Happy with Yaris?

[otterhere]

So now that we've all bought them, what is our general level of satisfaction?

I have to admit that I'm pretty disappointed in mine in general at the moment. Not just the poor mileage (compared to my Swift) and loud engine, but myriad little details, like the way the seat belt keeps getting caught on the seat lever and the fact that the hatch is so impractical to use and there are a million ugly "holders" I don't seem to know what to do with. Yeah, I did a little comparison shopping first and test-drove it, but basically I was all over the fact that it was a Toyota and the smallest/cheapest model they offered and that was all, she wrote... I was in it... Now I find myself sneaking a look at Huyundais and other less expensive cars and even old Ford Focuses and wondering if I couldn't have saved myself thousands of dollars and been just as happy with the end result. I even kind of wish I'd just kept my old car going instead. My worst fear is that, in the next year or two, they'll come out with something I like better -- maybe even electric models that are feasible.

Is everyone else out there perfectly happy with the much-lauded, long-awaited Yaris?

[PreciousPups4U]

I am extremely happy with mine.

I would also like to get 40 mpg, but my driving patterns and routes just really don't make that likely. I am tempted by the 5 door hatch and had it been available in 2008 I would have gotten it, but it's not worth it to me to trade.

If you really hate it I am sure any dealer would be happy to accept it as a trade in.

[SIPNGAS]

Are you like this with everything you purchase? Just asking because it seems like nothing is going right for you with this car.

For me, it's perfect and I love it. I'm like that, though, with a lot of things. It's not in my nature to second-guess or doubt my decisions. Maybe it's more about that and less about the car?

I still find myself walking out to the parking lot from, say the grocery store..I'll look up and see my car and think.."what a cute car that is!"....and then it's..wait...that's MY car..lol

Sure it has a few quirks, but they all do. The good and fun features of the car definitely outweight those minor things.

[Chupacabra]

only 600 miles on mine but it does exactly what I bought it for....get me from A to B efficiently.

[otterhere]

Haha, sipngas! I admit I am... How many times have friends told me, "Never look back!" But I guess I'm just honest with myself and not prone to self-delusion... Sure, I've spent $13k and gotten rid of a car I absolutely loved (which was getting to where it needed replacing, it's true) and am now stuck with my decision, but that's not enough to make me say I love it when I don't. There have been steps I've taken and purchases I've made with NO second-guessing, ever, as I DO love them, but it's not the case here.

Just disappointing I guess that there are "imperfections" (esp. the interior design; wha-a-a-a-?) with a Toyota, as I was always dead sold on those. As with everything, it seems "quality" has gone downhill.

[lita_g]

I know how you feel, I felt like that with my previous car, it was a 2003 jetta TDI, I didn't get the mpg that everybody raved about and the interior had many things I hated (no decent cup holders), and well, it was a bad experience from beginning to end. That's why I only had it for 2 years, which was at least 1 year too long, and even though we spent a TON of money fixing it, it was not worth the heartache. That's why afterwards I was really careful and picky, I test drove at least 5 other cars from other manufacturers and in the end I just loved how the yaris handled comparing to the others.

Yes, it has minor things that could be improved (better seats, heated mirrors, tach), but I still love it, just like sipngas, almost every time I look at my car I think to myself how cute it is (yes, I think it's *cute*).

[tuckevalastin]

I guess I'd say I'm OK with mine. Not necessarily completely happy and not necessarily completely unhappy. For me I'll just keep using it for another couple years until I'm ready for something I like better but until then the car guy in me can't help but mod it while I have it.... If I had, let's say $20k in my pocket to buy a car at this point the Yaris would be gone though.

[voodoo22]

The Yaris is doing exactly what we bought it for. Providing cheap transportation with little fear of future cost of ownership being too high. I've adapted my driving style to consistently get great mileage compared to other vehicles out there and so far the only thing showing wear and tear on the car after over 42,000km is the crappy paint.

[otterhere]

Originally Posted by voodoo22

I've adapted my driving style to consistently get great mileage compared to other vehicles out there and so far the only thing showing wear and tear on the car after over 42,000km is the crappy paint.

"Crappy paint"; great; something ELSE to look forward to!!! My Swift is just looking better and better...

[KCALB SIRAY]

Originally Posted by otterhere

"Crappy paint"; great; something ELSE to look forward to!!! My Swift is just looking better and better...

What was the outcome with the MPG's, did you get it checked out?

