Availability of base 2-door liftback manual?

[rtom]

I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I am getting close.

I test-drove the automatic on Sunday, and I liked it. I'll test-drive a manual as soon as I can, since I am dead-set on the *manual* 2-door liftback *base* -- which might be hard to find, I'm told. I'm not picky about color, though I'd rather not get a black car.

If it is hard to find, I guess I can just order one and wait, right? Though getting a car that's not already on the lot may affect whether I'm eligible for a possible incentive.

This is a big deal for me. I'm 45 years old and have never bought a new car!

[tomato]

First of all, welcome to the forum !

One thing about the manual, I would advise you to test drive it first before you commit to buying it, just to be sure. The shifting takes a little getting used to IMO.

I prefer manual myself and they are indeed, a little harder to find, but not impossible.

[tomato]

PS> I've never purchased a new car either, and have been driving a long time. I got this Yaris at a Toyota dealership under their Certified program. Good luck with your decision!

[az_saguaro]

Also, if you order a car from the factory don't expect the dealer to give you much if any kind of deal either. They are motivated to move vehicles that are already on their lot because the longer the car sits there the more Toyota charges the dealer. So you will always be able to haggle price of the car better if you don't special order, or ask them if a nearby dealership has what you want. If they do the dealer will do a car exchange with them and then you can talk price still. Also if you know a car has been sitting for a while on the lot, you will be able to negotiate a sweet deal because they want to move it.

AVOID buying the extended warranty from the F&I guy, they will sell it, sell it and sell it...it is how he makes money on you. They will start out at some ridiculous price like $1800 then start coming down to $1500, then because you he doesn't want to see you without this great warranty that covers everything it will be $1200... Just keep saying "No!" eventually he will give up and then be somewhat rude while he finishes the paperwork because he is out his cut. When I bought my Camry I caught the F&I guy in a lie and laughed at him (which really pissed him off). So watch out!


Don't forget to check the total price the dealer pays it isn't invoice price there are things like holdback that they don't talk about depending on the car it can be several hundred to several thousand dollars that the dealership gets directly back from Toyota when they sell the vehicle. So even if you buy the car at invoice, the dealer makes money.


Good luck and happy Yaris'ing..I am off to do more mods.

[jerome]

Originally Posted by tomato

First of all, welcome to the forum !

One thing about the manual, I would advise you to test drive it first before you commit to buying it, just to be sure. The shifting takes a little getting used to IMO.

I prefer manual myself and they are indeed, a little harder to find, but not impossible.

why's that... the electronic throttle?

[rtom]

I guess I'd be open to buying a certified used Yaris myself, if they had a manual 2-door LB.
Can I ask you how much you pay for the certified used designation? And what does it cover, compared to the typical 3 years/36,000 miles you get with a new car?
Thanks!

[SpaceShot]

I got my 2008 manual base LB at the local dealer after looking at 5 different dealers in a 75 mile radius. At the time, the inventory listed on the dealer websites and what they actually had on the lot was very different. (website listed 12, lot had 2)

I got the car ahead of someone else because I made a website inquiry and put a cash deposit down first. (on a Tuesday evening and returning Friday night with the credit union check)

If you can use a members car buying service like Costco or something, you can specify that you are looking for a base manual model within 100 miles of where you are. No reason you can't buy it one state over and get it serviced at the local dealer or your favorite independent mechanic.

In New England you do have get the "cold weather" package, which includes rear wiper, larger battery, 15in wheels, etc.

By the way, love mine. Keep looking until you find it.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by jerome

why's that... the electronic throttle?

I have an opinion, but strictly based on my driving experience, not on mechanical expertise, so I'd rather let someone else answer that question

Just wait a day or so and I'm sure someone will pick up on your question

[tomato]

Originally Posted by rtom

I guess I'd be open to buying a certified used Yaris myself, if they had a manual 2-door LB.
Can I ask you how much you pay for the certified used designation? And what does it cover, compared to the typical 3 years/36,000 miles you get with a new car?
Thanks!

Sure. Give me a couple of days to dig out the paper work and I'll tell you exactly what I paid.

The Certified plan/coverage is kind of complicated and many members on this forum feel it's completely useless. I went through that a few months ago and my old thread is probably still around if you do a search for "certified" or "extended warranty" you will find some good input from other members on it.

The reason I went with "Certified" was peace of mind, and availability of a good used car. I was looking for a used car in a difficult market at the time, and I was having trouble scheduling mechanical inspections with private parties. Finding a small hatchback / manual tranny is already kind of hard so I would find cars 100 miles from where I live or near me but when came time to schedule mechanical inspections (which are NOT cheap around here!), mechanics would say, sure I'll inspect the car, but you have to leave it with me 1/2 a day. Private parties selling the car were not agreeable to that, so I was going nowehere and getting frustrated because my old car really needed expensive repairs.

I figured if I got a Certified car, someone already paid the depreciation cost and I'd get a car that went through mechanical inspection already, with a piece of paper saying so and showing exactly what was inspected and the condition of the car as it was given to me.

