Thinking of Buying a Yaris, Help Please!!!

[Just Do It]

Hey everyone, I'm new here so nice to meet everyone. I'm interested in purchasing a new hatchback and I'm torn between the Yaris, Versa and Fit. I'm on a tight budget so it looks like I'm more likely headed down the Yaris or Versa route. Also, the reason I'm looking now is because I want to take advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program and hand in my old clunker for $4500 towards a new gas saver!

So I know what most of you will probably say, considering this is a Yaris forum, but what do you think in the battle of the big 3 in the hatchback market (Yaris, Fit, Versa)?

Also, I'm tight on money as I'm going back to college so how much could I realistically get off the Yaris MSRP? I really like the 5 door S Yaris which carries a $15,500 price tag.

Any other comments, suggestions and opinions will be welcomed, thanks in advance!

[Crims0n5]

If you go to edmunds.com you can check out what people are paying in your area. I'm waiting for my local Toyota Dealer to get registered for the CARS program so I can get my $4,500 credit towards my future Yaris sedan. Hopefully, that will happen around July 23rd. You can still take advantage of special rebates and/or financing from the dealer. If it's possible you can take advantage of AAA car buying service, which will give you a pre-negotiated price that is below MSRP.
For the sake of fairness, try and test drive all the cars in your price range. See what you like or don't like. If you choose the Yaris, I hope to see you around the forum more often. Good luck and I hope everything works out for you! =]

[Treyz]

Depends on the transmission you want for the Yaris .. as sweet as 5 doors are, they haven't been releases in manual yet.

Two years ago, I was in the same boat as you looking at the three subcompacts because cash was tight. Being that I won't touch a Honda (unless it's an S2K), the Fit was out of the question. Now I'm a Nissan fan (being that I had 2 240SX's prior), but the Versa wasn't doing it for me style wise and was a bit more than the Yaris. I went with the Yaris because of the styling as well as the price and the fact that it was a Toyota. My only regret was that I didn't buy it in manual because I did have my 2nd 240SX still which was my weekend track car so I wanted to be lazy during the week.

Gas wise on the Yaris is awesome. only spent $80 to drive to FL and the same back rather than getting plane tickets since there was my ex as well. I believe the 1.5 beats out the 1.8 Versa in that category.

Now to present day, I just traded in my 2007 for a 2009 3dr manual whcih is barely a week old in my possesion with all the parts from my previous Yaris.

I like the Yaris, but if they reface the Versa as they're doing with Japan counterpart (Tiida), then I would wait till the 2010 models come out. Depends on also how fast you need a car.

[Astroman]

Get the yaris.

[Just Do It]

Thanks for the replies so far. I've never purchased a new car before and never planned on it (always believed used was better) considering money is tight for me. But considering I'm basically getting the same price for my truck that I paid for it 6 years ago () this Cash for Clunkers program may be too good to pass up! So it's either buy a new car now or not at all (my truck is worth $1300 trade). I'm definately leaning towards the Yaris right now which is why I came to this forum first.

I guess my main issue is how do I get the price as low as possible? I'm going to go to all the Toyota and Nissan dealers in the area and whoever offers me the best deal wins. Do I go into each dealer telling them that in hopes of them not wanting me to leave and offering me a great deal? Like I said, I've only owned one car in my life and I bought it used for $5k lol. I'm very new to the world of new cars, rebates, negotiating, financing, etc. Once again, thanks for all the help!

p.s. Also I understand the 5 door only comes in auto but I actually prefer auto since I have a rough commute.

[Kal-El]

All three cars are fine cars and you wouldn't be making a "bad" decision either way if I'm being unbiased.

Some quick points...

Price? Well, we all know that a Fit Sport is as pricey as a subcompact gets and it sounds like you can't go that high which leaves the boring, plain looking base Fit. It's up to you but I just wouldn't get a Fit unless it was the Sport. The Versa is a great value like a low end Yaris is but many people can't get past the questionable styling.

How important is optimal gas mileage to you? Yaris wins hands down especially over the bigger, heavier Versa.

Quality/longevity? Well, I'd predict that the Yaris and Fit would compare closely in long term dependability with the Versa trailing behind (although it is still a quality car).

