Yaris vs Corolla, Yaris vs Matrix

[Stove]

I have a 08' Carola and just bought a '10 Yaris (5 door not a sedan). I think the factory seats in the Carola are more comfortable. If comfort is critical to you, get your dealer to park all three models next to each other so you can see which feels best to you. With the cars right next to each other, you'll have no doubt which fits you the best. We did that when we bought my wifes Carola and the only reason we got a Yaris this time was because I like the looks of the Yaris over the Carola.

The Yaris Sedan that you quoted is without ABS. ABS is really a choice of personal preference. Cars without ABS can stop faster in certain situations than those with it, depending on the drivers skills. If you use public trans a lot, then you can avoid driving when the weather is really bad, so ABS might not be a big deal either way. I prefer non-ABS cars but since my kids are going to driving them I bought both with ABS. Insurance for cars with ABS tends to be a little cheaper but the cost of buying a car with ABS is often more than you will save in insurance costs.

Other than that both the Carola and the Yaris are fun to drive, get good mileage and are safe enough that I'm comfortable letting my 16 year old drive either one. All of them are good choices, just pick the one that you like the best or that fits you the best.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by pierdeux

Still dithering about my purchase of a Yaris...
[All prices below are in Canadian dollars and include administration fees, freight, delivery, tire duty, and various taxes. They don't take into account my haggling the salesperson...]


Would people have strong views about the choice between the following two cars? (Reliability, driving, room, etc.)

• Yaris (Sedan) 2010, 4 doors, automatic transmission, basic model (no ABS). 40 mpg. $(CAN)18,400.
  
• Corolla 2010 CE, 4 doors, automatic transmission, basic model (includes ABS). 37 mpg. $(CAN)19,000.

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If I'm willing to cough up a little more dough, what about the following comparison?

• Yaris Hatchback 2010 LE with Convenience Package, 5 doors, automatic transmission. 40 mpg. $(CAN)21,300.
  
• Matrix 2010 FWD, 5 doors, automatic transmission, basic model. 35 mpg. $(CAN)20,300.

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As I do a lot of inner city travel and I therefore use public transport or cycle as much as I can, I only do about 8,000 miles per year, these days. This means that I would spend a mere $200 extra in gas expense to drive a Matrix compared to a Yaris...

What's up with those prices? They make no sense at all. The Corolla is about the same price as a Yaris sedan (both base models)? And the Yaris Liftback is similar to the Matrix and more than the Corolla??

In this case, I'd say get the Corolla. In the US, a base Corolla is about $4,000USD more than a base Yaris. The Matrix is like $4-5,000 more than a Liftback. So is the Camry the same price too?

Originally Posted by Stove

I have a 08' Carola and just bought a '10 Yaris (5 door not a sedan). I think the factory seats in the Carola are more comfortable. If comfort is critical to you, get your dealer to park all three models next to each other so you can see which feels best to you. With the cars right next to each other, you'll have no doubt which fits you the best. We did that when we bought my wifes Carola and the only reason we got a Yaris this time was because I like the looks of the Yaris over the Carola.

The Yaris Sedan that you quoted is without ABS. ABS is really a choice of personal preference. Cars without ABS can stop faster in certain situations than those with it, depending on the drivers skills. If you use public trans a lot, then you can avoid driving when the weather is really bad, so ABS might not be a big deal either way. I prefer non-ABS cars but since my kids are going to driving them I bought both with ABS. Insurance for cars with ABS tends to be a little cheaper but the cost of buying a car with ABS is often more than you will save in insurance costs.

Other than that both the Carola and the Yaris are fun to drive, get good mileage and are safe enough that I'm comfortable letting my 16 year old drive either one. All of them are good choices, just pick the one that you like the best or that fits you the best.

What's a "Carola"???

[Stove]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

What's a "Carola"???

Wow, not only did I misspell it but I did it at least 4 times... I knew it wasn't a good week to quit sniffing glue.

[yarrr]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

What's up with those prices? They make no sense at all. The Corolla is about the same price as a Yaris sedan (both base models)? And the Yaris Liftback is similar to the Matrix and more than the Corolla??

I was thinking the same thing, but I checked the toyota canada site and the price difference is about 1000 dollars. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that air conditioning is an option.

[pierdeux]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

What's up with those prices? They make no sense at all. The Corolla is about the same price as a Yaris sedan (both base models)? And the Yaris Liftback is similar to the Matrix and more than the Corolla??

[...] So is the Camry the same price too?

Just for fun, here's the list of current Canadian prices (all taxes and so on included, minus $1000 for old Tercel in exchange), all automatic base models:

• Camry LE: $29,000
• Prius Liftback: $32,000
• Venza: $33,800
• Avalon XLS: $47,100

[Kal-El]

The current conversion rate: $1.00USD = $1.025CAN

These prices you are listing are absolutely outrageous (Avalon especially).

So that would translate into the Avalon costing $45,794.86 in the US.

The actual MSRP for the Avalon XLS in the States is $32,245.

So for what you guy's pay for an Avalon, we could buy the same Avalon + a Yaris.

No offense, but I ain't moving to Canada anytime soon.

(sorry, I know we're a bit off topic)

[auxmike]

Yeah, that's insane!
Wonder if they add VAT in Canada?

[pierdeux]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

The current conversion rate: $1.00USD = $1.025CAN

These prices you are listing are absolutely outrageous (Avalon especially).

It's a known fact that that the auto market in Canada is more expensive than in the US, but your analysis over-emphasizes that: you have to remember that, over the past three years, the Canadian dollar gained 50% in value w.r.t. the US dollar (or, if you look at it the other way, that the US dollar lost 33% of its value w.r.t. the Canadian dollar). Car prices did not fully compensate that change, but neither did Canadians' salaries -- hence the situation is most disadvantageous to an American who would (for some strange reason) want to buy a car in Canada...

(The prices quoted, for Quebec in this case, include a combined 13% tax.)

That said, I suspect Canadians (and Quebeckers in particular) would recoup a fraction of the difference on cheaper insurance costs... (But then, who buys a car because they'll get a good deal on insurance???)