle response to get an extra 1 mpg City and Highway for the MT. Thanks Toyota for completing the initially only partially botched castration of what little cojones this car ever had to begin with.
I leased the car because of a unique situation I was in at the time where I needed something cheap with Toyota reliability, and I had no time to be working on cars. And I got a 5-speed fwiw. At least it was cheaper than the auto, and I'm averaging 29 mpg on 87 octane, which isn't bad, though could be better for a 2300-lb. car with a very optimistic 106-hp rating.
Hopefully this helps ppl to not lose any sleep over this car's demise.

Love it, but it is also really an Echo from the turn of the century. And they keep a lot of the good stuff out of the USA.

[nookandcrannycar]

I owned an 07 yaris and now a 14 yaris. the 14 is a little longer, has different sheet metal, a different interior, is definitely quieter, has a better ride, gets a little better mileage, and is safer. it is definitely a different generation yaris. so no, a 2014 yaris is not a 2005 yaris.

the 2007 charade is a 2nd gen yaris that was simply given the charade name, and that was just to make it as easy as possible for diahatsu to carry on in those markets. who cares? nobody here, im sure.

at 2300 lbs, I will gladly buy lots of 100-ish horsepower cars. the fiat 500, at 101 hp, is the most fun car ive had since a 1980 vw rabbit. the service experience more than the car led me away from fiat.

if hp is ones only determining factor then you will always be chasing more hp. for many small car drivers, hp is not a major determining factor.

we will see, in the next 10-15 years, more subcompacts, perhaps even diesels, with a little more torque but under 100 hp.

would I buy a 100 hp car in 2014?......heck, id buy a 85 hp diesel subcompact in a second.

:thumbsup: After reading JuicyJosh's post I was mulling over my response. No need. You hit the nail on the head.

[nookandcrannycar]

Actually the base 2007 Yaris was $9999

I notice that your join date = before I purchased my Yaris. IIRC, The Yaris was first available in May of 2006 in the U.S. as a 2007 model. Perhaps the $9999 = the initial arrivals, and then by October a price increase had gone into effect. The base price of my base model purchased on October 7th, 2006 was $11,050.00.

[Thirty-Nine]

:thumbsup: After reading JuicyJosh's post I was mulling over my response. No need. You hit the nail on the head.

QFT!

[nookandcrannycar]

QFT!

:laugh:.....:thumbsup:.....well, I just increased slumping sales by one. As of last Friday 8/8/14 the customizable cars.com search engine (that roxy1 posted a link to a while back.....can pull the Yaris inventory for the whole united states) showed 22 manual transmission 2014 Yari (3 SE and 19 L). Seven of the L = in my preferred colors of White and Silver..... 4 in Florida, 1 in Tennessee, 1 in Ohio, and one in Illinois (in Naperville, where another YW member bought a 2014). Only 3 of the 7 = discounting anything off off the base MSRP...Toyota of Lakewood in FL, Royal Palm Toyota in FL (55 miles farther north), and the dealer in Naperville, IL. I honed in on the cheapest listing, posted by Toyota of Lakewood. It's still listed (at least as of a 1/2 hour or so ago) on cars.com with lots of pics (:thumbup:)...but it's not available. I'm in Dunedin, FL right now and I just parked it a few minutes ago.


The $12,866 on my car on cars.com = the $1,564 off the $14,430 base sticker MSRP..adding the 860.00 'destination' (on the MFR sticker on all new cars) = $13,720. In comparison, Royal Palm's Silver 3door = $13,888 ($542 off the $14,430 base MSRP) + 860.00 destination = $14,748...and the Naperville, IL dealer's $14,444 on cars.com does include destination, so = $13,584 + 860.00 desdination = $14,444. This Naperville, IL car has been sitting there since March 2014.

The car I bought had TDIO (Toyota Distributor Installed Options :rolleyes:) included on the factory sticker (but listed separately from the base MSRP and the 'destination' that is on all facrory stickers). Toyota only has two remaining independently owned distributors--Southeast Toyota, and Gulf States Toyota--covering a total of 10 U.S. states. My car has a TDIO package (listed on the original MFG sticker) that retailed for $946.00 and I negotiated that down to $790.00. My TDIO package original priced included -- #1 - $399 for the rear spoiler (something I like, and would have cost $435 if I had it put on at my local Toyota dealer in TX), #2 - $299 - for the 4 floor mats (a total rip off...I look at the $156.00 discount I negotiated off the package as coming off of this...the 4 floor mats on my 2007 = on the factory sticker as an option = about $150.00. #3 - $199 for film -- same idea as the 3M Clear Bra, but also included 3 additional areas (each door, and the 'load sill'/top of the rear bumper), and #4 - $49 for a Connection Package - 4 items - Apple 30 pin cable, Apple Lightening cable, a USB micro or mini cable, and a 12v USB plug). The Royal Palm car didn't have the TDIO/Spoiler pkg, and of course the Illinois car didn't because Illinois is not one of the 10 states that is covered by the independent distributors (Southeast and Gulf States).

A dealer PAC sticker of about 1k (:rolleyes:..the existence of PAC stickers has p****d me off since I was a little kid) was added to the car when the dealer put it in inventory. It included a pinstripe with lifetime reapplication, lifetime nitrogen for the tires, and a few other things I can't think of off the top of my head. Adding that PAC sticker to the price must have completely went out the window when they put it on cars.com. I didn't expect them to include the PAC sticker items as benefits to me (because they never tried to add even $1 re those items), but the benefits were included (good idea on their part...potentially generates foot traffic at a pretty low cost).

The rest = sales tax (at the higher TX rate in my zip code), licensing, titling, etc (300+, IIRC, total in addition to the sales tax (the government fees = :barf:). The total out the door/including all (above) was $15,990. They let me put $5,000 on Visa to get the Frequent Flier miles (I'd already put a $5k payment on my card (separate from the balance I pay off every month)...creating a way less than zero balance...to represent the charge. This was the most any dealer has let me do (dealer feeling re VISA transaction fees = :eek:). When I bought my blue Yaris, the dealer let me do the same thing, but only for $2,000 OR $2,500 (I can't remember which). I did a bank guaranteed check for the other $10,990. All in all, I'm satisfied. I'm heading back to Texas tomorrow.

P.S. I was going to drive to Florida and sell my blue Yaris to Carmax (or to the dealer if they offered me more), but over the weekend I asked myself why....because I can't fit both into my garage?.....because insurance might be a bit more?...I decided these were dumb reasons (and I later learned the iinsurance increase = $150 something per year). I decided to keep my blue Yaris (I'll reevaluate as needed re repairs...no repairs needed at this time...but on the horizon). I redeemed a small portion of my mileage balance and flew to Florida instead.

^^^^^ Added P.S. on 8-13-2014


P.P.S. - On 9-9-2014 I got a refund check from the dealership for the amount they overcharged me for the sales tax and the titling :rolleyes: -- the check was for $312.77 ---- This reduced my out the door cost to $15,677.23

[marcar72]

:laugh:.....:thumbsup:.....well, I just increased slumping sales by one. As of last Friday 8/8/14 ...


Hey congratulations! Good for you! I got my 2014 L manual out the door from Libertyville, IL for $15,872 so you did real good! :headbang:

[Ryze268]

Toyota should have made RS spec Vitz/Yaris come with a 2ZZ from factory, I think would definitely have a good amount of supporters.

[nookandcrannycar]

Hey congradulations! Good for you! I got my 2014 L manual out the door from Libertyville, IL for $15,872 so you did real good! :headbang:

:thumbsup: Thanks!

[Superfly]

Guys and gals, we all realize the 2014 Yaris is a 2005 Yaris, which is a 2007 Daihatsu Charade..., right?

Would YOU buy a 2005 100-hp FWD car... TODAY IN 2014?

I know I wouldn't.

There's also a minimal commission payout to Toyota sales reps for selling the Yaris, so the sales reps aren't going to be pushing these cars to begin with. The point is significant: Salespeople aren't going to spend 4 hours to trying to convince someone to buy a cheaply-made car hoping to make $1xx.00 commission when they can much more easily sell a "nicer" Camry or Corolla and make $3xx.00.

