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I wonder if they will cause my fuel economy to go UP at all. That would be a nice side benefit......
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
thanks as usual:)
thanks
The best new car out there is the Yaris. I just wish I could drive my ECHO with the manual transmission. The ECHO is the best small car ever made, IMO.
I was even thinking of getting a well maintained echo as my 'new' car lol
rick
My son just bought a 2000 Echo 5sp. The owner's manual does not address one, lone, toggle switch that is right in the middle of the front console on a pedestal below the radio/CD/ashtray. It has a line and cirle on it for "on/off"
I don't think it was some aftermarket install...
Does anyone any ideas what this switch is for?
/denis
/denis
what can I do get dirt out of cat con? replacement over 800! why so much?
on another note does anyone know when toyota will restock their dealers with yaris's?
thanks as always
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Caved in this week and bought a new battery, the old one was getting REALLY ropy on those crisp December mornings. Also had my drive belts replaced, cost me $150, whew. Still, I wouldn't have wanted to try that myself, there is NO room to work on those belts, they are so close to the right-side wheel housing.
I still have yet to replace the brakes, which were at 70% according to the shop, last time I had them checked. It's possible they were replaced prior to 50K, when the car was in the hands of its previous owner, but still that would be almost 80K so far without needing new brakes, and not even close to it now. :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
My sons ECHO (2000) is at 130k and still 60% of the second set of brake pads is there. I think the PO (only other owner) said the brakes were done at 90k.
Easy fix?
I did a new battery and tires last fall after four years, and it gets new spark plugs and coolant this spring. Apart from that, I don't even do much maintenance. It just goes right on chugging along.
My wandering eyes noticed a local dealer with a CPO '09 Yaris 'S' this weekend - the 3-door, stick shift, 12K miles, asking $13,5 (so would take $11,5 I'm sure) - tempting for an almost-new car with a 100K warranty. But the logical part of me says why buy a new car when the Echo is still running so well and costs next to nothing in upkeep? Plus Toyota cheaped out on the Yaris S hatch by leaving cruise off. And the 'S' is supposed to be for sport, but the only additions besides leather wraps inside are the rocker extensions etc. It still rides on the very narrow S-rated tires (with plastic wheel covers no less) and still has no rear sway or any changes at all to the suspension. And still has the very lousy factory stereo. So I walked on by after a minute spent debating with myself....
When you look around today, there really is nothing to replace the one-of-a-kind Echo. When mine finally craps out (or I maybe get too bored of it in a couple of years), I guess I will go check out a new Fit, but it won't be the same.....of course, the replacement WILL handle better. :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
But by all means take advantage of the $$$$ in savings your ECHO provides by supplying reliable transportation, hopefully for years to come!
The car does rattle at high speeds and the paint is coming off. She's seen some better days for sure. But she still runs PERFECTLY. The transmission doesn't slip and I still get amazing gas mileage. The Toyota Echo has proven to be the best car I've ever owned, by a landslide. I've owned 6 cars prior.
This week I went and test drove the 07 Honda Fit Sport, the 09 Honda Fit Sport, the 08 Scion XD, the 07 Toyota Yaris, and the 07 Mazda3. They all made me realize just how much I like my ugly, little Echo. Even the Yaris, which is supposed to be a modern Echo, doesn't come close. It's too heavy and therefore acceleration is sluggish. My Echo gets better gas mileage while being FASTER than all the cars listed with the exception of the Mazda3 (which gets abysmal gas mileage and is so-so on reliability).
But... as much as I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Echo, I need a car with cruise control now, and I feel like the time to sell her is approaching. I am going to be so sad to let her go. When I lost my job due to the recession, she saved my butt. I even slept in her a few times. I drove her across the country 4 times and when gas prices peaked she didn't dent my wallet. If I'd have had to deal with repairing a transmission or an engine two years ago I would have ended up homeless and riding the bus. I remember when I moved from LA to Oklahoma and loaded her up to twice her weight capacity via a temporary roof rack. Her wheel wells almost completely covered the back tires and I was sure I was ruining her transmission climbing those Arizona hills. But she plowed right through without whining at all. My Echo has stood by me, and despite how hard I've been on her, she hasn't asked anything of me but a little gas and some fresh oil every now and then. The Echo has been a wonderful investment.
