Persuade me to buy a Yaris!

[carnageehw]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

No kids, but I plan to someday. Which makes me wonder if I do get the Yaris I may need to trade-in again for a more family friendly car.

I had a sedan, not the 5 door hatch like you want, so I don't really know how different it will be, but I had a rear facing child seat in the back for a while, and I was decently comfortable. If you're a huge guy, or like the seat really far back, it would get annoying.

[Klink10]

I won't but the local dealer had 15 one day and the next 5 were left. Wonder why? One salesperson told me they had a run on them from Tundra owners.

[detroiter]

If not a Yaris, get a Mazda 2. You won't regret it.

[HYang]

Despite being an enthusiastic Yaris driver, I have to wonder if now is the most economically advantageous time to trade-in your SUV for a subcompact.

Afterall, gasoline prices are higher every day- demand for SUV's are tanking while prices for all subcompacts are ratcheting up. Throw in the Fukushima factor, which in the short term means the supply of Yari is uncertain (and even more excuse for sellers to raise prices), and you might wonder if you might not like to try holding your 4runner for a while longer- until prices at the pump stabilize a bit or the factories in Japan start running again.

It may not be the most advantageous time to trade-in your 4runner for that Yaris. YOu could lose more money than you normally would; ie. when fuel prices are more 'normal' and no Tsunami after-effects in Japan.

Sure enough, I just checked Yaris prices on truecar.com, and people are paying more than two-grand higher than they were back in January, when I bought mine.

Having said all that, go for it!
Yaris is a great little car, if Best Value For Your Money is what you are shooting for.
In addition to fuel cost savings, you might also save money on car insurance.

[daddyo]

Originally Posted by detroiter

If not a Yaris, get a Mazda 2. You won't regret it.

That's Pure Michigan.

[bigdoglover]

its a big adjustment from an suv to the yaris and i know because i did it almost 4 years ago. i do miss the suv, but not when i pull into the gas station and fill up. its not as comfy, i don't consider the yaris to be anything more than a great little car for running around. long trips, no-but you can rent a suv if you take a road trip. i have the 3 door liftback and have put lots of large items in it-i always leave the rear seat folded flat and my large labrador jumps right in and off we go! i still long for the comfort of an suv, but right now i am loving the great gas mileage. i do wish mine was the 5 door because the 3 door gets hot in the summer-it would have been nice to be able to crack the rear windows for some fresh air. sounds like a nice little car you are looking at-
my driving style has certainly changed with the yaris-i drive faster-i used to lumber down the road with my trailblazer, now i zip right along hugging curves. this is from a grey haired old senior woman.

[detroiter]

I could care less about michigan. Maybe the U.P but the lower area can burn in hell for all i care lol.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by detroiter

If not a Yaris, get a Mazda 2. You won't regret it.

Yeah he will. j/k...well, not really.

The Mazda 2 has been out about a year+ and I have yet to see even one and I live in a very high population coastal area. It's a total failure.
- It's ugly
- Get's inferior mileage despite being smallest in class

- It does offer very good driving dynamics though - basically the only thing it wins in. That said, it's no more fun to drive than a Fit.

Originally Posted by HYang

Despite being an enthusiastic Yaris driver, I have to wonder if now is the most economically advantageous time to trade-in your SUV for a subcompact.

Afterall, gasoline prices are higher every day- demand for SUV's are tanking while prices for all subcompacts are ratcheting up. Throw in the Fukushima factor, which in the short term means the supply of Yari is uncertain (and even more excuse for sellers to raise prices), and you might wonder if you might not like to try holding your 4runner for a while longer- until prices at the pump stabilize a bit or the factories in Japan start running again.

It may not be the most advantageous time to trade-in your 4runner for that Yaris. YOu could lose more money than you normally would; ie. when fuel prices are more 'normal' and no Tsunami after-effects in Japan.

Sure enough, I just checked Yaris prices on truecar.com, and people are paying more than two-grand higher than they were back in January, when I bought mine.

Having said all that, go for it!
Yaris is a great little car, if Best Value For Your Money is what you are shooting for.
In addition to fuel cost savings, you might also save money on car insurance.