But Toyota's milking the 2005 Yaris (a.k.a. 2007 Daihatsu Charade) for all it's worth. The 2012-on Yaris has an exterior and interior refresh, but it's only a facelift. Like everything else in life, what's inside is more important. In the case of the Yaris, the engine, drivetrain, suspension are all circa 2005. (So the 2012 SE has disks in the rear; There's so little weight back there that there's no significant performance benefit.) However for 2012, Toyota remapped the ecu for "softer" throttle response to get an extra 1 mpg City and Highway for the MT. Thanks Toyota for completing the initially only partially botched castration of what little cojones this car ever had to begin with.

I leased the car because of a unique situation I was in at the time where I needed something cheap with Toyota reliability, and I had no time to be working on cars. And I got a 5-speed fwiw. At least it was cheaper than the auto, and I'm averaging 29 mpg on 87 octane, which isn't bad, though could be better for a 2300-lb. car with a very optimistic 106-hp rating.

It has nothing to do with the Yaris having low-end hp numbers. People are buying Fiat 500s, Smart ForTwos and Prius C's and all have low hp.

But I agree with most of the rest of your post. Toyota has no idea what to do with the Yaris because they have the Corolla and the Prius C. The former offers more room, a more powerful engine, a solid reputation for reliability and updated options. The latter offers high fuel economy and similar size. Both have minimally higher MSRPs which can (and are at this moment) offset with enticing/generous incentives such as 0% financing and cash back. The Yaris competitors offer similar things. How can the Yaris sell if it is being killed by it's own family line-up not to mention updated competitors?

I love this damned car but Toyota is failing it miserably. As I stated in several other threads, something has to change. Cut the entire production line to one model (the cheapest configuration) and turn it into your lowest priced, stripper model; tune or change the engine and tranny and redesign the sheet metal and turn it into a hot hatch; shrink the dimensions and make it a Fiat, Spark and Mini competitor; drop the Yaris from Toyota and place it under the Scion badge; offer more colors or interior options. Something has to give. I am waiting to see the 2016 model. It should give us all a good indication of what direction Toyota is headed (although I would argue pawning off production to Mazda is probably a good sign TMC is letting the Yaris drift to it's own demise).

[nookandcrannycar]

The former offers more room

Which some people don't care about....they'd rather have more parking options.

a more powerful engine

It's an economy car. If power is such an important concern, why buy an economy car?

a solid reputation for reliability

As does the Yaris.
The latter offers high fuel economy and similar size.

But increased complexity that can drive up costs in the long run.....and it doesn't offer a manual transmission :biggrin:

How can the Yaris sell if it is being killed by it's own family line-up not to mention updated competitors?

The Prius c should have been called the Yaris Hybrid in the U.S., IMO. That it wasn't...and that that was the correct decision from a marketing standpoint...IMO, shows an insecure bandwagon mentality on the part of U.S. consumers.

Cut the entire production line to one model (the cheapest configuration) and turn it into your lowest priced, stripper model; tune or change the engine and tranny and redesign the sheet metal and turn it into a hot hatch; shrink the dimensions and make it a Fiat, Spark and Mini competitor; drop the Yaris from Toyota and place it under the Scion badge; offer more colors or interior options.

:thumbsup: All good ideas.

[JudgeM]

What I find odd for many of the markets especially US is the spec of the Yaris. You get the same 1nzfe engine, 4 speed auto or 5 speed manual. This is already 10 years old technology. While in europe they get 6 speed manuals, dual vvti engine, multi mode transmission, traction control etc.

Even that may not be enough, you pit it against things like the fiesta that has 5 speed auto(i think) 1 liter turbo engine that will own our yaris 1.5.

What I love about Toyota was all the new tech they brought to the car (esp late 80's) but now they seem to be saturating especially on the low end cars. I am disappointed to see the new VIOS which looks beautiful still have the same 1NZ-FE and 4 speed auto.

Its easy to see why now for new buyers they will not go down the yaris/vios route when the competitor offer much better spec'd car for similar price.

[matti]

One of the things that appealed to me was the "low-tech" 1nzfe engine. It has been proven bombproof (you know what I mean!) and that's what I care about. If it was 100 years old, it wouldn't matter to me. If it works well and is durable, that's all that matters to me.

I may be in the minority, though. I don't buy vehicles for their technology or driving "experience." I buy a car to cheaply get from point A to point B, while hoping to get some serious reliability and longevity out of the vehicle.

[kimona]

One of the things that appealed to me was the "low-tech" 1nzfe engine. It has been proven bombproof (you know what I mean!) and that's what I care about. If it was 100 years old, it wouldn't matter to me. If it works well and is durable, that's all that matters to me.

I may be in the minority, though. I don't buy vehicles for their technology or driving "experience." I buy a car to cheaply get from point A to point B, while hoping to get some serious reliability and longevity out of the vehicle.

I'm with you.

[nookandcrannycar]

One of the things that appealed to me was the "low-tech" 1nzfe engine. It has been proven bombproof (you know what I mean!) and that's what I care about. If it was 100 years old, it wouldn't matter to me. If it works well and is durable, that's all that matters to me.

I may be in the minority, though. I don't buy vehicles for their technology or driving "experience." I buy a car to cheaply get from point A to point B, while hoping to get some serious reliability and longevity out of the vehicle.

:thumbsup: +100. While I might buy a car in a different segment for the technology or the driving experience, what matters to me when buying a car in this segment is what matti wrote above. People make decisions within other segments for 'emotional' and 'trendy' (among other) reasons. IMO, putting a lot of weight into such factors in this segment is nonsensical.

[bentjazz]

With matti on this one, for sure.....

[yougojay]

One of the things that appealed to me was the "low-tech" 1nzfe engine. It has been proven bombproof (you know what I mean!) and that's what I care about. If it was 100 years old, it wouldn't matter to me. If it works well and is durable, that's all that matters to me.

I may be in the minority, though. I don't buy vehicles for their technology or driving "experience." I buy a car to cheaply get from point A to point B, while hoping to get some serious reliability and longevity out of the vehicle.
This pretty much sums it up. It still amazes me reading a lot of the experiences here. ZERO regrets with this car.

[Flipper_1938]

Yep. The whole reason I bought a Yaris is that I had an ECHO. That car was the most functional CAR that I have ever been around. Great mileage, great reliability, incredibly durable interior (still cleaned up and looked new after 318,000 miles), great value...overall an amazing car for $12,000 roll up windows and all.

I'm hoping the Yaris will treat me the same although my carpet at 100,000 miles shows more wear than the ECHO did at 318,000

[yougojay]

I read things now and then at the Mini, Fiat 500, Fiesta, Spark, etc. forums out there. Some real horror stories. No thanks.
I would imaging you can get new carpet, pieces or a 'Kit' to replace. I did it once, in my '72 Chevelle Convt. - it was totally easy, and completely transformed the way the interior looked (really made a difference) :headbang:

[nookandcrannycar]

when the competitor offer much better spec'd car for similar price.

My friend gave me a ride to the airport on Tuesday morning (starting before 5 am) for a 7 am flight...Houston to Charlotte to Tampa to pick up my new Yaris. My friend has a PT Cruiser with just over 155,000 miles on it. She drives that car harder than I have ever seen any woman drive any car. When I arrived in Tampa, Enterprise gave me a Fiesta as my one way rental to get to the dealership (they have a location about 4 miles from the dealership). The Fiesta had about 35,000 miles on it. OMG, what a POS. That thing sounded as if it would fall apart any minute. Comparing it to my friend's PT Cruiser, one would think the PT Cruiser had the 35,000 miles, and the Fiesta had not just 155,000 + miles, but 500,000 + miles.

[nookandcrannycar]

I read things now and then at the Mini, Fiat 500, Fiesta, Spark, etc. forums out there. Some real horror stories. No thanks

See post #85 :biggrin:.

[roxy1]

I read things now and then at the Mini, Fiat 500, Fiesta, Spark, etc. forums out there. Some real horror stories.:

yeah, I lived some of that. when the JD Powers Initial Quality study came out and Fiat was dead last, as one would expect the fangs came out, with the general jist being that those surveys aren't using sound research methods, blah, blah, blah....does anyone think if Fiat had been near the top that owners would have found a problem with the survey methods.

those of us not drinking the kool aid saw it for what it was......the not too surprising result of the marriage between Fiat and Chrysler.

