Toyota Echo

levine90 · February 2001

Okay guys, I've pretty much committed to the Echo, but one question/problem still lingers. Whatever car I do decide to get, I'll be using it in large part for getting from central North Carolina to western South Carolina, near the mountains but no real mountain driving, something like a 5-6 hour drive. Do all of you owners feel that the Echo is a comfortable, safe and confident way to make a trip like this? My major concern is wind and slipping/sliding as a result; I'm anxious to hear what you all have to say about the issue.

Cheers,
Peter

kneisl1 · February 2001

Someone asked about winds affecting the ECHO and having just had a pretty major bout of fighting the wind the other day I'd have to say, yes, ECHO is a little susceptable to cros winds. Not quite as bad as the VW beetle (old) but I think some people may really be offput by it. Really you don't know anything about cross winds until you experience them at 80 on a motorcycle.But on the other hand, this is a SERIOUSLY cool car all the way around. It is easily the QUIETEST small car I have ever driven wind wise, very quiet at speed all around. Very cool. Seriously cool!

buzzhuse · February 2001

I have my last payment for my 2000 Echo in the mail now. Paid off in 12 months (a 24 month loan).

Love my car. Love my gas mileage. Love my title, when I get it.

kaz6 · February 2001

It is always a surprise to people (it was for me too)when they hear how good the Echo is as a long-distance vehicle! It's the quietest small car I've driven (avg. 80mph) from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and very comfortable to boot. Power is abundant for passing at most altitudes. The only time it starts to run out of steam is near the 4000ft. level. I always run it on premium but my old ZX-2 never ran out of power no matter what the altitude. On the other hand, the best mpg the ZX-2 had on the highway was 32mpg; Echo 41mpg.
And yes kneisl1, there is nothing like being on a motorcycle during strong crosswinds! I used to get major adrenaline rushes crossing the Verazanno Bridge(sp?) in NYC!!! 6ft steel expansion joints with the wind at 30mph and rain...whoo hoo!

kneisl1 · February 2001

No thankyou! No Verazanno Narrows Bridge for me on a motorcycle under those conditions! I DO ride my bicycle across it every year during the Bike New York event on the first Sunday in May. For those who have not heard of it, the city closes traffic to automobiles on a 42 mile loop around the city from the Battery north to the Bronx, then south to the VN Bridge and finishing on Staten Island. A most worthy event.

lynnann1 · February 2001

My husband and I have driven from Delaware to Greensboro and back once (about a 8 hr drive) and to and from the Lynchburg VA area once (6 hr drive) and we had no problems with comfort. Since we had no back seat passengers, I can't tell you how that would go.

pjourdan · February 2001

The review of the Toyota Echo by Edmunds. com is very negative. They really "slam" this vehicle. But, I've looked at a new Echo yesterday, test-drove it, and it seems to be a very "buyable" vehicle. I've owned a 1991 Toyota Camry LE V6 for 10 years and it's finnaly reached the end of it's "lifecycle." I need to buy a new vehicle mainly for commuter use and the choices seem to come down to an Echo, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, or Nissan Sentra. I'm leaning toward the Echo, But is it the best choice. Give me some feedback! Thanks!

kneisl1 · February 2001

1) costs less
2) easier to get in and out of
3) better mileage
4) more room inside
5) quiet
6) Toyota guarantees a muffler, shocks, or struts for life if they install them
7) Consumer reports likes ECHO
8) I think its a better car. I've fixed everything on all my cars and motorcycles all my life. GE trained me to work on Large Steam Turbines. RCA trained me to work on NASA flight hardware.
8) The other cars you mention are not really small cars anymore. (if you want a small car)
9) ECHO is cooler, IMHO

