Toyota Yaris Feedback and Advice

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Leo99
For a few dollars more, get a Corolla.

You may be into something: here is why.
10 years ago I bought my '08 Yaris sedan new. no deals fro Toyota/Toyota financials, the cars they where flying from the lot...
but the Corolla/Camry and a few others where 0.9-06% loans and they where dealing....
My car hold me for 10 years, but a bit more space or length would have been useful...

OP, if a small hatch car which you don't get the "thrill" when somebody opens the door into it in any parking lot, which can do a lot for it's small size, than go for it.

Just one thingy: test the chairs for 1/2 hour. For me they where good. for others, so so.

Oh: and they are cheap right now...

 

[Smokescreen]

Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
I never owned a Yaris but this is my take on them-
Every single Toyota Yaris I have ever gotten into have been extremely gross. Trash every where, smells like someone took a dump in the back seat, and just got done running a 5 mile run. And usually missing hub caps.

That's a characteristic of a driver/owner of any type of car that you seem to get into....not a car itself.

 

[gathermewool]

OP, have you been in one; driven one? If you haven't then this thread is kind of pointless.

I can't imagine anyone choosing this over any other, unless it was for a specific purpose OR because any other car would be too expensive. I have to imagine anyone who would choose a Yaris over a Fit, Fiesta, or any other sub-compact, is doing so for a reason, and with knowledge of its lack of refinement. If I were to choose one, it would be for a VERY short commute (like the OP mentions) and as a second vehicle (like the OP mentions.)

If you don't care about refinement and only drive around town, AND you don't care about all of the negatives posted already, then this is the perfect car for you.

Originally Posted By: SeaJay
So I guess it has been well established with all of these comments that it is not a high end car. Shocking!

Rented one for a week or two by the shore once, was very impressed at the amount of room inside (I am very tall) for me as well as all of the beach toys. Sipped gas and got us where we needed to go at a cheap price. It did all that I could have expected, and much more at that price point.


I was given one as a rental in STL for two weeks back in, I want to say, 20112, and I thought it was perfectly fine. It wasn't a new rental (I believe it had 40k+ miles on it), but it had no rattles or squeaks that I remember. The interior was BARE. As was mentioned, the lack of center console was a little weird and I never got used to it; every Subie I've owned has had a center console that I could rest my elbow on, so that's likely why.

I want to say that the power was anemic, but I don't remember it being inadequate. I remember having to floor it on on-ramps, but not that I was ever in any danger of entering the highway too slowly.

I, too, found the interior to be quite roomy @ 6' tall (I was alone - backseats are worthless).

With that said, I felt VERY, VERY small on the road. I honestly did not feel that I would live through any sort of accident. By comparison, the next year (or two) later I had a Fiat 500, which didn't feel as small as it is on the road. It was also a blast to beat on! I felt like the guy in the above YouTube video, even though I was likely getting to 60 MPH in over 10s!

 

[NewEnglander]

I have driven one, yes. A lot of the comments here ring true with my experience. It won't be our primary ride and essentially a secondary runabout for a few times a week. Probably not a lot of highway, and mostly tight parking.

I appreciate all the feedback. It sounds like most see it as a fine car for what it is, but have kindly highlighted what it is so I will expect what it is and no more than what it is!

Or as they say, it is what it is.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: NewEnglander
I have driven one, yes. A lot of the comments here ring true with my experience. It won't be our primary ride and essentially a secondary runabout for a few times a week. Probably not a lot of highway, and mostly tight parking.

I appreciate all the feedback. It sounds like most see it as a fine car for what it is, but have kindly highlighted what it is so I will expect what it is and no more than what it is!

Or as they say, it is what it is.

I probably commented a lot in your threads, but I just saw your location (Boston MA).
The bumpers are soft, plastic, and have a lot of give in.
When snow hits, make sure you learn where you can put your hands to push the car (also because of the softness)...

With good tires + winter shoes you will have a little capable go-cart for in town.
Just make sure you know your front bumper height clearance...

 

[Subdued]

My Yaris was my work commuter (38 miles each way) for 4 years. It's now a spare car and beater for the stepkids.

It gets the job done extremely reliably, but I was just done driving a small car on a longer commute.

 

[SatinSilver]

You can check on www.carcomplaints.com to see which years are best. I think the first year of that generation was 2007. So probably a 2010 or so would be best. Try to get the S version since it has slightly wider tires and a firmer suspension. I had a few of them as rentals around 2010 and the S version seemed so much nicer compared to the base models.

 

[NewEnglander]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
You can check on www.carcomplaints.com to see which years are best. I think the first year of that generation was 2007. So probably a 2010 or so would be best. Try to get the S version since it has slightly wider tires and a firmer suspension. I had a few of them as rentals around 2010 and the S version seemed so much nicer compared to the base models.


THANK YOU. This is the kind of feedback I haven't heard yet and one of the last factors going into the search. Granted it is a small car and perhaps the safety systems are less relevant, but the 2010+ also have the Toyota Star Safety package with ABS, brake assist, and more airbags versus the 2007. That's been a bigger factor for me as I see it as more relevant given the small car it is, but again, perhaps not as relevant as I feel it might be.

 

[NewEnglander]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: NewEnglander
I have driven one, yes. A lot of the comments here ring true with my experience. It won't be our primary ride and essentially a secondary runabout for a few times a week. Probably not a lot of highway, and mostly tight parking.

I appreciate all the feedback. It sounds like most see it as a fine car for what it is, but have kindly highlighted what it is so I will expect what it is and no more than what it is!

Or as they say, it is what it is.

I probably commented a lot in your threads, but I just saw your location (Boston MA).
The bumpers are soft, plastic, and have a lot of give in.
When snow hits, make sure you learn where you can put your hands to push the car (also because of the softness)...

With good tires + winter shoes you will have a little capable go-cart for in town.
Just make sure you know your front bumper height clearance...


Good call. Would probably throw Nokians on the car. Have heard about the bumpers but great points on where to push, etc. Mucho gracias.

 

[NewEnglander]

Originally Posted By: Subdued
My Yaris was my work commuter (38 miles each way) for 4 years. It's now a spare car and beater for the stepkids.

It gets the job done extremely reliably, but I was just done driving a small car on a longer commute.


Sounds like a similar use for what we'd look at the car as. If we ever get a longer commute than what we have (and out of city) I'd move on to a bigger Toyota like a Prius or perhaps an Avalon hybrid. Good stuff, thanks!

 

[Huie83]

I rented one for a week in Vegas a few years back. It was no thrills but got the job done.

I found the interior to be fine for a cheap subcompact, rode nice and had plenty of power. Did well on the highway too.

I found the engine to be surprisingly rough at idle. It shook the interior/steering wheel which was pretty annoying.

I also rented a 17 corolla this past year for a 700 mile trip. Everything was nicer than the Yaris besides the seats. The seats in the Corolla killed my back while the ones in the Yaris were fine.