2001 Toyota Echo

[R.I.D.E.]

Picked this up recently for $850. Needed a few things mechanical and some bodywork.

Repair right door and 1/4 panel, refinish-$500. Probably retailed for over $2K normally. My buddy has been doing this since he was 14. We did a cash deal. Fantastic work, considering the amateur previous attempt that left the damage looking like "a sack of doorknobs", LOL.

Right axle replacement, outer boot leaking $75
WRONG front brake pads installed previously $24
Check engine light engine misfire, one can of Techron $3
Steering wheel off center 10 degrees to the right, adjust tie rods $0
Alignment was good, tracks and brakes straight checked $0

Hours of cleaning stains and animal hair $0
State inspection $16

Like my Mirage, I wish this car did not have power steering.

Filled the tank today and reset the dual trip odometers. I'd like to see 50+ mpg.

The Mirage has 37 k miles. May 9th 2018 I will have owned it 36 months. I want to see the 10-100 warranty last close to the ten year mark. It can take a well deserved break over this winter, with an occasional road trip to keep things working right.

[luv2spd]

If I had a house, I think I would be flipping cars to make easy money. Buy cars like a Prius with a dead battery, fix it up and make a few hundred / thousand bucks. For some cars, it doesn't take much to bring them back to life.

I added a Seafoam fuel injector cleaner to my fuel tank and it felt like my car improved a little, but it could be just in my head. I cleaned my mass air flow sensor today, and noticed that there was a bit of oil around the sensor itself. I have a tube running from the valve cover to the intake; probably part of the secondary air pump system. Car seems to work a bit better now.

[R.I.D.E.]

60,000 hours working on cars and one of the most amazing things i have ever seen is how Chevron Techron cleans injectors. If I had any drive ability problem, I ALWAYS try it first.
That way I am not chasing an injector spray pattern issue. I'm not saying it will fix any issue but a rolling lean misfire is something you can feel before it kicks a code out. I cleared the CEL on this Echo, never even tried to reset it to clear, didn't need to.

[luv2spd]

I will add another bottle of Seafoam fuel injector cleaner in about 4,000 miles. It's such a cheap thing to do, so might as well do it now before the car starts to get old. All the forums online highly recommend doing this like you mentioned.

I'm always doing preventative maintenance on all my bikes and cars and that way they tend to last a long time. I find that it reduces the cost a bit in the long term.

[R.I.D.E.]

Saw 150 miles on the first quarter indicated on the fuel gauge. EOC and bump starting are easier than the Mirage, which I think has a much heavier flywheel. Taller gearing means many times I pulse in 4th or even 3rd gear, versus rarely in 3rd in the Mirage. The power is significantly greater, but the key is to keep it down on the revs but in the bottom of the best torque area of BSFC. We'll see in another week or so when it's time for a refill.

I haven't moved the ultragauge to the Echo yet, going to see how I can do just on instinct, first tank, then go from there.

[R.I.D.E.]

282 miles on 6.015 gallons, right at half a tank, capacity is supposedly 11.9 gallons.

47 MPG. Pretty much mechanically done, not bad considering what it could have cost based on the symptoms. Ready for a road trip up to the mountains for the fall foliage show.

Petersburg, Va has gas down to 2 bucks a gallon. $2.129 here for the first measurable fill up.

[Jcp385]

Nice work! 47 woulda been a hard one on my Echo, then again it was an auto.

Watch out for water creeping into the no. 1 spark plug tube. This shouldn't be as bad if you still have the plastic engine cover, but I'm not the only person who had that problem. Also clean the MAF sensor for good measure. For some reason mine had a tendency to get dirty every 18 months or so and start throwing my fuel trims up. Not much else goes wrong in these cars aside from VVTi solenoid/oil control valve going out now and then.

Other than that, the timing chain is lifetime, and when I got rid of it at 272k miles, it even had all it's factory hard parts (alternator, starter, AC compressor, etc.)

Shame it was so nervous at high speeds. It packed a lot of space versatility into its footprint. And if not for the awful seats, the smooth ride would also have made it a good road trip candidate.

[R.I.D.E.]

Last tank was 16 days, 481 miles, 10.506 gals (of 11.9 with pump signal flashing) @ $2.179 per gallon. Been working with my neighbor, car sat for several days without moving. That's $48.76 to drive over a month (32 days), LOL, in an $850 car. I think the insurance costs slightly less than half that, so 67 bucks gas and insurance to drive 962 miles a month in winter.

[Jcp385]

Still doing well! Echos are plucky machines and don't take much effort to collect the low-hanging MPG fruit.

[rfruth]

$16 for State inspection - wow !