I think the slam by Edmunds is mainly at the economic aspect of buying ECHO....a Honda might make more sense when it comes to resale value. But the part where they call ECHO a cartoon car and "would you want to be seen driving up in this car?" is really wrong on thier part. That's a subjective comment, not a comment on the true function of ECHO as an automobile. But they could be viewed as being correct...some people actually think like that and that might be a factor for them in purchasing a car. The slam by Edmunds on ECHO is really a slam on the materialistic, ego driven, "I'm cool because I of what I drive" aspect of our society. It really isn't pretty.

koyoteee · February 2001

That's pretty quick to pay off the Echo. A couple of years from now, I will hopefully have the same nice feeling

koyoteee · February 2001

danny, I think it was you that posted way back about having cruise control installed, and as I recall, you also live in Canada. Could you tell me how much it was, and where you got it done, please? Thanks. I'm in Guelph, Ontario.
Ian

kaz6 · February 2001

Just took my Echo in for its first service visit...it consisted of the dealer making me wait two hours(w/appt.)while they took it to a quicklube place!! I only know it because they forgot to peel the windshield sticker off before giving the car back to me! Sheesh!
So to answer the question of wether or not to take it to the dealer: I'm sticking with the quick lube place! At least they only charged me what I'd pay which is $19.95...

kneisl1 · February 2001

Kaz6! Dude! What a story! Another reason I always do my own work! Do you think you might have a fraud case here? Toyota here in NJ says $24.99 and your out in 29 minutes or less and they pay for the next OC. You don't even need an appointment. I was talking to my neighbor who bought a Camry in 95 and we were going over all the reciepts he has from the dealer who has done all the work. He has the extended warranty. This man has spent $1500 to this dealer for six years for the maintainence for his Camry! The extended warranty didn't cover the new timing belt they just did, and there was a $50 deductable on the $100 water pump. Other than that, all the dealer did was scheduled maintainence (they charged him for 5 quarts of oil every OC and he has the four cylindar engine which takes 4)

xjs5 · February 2001

Hey. Great little car. Can I get one for $10,000?

kaz6 · March 2001

Well just goes to show one thing I've always believed: Toyota's are great cars with the crappiest dealers!!!

As far as extended warranties...I had one on my ZX-2 because it was brand new model in its first year AND a Ford. The warranty basically didn't cover anything that DID need work-'check engine' light never seemed to go off and after three visits and $50 deductible I learned to live with it.
As far as fraud...2 Toyota dealerships here in CA had lost class actions regarding slamming with leases costing owners double the value of the car!!!
Thankfully, my Echo is trouble-free and I plan to visit the dealer as little as possible.
The only other experience I've had like this was with a Kawasaki dealership in NYC. Don't get me started on that one! lol

vitaminj · March 2001

Thanks for the well wishes! I pick my silver baby up this Saturday!! Any last minute recommendations regarding what to do at pick up? I never bought a new car before. I think my first drive will be a long one with the following CD's; David Gray, PJHArvey, U2 and Marillion. OH! And a cup of coffee. One thing I forgot to check- does the Echo have intermittent wipers?

pjordan- I had all the same cars on my list when I was deciding. I liked the Echo the best because of my experience with Toyotas in the past, the price and because I don't feel so low in the seat compared to the other cars I drove. I also like it because it's small and great on gas. I kept going back and forth between the Focus and the Echo. I really liked the way the Focus drove, and would have bought it without a doubt if it wasn't made by Ford. I just kept test driving everything on my list and researching. A really helpful thing was when I asked the dealer if I could have the Echo for a few hours. I got to take it home and park it in my garage, parallel park and take it on the highway. I even went to the store with it. I rented a Focus for weekend trip too. Loved it- don't trust Ford.... now I'm repeating myself...... I'm gonna answer my own question about the wipers: no the base model doesn't come with intermitent wipers according to my pamphlet. Pooie

oh well! I still love it!

cwo4 · March 2001

I'll hit 29,000 this weekend on my Y2K ECHO. I was just wondering how many miles everyone else has on their's?

babyboomer · March 2001

1,300 on my 2001.

sonatafan · March 2001

26,240 and 9 months!

