My wee Yaris...

[Kaktus]

Hi all,

Just a quick picture post of my little '03 Yaris (powered by the 1.0 litre VVTi engine), not the most gorgeous it has to be said with quite a few battle scars, but she just keeps going! :thumbup:

I've had it over two years now, bought with about 112k miles on the clock and now it's almost 130k miles already. It was bought as a cheap runabout for school runs and suchlike, but I have really learned to like it. So much so I hope to replace it with a more pristine example perhaps next year, which I can then start doing some gentle modding on and generally make it a little more to my liking.

Must say though the little engine is a real nugget, surprisingly peppy and I kind of like the little surge of extra power it unleashes at around 3500 rpm. :wink:

[ern-diz]

:thumbsup:

[06YarisRS]

Love, love, love the 1st Gen. styling! More pics, please. :smile:

[Thor_e]

Nice. I’ll tell you I just picked up an 05 here in Canada. Had an 08 Yaris. If you drive stick, the cable throttle in the 00-05 is a dream in term or response compared to the later drive by wire models. Cherish it!

[Leegamer]

Awesome little car. I wish we got the first gen hatches in the US!

[Kaktus]

Thanks guys for all the comments!

These first gen ones are very common here in Ireland, especially the 1-litre manual, so shouldn’t be too difficult to find a well cared for example. All the dents and deep scrapes annoy me enough to want a fresher looking one next. Been thinking about the second gen with the 1.33 litre 74kW engine and six speed manual (I think they were launched in 2009?), but not so easy to find one, unfortunately. Then again I really like this first gen version quite a lot now so might actually stick with this generation but maybe I’ll see if I can find one with the 1.3 litre 65kW engine, should have a bit more poke I think. I didn’t realise the newer models had drive by wire, and I understand that’s not the best?

Will get a few more photos uploaded soon.

[CrankyOldMan]

The 1NZ (1.5L) version of this gen is a riot! I'd love to have a 3dr version like yours. My 5dr RS has succumbed to the road salt in Canada and is no longer roadworthy.

There are tradeoffs for drive-by-wire (DBW) vs cable. The ECU can do much more to regulate the idle and fuel efficiency with DBW than a cable. There are adjustments that the ECU can do to the throttle inputs to improve fuel economy, though that introduces some delay and non-linear response when accelerating. There are also safety things like being able to shut the throttle down if something goes wrong with the input signal, whereas a cable system can get stuck at wide open throttle if the cable is damaged or the return spring breaks. There's also much more freedom of design when the connection is electrical instead of mechanical. Different requirements means different solutions in newer cars, I suppose.

[Kaktus]

Thanks Cranky for that!

Yeah, the looks of the first gen Yaris, especially the 3 door version, have really grown on me. Used to think it’s a rather fugly car but the proportions and lines do work well. That it’s supremely reliable does make it even easier to like it!

You could even say reliability is the new sexy!!

[justanotherdrunk]

:headbang:

[Kaktus]

Two more photos of my little precious. :smile:

Some really annoying scratches on the passenger door... They were there when I bought the car.

[justanotherdrunk]

i actually like the black wheel no hubcap look

[Kaktus]

Thanks! Yeah, it gives it a certain utilitarian chic for sure, really should get round to repainting them soon!

[Leegamer]

What is that yellow thing behind the yaris? Crazy looking.

[Kaktus]

Ah, that’s our Citroen C4 Cactus. Very funky car!

[NYC-SE]

Ah, that’s our Citroen C4 Cactus. Very funky car!

The European reimagining of a Pontiac Aztek.

[Kaktus]

On the contrary, the Cactus has a bit of style and chic and is a car that dares to be different in a good way, while the Aztek was just a lumpy hippo that someone's child designed over a lunch break. :wink: