Toyota Yaris NorthAmerica 2007/2008

[Project84]

Test drive scheduled in a white 2007 sedan 5-speed (only one 2007 sedan left on the lot!) with pretty much all options, dealer price at $14,157 for 10AM Saturday morning. The car is a left over '07 Model and the guy told me currently they offer no incentives... which WILL have to change if I aim to buy the car. I won't pay more than $13,000 RETAIL, which will still put me over $14k total after taxes and title.

I'll report back here Saturday afternoon and let you all know how I did on the test drive. IF I like it enough, I might even toss a number out and see how the salesman responds.

[JESSE69]

I looked over the Yaris and Fit and didn't want to spend $15,000 on a car. So I got lucky on Craigslist and bought a 1999 Honda Civic HX with 99,300 miles for $3800 after taxes and license. I gets better mpg than the Yaris or Fit, and it's bigger too. It's faster than the Fit. Being a Texas car, - it has no rust!

[Project84]

BUT, you have no warranty, and no recollection of what those first 90k miles were... be it abuse, or neglect, or care.... you won't know until problems develope, or don't develope. This has always been my big complaint w/ buying used.

Being a GM guy 100% all the way (not a complete fact anymore I suppose) I'd never be caught dead in a Honda... but I've turned enough wrenches rebuilding a friend's '87 Supra Turbo that I can vouch for Toyota's engineering and that was 20+ years ago!

Resale value is also a big thing for this possible new car purchase.

The Yaris is new and hot, people are eating them up (notice: They aren't offering much in way of incentives.... people are just too WILLING to pay MSRP as is). Not to say your Civic won't have its resale value but I'm SOOOO tired of hearing about the Civic that literally, its created a stigma all of its own, and I want no part of it just out of the sheer annoyance it has caused.

Go to any street corner and ask someone to name an import vehicle, I'm willing bet 95% of the time, the answer is "Civic". I just don't like that.

Also, bland styling.

Sorry... didn't mean to attack you.... but.. can we focus on the Yaris?

[RningOnFumes]

It's more than enough for commuting to work or the store. I guess with it's small wheel base (compared to the larger cars), you could easily get into parking spaces; turning radius is great too.

Now, I like doing my own maintenance and I can probably tackle an easy thing as changing out a radiator, but when big problems come, I can't stand paying so much to repair a car. This is why I got a new car. I wanted something cheap and reliable, something I knew would not need repairs for a while. It wasn't until a couple of weeks driving that I realized the advantages of the higher mpgs from this car, which is a great plus.

And if you want something different, this is different. A small car with some character.

[Project84]

I really enjoy how humble you seem with the purchase of your Yaris and I'm looking forward to my test drive tomorrow more and more.

I wish I had a scangauge to take with me. I'd like to know if it has fuel cut when decelerating or above a certain RPM.

I love how the Sedans look compared to the hatch's although I know the hatch would get better mpg.

I'm a mechanic by trade but it isn't my hobby outside of the SCCA car that I race. For my commuter car, I'd rather it be maintenance free (or bare minimum) of big problems, so like you, this is what is turning me on to the purchase of a new car. Add in that I'm young and need to build up good credit, and I'm budgeting for this car solely on money I now earn based on a wage increase at my job, and I don't think it have any adverse affects on my finances.

I just sold a truck and made a $2k profit, if I get a new car, I'll sell my Saturn for a $1k profit... So essentially, that's $3k of FREE money I'll be putting down on a new car purchase. My credit isn't good enough yet to be thinking about finding a house, so I'll continue to rent while paying on a new car to get my credit looking good.

Sorry to go on and on, just sorta thinking outloud (errrr.... thinking through my fingertips?).

[JESSE69]

Who needs a warranty when you saved so much over buying brand new + you aren't hit with massive car depreciation! The 96 to 2000 Honda Civics are easy to maintain and work on. Like it's easy to change the starter, distirbutor, spark plugs, brake pads, and do a valve adjustment. I'd let a mechanic do the Timing Belt though...

Well, I'd rather have a FIT than a Yaris if I had to go new. A $23,000 Prius is just a little expensive to me...

[dm1333]

I can't remember what my 88 Civic weighed but I think it was just a little less than the Yaris. Based on my memories of the Civic and the comparable dimensions and HP the Yaris is probably a real kick in the pants to drive, especially if you put on a new exhaust and intake.