Those are fair points. However, if he is ever going to buy a small car, might as well do it now (don't wait 'til summer). Gas is still climbing. It's $4 now, could be $5 in July. And the way it's going, many believe gas will never "level off" again (not to traditionally low prices). We may never see below $3 again. Some speculation even suggests $6+ a gallon in the near future. America's long history of cheap gas may be over and become more in line with the rest of the world who pays up to $10/gal.

[TONIZZLE]

Originally Posted by HYang

Despite being an enthusiastic Yaris driver, I have to wonder if now is the most economically advantageous time to trade-in your SUV for a subcompact.

Afterall, gasoline prices are higher every day- demand for SUV's are tanking while prices for all subcompacts are ratcheting up. Throw in the Fukushima factor, which in the short term means the supply of Yari is uncertain (and even more excuse for sellers to raise prices), and you might wonder if you might not like to try holding your 4runner for a while longer- until prices at the pump stabilize a bit or the factories in Japan start running again.

It may not be the most advantageous time to trade-in your 4runner for that Yaris. YOu could lose more money than you normally would; ie. when fuel prices are more 'normal' and no Tsunami after-effects in Japan.

Sure enough, I just checked Yaris prices on truecar.com, and people are paying more than two-grand higher than they were back in January, when I bought mine.

Having said all that, go for it!
Yaris is a great little car, if Best Value For Your Money is what you are shooting for.
In addition to fuel cost savings, you might also save money on car insurance.

Don't think I'll save with insurance. I would need to get the $1000 deductible coverage since I'll be financing.

Originally Posted by bigdoglover

its a big adjustment from an suv to the yaris and i know because i did it almost 4 years ago. i do miss the suv, but not when i pull into the gas station and fill up. its not as comfy, i don't consider the yaris to be anything more than a great little car for running around. long trips, no-but you can rent a suv if you take a road trip. i have the 3 door liftback and have put lots of large items in it-i always leave the rear seat folded flat and my large labrador jumps right in and off we go! i still long for the comfort of an suv, but right now i am loving the great gas mileage. i do wish mine was the 5 door because the 3 door gets hot in the summer-it would have been nice to be able to crack the rear windows for some fresh air. sounds like a nice little car you are looking at-
my driving style has certainly changed with the yaris-i drive faster-i used to lumber down the road with my trailblazer, now i zip right along hugging curves. this is from a grey haired old senior woman.

Here we go! An SUV to Yaris owner. I noticed you didn't mention anything about winter driving with the Yaris. Do you miss the SUV in the winter? What would you consider a long trip? 1hr each way? I didn't feel any discomfort when test driving the Yaris. But that was only for 5 minutes.

[rick996]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

I checked KBB on the resale of a 2010 base yaris. Details here. From year 1 to year 2 of ownership it lost 50%, then $1K each year after.

I looked at that kbb page. I can't see how they can say there is a 50% loss on the Yaris in the first year.

I put my 2010 in as a base (not even a radio) 5-speed with 17K on it that I have owned/driven for 18 months for private party value and got Excellent $13,365, Good $12,515 and Fair $11,215. Not bad considering I bought it for $14,435 new (base $12,780 with $955 in added options and $700 transportation charges) with 0% financing for 3 years.

Value for suggested retail is $14,915 (excellent) and $12,225 for trade in.

I bought it retail at base $12,780 and it's still in excellent condition. If I compare it against retail value of $14,915 now, that's a 16.7% appreciation. If I add in transportion, which I think is fair for an apples to apples comparison, it's 10.6% appreciation.

Of course I can't sell it retail. The comparison for a private party sale at base + transportation ($13,480) to $13,365 current private party value is a depreciation of $115 or 0.85%. Even at trade in the depreciation is only 9.3%.

The kbb page for these calculations is here

If I could find any at $6,578.40 I would pick up a few to resell.

With the money I'm saving on gas and the fact that with 0% interest I'm paying for it with cheaper inflated money I would call it a pretty good investment.