[yougojay]

My friend gave me a ride to the airport on Tuesday morning (starting before 5 am) for a 7 am flight...Houston to Charlotte to Tampa to pick up my new Yaris. My friend has a PT Cruiser with just over 155,000 miles on it. She drives that car harder than I have ever seen any woman drive any car. When I arrived in Tampa, Enterprise gave me a Fiesta as my one way rental to get to the dealership (they have a location about 4 miles from the dealership). The Fiesta had about 35,000 miles on it. OMG, what a POS. That thing sounded as if it would fall apart any minute. Comparing it to my friend's PT Cruiser, one would think the PT Cruiser had the 35,000 miles, and the Fiesta had not just 155,000 + miles, but 500,000 + miles.

Anyone jump in the wheel well of your plane while you were in Charlotte? :rolleyes:
Granted, the Fiesta was a rental car. People do not take care of their own cars, let alone a rental car. Many people make it a POINT to beat on rental cars! Looked at a Fiesta briefly at a local dealer. Sure, it was OK, brand new, but never seriously considered one. After all these years, I have become so disappointed in the old "Big 3"
Decades of Toyota, Toyota, Toyota reliability, runs, no problems, etc. OK, I give UP, I WANNA TRY ONE! That's how I got here.
I am really easy on cars. Sure, there's a good chance I could have purchased a Fiesta or Fiat 500 or Spark & had good luck with it, but told myself, nope, not doing it. Had Fords, many GM products, gotta try a Toyota.
I know I made the right decision - I guarantee I will have this car until I croak, or some idiot totals it, or some idiot totals it with me in it and I croak:w00t: Any of the above!:bellyroll:

Forums are a good place to read what people are saying about cars.
I did some pretty extensive reading at some of these forums. Reading about Yaris (& Echo) lots of praise & LACK of issues. I understand, more volume sold, more people crabbing about problems.

I absolutely LOVE the looks of the Fiat 500 - there is an owner of one who works at the CVS by my house. It is a light-ish green opaque, Just wonderful looking. Have never been all over, hands on with one, maybe I should check one out sometime. It is so cute & good looking to me, the color choices are awesome.
Dang, I want to hug it and take it home and sleep in the garage with it on the concrete floor and offer it a Cookout 1/2 pound cheeseburger & fries, and kiss it all over. It's all that a small, fun to drive car should look like...It looks GREAT!
But you know what? It's a F I A T - Not getting sucked into that.

[nookandcrannycar]

Anyone jump in the wheel well of your plane while you were in Charlotte? :rolleyes:
Granted, the Fiesta was a rental car. People do not take care of their own cars, let alone a rental car. Many people make it a POINT to beat on rental cars! Looked at a Fiesta briefly at a local dealer. Sure, it was OK, brand new, but never seriously considered one. After all these years, I have become so disappointed in the old "Big 3"
Decades of Toyota, Toyota, Toyota reliability, runs, no problems, etc. OK, I give UP, I WANNA TRY ONE! That's how I got here.
I am really easy on cars. Sure, there's a good chance I could have purchased a Fiesta or Fiat 500 or Spark & had good luck with it, but told myself, nope, not doing it. Had Fords, many GM products, gotta try a Toyota.
I know I made the right decision - I guarantee I will have this car until I croak, or some idiot totals it, or some idiot totals it with me in it and I croak:w00t: Any of the above!:bellyroll:

Forums are a good place to read what people are saying about cars.
I did some pretty extensive reading at some of these forums. Reading about Yaris (& Echo) lots of praise & LACK of issues. I understand, more volume sold, more people crabbing about problems.

I absolutely LOVE the looks of the Fiat 500 - there is an owner of one who works at the CVS by my house. It is a light-ish green opaque, Just wonderful looking. Have never been all over, hands on with one, maybe I should check one out sometime. It is so cute & good looking to me, the color choices are awesome.
Dang, I want to hug it and take it home and sleep in the garage with it on the concrete floor and offer it a Cookout 1/2 pound cheeseburger & fries, and kiss it all over. It's all that a small, fun to drive car should look like...It looks GREAT!
But you know what? It's a F I A T - Not getting sucked into that.

:laugh: I'm keenly aware of how people treat rental cars and attitudes toward the vehicles used in that type of arrangement. One of my points was that my friend's driving = the same effect as a constant beat of renters on a rental car. Given that, the mileage is the significant difference, and the feeling of the condition of each car is so different that looking at it from a 'switching mileage perspective' (35,000 and 155,000 on the other car, not the car that mileage is on) isn't enough of a difference...that's why I made the point of 500,000 + miles, rather than 155,000. If a racecar driver beat that Fiesta for the 35,000 miles, it still shouldn't feel as bad as it did.....and I want to like the Fiesta :smile: (Ford is the only Big 3 manufacturer and or brand I would consider re how they approached their business during the financial crisis vs. the others). On principle, I'd never again buy a UAW made vehicle, so that limits the Fords as well (but not the Fiesta :biggrin:). I can see planning to buy a car that doesn't have bulletproof reliability if you have at least one more vehicle than number of drivers in the house, and if at least one of those vehicles has bulletproof reliability. Considering my location and use, buying a Mini Countryman ALL4 would be a complete waste. However, I think it is a vehicle that inspires tremendous passion and, other than reliability, hits all the marks. If I was in CTScott's shoes (enough room in the garage, living in an area where the winter weather makes the thought of buying an AWD vehicle a very logical proposition, and the mechanical knowledge to prevent being taken to the cleaners on repairs/or to do them yourself, and a surplus vehicle (well, I am in those shoes)), I'd probably be motivated to buy one (as he has). IIRC from one of his posts in the tires/wheels/etc section, tomorrow is supposed to be the big day...the dealer told him his Mini should be ready for delivery on Moinday.

[yougojay]

I completely get what you were trying to say regarding the miles and the rental treatment & the way your friend drove those hard 155,000 miles. Yes, why does the Fiesta feel like that after 35,000 miles & the PT feels BETTER after 150,000+ miles? Gotta wonder.
Mini's are absolutely awesomely cool looking! I'll bet they are a blast to drive. I'll bet you I could go out tomorrow and find one, take it home from the dealer & in a few hours and be completely freakin' in LOVE WITH IT.
But, my gut feeling is that if I kept it for years it would become a money pit. I'll go with my gut :wink:
We can ALL justify a car purchase of any make or model! Believe me, I've done it myself & have been fortunate enough to have reliable service in those cars, whew!
I think certain people have a passion for cars & driving, it's a good thing.
Yes, Scott is getting a Mini, I read a post a few days ago him trying to sell the wheels & tires from the one he is trading in (I believe) Sell them to a willing buyer & get the buyers stock wheels and tires. Good idea. I'll have to go look for that post again. I hope he was successful - I think he was getting some AWD extended version, they make 5 or 6 models now.
He'll have a ball with it I'm sure - I gotta go check out the Mini website now, it's been awhile!

[Onwrdigo]

The "Yaris" is Toyota's Mini. It is just not as "exciting or eye popping" as the Mini. But they drive similar. (But any Yaris rides much, much better and has less rattles and it is a hell-uv-a lot more reliable) Heck, I even compared my Yaris to an old 320i I used to own. So similar in some characteristics in the driving experience. But the Mini's are plagued with problems of every kind. Engine, transmission, interior quality, ride comfort..."very" expensive regular maintenance and repairs. My boss' wife just took her 2012 Mini Base in for an oil change at the Dealer and they said her brakes also showed wear and needed adjustments at 25K miles. She called her husband as she felt there was nothing wrong with them and he talked with them as well and they both ok'd it based on what the service writer said. ""$900 Dollars"" later she was out the door. No thanks Mini. Hope the poor sap on here who is getting a Mini right now is "really, really" in love with his new Mini; he is going to have to be to overcome the obstacles he obviously has ahead of him.

Case in Point: There is even an almost "brand new & Beautiful'' 2014 Mini on the Used Car lot of my Toyota Dealership. When I asked a sales rep friend about that, they said "It has 2,600 miles on it and they traded it for a new Corolla S . "Not sure why". Bet I can guess.

