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The Yaris/Echo hatch is the one I fell in love with on a trip to Spain a few years ago. Love the way it looks to this day!
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Feb/16/il/il01a.ht- ml
You can also buy impact strips that are magnetic. I've used them before and they provide good protection in tight spaces. The only drawback is you need to make sure the sheet metal is clean when using them otherwise you risk scratching the paint.
Thanks,
Don Gillespie
I saw a 2001 for $7500 today. I bought my second Echo on Craigs List for $8400 about six months ago.
"We arent fans of ECHO. For a superior offering, check out the cars from Kia and Hyundai."
Superior offering? In what catagory? They arent as well made, dont get as good gas mileage, have a terrible repair record, are made by comapnies on the verge of financial bankruptcy, and dont have anything like ECHO's engine. The only thing they have on the ECHO is they cost less...
Pros: good gas mileage, Toyota reliability, speedy acceleation, roomy and functional interior."
Thats a lot isnt it. What other car you say that about? I would add ECHO is a sleeper buy for those who want a ecology conscious car. Its HALF the cost of a Prius and gets 85% of the mileage.
Cons: cartoonish styling, dopy gauge placement, tiltawhirl handling, deceptivly low base pricing.
They have a good point about the base pricing. To which I would add its pretty hard to find a base ECHO... which I would buy in a Dixie minute. Adding a few options can make the price shoot up to $15k pretty fast. My suggestion is dont get them youll do fine without them.
Here we have the REAL reason for Edmunds dislike of the ECHO...it isnt cool enough for them! These are insecure people. They need their car to reinforce their opinion of themselves. (or use it to bully others) The stlying is weird but it grows on you. Who cares what it looks like this is a functional, reliable car. You get used to the gauge placement fast enough and maybe even come to prefer it. Everything they say negitive about ECHO needs to be seen in this not cool enough for them attitude.
"When you cut through the marketing hype what you see isnt pretty."
Marketing hype? What are they talking about? I have never seen a Toyota commercial for ECHO. ECHO is the stepchild of the Toyota family. You never see them promote it.
"Do you want people to think when you pull up to the curb that you borrowed a prop from Disneys Toontown?"
Here is more of their insecurity on display.
"Toyota says ECHO was designed to equal the carshworthiness of the CAMRY. Crash tests confirm these goals."
Hooray!
"Handling is not ECHO's forte. Crosswinds seriously hamper the drivers ability to stay in his own lane."
Right this isnt a BMW Three series. But the handling issue is overstated. If youre used to one of those BMWs youre going to notice crosswinds in the ECHO. Ive driven my ECHO long distance in great comfort. At 80 mph. Cross winds and handling were never issues.
It's a very good car though, and extremely reliable. I would have one in a second if I could get over that crosswind thing. Maybe larger tires would help?
The Echo: cute as can be! I thought the interior, while a little bland-looking, was very spacious - the car handled well - I love the new styling -
The Prius: cool! The CVT gets some getting used to - but acceleration was more than adequate - the computer which tells you your MPG was very interesting too - somewhat small trunk though - on the test drive I got 41 MPG -
anyway, my Corolla has been flawless so far - so I guess I made a good choice
However, I was checking Toyota's web site (USA) and going through the "Build Your Own" feature, the 4 door was only available with a slush box! I tried a few other zip codes (mine is 06082), but none in my neck of the woods had the 5 speed/4 door combination.
The lack of a manual transmission will take the ECHO completely off my shopping list. What is Toyota thinking!
Also, does anyone know if there are any other sources of Black Sand Pearl touchup paint -- other than a dealership? I was wondering if there might be a Duplicolor or other equivalent.
Slugline: At 30k (according to my 01 manual) you need the airfilter and sparkplugs changed, the oil in the engine chaged, the coolant changed. Also, you need to inspect the boots on the front drive axles, (which should be checked at every oil change from now on, in my experience) the brake pad/shoe thicknesses, the tie rod and ball joint linkages. Also, I would change the brake fluid at this point although the manual doesnt call for it. Also, on a manual transmission Id bleed out the slave cylinder on the clutch. Basically, you want to put the car on a lift and check everything out under the car you can see. Also, check the gasket on the gas cap and replace it if it looks dammaged.
I just read the latest edition of consumer reports and the ECHO does very well in it. It was listed as the most reliable car in the subcompact class.
I also have heard raised concerns about the environmental consciousness concerning the batteries that are in the hybrids. I hear they're not at all good for the environment, and no one thinks about that before purchasing one of these vehicles. In addition, replacement of these batteries will most definitely raise your operating costs. I think the best way to go is a diesel engine, but a 'good' diesel engine like they sell in Europe that's pretty environmentally friendly. I wish the US would get on the ball with their crappy diesel fuels and up to Europe's standards.
Today, on my commute to work in Vancouver we had very strong crosswinds, about 50 mph and many other cars were all over the road but in their lane. I felt extremely safe, no problems at all to keep the car going straight.
My old '71 Beetle was much more of a handful at 75 mph when it was windy!
Maybe thats why I think ECHO is so stable!