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Old 05-22-2019, 04:16 PM   #1
tyroneslothrop
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Thinking of buying a Yaris

Hello everyone,

I'm a college student looking for a budget friendly car to get me around town. My main concern is reliability as I'll be working 2 part time jobs and taking classes and I can't afford to have my car break down on me.
I've heard Toyotas have a great reputation for reliability.

Right now I'm looking at an 08 Yaris. Hatchback model with manual transmission. It has 75K miles on it. The dealer wants $6K. He claims the title is clean and it's carfax certified and it appears to be in excellent condition.

Is there anything I should know about? Would you consider this a good deal? Are there any known issues near this mileage that I should be aware of?
Thanks
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Old 05-22-2019, 07:18 PM   #2
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The Yaris is generally a very reliable vehicle. I wouldn't worry about that, so long as this particular car was taken care of, not previously wrecked and in general good condition. And at 75K miles it has much more life ahead of it. Having said that $6000 seems high to me. I would think you could find one for cheaper but I haven't actually priced any recently.
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Old 05-23-2019, 08:34 AM   #3
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How rusty underneath? Is there any water under the spare tire?
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Old 05-23-2019, 08:36 AM   #4
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My 08 manual has been reliable. I would say that you'd be looking at potential water pump failure in the next 25-50k miles, but wouldn't expect much else to go wrong if it's been well-maintained.
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Old 05-23-2019, 10:57 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by NYC-SE View Post
The Yaris is generally a very reliable vehicle. I wouldn't worry about that, so long as this particular car was taken care of, not previously wrecked and in general good condition. And at 75K miles it has much more life ahead of it. Having said that $6000 seems high to me. I would think you could find one for cheaper but I haven't actually priced any recently.
Agree. Last I looked, here in SoCal, they were going for between $4k-$5k. That is a low mileage example, but I still think it's on the high side for these cars at this point.

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My 08 manual has been reliable. I would say that you'd be looking at potential water pump failure in the next 25-50k miles, but wouldn't expect much else to go wrong if it's been well-maintained.
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Old 05-23-2019, 12:04 PM   #6
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Here is my $0.02:

$6k seems high, check what other listings are going for in your area. I personally only buy from private sellers for two main reasons. number one being that the price is typically lower and you can talk them down more as dealerships have margins they have to make or know they can make if they sit on the car for a bit. Private sellers typically want to get rid of the car and cash is king. Second reason is a dealership will tell you anything you want to hear (female driven, never winter driven, grandma owned etc) you have no way of knowing if they are being honest and they likely are not. Talking to the current owner you can ask them questions and after a few mins it become very obvious if the person if full of sh*t or is telling the truth and you can get a better idea of how the car was taken care of.

The Yaris is ultra reliable but there are no grantees that you won't have it break down on you after you purchase it. That said, statistically you are much better off with a Yaris than most other vehicles on the road if you want it to be reliable.

If you want to save some money then stop looking for low mileage Yaris'. They are more expensive and since Toyota engine easily run over 400k km higher mileage isn't an issue so grab the savings.

Always cross the mileage with the year of the car. I typically look for a car driven 20k km a year. This means a lot of highway miles where the engine got up to operating temps and typically it means less short trips to the grocery store (that's why I avoid clean looking ultra low mileage grandma owned cars). Short trips dilute engine oil, lead to potential carbon build up and are harder on a car. This is more apparent in cold climate where I am and not as much of an issue in Cali, but something to think about none the less.

IMO find the highest-ish mileage Yaris' with the lowerish prices and take a look at them. Buy the one that has the least rust and no body damage where the paint has been removed/metal exposed. Remove the oil cap and the one that has the least amount of varnish (brownish stain) also should move to the top of your list. If the owner seems nice and open to answering questions go with the person you feel the most comfortable with and the car that best meets the criteria above.

Bonus points if they let you bring ramps and drive up them to let you inspect underneath the car. I have done this and after seeing some oil leaks I've been able to talk them down quite a bit. Most dealers won't let you drive it up on ramps but they should at least offer to put it on their lift for you to check it out. You can also buy a cheaper scanner and check to make sure that the ECU has not recently been reset to hide a CEL code.

Good luck!
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Old 05-24-2019, 09:55 AM   #7
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The Yaris is one of the most reliable cars you could purchase. $6000 is an outrageous price for a base 2008 Yaris and a manual transmission with 75K miles! Keep shopping.

Is this the car you're looking at?

https://tulsa.craigslist.org/ctd/d/b...886258161.html
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Old 05-26-2019, 09:46 AM   #8
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I paid $6000 for my 08 7 years ago. It had 80k miles and was only 4 years old at the time. That is waaaaay to much. It was like new when bought.

Now the interior is still in near pristine shape but there is paint peeling from the roof of the outside. And have 125k miles. I only think my car would be worth $3k on a good day. No way a 2008 with 75k miles should go for 6k
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Old 06-06-2019, 01:41 PM   #9
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I just sold my Yaris (for the price of scrap) because it rotted out from the road salt in NY combined with my negligence. That said, it was an exceptional car and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. The Toyota Tax is real, but the Yaris is probably the only car where the Toyota tax doesn't apply- It's a simple economy car! Anyway, one reason I decided to buy an '09 instead of an '08 was because the '09 has all the wiring required for cruise control, abs and side curtain airbags. I could be wrong, but I believe all of those items are standard on the '09 and newer. I would also highly recommend the 4 door HB Yaris. Just my personal preference based on my time reaching back behind the front seats on my 2dr.

All that said, I would pass on the over-priced Yaris you looked at and keep looking.
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Old 06-10-2019, 05:02 AM   #10
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All I can say is I bought my Yaris in December of 2010, and haven't had any problems with it, aside from wear and tear items. Hands down the most reliable car I've ever owned. Even if this car you're looking at is overpriced, keep looking for a Yaris. Plenty of them out there used for a good price. Just have to find one, and once you do, you'll have one of the most dependable and reliable cars on the road. Good luck.
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Old 06-10-2019, 06:11 AM   #11
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Old 06-19-2019, 04:48 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bentjazz View Post
All I can say is I bought my Yaris in December of 2010, and haven't had any problems with it, aside from wear and tear items. Hands down the most reliable car I've ever owned. Even if this car you're looking at is overpriced, keep looking for a Yaris. Plenty of them out there used for a good price. Just have to find one, and once you do, you'll have one of the most dependable and reliable cars on the road. Good luck.
Well said bentjazz!

The only thing I would mention is the tendency for the peeling clearcoat with the older generation ones. Once it starts to peel, it really goes fast. My white one didn't seem to have that problem, but the blue ones did.
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