But Toyota has just abandoned the Yaris in many respects. Have not seen a Yaris in any Toyota commercial for at least two years now, not even a magazine advertisement.:iono:

Yet in the recent "New 2015" Car Mag editions, they all mention the redesign/refresh of the 2015 Yaris. "Car and Driver" had the biggest write-up, touting the new front-end, interior and said they are ok with leaving the old engine and transmissions in it as they are almost "enjoyable"...which is a lot for those auto editors to say with the Yaris' old school set-up. Others mentioned the "stiffened structure, tuned-up suspension and new steering" as well.

I am really curious about (and will check-out) the 2015 Yaris whether Toyota advertises it or not. Oh, and one more thing; in "no way" will I ever consider Mazda again after two nightmare experiences with two products and 4 dealerships trying to get things repaired that should have never given trouble in the first place in the first 20k miles. Wost dealership experiences "ever" in my driving-life. So with that, I will not be considering a 2016 or 2017 Yaris built by Mazda in Mexico. :thumbdown:

[Kalispel]

I am really curious about (and will check-out) the 2015 Yaris whether Toyota advertises it or not. Oh, and one more thing; in "no way" will I ever consider Mazda again after two nightmare experiences with two products and 4 dealerships trying to get things repaired that should have never given trouble in the first place in the first 20k miles. Wost dealership experiences "ever" in my driving-life. So with that, I will not be considering a 2016 or 2017 Yaris built by Mazda in Mexico. :thumbdown:

I really wanted to like Mazda, but I just keep hearing negative experiences with their dealerships and vehicles. :frown:

[nookandcrannycar]

Hope the poor sap on here who is getting a Mini right now is "really, really" in love with his new Mini; he is going to have to be to overcome the obstacles he obviously has ahead of him.

I love your posts and think you are a great addition to the forum, but I have to disagree with you re the above, for several reasons :smile:. If this forum is any indication (and I think it is), I imagine he could overcome any obstacle put in front of him better than 99.9999 % of the U.S. population. He is specifically buying the the Mini Countryman ALL4 (an AWD vehicle). I live in a region that doesn't have inclement winter weather. YOU live in a region that doesn't have inclement winter weather that really hinders vehicles too much (except in the mountains of NC). People buy AWD and 4WD vehicles where I live (and where you live), but they are for the most part buying something they are going to rarely if ever need (the only exceptions I can think of would be mudding in both regions, a job that demands a 4WD vehicle (both regions), and winter driving in the mountains of NC). However, HE lives in Connecticut...and having an AWD vehicle available would make sense throughout the winter. His posts indicate that he doesn't put a lot of miles on his vehicles. I believe his daughter will be the third driver in his household. He's shopping for a first generation Scion xB for his daughter. He has a street legal red Yaris and a street legal blue Yaris. He's trading in the red Yaris for the Mini Countryman ALL4. When he adds the Scion xB for his daughter, he will have at least 5 street legal vehicles (a blue Yaris, a Toyota Tacoma, a Celica convertible, the Mini Countryman ALL4, and the Scion xB) for 3 drivers. I can't imagine there is anything mechanical re his Yaris that he doesn't know how to do himself...and I'm sure that would stand him in good stead in that realm re other vehicles. My point is that any issues that come up with the Mini aren't going to be much of an obstacle for him. Also, that he will put the AWD to good use during those Connecticut winters.

But Toyota has just abandoned the Yaris in many respects. Have not seen a Yaris in any Toyota commercial for at least two years now, not even a magazine advertisement.:iono:

I agree. Last week a member of the sales team (at the dealership in Florida where I purchased my new Yaris) handed me a PRINTED accessories brochure specificall for the 2014 Yaris. I think this is the only PRINTED Yaris specific information I've ever seen re the 2014 (coming directly from Toyota).

Yet in the recent "New 2015" Car Mag editions, they all mention the redesign/refresh of the 2015 Yaris. "Car and Driver" had the biggest write-up, touting the new front-end, interior and said they are ok with leaving the old engine and transmissions in it as they are almost "enjoyable"...which is a lot for those auto editors to say with the Yaris' old school set-up. Others mentioned the "stiffened structure, tuned-up suspension and new steering" as well.

I am really curious about (and will check-out) the 2015 Yaris whether Toyota advertises it or not.

:thumbsup: I will check out the 2015 irrespective of promotion (or lack of it) as well, even though I just purchased a 2014.

Oh, and one more thing; in "no way" will I ever consider Mazda again after two nightmare experiences with two products and 4 dealerships trying to get things repaired that should have never given trouble in the first place in the first 20k miles. Wost dealership experiences "ever" in my driving-life. So with that, I will not be considering a 2016 or 2017 Yaris built by Mazda in Mexico. :thumbdown:

Having just driven a Mexican built Fiesta rental with 35,000 miles on it :eek:...taking into consideration that it was a rental....the above doesn't surprise me at all.

[NYC-SE]

Last week a member of the sales team (at the dealership in Florida where I purchased my new Yaris) handed me a PRINTED accessories brochure specificall for the 2014 Yaris. I think this is the only PRINTED Yaris specific information I've ever seen re the 2014 (coming directly from Toyota).


Wow. I'm amazed such a thing exists. Any chance of scanning it and posting it?

[nookandcrannycar]

Wow. I'm amazed such a thing exists. Any chance of scanning it and posting it?

I have a couple of scanners, but those scanners are with my stuff that is still in California. I know Hershey (a YW member) requested that I take a picture of the cabin air filter that he posted and I purchased and installed (in my 2007 Yaris) before he did. By some method (I don't remember how I did it:.....I don't have a data plan on my phone) I was able to post that picture. I'll figure that out again this coming weekend and post pics of each page of the brochure. I like the size. It just fits into that slot that takes up the whole 'rear window' of the owner's manual folio they give owners at delivery (black with red TOYOTA lettering + the Toyota emblem on the front) and I have it opened to the 'rear spoiler page' as that 'rear window' of the folio view.

[NYC-SE]

I have a couple of scanners, but those scanners are with my stuff that is still in California. I know Hershey (a YW member) requested that I take a picture of the cabin air filter that he posted and I purchased and installed (in my 2007 Yaris) before he did. By some method (I don't remember how I did it:.....I don't have a data plan on my phone) I was able to post that picture. I'll figure that out again this coming weekend and post pics of each page of the brochure. I like the size. It just fits into that slot that takes up the whole 'rear window' of the owner's manual folio they give owners at delivery (black with red TOYOTA lettering + the Toyota emblem on the front) and I have it opened to the 'rear spoiler page' as that 'rear window' of the folio view.

OK thanks but it's no big deal if it's too problematic.

[nookandcrannycar]

I completely get what you were trying to say regarding the miles and the rental treatment & the way your friend drove those hard 155,000 miles. Yes, why does the Fiesta feel like that after 35,000 miles & the PT feels BETTER after 150,000+ miles? Gotta wonder.
Mini's are absolutely awesomely cool looking! I'll bet they are a blast to drive. I'll bet you I could go out tomorrow and find one, take it home from the dealer & in a few hours and be completely freakin' in LOVE WITH IT.
But, my gut feeling is that if I kept it for years it would become a money pit. I'll go with my gut :wink:
We can ALL justify a car purchase of any make or model! Believe me, I've done it myself & have been fortunate enough to have reliable service in those cars, whew!
I think certain people have a passion for cars & driving, it's a good thing.
Yes, Scott is getting a Mini, I read a post a few days ago him trying to sell the wheels & tires from the one he is trading in (I believe) Sell them to a willing buyer & get the buyers stock wheels and tires. Good idea. I'll have to go look for that post again. I hope he was successful - I think he was getting some AWD extended version, they make 5 or 6 models now.
He'll have a ball with it I'm sure - I gotta go check out the Mini website now, it's been awhile!

:thumbsup:. Part of my point was that Scott may never end up driving the Countryman enough miles to have to worry about 'an early money pit stage'....but I probably didn't make that clear enough :redface:.

[why?]

It is entertaining to me people are only comparing the Yaris to brand new options. There is a whole host of used car options, even though the used car market is totally insane you can find some really good deals if you look hard enough.