I suppose, if I had to choose right this minute, I'd get a Scion XD as a replacement. The Fit, while closest in handling and overall "driving feel" to the Echo, is just too dang slow! The Echo has just the right amount of acceleration. It's not fast, but it's fast enough. The Fit feels quick at low speeds, but as soon as you hit that on ramp, you realize you're flooring the accelerator and just barely catching up with the cars on the freeway. The XD feels like a hunkering monster compared to the Echo, but the 1.8 engine counters it's bulbous weight. The XD seems like it accelerates about the same as my Echo, if not a tad quicker.
Honda Fit - Handles Like an Echo
Scion XD - Accelerates Like an Echo
Yaris - Feels Like an Echo (on the inside)
I sure wish all those cars would merge together into one... oh, wait a second... they did, 10 years ago.
/denis
My '02 is only at 135K, but I also have not had a single repair. Original clutch too, with no sign of impending failure.
It's also a very cheap car to maintain, with 60K-mile plugs and a timing chain.
I have also contemplated the marketplace for possible replacements and come up empty-handed. I am hoping the upcoming CRZ will fit the bill, but it will sure cost a lot more than the Echo did to achieve the same fuel economy and acceleration (with much better handling thrown in to account for that price premium!).
Other options include the Fit you mentioned, which is slower AND thirstier (what a combo! :sick:) and the Mini Cooper, which will have it all - 40 mpg (for me with my driving pattern, matching how th Echo does for me), speed, and handling - but will also cost more than $20K.
Who knows. The only one of those three that will have the open interior design of the Echo - which I love, it makes it feel like a much bigger car inside than it actually is - is the Fit.
There are some new cars coming on the market, Mazda2 and Fiesta initially, which may do a better job of filling the Echo's shoes, but they are tough shoes to fill and for now my Echo isn't going anywhere....
Edit....by the way, my Echo has the Rostra cruise control which has worked flawlessly all these years. Like you, I wouldn't be without cruise in my car. Perhaps instead of replacing the Echo you shoudl consider installing cruise? The Echo really is one of a kind.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Question. I have a rattle between battery and fender only rattles at idle. Any ideas?
Still haven't ever replaced the brake pads, although this time they said the fronts were down to 3 mm, so if I keep it longer than next spring I will probably end up replacing those too....
Had a free loaner while they were doing the service - a 2010 Yaris automatic. Not a bad piece of work for $15K.....don't like the brakes though, the brakes on my Echo are much more confidence-inspiring. I notice that even with the weight gain and height reduction, the Yaris still gets blown around in the wind on the freeway just like the Echo. The thing I most dislike is that where the Echo's central instrument pod is canted toward the driver, the one in the Yaris just faces straight back, so all the instruments are angled away from the driver. Not a good design, the Echo was better. And I much prefer the analog fuel gauge in the Echo to the LCD thing in the Yaris. But the Yaris has the edge in looks, as do most cars when compared to the Echo! :-P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
PLEASE ADVISE WHAT TO DO? APPRECIATE ANY INPUT. THANKS.
If it is a potential overheat and you absolutely must keep driving to get home or to a garage, open the vents and turn the heat up - this will move hot air out of your engine and into the passenger compartment. Roll your windows down to keep from cooking yourself and get your car shut down as soon as possible.
If it's the oil light, add oil.
So I'll give an update on my Echo I picked up 1.5 years ago on the good message board. 2001 auto trans with 40k when I purchased it. It has been flawless with great mileage. I'm up to 60k and I'm shooting for 200k.
I changed out what I think were the orginal plugs in the fall. I get the oil changed about every 4k and the little guy runs like a top. It appears I still have the orginal battery(it has a blue eye for the charge like the old delco's did in green).
140k to go!!!!!
The ECHO is just an amazing durable little car and I have no doubt youll get another 140k out of it. Maybe a little something will go but just fix it and keep going forward. It would help if you drove it like 35k each year though!
That being said, it should be easy to tell if your fan is turning on or not as it's very easy to hear. Do you hear the front fan turning on periodically (the one in the engine compartment attached to the radiator)?
You might check fuses (simplest things first) to see if there's something burned out (there's one inside and one under the hood). If that's not the case, and no one can look it up for you, you might try following the wires from the fan to see where they go.
It just got dinged up while it was parked, so it's no longer the pristine car it once was....with 140K on the clock, I didn't figure it was worth putting a ton of money into fixing something cosmetic. Luckily there was no damage to anything functional. People need to be more careful entering parking spaces! I got 2 estimates just to see how much it would cost to repair, neither one was under $2300. For a dent the size of my hand in front of the rear wheel well. Must be good to be in the auto body biz.....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)