[tuckevalastin]

Originally Posted by otterhere

"Crappy paint"; great; something ELSE to look forward to!!! My Swift is just looking better and better...

the crappy paint is one of the most common complaints

[Rain]

Originally Posted by SIPNGAS

I still find myself walking out to the parking lot from, say the grocery store..I'll look up and see my car and think.."what a cute car that is!"....and then it's..wait...that's MY car..lol

I do the same thing
I'm pretty satisfied with my car...
Although I kinda wished that I could transport my bike in it but oh well
At least I am not spending a fortune in filling it up

[BailOut]

I have sampled many vehicles and vehicle types throughout my life and owned a few of them, and I can honestly say that - even after 1.75 years of ownership and 34k miles - it is my favorite of all of them.

It simply works for everything I need it to do. It gives me the best mileage of my life, never dipping below 42 MPG even in the dead of Winter with a full load and spikes spiders on thanks to both its setup and my own driving style and skills (hypermiling). Adding a hitch with a bike rack and sometimes a snow sports adapter has greatly enhanced its functionality while introducing minimal cost. It hauls carpoolers and all our mountain bikes or snowboards/skis, it hauls a pair of dogs (one large, one medium), it hauls hundreds of pounds of computer equipment or landscaping materials, etc. It contains wonderful technologies such as electric steering and DFCO that it inherited from its larger and older siblings. It has lots of compartments and cup holders and an auxiliary jack for MP3 players.

Yes, the paint job is cheap, but so is my car payment. The only regret I have is that it didn't come with a split rear seat. I curse that fact at least twice a month.

[33OH]

Originally Posted by otterhere

Now I find myself sneaking a look at Huyundais and other less expensive cars and even old Ford Focuses:

Coming from someone who also owns a 2007 Hyundai Accent GS and a former owner of a 2000 Ford Focus SE, the Yaris is 10 times better than both of them.

While it's not the perfect car, the Yaris was extremely cheap, gets awesome gas mileage (I have no clue how yours is so low, I drive in the Appalachian mountains every day to and from work, doing 80+ on the highway, and I have never gotten below 32 mpg. If i baby it, i can get mid to upper 40's.), and just overall is a great car for the price.

I have many regrets on the Hyundai. The main one being that it cost more than the Yaris to begin with and gets usually around 25-30 miles per gallon going about 70 on the highway. 80+ it gets even lower.

[IllusionX]

pretty satisfied with mine... except for the horror i'm having with my sound system...

outterhere: what kind of swift did you have? i had a 93 swift sedan with power windows, power side mirrors and power door locks.. with a 1.6L G16A engine.... I orginally wanted the new "Daweoo" suzuki swift that came out in 2004.. but it wasn't a very good drive... the feeling of the car was just not right.

But then, i have a sedan... it has less than 1/2 of the storage than the hatchback.... aside from the little details you can name from the yaris... i sure could tell you long on my 93 swift.

[ChinoCharles]

My only regret is I can't afford 2 car payments, and thus can't put the Yaris in a time capsule so I can enjoy it for the rest of my life. I mean, it was my first new car. Sentimental value.

[TinyGiant]

love it.

i was in near luxury before with my jeep grand cherokee limited v8... but the gas sucked.. so we sold it and bought the yaris.. havent regreted it yet! love the little car.. cant stop playing with it! great gas mileage!

[otterhere]

Originally Posted by IllusionX

outterhere: what kind of swift did you have? i had a 93 swift sedan with power windows, power side mirrors and power door locks.. with a 1.6L G16A engine.... I orginally wanted the new "Daweoo" suzuki swift that came out in 2004.. but it wasn't a very good drive... the feeling of the car was just not right.

Daewoo Suzuki Swift; huh? Mine was a 2000 GS two-door hatch; my little Silver Bullet. From the minute I drove it (actually, from the minute I drove the 1997 Geo Metro that I had before this; it's the same car), I loved it...

This one; eh... The Swift's design was absolutely sublime; nothing extra and nothing superfluous. I almost feel like they added the cup holders and bottle holders (notice that you aren't supposed to cross-utilize the two; little signs tell you not to) and coin holders and MP3 jacks and white plastic next to grey plastic just to make you feel you're getting more for your money; feels "busy."

And then little things like the seat belt getting hung up on the seat lever, and what's with the hatchback? I have to unlock it to use it (not so the Swift)? What's with all the little velcro strips? And everything falls out (oh, yeah; I'm supposed to buy the "net" to hold stuff in)? No excuse for this; bad design.

Those of you who love it, all I can say is: obviously you never owned a Swift.