Or there is things like Elio Motors (http://eliogenuine.eliomotors.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwjtGfBRCN4-LU9ODG1-wBEiQAy_Xp7zBaoNz_CiS8WZ-tqyxbJKXxaLwksTTInQTlO0BBEG8aAmTT8P8HAQ&utm_expid=85201925-2.8sOWmqyTQuW8PbtZLa5PzA.0&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Faclk%3F sa%3Dl%26ai%3DC7F_2H6v0U_TtOvKEygGim4GYBZ-isuQFz-iwwdIBx9jdzqICCAAQAVDJ15ycAWDJjuyIhKTsD6AB2Zbr0wPI AQGqBCJP0AmVI27sr9bPBaJ0t7rY5Cis0WY26r80Ksu0nU2XHv v3ugUTCKaVnsGBosACFcJ-kgodkE0AwcoFAIAHj-mULIgHAZAHAqgHpr4b%26ei%3DH6v0U-aJN8L9yQSQm4GIDA%26sig%3DAOD64_2XoKBcUC9Gt9B6xXZNE cx73sNfnQ%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26sqi%3D2%26ved%3D0CB4Q 0Qw%26adurl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.marinsm.com%2Fr d%253Fcid%253D15683y034706%2526mkwid%253Ds7UyVuZHd %257Cdc%2526pcrid%253D56419569783%2526pmt%253De%25 26mkw%253Delio%252520motors%2526pvd%253Dc%2526lp%2 53Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fad.doubleclick.net%252 52Fddm%25252Fclk%25252F282860563%25253B109728610%2 5253Bj%25253Fhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Feliogenuine. eliomotors.com%25252F) Which is worth keeping an eye on.

I saw a rumor that Toyota was really gearing up to build a smaller sports car by 2018 or so. Hoping it is a new MR2 more in line with the first gen MR2. That would be awesome.

[JustPassinThru]

I think there is such a thing as "too reliable a car for too little a profit" for a car manufacturer, and the Yaris most definitely fits that description. They are in the "selling cars" business, after all...



That is the thinking that put Detroit where it is today.

They are in the business of selling cars, sure. I am NOT in the market to buy a car so that I can buy another car in a year or two. I am in the market to find the BEST answer to my needs for the lowest cost.

Toyota fits that bill; because the cars are indestructible. If they cheapen the car so that it only lasts a few years...THEN THERE IS NO REASON FOR ME TO BUY TOYOTA.

If they limit quality to only their premium and full-size line...I don't need a premium car with all the gimmicks and I don't need a full-size car. I DO need quality. If Toyota tries to tell me that I can only have quality in a full-size car - as Chevrolet used to demonstrate to THEIR customers - then I will find another enterprising brand that WILL offer quality in small packages.

As Toyota did to capture the American market.

What I'm saying is, this line of thinking is FATAL to the future.

As to the Yaris not selling...if there's not the market or they don't want the market, then that, as they say, is that.

[nookandcrannycar]

That is the thinking that put Detroit where it is today.

They are in the business of selling cars, sure. I am NOT in the market to buy a car so that I can buy another car in a year or two. I am in the market to find the BEST answer to my needs for the lowest cost.

Toyota fits that bill; because the cars are indestructible. If they cheapen the car so that it only lasts a few years...THEN THERE IS NO REASON FOR ME TO BUY TOYOTA.

If they limit quality to only their premium and full-size line...I don't need a premium car with all the gimmicks and I don't need a full-size car. I DO need quality. If Toyota tries to tell me that I can only have quality in a full-size car - as Chevrolet used to demonstrate to THEIR customers - then I will find another enterprising brand that WILL offer quality in small packages.

As Toyota did to capture the American market.

What I'm saying is, this line of thinking is FATAL to the future.

As to the Yaris not selling...if there's not the market or they don't want the market, then that, as they say, is that.

One 'Yaris' is selling here in the U.S. .......It's just called the Prius c :rolleyes:. IMO, there are several reasons for this - 1. I think why? is correct re the trend away from manual transmissions. I'd think the main reason = as people spend more time stuck in traffic, they don't want to be bothered with a manual (more so than MPG or performance reasons). - 2. Media messages that hybrids always = a smaller overall carbon footprint :rolleyes: (not the case). - 3. Trendiness/bandwagon/politically correct/(or some combination of these) :rolleyes: nature of a certain segment of U.S. consumers.

[kimona]

^^^

4. The Prius C has factory to customer incentives and decent dealer discounts, so it can be had for just dollars more than the Yaris LE.

[nookandcrannycar]

^^^

4. The Prius C has factory to customer incentives and decent dealer discounts, so it can be had for just dollars more than the Yaris LE.

:thumbsup: Good point.

[nookandcrannycar]

:because insurance might be a bit more?...I decided these were dumb reasons (and I later learned the iinsurance increase = $150 something per year).

I just got the hard copy/declarations page in the mail yesterday, and the increase turned out to be less....$140.00 per year more to insure two, rather than one.

P.S. I was at AAA anyway late this afternoon. so I chatted with an agent re recent mailings. Turns out the system wasn't reading that my 2014 = a new car, so the added amount for the second car is even less...$128.00 per year rather than $140.00.

[JustPassinThru]

One 'Yaris' is selling here in the U.S. .......It's just called the Prius c :rolleyes:. IMO, there are several reasons for this - 1. I think why? is correct re the trend away from manual transmissions. I'd think the main reason = as people spend more time stuck in traffic, they don't want to be bothered with a manual (more so than MPG or performance reasons). - 2. Media messages that hybrids always = a smaller overall carbon footprint :rolleyes: (not the case). - 3. Trendiness/bandwagon/politically correct/(or some combination of these) :rolleyes: nature of a certain segment of U.S. consumers.

Agree with all of this. ESPECIALLY the trendiness/media hype. Hybrids, to me, are a ripoff - they offer better fuel economy IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES. They shine in stop-and-go traffic; their technology is a waste on the open road, where regenerative braking doesn't factor in. The cost is high enough that to make up the DIFFERENCE in fuel economy (assuming the EPA figures are reflected in real-world) one would need to keep the car over 100,000 miles. And at that point, the more complex drivetrain might make maintenance more costly.

I like things SIMPLE. I have had, in the past, a VW Super Beetle; an old mail jeep; a Pinto. All of them simple and straightforward to care for. Nothing complex to go wrong - although I wasn't enthused about the belt-driven camshaft on the Pinto (and later it did fail; the engine was designed for clearance). So, when the Prius C and the Yaris sit side-by-side...guess where I'm drawn?

Toyota seems to want to be The Green Car Company. And they may pull it off; but sadly for them, they're in direct competition with Government Motors. And government, in any form, don't like competition. Hence the BS stories about ghost-accelerating cars; about forced recalls for silly issues; the lawsuits about somehow "discriminating" against (insert name of favored victim group here). So...I think, the more they stray from their message of "Basic, quality transportation" the more risky is their future.

[nookandcrannycar]

the more complex drivetrain might make maintenance more costly.

:thumbsup: Good point.

I like things SIMPLE.

simple and straightforward to care for. Nothing complex to go wrong

:thumbsup: I do as well.

So, when the Prius C and the Yaris sit side-by-side...guess where I'm drawn?

Even in the Fiesta rental I had, I didn't like that my left foot didn't have anything to do :biggrin:!

somehow "discriminating" against (insert name of favored victim group here).

:bellyroll:

[Absolutely Red 12]

Anyone jump in the wheel well of your plane while you were in Charlotte? :rolleyes:
Granted, the Fiesta was a rental car. People do not take care of their own cars, let alone a rental car. Many people make it a POINT to beat on rental cars! Looked at a Fiesta briefly at a local dealer. Sure, it was OK, brand new, but never seriously considered one. After all these years, I have become so disappointed in the old "Big 3"
Decades of Toyota, Toyota, Toyota reliability, runs, no problems, etc. OK, I give UP, I WANNA TRY ONE! That's how I got here.
I am really easy on cars. Sure, there's a good chance I could have purchased a Fiesta or Fiat 500 or Spark & had good luck with it, but told myself, nope, not doing it. Had Fords, many GM products, gotta try a Toyota.
I know I made the right decision - I guarantee I will have this car until I croak, or some idiot totals it, or some idiot totals it with me in it and I croak:w00t: Any of the above!:bellyroll:

Forums are a good place to read what people are saying about cars.
I did some pretty extensive reading at some of these forums. Reading about Yaris (& Echo) lots of praise & LACK of issues. I understand, more volume sold, more people crabbing about problems.