And because I'm not sure if kbb meant value on the 2nd year (one year old) or after 2 years, here are the private party values for a 2009 5-dr hatch with 24,000 miles:

Condition Value
Excellent $13,075
Good $12,275
Fair $11,075

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

Here we go! An SUV to Yaris owner. I noticed you didn't mention anything about winter driving with the Yaris. Do you miss the SUV in the winter? What would you consider a long trip? 1hr each way? I didn't feel any discomfort when test driving the Yaris. But that was only for 5 minutes.

Winter driving in the Yaris is a blast - with winter tires. Winter tires should be used with all vehicles though, not just cars. Even trucks and SUV's benefit greatly from them.

My wife has a Jeep Wrangler which I often have to drive because her commute is longer and therefore takes the Yaris. For me there's no comparison, the Yaris is a way more enjoyable ride. I so badly want to get rid of the Wrangler but my wife loves 'em.

When it snows in the winter, guess which vehicle I take? Yaris of course. Wrangler stays in the driveway.

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

Hello everyone,

I'm interested in trading in my '99 4Runner Limited 4X4 w/ 92K miles for an '09 Yaris S 5dr Hatch. I posted this in the 4Runner forum and ppl were thinking I was crazy. Well now I would like some opinions from the Yaris side.

The Yaris S has 11K miles, iPod interface, remote start, sunroof, cruise.

Here's where I need help:

1) I would have to finance to get the Yaris, but that's money I can save since the 4Runner is all paid.
2) The 4Runner is a beast in heavy rain and snow, and was pretty good in the 23" blizzard that occurred last Feb. (I'm in the midwest).
3) I would save at the pump with the Yaris of course, to the tune of $800~ per yr if I drive 10K miles.
4) The 4Runner has a solid resale value, and it seems the Yaris doesn't hold value that well.
5) The interior of the Yaris didn't impress me with all that cloth and plastic, compared to the 4Runner's leather and wood trim.
6) When test driving the Yaris I liked how peppy it was going 0-40mph. With the 4Runner it seems like I'm standing on the pedal to get a response.
7) The 4Runner's msrp was around $38K, and the Yaris' msrp was $18K.

That's all I can think of now. Feel free to share your opinions or comments. Thanks YarisWorld ppl.

I used to have a Jeep TJ (wrangler or short wheel base) and I absolutely love my Yaris now, so I guess it's a similar comparison except that the TJ and Yaris shared the same sticker price.

I love the Yaris. I'm also in the midwest, and while I miss the Jeep for our snow and ice, I have to say that the Yaris is very capable. I just use the stock all terrain tires ... for now, and while I certainly have to be more cautious, it's still very doable. I find myself safely commuting while others are busy driving SUVs into ditches or wrapping themselves around poles or just staying at home What I honestly miss the most about the TJ is the clearance but that has less to do with snow and absolutely nothing to do with ice. (I know, right? Almost everyone else on this forum wants it lowered even more and I want lift, I guess old habits die hard.)

I'm sure that the 4runnner is very refined, but I find the suspension of the Yaris to be very comfortable by comparison to the Wrangler. And I agree with you regarding acceleration, the power to weight ratio of the Yaris is just superior to the heavier SUVs.

On the interior, you may find that you actually like it. It took me almost a month before I discovered all of the neat little storage compartments and the best use for them. It's similar to the Jeep interior, which is very utilitarian (which I like), just infinitely more useful.

I really don't care about resale value because I tend to drive cars into the ground. I had the Jeep for 12 years and it had so much rust through the floor boards that bondo and chicken wire weren't cutting it anymore and I had that special kind of air conditioning Who needs fart can exhausts when you can just have a hole in the floor

If you want my advice, I would keep the 4runner until the wheels are about to fall off. Save until you have the cash, and then when you want to make a deal for a Yaris, don't arrive in a Toyota and don't be afraid to get aggressive with your negotiations on your cash deal. Who knows, maybe that inability to hold resale value will work to your advantage and you can get a great deal on a used Yaris. Even though I'm only 2 years in on my Yaris, I love the reliability and I have a feeling that it will outlast the Jeep's 12 years easily (going with undercoating on this one).

Hope that helps.

[HYang]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

Here we go! An SUV to Yaris owner. I noticed you didn't mention anything about winter driving with the Yaris. Do you miss the SUV in the winter? What would you consider a long trip? 1hr each way? I didn't feel any discomfort when test driving the Yaris. But that was only for 5 minutes.