Driving dynamics? The Fit Sport handles well but is a rougher, noisier ride over the Yaris. The base fit is less sporting. The Versa is more comparable to the Fit but sits between the two in driver feel. The Yaris is tuned for better comfort and noise isolation but still handles well.

Compare all three on Edmunds and weight your needs.

Good luck!

[Crims0n5]

Originally Posted by Just Do It

Thanks for the replies so far. I've never purchased a new car before and never planned on it (always believed used was better) considering money is tight for me. But considering I'm basically getting the same price for my truck that I paid for it 6 years ago () this Cash for Clunkers program may be too good to pass up! So it's either buy a new car now or not at all (my truck is worth $1300 trade). I'm definately leaning towards the Yaris right now which is why I came to this forum first.

I guess my main issue is how do I get the price as low as possible? I'm going to go to all the Toyota and Nissan dealers in the area and whoever offers me the best deal wins. Do I go into each dealer telling them that in hopes of them not wanting me to leave and offering me a great deal? Like I said, I've only owned one car in my life and I bought it used for $5k lol. I'm very new to the world of new cars, rebates, negotiating, financing, etc. Once again, thanks for all the help!

p.s. Also I understand the 5 door only comes in auto but I actually prefer auto since I have a rough commute.

The best way to figure out if you are getting lowest possible price is to do your homework. The internet is a great resource. You can find out what other people are paying in your area, calculate how much your monthly payment might be, or if the dealer you're dealing with has a bad BBB rating.

The best advice I could possibly give you is to not go to the dealer unprepared. Research the pros and cons of the vehicle you want to buy and have an idea in your head of what you want to pay for the car. If you're not comfortable with the negotiations, bring someone who is. Once again, good luck.

[KRAZGRL]

If you're torn between the Yaris and the Versa, just think about this with everything else... Toyota is MUCH more reliable than Nissan. :D

[Just Do It]

WOW, once again thanks for all the replies. This forum is very helpful and very quick to reply as well!

So I'm going to start researching local prices, incentives, etc. I still need some help with the actual dealer meeting. This will be my very first time and I don't want the dealer to work his magic so to speak and sucker me in to something. I'm hoping to sucker them and save as much as possible.

How should I approach this though? Should I tell them up front what my plans are... that I plan on visiting other Toyota dealers for a better price, that I plan on visiting a competitor, etc? What's the most I can realistically get a 5 door liftback S down to as an out the door price without having the dealer laugh at me? I'm willing to put as much as necessary down if that makes a difference? Basically, what did all of you do to get the price down in your negotiations?

Thanks again (and sorry for all the newbie questions)!!!

[Crims0n5]

Originally Posted by Just Do It

WOW, once again thanks for all the replies. This forum is very helpful and very quick to reply as well!

So I'm going to start researching local prices, incentives, etc. I still need some help with the actual dealer meeting. This will be my very first time and I don't want the dealer to work his magic so to speak and sucker me in to something. I'm hoping to sucker them and save as much as possible.

How should I approach this though? Should I tell them up front what my plans are... that I plan on visiting other Toyota dealers for a better price, that I plan on visiting a competitor, etc? What's the most I can realistically get a 5 door liftback S down to as an out the door price without having the dealer laugh at me? I'm willing to put as much as necessary down if that makes a difference? Basically, what did all of you do to get the price down in your negotiations?

Thanks again (and sorry for all the newbie questions)!!!

I'm still doing my research for my upcoming Yairs purchase so I can't help you out too much.
If I'm wrong about anything please feel free to correct me.

It's a good idea to shop around and not to buy impulsively. You don't necessarily have to tell a dealer you are going to a competitor. It's not like you're working for them. Quotes from other dealers are good bargaining tools. (provided they still stay valid once you leave the lot.)

If you want to save the most money, you may wanna try to get outside financing from a credit union, or other financial institutions. If you are pre-approved by someone other than Toyota, you'll know how much you can spend, what you're interest rate is, and what your monthly payment might be. You can negotiate like a cash buyer. A bigger down payment will always make a difference if you are looking for financing. It lowers the amount you are actually financing for. For example if the price you negotiate is $14,500 and you have a down payment of $4,500, you are only financing $10,000. This translates to a smaller monthly payment.

If you aren't too sure about negotiating with the dealer just bring someone along who has done it before.

Once again good luck and I hope everything works out for you.

