WHY do I want one so bad?

[YarisOwnersDad]

Ever since going with my son, Wes, to help him negotiate a deal on a new Yaris on Monday, March 16, 2009, I have not been able to get the Yaris off of my mind.

I had never paid any attention the the Yaris before, but after helping Wes get his, I have been wanting to get one for myself. The Yaris is such a cool little car!

I have a nice 2008 Cobalt sedan that I bought new less than ten months ago, and I was perfectly happy with that car until I was introduced to the Yaris.

The Cobalt has more interior room and more trunk room, has a 50% bigger engine (2.2L vs. the Yaris 1.5L) with almost 50% more horsepower (Approx 150 vs 106), has very good ride and handling qualities, and gets decent gas mileage (about 27 MPG for my overall driving mix).

So, why do I want a Yaris so bad? I would definitely trade for one, if I had not just bought that Cobalt ten months ago. I would do so knowing that the gas savings would not come close to justifying the trade.

Let's say that my overall 27 MPG would become 35 MPG with the Yaris. I drive about 18K miles per year, so I would buy 514 gallons of gas per year with the Yaris vs. 667 gallons with the Cobalt. This savings of 153 gallons of gas at two dollars per gallon is only an annual savings of $306. That is certainly not economic justification for trading cars.

It would definitely feel good to think that I had spared the environment the consequences of burning 153 gallons of gas, and I would know that I had made that small contribution toward lessening our dependence on foreign oil. Also, as I understand it, for every gallon of gas the Yaris burns, it emits less harmful substance than would be the case for almost any other car. So, the Yaris would not only consume fewer gallons of gas, but would also burn the gas that it does consume more efficiently and do less polluting.

That's it! I MUST convince my wife that it is my duty as a responsible inhabitant of this planet to trade my new Cobalt for a new Yaris!

Tom

[tuckevalastin]

I certainly wouldn't make that trade if I were you but we all have different priorities.


Moral of the story... Do your research first

[mrbond]

I'd go for it. Sure, you'd save "only" $306 a year, but after about five years, it does add up. Plus, in general (notice how I say in general, not an absolute statement) GM's products tend to crap out around the 80-90K mark. Toyotas, though, are reliable and very cheap to maintain. You definitely would be doing the planet a favor by ditching the Cobalt.
Plus: the Yaris is much more fun to drive and modify than a Cobalt IMO.

[tomato]

Tom,

Did you want us to encourage you or talk you out of it? Well, you posted so I'll give you my 2 c.

If you really want a Yaris that bad, then do what you need to do. That's why people buy jewelry, or trips to the Islands or what not. Sometimes you gotta make yourself happy and it's hard to put a price on that.

However, in my opinion (and again, it's just my opinion) looks like you are trying to rationalize the purchase even though you *know* it doesn' t make good economic sense. It's that new car smell, going to the dealership, etc., that's gotten into you right now.

If I were you, I would keep driving your 9 month old (practically new!) car another year or two, and wait for the new and improved Yaris, maybe with 1.8 L? You may not think so now, but you might miss that extra power if you trade in now.

Just my 2 c.

[tk-421]

I would also do the swap. Considering the state GM finds itself in at the moment, the car's value might go down dramatically within the next few months.

[eTiMaGo]

resistance is futile, you will be yarissimilated!

but seriously, don't forget, in your calculations, gas prices are not likely to stay this low forever...

[SpaceShot]

Maybe you just need to tell Wes that he needs to let you have his new keys 1 Saturday for each time he borrowed your keys in the past...
That should get you plenty of weekend trips ;-)

I put on twice the annual mileage you do, and I found that the Yaris would pay for itself over my old ride at $3.71 per gallon. (fuel savings = monthly loan payment)
Over the last year I have saved money for 6 months and spent money for 6 months. (NOT including spending on accessories...)

[Loren]

FYI, you can hypermile your way to about 40 mpg in the Cobalt:
http://www.hypermilingforum.com/foru...read.php?t=909

Conversely, if you drive the Yaris around town like you stole it, you'll only get 28-30 mpg (or less).

If you want to "save the planet", don't encourage the car makers to build yet another car because you keep buying them! Drive the one you have as efficiently as possible and "use it up". Or at least drive it until it's more economically feasible to sell it.