Winter driving:
According to the Internet, ESC (electronic stability control) was not yet available for the Yaris (and most other subcompacts) in 2009. ESC is supposed to help prevent loss of vehicle control in snow/rain.

ESC became standard for 2010.
I got the '10 model for that reason and I don't regret it.

The 'slip' light (indicates that ESC has been activitated) came on quite often after the snowstorms this past winter, especially when turning corners- I never had any spin-outs, and I assume I have ESC to thank for that.

So yeah, you might consider ESC (or lack thereof) to be part of your decision on trading your 4runner for that '09 Yaris (unless of course your 4runner does not have ESC either).

As for longer trips:
I find the Yaris's firmer seats to be much more comfortable for longer trips than the cushy seats in my dad's Buick LeSabre or my brother's Oldsmobile Delta88.

Longer trips for me means 5-hour drive thru western NY.

Then again I've never really had issues with any car seat. I'm 5'7", 150lbs, maybe that's why.

[BLKHILLSGUY]

5'7 and a fat ass @ 260 and have made several long trips(longest being 14 hrs) and never had a back problem. I do step out every 4 hrs for a few mins or so to pee n smoke tho. I so love only spending $36.xx to fill the car up!! Nothing fancy but planning on adding a few Toyota parts for arm rest, bumper guard, blue lighting package, stainless steel shifter and perhaps the pedals. Def adding alloy wheels down the road and will buy separate winter wheels since I live in S Dakota. I keep Lil Dixie garaged :) Very VERY happy to be out of my 2009 Honda Fit/2011 Honda Element and back into the Toyota family of QUALITY cars.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

I noticed you didn't mention anything about winter driving with the Yaris. Do you miss the SUV in the winter?

Lots of Yaris up here in Quebec,with proper winter tires no one seems to have any problems in the winter, as for comfort i've done 3 trips to Florida and one trip to Vancouver with a family of 4 in an 08 sedan and no one complains about comfort issues.
Bigger cars/SUV's maybe more comfortable to drive in but the Yaris is all about being an economical and reliable daily driver that averages 35mpg with a light foot on the gas pedal.
heres my baby on the way back from a trip to Florida last week.Seems the flash catches the rain drops..=

[TONIZZLE]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

If you want my advice, I would keep the 4runner until the wheels are about to fall off.

You're not the first one to say that. We shall see if your prophesy will come to fruition.

Originally Posted by HYang

Winter driving:
According to the Internet, ESC (electronic stability control) was not yet available for the Yaris (and most other subcompacts) in 2009. ESC is supposed to help prevent loss of vehicle control in snow/rain.

ESC became standard for 2010.
I got the '10 model for that reason and I don't regret it.

I drive the family's VW Jetta from time to time, and the ESC light goes on when the roads aren't plowed. Usually with more than 2" of snow. I just drive slower when that happens. It's a nice feature, though this '09 has the iPod interface, and if I had to pick between the two I would choose the iPod.

[why?]

If your really have rough winter conditions you have to drive through, the Yaris as an only car is not the solution you are looking for.

I literally got my car stuck in maybe 6 inches of slush. I had to get out and push it a foot to get traction. I will admit the current tires are from down south, so probably were not made for dealing with snow. But my car got squirrely in any amount of snow.

No way should you go from a fully paid off vehicle to car payments if you only drive 20 miles a day. Do you fill your tank up more than once a week?

See if there is another subcompact that gets good gas mileage that you could afford to have both vehicles. Even 2007 model year Yaris can be had for 6 or 7 grand.

Echo's get great gas mileage as well and are even less expensive. Corrolla's the same.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by why?

If your really have rough winter conditions you have to drive through, the Yaris as an only car is not the solution you are looking for.

I literally got my car stuck in maybe 6 inches of slush. I had to get out and push it a foot to get traction. I will admit the current tires are from down south, so probably were not made for dealing with snow.

I'd not blame the car for its lack of traction in the winter,i'd blame the southern probably summer tires for the problems.
I have no problems with my Yaris or Echo using proper winter tires.
Using southern tires in winter conditions is adding unnecessary risk and danger to you and those that could be involved in an accident you may cause .