Why I bought a Yaris

[justanotherdrunk]

... when I could have bought damn near anything I wanted up to ~$50K

I always wanted to drive cross country ... better yet why not circumnavigate!

all 34 border/ perimeter states - 9200 miles in 11 days!

Went to Hertz because their cars are truly unlimited mileage, but all they had left was some vans and a Yaris L

Initially I thought the Yaris would be too small, noisy and uncomfortable for the very long trip

I WAS WRONG!

plus, I would never buy something common that everyone else has

btw, I wil be sleeping in it since i won't be getting a motel room every night - I don't have that kind of time

The Yaris turned out to be a very comfortable long distance road trip car so I bought one! - since that will be it's primary purpose

The BMW i3 is my daily driver


of course the rental car was boat anchor reliable


lessons learned:

here in CA we have stupid high gas prices - it's really cheap everywhere else!
New Orleans has the worst roads in the country - but after Katrina they have an excuse
Philadelphia what's your excuse - worst roads encountered
most of the country is a whole big lot of open spaces - yet we all cram into dense cities
there's a lot of poverty out there - especially the south


a small sample of the pictures that include the car



The route
https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-JcFQLWM/0/XL/circumnavigate%202015-XL.jpg


https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-m45nD5B/0/XL/100_4735-XL.jpg


https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-nhrfD6V/0/XL/100_4750-XL.jpg


Florida Keys
https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-nbVNjkh/0/XL/100_4808-XL.jpg


https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-7Nx2CHZ/0/XL/100_4899-XL.jpg


https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-BSbbB9W/0/XL/100_4912-XL.jpg


https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-fH6Jm28/0/XL/100_4930-XL.jpg


https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-LR8GjqG/0/XL/100_4934-XL.jpg


https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-48Lvn8t/0/XL/100_4969-XL.jpg


https://ronssito.smugmug.com/Other/Circumnavigate-9K-miles-11/i-7Hhghmt/0/XL/100_4978-XL.jpg

https://ronssito.smugmug.com/2016-Toyota-Yaris-SE/i-ztprkz8/0/XL/100_5132-XL.jpg

https://ronssito.smugmug.com/2016-Toyota-Yaris-SE/i-Lvsh8Xk/0/XL/100_5146-XL.jpg


:headbang:

[CTScott]

Very cool, especially the lessons learned.

[Yooperthom]

Love the Idea!!! I just got back from Baton Rouge, I moved my daughter and her brand new RAV4 down there. I just picked up My new 2015 red Yaris. now with all the snow and cold temps ( michigans U.P.) I'm missing the south, so I told my wife that maybe we should "run" down to Nashville for the weekend. She thinks I'm nuts but The Yaris and I are just itching to go traveling. :thumbup:

[BLKHILLSGUY]

The seats in the 15 Yaris are extremely comfortable for the driver. Never asked the passenger, other than the better half saying the car rides considering nice considering its size. In all actuality my 15 Yaris seats are more comfortable than my 13 Avalon Limited which cost 42k. I dropped the Avalon because I was tired of driving an automatic and I wanted simple, EXTREMELY reliable transportation. And that is what the Yaris is. I miss the V6 of the Avalon, but you become acclimated quite quickly to the power of the Yaris. Unfortunately, I live at a higher elevation with steep Hills so I am often slightly chugging up the hill while everyone passes me. Oh well. It is as such.

[BLKHILLSGUY]

And I also like small cars. My first car was a 91 Ford Festiva L. I was in high school. Bought it in 92 from an Air Force guy who was moving overseas. Paid $4500 and that thing was built quite well. Of course it was Mazda made and assembled by Kia. I wish I had kept that car. Still see them on the road. They run forever.

[invader166]

The Yaris turned out to be a very comfortable long distance road trip car so I bought one! - since that will be it's primary purpose

I would add a big asterix on that since not all Yaris cars are made equal.

If anyone does plan on doing a trip like this, make sure you rent/use a Yaris with an LE trim or higher. I would not recommend a trip like this in a CE trim Yaris, that doesn't come either cruise control (your right foot will thank you) or air conditioning (optional, but great for long distance trips like these :thumbsup:)

[chocolab]

That's awesome. The Yaris is always called a city car, but like you I want one for long road trips by myself where I don't have to worry about gas mileage or reliability.

[bronsin]

Awesome trip! Reminds me of my 2011 NJ to AK AND BACK 10.400 mile sixteen day junkett.

All courtesy of my 09 Yaris.

My avatar is a moose I met on the way.

[NYC-SE]

My avatar is a moose I met on the way.

Finally! I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that was. The avatars are so small I couldn't really see.

I hope you didn't hit him.

[bronsin]

No I didn't but when I stopped to check him out an older couple coming the other way saw my Yaris stopped by the moose and thought the worst.

Ooo they were PISSED when they saw me standing there unhurt! :eek:

[junorico24]

I agree..

A brand new Yaris is a joy to drive on long trips. I drove my 07 from Sydney, Australia to North Queensland, Australia. Passed through uninhabited areas and the Yaris was taking it all in stride. It was fun to drive. Keep up with the regular service and your Yaris will be ultra reliable for a long long time.:biggrin: