New Base 2011 vs Used 2008

[nsulmol]

Hi everyone,

I've been eyeballing a Yaris as a reliable commuter car that can stay in the family for a long time. The plan would be to give the car to one of my brothers if/when I no longer need it.

I've found myself with two possible options, and am trying to decide which is the better deal:

1) $12960 - 2011 Base 3-door Yaris, Manual Transmission. With Convenience Pkg and All-Weather Pkg.

2) $10700 - 2008 3-door Yaris, Manual Transmission. With All-weather pkg, power pkg, an extra set of winter tires. 46k miles.

I'm not too concerned with the power doors/locks, as I can install some myself using the DIY info on this forum and it's not really something I need. In fact, if I'd been able to get the base without the convenience package, I would've in a heartbeat.

At this point, I'm trying to decide which is the better deal. I imagine most of you will scream at me to get the new one, but considering the Yaris' reliability, is the 3 year old really that bad of an option?

This of course assumes that the mechanic's check I'm gonna have on the used one tomorrow doesn't pull up any serious issues, and that if new wheels/brakes are required, it'll be deducted from the base cost.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
nsulmol