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Toyota Echo

18687899192115

Comments

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I just read a survey of echo owners in PM. Out of a thousand owners, 62% were female 25% male with the rest being owned jointly.
  • babyboomerbabyboomer Member Posts: 205
    Interesting stat that more Echo owners are female than male. I do not want to jump to the wrong conclusion (for example, that the Echo is a Chick car). The stat says "owners" and not "drivers" but I assume if the owner is female then the car is driven mostly by that female. Did the article break it down according to age? Did they said what percent is first time buyers? Did the article say which make/model is driven mostly by women? By men?
  • solrac2ksolrac2k Member Posts: 1
    Hello, I'm currently experiencing a similar problem that you encountered with your Echo. My 2001 Echo requires a new alternator, I had noticed the increased engine noise and had a couple of "experienced mechanic ears" take a listen to it and they advised I would need to eventually replace the alternator. The indication at the time was that it was not a urgent issue, but one that would have to be looked at soon. My problem was that I was going back to the States (I'm currently stationed in the UK) for the Holidays and thought I could address this issue when I returned from my trip. Needless to say, I recently received the "check battery" indication on my instrument panel. I'm hesitant to drive the vehicle to avoid possibly getting stuck on the side of the road and calling a tow truck to return me home (the exchange rate is crazy at the moment, 2 dollars for 1 British Pound). I would like to find out if you purchased your alternator online, and if so, where were you able to locate the alternator part number? I've looked through my owner's manual and I can't seem to find it. Any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Carlos.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I did a google search for "toyota ECHO" and just was reading all the reviews for it when I came across what I believe was the Popular Mechanics or Popular Science article. Yes they have all the demographics and about two feet worth of screen statistics. I remember most buyers were about 40 something and the car TOTALLY missed its intended market.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Its www.popularmechanics.com. Click on car reviews and find the one for ECHO.
  • wrgrahamwrgraham Member Posts: 112
    Solrac2k, I don't think I have anything of substance that will help. My mechanic looked very closely with mirror and all to get the numbers as best he could off of my alternator. Then he phoned a foreign cars supply source and they found the replacement alternatives on the US west coast. So an alternator was flown in and installed in just a few days. But then I am told that the noise is still there, and out went the new alternator and a water pump has been ordered and will be installed next week. The noise has been progressing slowly, but still we use the car some and it is not an alarming sound yet. By the way, no expense for me due to the wrong diagnosis, these people are good ones. Sorry i did not get back to you sooner, these are busy days for many of us.
  • babyboomerbabyboomer Member Posts: 205
    On this special day I just wanted to Echo all over the world the appreciation for all our blessings.
  • carglowcarglow Member Posts: 91
    Any more news about the ECHO hatchback coming to the U.S. in 06?
  • allenchenallenchen Member Posts: 2
    Hi Mike,

     

    I have a 2003 Echo with 22,000 miles. It also has the same problem as you described in this forum. Have you fixed the problem? Please let me know.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Allen
  • zodiyakzodiyak Member Posts: 1
    I bought my 2003 Echo on September 4, 2004. It had been a leased car and had 8800 miles on it when I purchased it for $13,800, specifially for my courier route. I paid the Toyota dealer $600 to add cruise control, installed about 2 weeks after I purchased the car. This dropped the gas mileage from 39 mpg to about 35 mpg (worth the loss in my opinion). I am a courier with a 5-day per week bank run. I drive a total of 240+ miles each day, mostly interstate driving. It's an automatic with AC. My Echo now has 122,000 miles on it and I have had no problems. I have only changed the oil (every 3000 miles), rotated the tires at 5-6k miles, the air filter, and flushed the trans at 100,000 miles. The first set of tires lasted to 65k miles.

     

    Much of my daily route being interstate, I do a lot of 80-90 mph driving for consistently long intervals. I am amazed at the handling, ride, and agility of this car, especially in Atlanta traffic. How many cars will effectively kick in to passing gear at 90mph?

     

    My only complaint is that the standard AM/FM radio does not sport a digital clock, and there are only two wiper speeds, slow and a little faster. Intemittent speeds would be nice.

     

    The car being under 2000 lbs has amazing pickup speed. Hopefully, my Echo will last to at least 500,000 miles, which is about when I will have it paid off. If I continue in the courier business, I will likely buy another Echo.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I am curious... why would adding cruise control drop the mpg so much?
  • babyboomerbabyboomer Member Posts: 205
    Received the following email today from my brother:

     

    "I read Toyota is deleting the Echo. Yours may be valuable some day."
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Its availible for 2005, however I couldnt buy one at either of my local NJ toyota dealers who also sell the Scion. Whether or not it will continue to be availible in 2006 is a good question. I think were lucky it wasnt discontinued in 2005.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    The following is from a survey of ECHO owners done by Popular Machanics

     

    Age of Owners

     

    under 30 21%

     

    30-49 48%

     

    50 + 30%
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    How Do You Like The paint Quality?

     

    excellent 65%

    good 29%

    fair 4%

    poor 1 %
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    How would you rate the engine performance?