I absolutely LOVE the looks of the Fiat 500 - there is an owner of one who works at the CVS by my house. It is a light-ish green opaque, Just wonderful looking. Have never been all over, hands on with one, maybe I should check one out sometime. It is so cute & good looking to me, the color choices are awesome.
Dang, I want to hug it and take it home and sleep in the garage with it on the concrete floor and offer it a Cookout 1/2 pound cheeseburger & fries, and kiss it all over. It's all that a small, fun to drive car should look like...It looks GREAT!
But you know what? It's a F I A T - Not getting sucked into that.

Fix It Again Tony!!:biggrin:

[Absolutely Red 12]

I read things now and then at the Mini, Fiat 500, Fiesta, Spark, etc. forums out there. Some real horror stories. No thanks.
I would imaging you can get new carpet, pieces or a 'Kit' to replace. I did it once, in my '72 Chevelle Convt. - it was totally easy, and completely transformed the way the interior looked (really made a difference) :headbang:

I bought a Mini!!!

Seriously, the issues are with the R53 models, that had engine issues.

The R56 LCI has majorly improved, and the 2014+ F56 has a true BMW designed motor.

But I do hear that I need to sell it before the warranty runs out!!:eek:

[yougojay]

I bought a Mini!!!

Seriously, the issues are with the R53 models, that had engine issues.

The R56 LCI has majorly improved, and the 2014+ F56 has a true BMW designed motor.

But I do hear that I need to sell it before the warranty runs out!!:eek:
Cool! :headbang:
Seriously, It's a crap shoot with any car you buy. I do believe (generally) some car models are a lot more reliable than others.
They are beautiful cars, I wish you good fortune with it!

[vrait]

If the yaris had a 6-speed manual and a 5 speed auto I think it would sell more. The 4 speed almost made me not even consider it.

[kimona]

If the yaris had a 6-speed manual and a 5 speed auto I think it would sell more. The 4 speed almost made me not even consider it.

My 4-speed automatic Yaris performs so much better than the 6-speed automatic in my Camry. IMHO, the 4-speed automatic is a brilliant piece of work!
Besides, a 5-speed automatic would probably have the same final drive ratio anyway.

[jack black]

Kimona, I finally cracked your avatar.

Senna Matsuda, LOL.

Speaking about Yaris, I was at a dealership today and they had only one Yaris, way in the back parking. $17k. For only $500 more you can buy xD. No wonder they don't sell.

[kimona]

Kimona, I finally cracked your avatar.

Senna Matsuda, LOL.

Speaking about Yaris, I was at a dealership today and they had only one Yaris, way in the back parking. $17k. For only $500 more you can buy xD. No wonder they don't sell.

Yes, lovely Senna Matsuda!

BTW, all 2014 Scions have a $1500 discount off MSRP... so you can get an xD for much less than a Yaris LE automatic!

http://ads.ocregister.com/rop/web/ocr/category.php?id=3&adid=0009959704-01

[Onwrdigo]

I stand by what I say about Mini. Don't get me wrong, they are wonderful looking cars. But I worry for the guy getting the Countryman All4. "That" particular Mini has been rated the most "troublesome" of the whole line. But since he knows how to work on cars, maybe it won't be a big deal when it does something nutty.

Kudos to him for finding a first generation xB for his Daughter. Still have my '05. It has been the "best" car I have ever owned. And they are "great" snow cars even in automatic transmission guise.

Yea, being in Connecticut during winter is a big deal. Here in NC, we got socked pretty hard with a couple of storms in the flat lands this year (where having 4WD is not a necessity) and our mountains got nothing when those storms happened. My Yaris was home, I was in the xB, and it got me through beautifully when others, including some 4WD's were being stranded by their owners on hills on the side of the road. So it can simply depend on "driver knowledge" when it comes to weather. I went to college in the NC Mountains with a VW Rabbit. They never canceled class even in the worst winter storms. You "had" to learn how to drive in snow/ice no matter what kind of car you owned. So, again, it depends on the driver and "yes" severity of the overall storm and frequencies of the storms if you do or do not need 4WD.

Just being friendly here. I love cars that give little or no trouble. I think the guy would enjoy a new RAV4 4WD XLE far more than the Mini Countryman All4 and for less money. At a car show recently, one of those All4's had a sticker for $37,000'''' and according to the sales rep, it was not even the fully loaded one??!!. You can get a whole lot of reliable 4WD RAV4 for that kind of money and have some change left over for a top notch ski rack and new skis/equipment for the whole family to hit those great ski slopes in the Northern territory. :w00t:

[nookandcrannycar]

I stand by what I say about Mini. Don't get me wrong, they are wonderful looking cars. But I worry for the guy getting the Countryman All4. "That" particular Mini has been rated the most "troublesome" of the whole line. But since he knows how to work on cars, maybe it won't be a big deal when it does something nutty.

Kudos to him for finding a first generation xB for his Daughter. Still have my '05. It has been the "best" car I have ever owned. And they are "great" snow cars even in automatic transmission guise.

Yea, being in Connecticut during winter is a big deal. Here in NC, we got socked pretty hard with a couple of storms in the flat lands this year (where having 4WD is not a necessity) and our mountains got nothing when those storms happened. My Yaris was home, I was in the xB, and it got me through beautifully when others, including some 4WD's were being stranded by their owners on hills on the side of the road. So it can simply depend on "driver knowledge" when it comes to weather. I went to college in the NC Mountains with a VW Rabbit. They never canceled class even in the worst winter storms. You "had" to learn how to drive in snow/ice no matter what kind of car you owned. So, again, it depends on the driver and "yes" severity of the overall storm and frequencies of the storms if you do or do not need 4WD.

Just being friendly here. I love cars that give little or no trouble. I think the guy would enjoy a new RAV4 4WD XLE far more than the Mini Countryman All4 and for less money. At a car show recently, one of those All4's had a sticker for $37,000'''' and according to the sales rep, it was not even the fully loaded one??!!. You can get a whole lot of reliable 4WD RAV4 for that kind of money and have some change left over for a top notch ski rack and new skis/equipment for the whole family to hit those great ski slopes in the Northern territory. :w00t:

:thumbsup:. I think those of you who have been forced to deal with inclement winter weather for more than a weekend or week at a time can have better results in certain conditions with Front Wheel Drive than with AWD or 4WD. My experiences, for the most part, have been in the central and northern parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (especially near and around Lake Tahoe). Most of the people I know, and others just by acquaintance or observation, favor AWD or 4WD over FWD. However, these are mostly people who don't live there for the entire winter or year round (they're weekend/holiday/vacation/etc. people who live primarily in LA, Orange County, or the S.F. Bay Area). I lived in what is largely a ski town (Mammoth Lakes, CA) for almost an entire ski season, but didn't get to try driving around in the snow re a sad mistake...I locked my car key in the car :redface:. Nearest AAA contract station was over 50 miles away...so I was out of luck until my girlfriend (after the last snow) was able to make the trek from Orange County to bring me another key. I didn't really need a car while I was there, but it would have been nice to get the experience driving in that climate. The best job of driving I've done in snowy weather, amazingly, was behind the wheel of a FWD car (a Ford Contour) over Mt. Hood (Oregon) with chains on while driving from the Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort to Portland.

Re a reliable, small AWD or 4WD SUV, I like both the CR-V and the RAV4. I like the layout if the interior of the CR-V a bit more than the RAV4...I think the interior of the RAV4 is well thought out, but (in comparison) I feel a bit more thought went into the execution of the interior of the CR-V.

The Mini....ahhhh...the interior is what grabs me the most (:wub: my favorite interior -- any current car at any price), but most of the rest grabs me as well. The car must have 'grabbed' CTScott as well, or I'm sure he wouldn't have purchased one. He bought it used, and I imagine got a deal he didn't want to pass up.

[why?]

awd is seriously overrated. And if you look nowadays, many awd cars are coming with summer tires on them, so they would be crap in the snow.