The Cobalt is rated at 35 mpg on the highway... the Yaris is rated at 36. Prudently driven, you should be able to get that much in city driving with either car. Arguably, with more torque from the 2.2, it might even be easier to get better city MPG with it. In any case, either car driven in the same manner will likely return the same fuel economy within about 2 mpg.

The benefit of the Yaris is (we all hope) Toyota reliability, and a smaller and more nimble car.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by eTiMaGo

resistance is futile, you will be yarissimilated!

[YarisOwnersDad]

I don't think I will be getting a Yaris, but they are definitely nice little cars. I know I need to hang onto the Cobalt for at least another year or two. I would take too much of a beating on trade-in after only nine months.

Loren, I drove the Cobalt VERY conservatively when I first got it, and with my normal mix of driving, I could only realize 28.0 to 29.5 MPG. Wes's Yaris got 33+ on its very first tank of gas. I have no doubt that driven the same way over the same roads, the Yaris would get several MPG better mileage than the Cobalt. But, that is reasonable, I guess, because it is a smaller car with a smaller engine.

I got tired of driving like an old lady and just began driving normally. (My "normal" mode is not hot rodding or running up on red lights and slamming on the brakes, then taking off like a jack rabbit.) My gas mileage fell off by about a mile or mile and a half to the gallon when I quit trying to milk every mile per gallon out of a tank of gas.

I was just kidding about trading strictly for environmental reasons, although it would feel good to know that my driving was doing less harm to the environment.

I suppose I will do the sensible thing and hang onto the Cobalt.

I appreciate all the replies.

Tom

[YAR1S]

would you get a yaris if you traded in your cobalt? :/ I say trade... it improve's the quality of life, lol!

gotta be happy driving your tank.... or RC car around.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by YarisOwnersDad

I don't think I will be getting a Yaris, but they are definitely nice little cars. I know I need to hang onto the Cobalt for at least another year or two. I would take too much of a beating on trade-in after only nine months.

...


I was just kidding about trading strictly for environmental reasons, although it would feel good to know that my driving was doing less harm to the environment.

I suppose I will do the sensible thing and hang onto the Cobalt.

I appreciate all the replies.

Tom

Yeah, that's the main thing: the depreciation cost is the highest in the first couple of years.

Just borrow your son's car from time to time!

[brainless twit]

Just a couple things:

First, I had a 2006 Chevy HHR that I totaled in November. I still owed about $12k on the loan and found it was only worth about $5k. A three year-old car with low miles, and it was worth nothing! GMs simply do not hold their value like foreign cars do. To me, if you are going to trade, you should do it sooner rather than later. Right now a 2007 Cobalt is only worth about $7k according to NADA, so imagine what yours will be worth in another year or so. A 2007 Yaris trades for about $10k.

Second, I think I told you via PM that I used to drive a Honda Accord. When I traded that car, it was 15 years old. It had over 300,000 miles. Someone working at Jim Johnson in Bowling Green bought it for a few hundred dollars, put about a thousand into it, and is still driving it as far as I know. These cars last forever! I never had to do a single thing to my Accord other than brakes, tires, and oil changes. In the two years I had my HHR, I had to replace the fuse panel, the mechanism for the power windows, and other miscellaneous repairs.

I'm not one to push someone to spend more money, but you already know these are awesome little cars. There are definitely reasons to buy one if that's the path you choose.

[PetersRedYaris]

Listen to the brainless twit , depreciation actually is a major factor and could save you a lot over the years. Plus, she's right about all the miscellaneous little problems you will experience with a GM... Do the right thing.

[frownonfun]

i'd wait for an improved yaris like tamato said. you'll be glad you did i think. you have a possible 1.8 and a hybrid. and who knows we might actually get some nice aero kits here in the states eventually.

[cfiimei]

Look at the condition of 10 year old Cavaliers, then look at the condition of 10 year old Camerys or Corollas... The Cavaliers look like crap (those that are still running), and the Toys look almost new. My father has a 97 Camery that I wouldn't trade for a NEW Malibu or Cobalt.

[AlexNet0]

You know you want one...

DO IT, do it do it do it!

[PETERPOOP]

TOYOTA>EVERYONE