kneisl1 · March 2001

2650miles, three months old

kaz6 · March 2001

4900 miles in 3 months
vitaminj: good luck with your silver baby!
couple of things dealer 'forgot' to do with mine-the tank was not filled(only 1/4 tank!!!)and they forgot to put on some trim pieces for the passenger seat base.
If picking your car up at night as I did, make sure to park it under a bright light to make sure there is no cosmetic damage to the paint before leaving the lot.
I bought/took delivery at night so was not able to have them fill it-they were rushing me out so they could go home. Make sure steering wheel is centered (9&3 pos. horizontal)-mine wasn't; and the headlights were not aimed-I did it myself as it is very simple to do.
Have fun with your car and don't be afraid to take corners fast...Echo's can corner fairly well!!

rajmoran · March 2001

22,000 and some change in 12 months of ownership. No problems or complaints (except for the hub cap noise, fixed by Toyota, so no biggie). I like the car as much now as when I bought it, meaning I am still in love.

dnluna · March 2001

Hi all! I'll be buying a new car soon and I have my heart set on a 2001, 2 door, Seafoam Blue ECHO. There's only 1 thing stopping me...I live in New Mexico! Every day I have to drive through the mountains and rain and snow and wind and everything else. The Ford Aerostar van that I have now has trouble making it home sometimes! So what do all you ECHO owners think? Will my ECHO be able to stay in its lane or will it fly right over the side of a hill? Thanks!

kneisl1 · March 2001

Well, one thing that ECHO does do is shimmy a little in a cross wind. But so did my 74 beetle and that would not stop me from driving one is NM! I don't think snow and rain would bother ECHO more than those things would any other car. Probably ECHO would do BETTER than your van in those conditions...yes definately. I think you should consider the other reasons to buy an ECHO in making a choice...good mileage....low price...made by Toyota...fun to drive. You also said you had "your heart set" on one...that's probably the best reason to buy something. ECHO is a very loveable car. I think you'll probably be able to deal with the wind thing. BTW I visited a friend in Espanola this past summer on my motorcycle trip. Beautiful country!

carleton1 · March 2001

We had a 71 VW Super Beetle in Laramie, Wyoming where strong wind is as common as sunshine. YES, it was affected more by winds than my 67 Impala Sport Coupe but not enough to worry about. I think the ECHO would be much more stable in winds than the VW. Buy the ECHO and enjoy the MOST comfortable, most sensible sedan now made.

seafoamden · March 2001

I've got 26 miles on my seafoam blue 4dr auto in 5 and 1/2 hours of ownership. I nearly bought a Sentra, but the echo looks way cooler in my opinion. This is the first automatic trans that I've owned, my left foot doesn't know what to do. Today I cleared out a place in the garage for it, tomorrow I'm going drivin'!!

seafoamden · March 2001

Has anyone installed an aftermarket cruise control on their echo? I'm thinking of getting one, but can't seem to find any info on them.

dsgecho · March 2001

See previous dnny 28 and dsgecho posts about the SCS Cruise system that works good in my vehicle. About $320 for me.
Don

buzzhuse · March 2001

4,000 in 12 months. I work from home & have little use for a $20,000 car. Hence the Echo.

carleton1 · March 2001

The aftermarket accessories never did work as well as factory installed....especially cruise and power door locks. I can not understand why Toyota does not offer factory cruise and LE interior on the otherwise very excellent ECHO.

majorthomecho · March 2001

Major Tom is just over two months old and I have about 2800 miles on him. I only drive about 7 miles to work and 7 miles back so you know I have to be putting a lot of fun miles on him. And it is fun to drive.

dsgecho · March 2001

Agree with you on that one.
Don

vitaminj · March 2001

Well I picked my car up Sat and I absolutely LOVE it! There is one problem though. I don't know if it's me not being used to the car or what, but I just got home from driving it in the a bit of a snow storm and I was totally stressed. I couldn't go more than 40 mph on the thruway without feeling like the car was gonna spin out. I do alot of driving in this kind of weather ( I live in Buffalo, NY) and my Tercel was real reliable in this kind of weather. I know there was some discussion about tires earlier, but can someone living in similiar weather conditions give me some feedback about this? Thankyou!