My favorite winter car was a 1999 Saab Viggen. It was like a tank in the snow, could go through drifts that were 1/4 of the way up the tires.

[Onwrdigo]

Kudos to the knowledge on here!

So I know how my '05 xB automatic does in really bad winter stuff (awesome). I have yet to try my '13 LE Yaris yet in the nasty. So does anyone in any region know how a Yaris Automatic (whether it be an LE or SE) does in the stuff with an experienced winter driver?? :iono:

The Yaris is lower to the ground (somewhat) than my xB which could be a determining factor depending on road conditions. But with my xB and Yaris having the same engine and transmission, they both have this 1st gear that is sort of a "creeper gear" when you let-off the brake (but have not touched the accelerator pedal) giving you some ever-so-slightly "pull-traction" as to not spin the wheels. Last winter in the xB when I was stopped waiting for traffic on a snow/ice covered hill trying to get home in a traffic jam, I had a Jeep Wrangler in front of me and a GMC Yukon in back of me while we watched cars slide down the hill coming in the opposite direction. Luckily, nobody hit us. When it was our turn to go "up" the hill, the Wrangler struggled for a second and then went on up slowly. I just let off of the brake and my xB just grabbed away and started to go up the hill ever so "slowly but surely" without touching the accelerator. The Yukon driver spun-out for about ten seconds and then finally grabbed-on and started following me up the hill. We all made it. (All this while we passed various cars..RWD,FWD, 4WD parked/abandoned on the side of the hill by their drivers. We actually had to go around cars/trucks abandoned in the middle of the road as well). I'll tell you, having been forced/taught in college on how to navigate this stuff also helped I am sure. Our professors all drove old 4WD Trucks and Subaru's (or pretty much anything with "chains") to campus and never canceled class and would dock you a point or two if you missed class due to weather....they were "tough".

I am curious as to how the Yaris will do with my experience in the stuff. I guess I will park the xB and drive the Yaris when it threatens to dump snow/ice next time while I am at work.

BTW, Toyota.com has "finally" put up the 2015 info officially on their website for the Yaris. :smile:

[nookandcrannycar]

Kudos to the knowledge on here!

So I know how my '05 xB automatic does in really bad winter stuff (awesome). I have yet to try my '13 LE Yaris yet in the nasty. So does anyone in any region know how a Yaris Automatic (whether it be an LE or SE) does in the stuff with an experienced winter driver?? :iono:

The Yaris is lower to the ground (somewhat) than my xB which could be a determining factor depending on road conditions. But with my xB and Yaris having the same engine and transmission, they both have this 1st gear that is sort of a "creeper gear" when you let-off the brake (but have not touched the accelerator pedal) giving you some ever-so-slightly "pull-traction" as to not spin the wheels. Last winter in the xB when I was stopped waiting for traffic on a snow/ice covered hill trying to get home in a traffic jam, I had a Jeep Wrangler in front of me and a GMC Yukon in back of me while we watched cars slide down the hill coming in the opposite direction. Luckily, nobody hit us. When it was our turn to go "up" the hill, the Wrangler struggled for a second and then went on up slowly. I just let off of the brake and my xB just grabbed away and started to go up the hill ever so "slowly but surely" without touching the accelerator. The Yukon driver spun-out for about ten seconds and then finally grabbed-on and started following me up the hill. We all made it. (All this while we passed various cars..RWD,FWD, 4WD parked/abandoned on the side of the hill by their drivers. We actually had to go around cars/trucks abandoned in the middle of the road as well). I'll tell you, having been forced/taught in college on how to navigate this stuff also helped I am sure. Our professors all drove old 4WD Trucks and Subaru's (or pretty much anything with "chains") to campus and never canceled class and would dock you a point or two if you missed class due to weather....they were "tough".

I am curious as to how the Yaris will do with my experience in the stuff. I guess I will park the xB and drive the Yaris when it threatens to dump snow/ice next time while I am at work.

BTW, Toyota.com has "finally" put up the 2015 info officially on their website for the Yaris. :smile:

Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but what MPG numbers do you usually get with your xB ? I'm thinking about getting a late 1st Gen xB once my 07 Yaris needs more money to be sunk into it than makes sense. I had been thinking about a Tacoma as well, but it's been too long since Toyota has made their 'smallest engine in a pickup' (the one tooter has in his 2012 Tacoma...or an even smaller one) available with the longer bed. A guy on You Tube took out the back seat in a 1st Gen xB and created a camper (good for a night's sleep or two in a pinch). The only problem is that I'm too tall for the particular way he set things up (he left the front passenger seat in). If CTScott eventually develops one of his modules (for the xB) that keeps the airbag system working properly with the front passenger seat out...the remainder of the You Tube guy's set up would work for me. A 2nd Gen Prius might also fill the bill, but I'm thinking a 1st Gen xB might be better than a 2nd Gen Prius re mountain driving (ski trips).

[nookandcrannycar]

:laugh:.....:thumbsup:.....well, I just increased slumping sales by one. As of last Friday 8/8/14 the customizable cars.com search engine (that roxy1 posted a link to a while back.....can pull the Yaris inventory for the whole united states) showed 22 manual transmission 2014 Yari (3 SE and 19 L). Seven of the L = in my preferred colors of White and Silver..... 4 in Florida, 1 in Tennessee, 1 in Ohio, and one in Illinois (in Naperville, where another YW member bought a 2014). Only 3 of the 7 = discounting anything off off the base MSRP...Toyota of Lakewood in FL, Royal Palm Toyota in FL (55 miles farther north), and the dealer in Naperville, IL. I honed in on the cheapest listing, posted by Toyota of Lakewood. It's still listed (at least as of a 1/2 hour or so ago) on cars.com with lots of pics (:thumbup:)...but it's not available. I'm in Dunedin, FL right now and I just parked it a few minutes ago.


The $12,866 on my car on cars.com = the $1,564 off the $14,430 base sticker MSRP..adding the 860.00 'destination' (on the MFR sticker on all new cars) = $13,720. In comparison, Royal Palm's Silver 3door = $13,888 ($542 off the $14,430 base MSRP) + 860.00 destination = $14,748...and the Naperville, IL dealer's $14,444 on cars.com does include destination, so = $13,584 + 860.00 desdination = $14,444. This Naperville, IL car has been sitting there since March 2014.

The car I bought had TDIO (Toyota Distributor Installed Options :rolleyes:) included on the factory sticker (but listed separately from the base MSRP and the 'destination' that is on all facrory stickers). Toyota only has two remaining independently owned distributors--Southeast Toyota, and Gulf States Toyota--covering a total of 10 U.S. states. My car has a TDIO package (listed on the original MFG sticker) that retailed for $946.00 and I negotiated that down to $790.00. My TDIO package original priced included -- #1 - $399 for the rear spoiler (something I like, and would have cost $435 if I had it put on at my local Toyota dealer in TX), #2 - $299 - for the 4 floor mats (a total rip off...I look at the $156.00 discount I negotiated off the package as coming off of this...the 4 floor mats on my 2007 = on the factory sticker as an option = about $150.00. #3 - $199 for film -- same idea as the 3M Clear Bra, but also included 3 additional areas (each door, and the 'load sill'/top of the rear bumper), and #4 - $49 for a Connection Package - 4 items - Apple 30 pin cable, Apple Lightening cable, a USB micro or mini cable, and a 12v USB plug). The Royal Palm car didn't have the TDIO/Spoiler pkg, and of course the Illinois car didn't because Illinois is not one of the 10 states that is covered by the independent distributors (Southeast and Gulf States).

A dealer PAC sticker of about 1k (:rolleyes:..the existence of PAC stickers has p****d me off since I was a little kid) was added to the car when the dealer put it in inventory. It included a pinstripe with lifetime reapplication, lifetime nitrogen for the tires, and a few other things I can't think of off the top of my head. Adding that PAC sticker to the price must have completely went out the window when they put it on cars.com. I didn't expect them to include the PAC sticker items as benefits to me (because they never tried to add even $1 re those items), but the benefits were included (good idea on their part...potentially generates foot traffic at a pretty low cost).