Certified cars with Toyota must be less than X years old (I think it's 3 or 4, but I'm not sure anymore) and be in excellent mechanical condition. Then they extend the original manufacturer warranty for a certain period of time (can't remember but I think it was 3 months). So you have a car, a piece of paper saying it's condition, and a short extended warranty.

Hope that helps

[tomato]

Originally Posted by az_saguaro

AVOID buying the extended warranty from the F&I guy, they will sell it, sell it and sell it...it is how he makes money on you. They will start out at some ridiculous price like $1800 then start coming down to $1500, then because you he doesn't want to see you without this great warranty that covers everything it will be $1200... Just keep saying "No!" eventually he will give up and then be somewhat rude while he finishes the paperwork because he is out his cut. When I bought my Camry I caught the F&I guy in a lie and laughed at him (which really pissed him off). So watch out!

Good luck and happy Yaris'ing..I am off to do more mods.

+1

I need to find that thread for you, hang on

here you go

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/sho...ended+warranty

There are others, do a search for "warranty" threads and that should get you some good info.

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by tomato

+1

I need to find that thread for you, hang on

here you go

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/sho...ended+warranty

There are others, do a search for "warranty" threads and that should get you some good info.

I wish I would have found that thread before I bought my car... I got the extended warranty. Then again, I also easily drive between 27k - 30k miles a year (prolly more in the upcoming 1.5 years)... Picked mine up on Aug 7th (a Friday night). Already have 7500 on it (not quite 3 months).

[rtom]

Originally Posted by DevilGirl

I wish I would have found that thread before I bought my car... I got the extended warranty. Then again, I also easily drive between 27k - 30k miles a year (prolly more in the upcoming 1.5 years)... Picked mine up on Aug 7th (a Friday night). Already have 7500 on it (not quite 3 months).

Thanks, Tomato!

I'll check it out. Haven't had time this week to do any more Yaris searching, but I'll start again this weekend.

[tomato]

I know, this is a time consuming process ! Feel free to keep asking questions in here.

To answer your question about how much I paid, I believe the car was $9 K (Yaris LB 07, manual transmission, 2 door, convenience package I believe (I have no power windows or power anything, but I have the rear windshield wiper in the back and 15" tires, which is pretty cool, plus little things like the factory radio already installed and Yaris mats).

They twisted my arm at the dealership with the alarm add-on, so add that [what a rip off by the way], plus tax and miscel. fees, I was OTD for 9.8K

A new car just like it (without the alarm add-on) would have been a little over 12.5 K plus tax and fees (in California that's about 10%), I believe, so not a huge difference, but still, that's a couple thousand dollars in my pocket instead of theirs.

So anyway that gives you an idea.

Keep in mind that supply and demand play a role in price, too. Small hatchbacks, manual transmissions were very hard to find back then and they just flew off the dealerships' lots, new or used. Also, the cost of living here is pretty high, probably the second or third highest in the nation

[tomato]

I forget something which may help you decide new v. certified.

Certified used cars do not get the same kind of incentives (0% financing) as new ones, so if you are going to finance, that may make a difference in your final cost.

They didn't have 0% financing at the time I was looking for a car, otherwise I might have been tempted to get a new one.

No regrets, though.

[RedRide]

Personally, I haven't experienced any bad habits with my manual HB
No serious throttle lage etc.

If you want a manual and can wait a bit I recomend that you have your dealer find you one.

When I got my 2d HB, it was the only manual Yaris they had on the lot and there were many at my high volumn dealer. It just happend to be just what I wanted so, I got very lucky.

[tomato]

^ first gear is a PITA, and the shifting is a little awkward at first, depending on what other MT's you've driven before. You adjust eventually but someone buying a new car ought to get a feel for it first, before signing the papers, I think.

[YarisOwnersDad]

Originally Posted by tomato

^ first gear is a PITA, and the shifting is a little awkward at first, depending on what other MT's you've driven before. You adjust eventually but someone buying a new car ought to get a feel for it first, before signing the papers, I think.

Is it hard to keep from killing the engine when you take off in first gear? Is that why you say it is a PITA?

Our little 1.5 L engines have very little low end torque, and although I have never driven a Yaris five speed, I can see that it might be a problem. You must have to keep the RPM up pretty high as you ease out the clutch.

My Jeep is a dream to drive. It would be a great vehicle for a beginner on manual transmissions to learn on. The low end torque of my I-6 4.0 L is like the torque of a tractor engine. At idle RPM, you can just ease out the clutch in first gear without applying any throttle at all, if you want to.

Tom

[RedRide]

I don't have a problem with 1st gear.

The only time I stalled the engine was the very fist time I attempterd to "take off" in 1st gear
during my test drive at the dealer.
However,I got used to it very quickly and learned to engage 1st without over reving or stalling.

I have been driving manuals for over 40 years and have found that every car model has a different feel in the clutch.
There are cars with better clutches than the Yaris and those with much worse clutches.

The clutch is a non issue for me.