[kmf123kmf]

I'm also waiting for Cash for Clunkers to kick in and am probably going to go with a Yaris. I'm quite fond of Honda's but the Fit is just too expensive and probably overkill for my needs. I can't get over the Versa styling so much that I didn't even bother test driving one.

Right now Toyota is offering 0% financing for 60 months in my area which is a no-brainer really. I also have a local dealer advertising a $15865 MSRP 5-door for $14288, which is supposedly $500 below invoice. Not sure what they're doing there but I called them and confirmed the price so I guess it's legit.

As far as buying advice the only thing I'd really look out for are add-ons that they try to sell you, usually when you're in the finance office. These are things like fabric protector, extended warranties, gap insurance, rust protection, etc...

Generally, you shouldn't buy any of these things, but the dealer will pull out every stop imaginable to try to convince you otherwise. Often times a dealer will give you a great selling price and even lose a little money on paper because they're absolutely betting on their ability to sell you these add-ons, which by the way have a huge profit margin attached. I got taken for a ride on this stuff when I purchased my first new car, don't let it happen to you! If you get to the finance office and the monthly payment ends up being more than a few bucks from what the sales people told you then something is up. Stop right there and review everything and make sure that nothing got snuck into the bill that you didn't agree to.

Remember that the only products you are required to purchase are the vehicle itself and the included factory warranty.

[TinyGiant]

lol i got gap ins, and the fabric and exterior protector .. not the extended warranty though.

[Crims0n5]

Originally Posted by kmf123kmf

I'm also waiting for Cash for Clunkers to kick in and am probably going to go with a Yaris. I'm quite fond of Honda's but the Fit is just too expensive and probably overkill for my needs. I can't get over the Versa styling so much that I didn't even bother test driving one.

Right now Toyota is offering 0% financing for 60 months in my area which is a no-brainer really. I also have a local dealer advertising a $15865 MSRP 5-door for $14288, which is supposedly $500 below invoice. Not sure what they're doing there but I called them and confirmed the price so I guess it's legit.

As far as buying advice the only thing I'd really look out for are add-ons that they try to sell you, usually when you're in the finance office. These are things like fabric protector, extended warranties, gap insurance, rust protection, etc...

Generally, you shouldn't buy any of these things, but the dealer will pull out every stop imaginable to try to convince you otherwise. Often times a dealer will give you a great selling price and even lose a little money on paper because they're absolutely betting on their ability to sell you these add-ons, which by the way have a huge profit margin attached. I got taken for a ride on this stuff when I purchased my first new car, don't let it happen to you! If you get to the finance office and the monthly payment ends up being more than a few bucks from what the sales people told you then something is up. Stop right there and review everything and make sure that nothing got snuck into the bill that you didn't agree to.

I would think that they applied the $500 rebate to the price they are advertising.

If you go to http://www.toyota.com/compare/ you can compare and see the advantages of a Toyota over the competition.

[kmf123kmf]

Originally Posted by Crims0n5

I would think that they applied the $500 rebate to the price they are advertising.

Yeah, that's what I thought too. But they told me that the $500 rebate is no longer available but that they are still offering the advertised price. I guess I'm really not in any position to argue with them.

[kmf123kmf]

Originally Posted by TinyGiant

lol i got gap ins, and the fabric and exterior protector .. not the extended warranty though.

The products themselves may actually be of value depending on your situation. The only thing I'm warning about is if they try to sneak them into your deal without really giving you a chance to decline them.

[Crims0n5]

Originally Posted by kmf123kmf

Yeah, that's what I thought too. But they told me that the $500 rebate is no longer available but that they are still offering the advertised price. I guess I'm really not in any position to argue with them.

Hmm, I could of sworn that I saw it ended on 8/3/09. I could be wrong though.

[Just Do It]

Thanks, I will definitely be on the lookout for the sneaky add ons and make sure to review everything before I sign. I'm going to bring my dad who's a mechanic along with me just for the heck of it. I'll be visiting dealers this weekend so I will keep you all posted on how it goes.

Once again, thank you all! Your help has been very informative and helpful! Wish me luck!

[EasyDriver]

Some car companies give a discount if you are in college. Wouldn't hurt to check and see if this is the case on a Yaris. If it is, you might get an extra discount when you get your student ID. Just a thought......