The rest = sales tax (at the higher TX rate in my zip code), licensing, titling, etc (300+, IIRC, total in addition to the sales tax (the government fees = :barf:). The total out the door/including all (above) was $15,990. They let me put $5,000 on Visa to get the Frequent Flier miles (I'd already put a $5k payment on my card (separate from the balance I pay off every month)...creating a way less than zero balance...to represent the charge. This was the most any dealer has let me do (dealer feeling re VISA transaction fees = :eek:). When I bought my blue Yaris, the dealer let me do the same thing, but only for $2,000 OR $2,500 (I can't remember which). I did a bank guaranteed check for the other $10,990. All in all, I'm satisfied. I'm heading back to Texas tomorrow.

P.S. I was going to drive to Florida and sell my blue Yaris to Carmax (or to the dealer if they offered me more), but over the weekend I asked myself why....because I can't fit both into my garage?.....because insurance might be a bit more?...I decided these were dumb reasons (and I later learned the iinsurance increase = $150 something per year). I decided to keep my blue Yaris (I'll reevaluate as needed re repairs...no repairs needed at this time...but on the horizon). I redeemed a small portion of my mileage balance and flew to Florida instead.

UPDATE: On 8/27/2014 I was finally (at the tax office for my county in Texas) able to see that my Yaris had been added to the TxDOT system (added on 8/25/2014). My local tax office said they were fine with the amount paid to the Florida Department of Revenue (reciprocal agreement between Texas and Florida), and that I didn't owe them any money. I noticed that the amount the dealer paid the Florida Departrment of Revenue was almost $250.00 less than they charged me :eek:. I also noticed that the title amount (which they sent to Texas) was less than what they collected from me :eek:. I was mainly concerned about getting the extra sales tax money back. I found evidence on an obscure PDF on the Florida Department of Revenue site re what they should have charged me (...if the car is to be titled out of state, then the tax rate for the 'to be titled in state' applies....in Texas FOR OTHER ITEMS = 6.25-8.25% depending (usually) on zip code...BUT Autos = 6.25% statewide), and also found out how to channel a complaint. However I decided to wait until the end of the month + about 7 business days to see if their accounting department would catch the error. In the interim, I got the plates (tax office in Texas mailed them to the dealer in Florida), but no check included. HOWEVER, I GOT THE REFUND CHECK TODAY. -- $312.77 -- This brings my OUT THE DOOR TOTAL TO $15,677.23.

They originally charged me 8.25% -- said they have a computerized system that goes by your zip code that arrived at this percentage (a dealer in Tennessee I spoke with uses the same system and said this is proper/following the law). Only problem = the company that developed this didn't get the amounts right. The dealer ended up paying the State of Florida re the rate for Manatee County (where the dealer is) --- 6.5% for the first $5,000.00 and 6% for the rest. They charged me over $1100. They paid the State of Florida $882.27, but should have paid them $857.12 (a straight 6.25% sales tax (Texas Auto Rate) re out of state titling)...a $25.15 difference. The $312.77 represented the sales tax difference between what they paid the State of Florida and what they charged me, PLUS the difference between what they charged me for what was listed as titling and what they paid for me here in Texas, PLUS $7.00. This left only an $18.15 difference re the sales taxtax. However, they undercharged me by $61.00 on the destination charge, but added a small title prep fee....so it all evened out in the end. I'm happy.

[Kal-El]

Delayed August sales update:

A measly 523 units sold! A new, new low. Down 82.5% from last August.

Remember, July saw 686 units sold.

Camry: 44,713 (1 month before new model!)
Corolla: 33,088

[UberSilver]

Delayed August sales update:

A measly 523 units sold! A new, new low. Down 82.5% from last August.

Remember, July saw 686 units sold.

Camry: 44,713 (1 month before new model!)
Corolla: 33,088

Should be lots of dealers blowing them out, Cheap!

[vrait]

My toyota now has three 2015s.. And one is a super white L with a manual transmissions.. I wish I bought that one instead of my auto. :p

[nookandcrannycar]

My toyota now has three 2015s.. And one is a super white L with a manual transmissions.. I wish I bought that one instead of my auto. :p

Does the super white L with a manual have the same pattern and colors on the seats that your car does ?

[vrait]

I have no idea. The website has a stock photo.

[Onwrdigo]

@ nookandcrannycar.....My '05 xB automatic is averaging ....

Pure City: 26mpg
Pure Hwy: 33mpg
Mixed: 30mpg
Love the car. It has held-up awesome (I bought it new and now just hit 95,000 miles) and they are already somewhat of a "cult classic". Get one that has been taken care of if you can. And replace the rear shocks with '06 Toyota Echo shocks (I used "Monroe shocks" I believe) from a parts store....It will ride way better.

About low August Sales? Not a bit surprised since hardly any dealers bothered keeping any in stock. You could not find a Yaris inside 4 Toyota dealers in the area. So I am not surprised. Now if you wanted a Corolla or a Camry??...You had hundreds to choose from. I don't want no stinkin' Corolla or Camry...give me a cool little Toyota-made hatchback dang it''.

In the last week, I spotted one '15 L Coupe at one dealer and a '15 L Sedan at another. No sight of any LE's or SE's anywhere. I think I am going to trade my '13 LE for a '15 SE late Spring '15. I am beginning to like the look. It is more European looking now than before. The interior is nicer and the doors seem more solid. Guess it has to do with the new welds they added, sealing and other little bits to make it a touch more up-market. I am just not crazy about the orange rear turn signal lenses in the tail-light....That is going backwards in design. The "15 Yaris is now the only car sold in America that does not have clear turn signal lenses in the rear lights.

[nookandcrannycar]

@ nookandcrannycar.....My '05 xB automatic is averaging ....

Pure City: 26mpg
Pure Hwy: 33mpg
Mixed: 30mpg
Love the car. It has held-up awesome (I bought it new and now just hit 95,000 miles) and they are already somewhat of a "cult classic". Get one that has been taken care of if you can. And replace the rear shocks with '06 Toyota Echo shocks (I used "Monroe shocks" I believe) from a parts store....It will ride way better.

:thumbsup: Wow. Thanks for the information.


Not a bit surprised since hardly any dealers bothered keeping any in stock.

I've noticed the same thing.

I don't want no stinkin' Corolla or Camry...give me a cool little Toyota-made hatchback dang it''.

:laugh::thumbsup:

[JL512]

Its very unfortunate that Yaris sales are dropping :(. My name is Jerry and I own Toyota Yaris. I am very happy with it. Though I had bout it used but the mileage is great and over all it is well maintained by the owner.

Thanks

[roxy1]

.

In the last week, I spotted one '15 L Coupe at one dealer and a '15 L Sedan at another..

a 2015 sedan...didn't know there was any such thing unless they brought the sedan back from the dead.

[Onwrdigo]

Somewhere along my "road of life", I have sometimes addressed "any' four-door as a sedan, even a "hatch-back" four-door.

So to put it correctly in YarisWorld, I spotted a "3 door" L coupe at one dealership and a "5-door" L at another.

"good catch" roxy''

Cheers,

O.

[birdman]

If I had the space I'd purchase a couple more used hatchbacks like mine with the 3 glove boxes. As far as I'm concerned they ruined the car when they completely restyled it. The only improvement in the new one was moving the speedometer in front of the driver. I wouldn't own the new one myself when my 2008 offers me more conveniences like the sliding rear seats, 2000 plus pound actual towing capacity, dorky (in a good way) looks and reliability.

[kimona]

I would expect the 2015 Yaris to have dismal sales.

[TurboEthan]

Honestly, this whole thread has been a really interesting read. I agree with a lot of what’s been said here about Toyota stepping back from properly marketing the Yaris. It’s kind of surprising because even though sales have dipped, the car still has a solid reputation for reliability and low ownership costs — something a lot of newer models can’t match. I’ve noticed that many people who switch to other brands often come back to Toyota after dealing with unexpected repair bills or inconsistent build quality. It’s almost like the Yaris became a victim of its own dependability — not flashy enough to sell in big numbers, but still one of the smartest buys out there.

[TurboEthan]

If you’re planning to upgrade or just need a quick way to sell used car in New York (https://sellmycarinnyc.com/), I’d suggest checking local listings and trusted online platforms first. Dealers around NYC often offer low trade-in prices, so private listings or specialized car-selling services can help you get a much better deal.