kneisl1 · March 2001

Check your tire pressures. Other than that, it sounds like driving my old beetle. It took a while to build up speed on long trips in snowy conditions. Besides, do you REALLY want to go 60 in a snowstorm and wreck a new car? Come down here to Philiadelphia! If we get three inches the news stations act like WW III is about to happen. You wouldn't BELIEVE how slow everyone goes with three inches of snow on the road.
I was looking at the "ugly cars" list and I wanted to see if they were bashing ECHO. I only saw two references to ECHO. Mostly they were trashing cars like the new Lexus! What a rotten buch of people!

kaz6 · March 2001

while I have not had to drive in the snow I do know that my dealer's idea of 'prep' was to have two guys wash the thing and make me take the keys.

That said, other than the headlights being really out of aim the tires were severely overinflated. A lot of people forget how light the Echo is and inflate the tires too much. Have you checked your tire pressure? Maybe you need to let some air out so they aren't so hard in the cold weather.
Allow yourself to get used to the car as well. For the first week I felt like I was riding on one big trackball and felt like it would tip over cornering. It was just me as I have found the Echo a very nimble cornerer and the ride very comfortable.
Good luck with your new baby!
kneisl1: I have friends that live in Voorhees...you near there?

kneisl1 · March 2001

I think so...I live in Westmont.

tazereli · March 2001

1. Buy a set of real snow tires if you get alot of snow. There is NO all season tire out there what will perform as well as a snow tire in wintery conditions. Several tire makers market different winter tires. Most of these are toted as being snow/ice tires.

2. Keep tires to Toyota's recomended pressure. This info can usually be found on the little sticker on the inside of the driver side door.

3. Check your tire pressure often. This applies all year round. Tire pressure drops 1 psi for every 10 degree drop in temperature.

4. Check other things such as coolant, wipers, oil on a monthly basis. This also applies all year round.

And the most important tip of all!!

5. Dont be an idiot. Mother nature always wins so dont drive any faster than the weather ,your cars ability and your winter driving experience will allow. FWD is better than RWD in snow, but you can just as easily find yourself in the ditch as that Corvette.

Happy motoring!

vitaminj · March 2001

Thanks for the tips, I'll check out the tire pressure thing ASAP. I wasn't implying that I wanted to drive like a wacko. But I WAS getting passed by EVERYONE else. I didn't even want to take the beauty out in the snow AT ALL. But there's not much choice when you live here. So maybe, for her sake I DO need to move....haha

autonuts · March 2001

Hey, I posted a message a while ago and didn't get any replies. Does anyone out there or at Edmunds know if Toyota plans to make an Echo wagon? How about the 2003 Corrola - will it be available in wagon form? Thanks!!

sonatafan · March 2001

Nope no wagon in Echo's future, only a hatchback sold abroad that possibly may come here. Don't know about the Corolla, this being an Echo forum and all.

mpgman · March 2001

Looking at several small economical cars including Echo, Civic, and Golf. ABS and SAB appear to be impossible to find on Echos even though the literature says they are available. Anyone out there have one? How hard was it to find and what other equipment did it come with? Also, I see a lot of great mpg posts for the automatic. Is the 5-speed a lot better, or just 1-2 mppg? And tell me about the center armrest from JC Whitney. Thanks.

