Considering a 5 Door HB..

[rsh4yaris]

Hi, I drove a new Yaris 3 door HB last Sat., and I'm considering buying a 5 door HB, man. 5 spd.. I basically liked it. I have a Honda civic DX I bought new in 2001. Its been Very dependable and have had no serious trouble with it. My decision rests on feeling that I can get as good or equal service from a 2010 Toyota Yaris . Consumers Reports gives the Yaris an almost perfect score for years '07 to '09.. ; I've read of some problems by Yaris owners; braking, elec. sensors, etc.. I know this car was sold in Europe in prior years. I'd like to hear your views if you own a Yaris.. Thanks, Rich..

[Billiam]

The 1NZ engine has been around for years with not much change. In the States the Echo, Yaris, Scion xA/xB all used that engine...even a tweeked version was used in the Prius. For the most part, these engines have been very reliable. I think you'll find that the rest of the car...interior, exterior, electrical components, trannys fall under the typical Toyota dependabilty. A few have issues, but most are solid.

Some complain about fragile paint (I've had no issues). You can blame a heightend awarness of the environmental issues with old school paints and paint processes that have led to tighter restrictions on pollutants. Modern paints are a bit softer as a result.

A Corolla is more on-par with the Civic if you want apples-to-apples. But if your heart is set on a Yaris and your expectations are realistic....you'll be happy with it.

[MadMax]

I think the Yaris is much better looking than the Corolla; but I have to ask why you would get rid of your Honda if it's holding up well? The five-door is nice, I like it much better than the sedans but I am a hatch person; but I would not get rid of a reliable car--especially one that's paid for--unless there are extenuating circumstances (i.e. you need four doors for a new baby).

But the vast majority of Yaris owners have been extremely happy with their cars! I moved over from a 95 VW Passat wagon that I loved, but it was starting to fall apart and I had a Yaris sedan rental in Tampa for a week and just was enamored with the car. Once I saw the hatchback version, I was hooked and have enjoyed the snot out of my car since buying it a year and a half ago.

Cheers! M2

[thebarber]

the paint WILL chip a lot in climates the see winter/snow/grit/salt/sand. its not a myth, trust me. the paint is thin and chips/scratches easily. i had the same issue on my 04 matrix. its not that bad, but my front end has many silver specs where the red paint has been chipped off.

otherwise, i've had little to complain about w/ this car except for the squeaky clutch/shifter

[UTVitz]

I'm going to chime in and say yes, the paint is vulnerable-but the front is fairly blunt and no other car in this price range is any better-Fit, Versa, higher priced Prius chips too. Nature of owning a car and driving on a highway and where you live. Dark colors seem to be less durable than white or silver-or maybe it's just they show the damage easier.

The car has been flawlessly reliable-nothing but filter and oil changes which are so easy I happily do them myself. Ownership cost is so low I'm kicking myself wondering is this car for real. I'm still under powertrain warranty, but have no worries. It starts everytime, has consistently cold a/c in the summer, and a great heater in the winter. Despite everything said about toyotas lately I really believe they build small cars better than just about anyone else-yes, honda is very good at this too.

My only complaint so far-hard interior plastics tend to start making noise over time. I think the plastics shrink as the car ages and gaps change. This is especially noticable on cold mornings. Some sticky felt or foam rubber has come in handy. But in defense of the yaris I've read the prius and honda fit have the same problem-just modern car irritation.

[ChilliwackGuy]

I bought a 5 door hatchback earlier this month - from what I've gathered - people where I live buy the Yaris because it is reliable / cheap to fuel / and has lower depreciation than other cars in its class - and that pretty much sums up why I bought my Yaris HB - I could have bought a Honda / Volkswagen - (as could have other Yaris owners I have spoken to) - but we trusted Toyota

[RedHatch08]

I've had my 08 3 door for about 8 months.

Great car so far, I'm very satisfied with my purchase.

I do have the red paint, and I do have several paint problems. Most of the paint problems were already there from the first owner though, since I bought mine used.

Zero problems so far. Just an oil change, air filter change to a K&N, and some gas.

If I wanted to really find fault with the car, other than the paint, it would be with the gauges. I don't have the power package, so I have NO tach even though it's a manual. Plus I wish it had a real temp. gauge and a regular fuel gauge. I'm also not a big fan of center mounted gauge clusters in general, but I'm learning to live with it.

[BluYrs]

The main points in changing a Civic for a Yaris are the driving position and the somewhat small boot. If you can get used to the high driving position and are realistic about the size of the boot, the rest should be fairly similar to life with a Civic. The central gauges will grow on you, trust me.

[Goose]

I would also recommend the Yaris. As others have said, the high driving position will feel a bit different to you coming from the Civic.

Having owned three Yaris liftbacks, I can say that they can have problems. Two of my Yarii have needed to have major service to correct defects (new transmission & new main wiring loom). Once fixed, though, both cars have been dead-reliable.

Despite these few hiccups, I still consider the Yaris to be the best all-around practical car out there.

[frog13]

All cars have issues!.The Yaris is a fantastic vehicle.....keep reading the various posts.You will always hear a few clowns bitch and moan about silly stuff!....get a Yaris.

[tomato]

I recommend the Yaris (o surprise! ;)

If you have to decide between a 3 door and a 5 door LB, definitely get the 5 door. It's practically the same car, but having those back doors can come in really handy to get stuff in and out, although not a deal breaker if you don't have them.

Consumer Report (if memory serves) rated the Yaris 2007 and above excellent mechanically, but noted paint problems. So far, my car has lived up to their expectation. I have close to 60,000 miles and it runs like clockwork. The paint chips easily, but it doesn't peel off or anything :) It's just that it's a very thin layer of paint.

I come from Honda, owned 3 Hondas before purchasing my Yaris (all hatchbacks) and loved them all to death. I crossed over to Toyota because the Honda Fit was a bit too expensive, and didn't much like the style. The Toyota Yaris LB is a great DD and for the moment fits my needs perfectly. No regrets.

One thing, though, if you get a manual transmission, the Yaris's clutch feels completely different than a Honda's. It took me a while to get used to that.

Good luck with your decision, and welcome to the forum :)

[tomato]

I forgot to say something else. Coming from a Civic, you may want to do a few "speed" tests, 0 to 60 and see how the Yaris responds to sudden acceleration. I completely forgot to do that during my test drive and I wish I had because the Yaris feels more like my first Gen. civic than my CRX in that regard. However, once you know the car, you compensate for that in your driving and it's no longer an issue. Hope that makes sense.

PS. I also have the Absolutely Red paint, too and yes the front is chipped. :/