seafoamden · March 2001

I took my 2 day old to me seafoam blue auto trans Echo out for it's first good long drive(approx. 200 miles round trip from LancasterCA to Hollywood Ca) today. I love this car! It drove great in pretty heavy rain, I felt the visability was outstanding. In fact I felt I was able to see as well as in our RAV 4. It did get tossed around a bit in the wind, very similar to my Nissan hardbody truck, so it was nothing alarming to me. I'm still under break-in mileage and tried to keep the car at 60 or so on the freeway, but it just didn't want to let me. Well, and other drivers didn't want to let me either. I can't wait til I've passed 1000 miles so I can actually put my foot on the gas while I'm driving. The interior of this car is so roomy I actually felt like I was driving the RAV most of the trip. I like being able to sit up straight. And the bonus, because of the fold down rear seat we were able to purchase a new synthesizer for my wife and had plenty of room to carry it home (I don't think it would have fit in the honda or sentra that we were considering buying). I'm looking forward to having a cruise control installed soon. Having been a manual transmission man in my last 4 vehicles, I was a bit nervous about getting an automatic, but this one seems to shift just when habit has me reaching for the gear shift knob. Also it kicked out of overdrive at just the right places-when I had to accelerate past that slow moving truck with quicker moving traffic approacing, changing over 3 lanes in heavy but fast moving traffic on the 405 up the hill from Westwood to the valley. Brakes were great, though I was careful to be on the lookout so I wouldn't have to test them out too hard (mine aren't anti skid, I didn't see any echos while I was shopping that had anti-skid, I guess I'll just have to pump the brakes myself). The sound system was awesome, I've got the 3 in 1 with 6 speakers. Played CDs the whole time. This is certainly a fun car to drive around in. I didn't see any problem with it cornering, it rode great down the windy section of Sunset blvd in the rain no less! I'm guessing that I got pretty close to 40mpg on this trip, which was probably about 85% freeway driving. I've only used about 1/3 of the original tank of gas and am about 210 miles on the odo.
I've got to give a great deal of credit to all of you on this message board for helping me make my decision to purchase this little go-cart. Your enthusiam towards this car far exceeded that of any other message board in its class. I'm now proud to be an echoite too!

ckdk82 · March 2001

Just bought a 2000 echo. Has anyone had a problem with the drivers side mirror that makes objects appear warped? My dealer told me today that it was normal, but I am wondering if they just didn't want to mess with it. Any comments?
thanks.

dsgecho · March 2001

My driver side mirror seems the same as any other car I have driven. Sounds like a problem- maybe worth comparing to other cars the dealer has on the lot as the easiest way tosort it out.
Don

hera23 · March 2001

Hi Everyone,
I've been reading your comments with great interest. Thanks for all the information. Largely based on what we have read here, we will be buying a new Echo as soon as my husband graduates in April. We live in Alberta and are interested in a basic automatic, four door with A/C. Can any Echo drivers from Canada give me an idea of what to pay for one (minus GST & PST)? This is our first new car and we've done a lot of research but the dealers here are quoting 1,500 to 2,000 over MRSP. Any suggestions?

kneisl1 · March 2001

Just posted a note on the Civic 3 list inviting them to read our ECHO list to see what they're missing. I was suprised at all the complaints they had about their cars. I like the Civic (at least the old ones) but the new ones are too big IMHO

outdoors · March 2001

Hi,
I bought another radio/CD player for my Echo and want to install it myself. Does anyone know how to do this? I could not even see how to take the original one out...
Thanks

kaz6 · March 2001

Hello all! Just forgot to mention that after my first oil change (4800mi)the engine has been running even smoother-didn't think it possible!
I'm switching to synthetic (Mobil 1) at 7500mi.

kneisl1 · March 2001

Unfortunately the ECHO service manual doesnt say how to get the radio out. You need the electrical manual. What kind of CD player are you installing?

mravery · March 2001

don't pay any more than 300 over dealer invoice, I just bought a 2001, with package 1 AND 2 AND weather protection, and came out at 13100. no lie, and this is the 4 door auto... go to www.kbb.com and you can get the invoice price exactly how it is on the dealers records

sonatafan · March 2001

I replaced my radio awhile back. I was just waiting for an excuse to document it. Go to my website where I have completed and posted it there. The address is http://members.nbci.com/sonatafan

and then click on "Radio Removal Procedure" under the Echo topics.

Toyota Echo

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