     

    excellent 36%

     

    good 51%

     

    fair 11%

     

    poor 1%
  • carglowcarglow Member Posts: 91
    Yeah ... cruise control should INCREASE your mpg.
  • sluglineslugline Member Posts: 391
    It's possible for an attentive person to use less gas than the cruise control when driving in hilly terrain. A person can anticipate the crest of a hill and let off the gas to coast down the other side, while cruise control may keep the accelerator depressed a long way down the hill. Cruise control can also leave an auto tranny downshifted (raising the revs) longer than necessary.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Body Fit and Finish

     

    excellent 64%

     

    good 32%

     

    fair 2%

     

    poor 1%
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Well the blush is off the rose, I had an accident in my ECHO. On my way to work the road was slick on the city streets after 2 or so inches of snow, Passing the post office a car pulled out in front of me on my right. I turned the wheel to the left to change lanes and went into a skid. I just kept going to the left in a skid all the way across the road until I hit the curb at about a 45 degree angle and came to a stop. The hit was right in the middle of the left front wheel as you can see from the hubcap. At this point doesnt eem to be any dammage to the rim. You can still go 70 mph with no vibrations. The car still goes in a straight line. But the steering wheel doesnt self center after a turn and when you go straight ahead it now is turned to the left. Its a wrench because this car steered so perfectly and precisely.
  • billmchalebillmchale Member Posts: 107
    Sounds like the alignment on the car has been knocked out of wack by your accident; unless something is actually bent, it should be pretty cheap to get fixed. Pretty much any decent mechanic can do a 4 wheel alignment. Should be pretty cheap as well.

     

    --

    Bill
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Hey kneisl1, sorry to hear about your accident.

     

    About these survey numbers you keep posting, you really should provide a source and a link to where they are coming from.

     

    Thanks - hope everything works out with your steering.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    If you think Im typing out all those alphanumeric characters youre crazy. If anyone wants to see the whole survey you can do a google search for Popular Mechanics. At their site, do a search for Toyota ECHO and click on the one for 4/11/04. (or something like that) You dont have any objection to me posting a survey question every day, do you? There isnt much activity here otherwise and I hope that brings some people in.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    All you have to do is highlight the URL in the address bar, right-click, choose copy and then in the message text, right-click and choose paste.

     

    You need to do that or else I need to remove the messages. There are copyright issues involved as well as a need for folks here to be able to see the context of these surveys if they are interested in following up.

     

    If you still don't understand what you need to do, just drop me an email. Otherwise, just post a direct link to the surveys you've been quoting by the method I suggested and everything will be just fine. When you post a link, please let us know which of your posts that link references.

     

    Thanks.
  • rossm2rossm2 Member Posts: 96
    For those who are interested, here is the link to the Echo survey to which kneisl1 has been referring. Hope this helps.

     

    http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/owners_reports/1270856- .html

     

    Ross
  • reba05reba05 Member Posts: 36
    I am looking to purchase an '03 Echo with 43,000 miles. I have been looking through the forum and noticing problems owners have had with this vehicle (have never owned a Toyota). Most seem to be for older models than the '03 but I am wondering if I should be hesitant with purchasing this vehicle? I worry about the cost of parts for Foriegn made vs. American made cars. Anyone with an '03 that has tons of miles that could give advice??

    Much appreciated!
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    If you look at JD Powers and Consumer Reports, Toyota is number one for long-term reliability (well, actually, Lexus is, but that is Toyota's luxury division). The Echo is listed as extremely reliable by Consumer Reports. (I know some people will say CR is wrong, or biased, or whatever, but try to find a better source of good data!) Remember that these forums attract the few people who do have problems, but seldom do you hear from the thousands who have no problems. The Echo is a great car, just be sure to get it checked out thoroughly. Even a Toyota can become a problem if the prior owner did not care for it properly.

    The cost of repair parts? Not really much more, especially considering that with a Toyota you will not need nearly as many repair parts, compared to other brands. The cost of repair parts for Toyota and Honda has dropped considerably compared to the past. Other imports this may not be the case. Check out Edmunds Total Cost of ownership.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Basically there are no problems with the ECHO for any year. The car has not been changed during its production life. If you want some excellent data and owner feed back on the ECHO see post 4528 aove and click on the url there.
  • reba05reba05 Member Posts: 36
    I had a feeling I would get a good response! I have to admit that its been difficult finding used ECHOs in the Twin Cities area - not too many available so I felt that was a good thing, owners are keeping them long term!

    Well as soon as I make my purchase I'll be back with an update!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I broke down and took the ECHO to an alignment shop a few weeks after bashing the front end against a curb. Although it was driving OK, on a rain slick road at 60 mph I nearly lost control of it after making a sudden lane change. I went to Schimps here in Camden which has been in business aligning front ends since 1929. If you want a modern shop with all the latest technology, forget it when going to Schimps. The shop is straight out of the 50s...maybe earlier. On the other hand they are artists at what they do. Car is good as new now. Steering is centered and the wheel returns by itself to straight ahead after a turn. HOORAY!!! (I was getting a little worried there for a while...)
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Are the Twin Cities you mention in Minnesota? I feel I must mention if you live there that MY echo is not the best car I have ever owned for driving in snow. In fact its pretty awefull. It has no traction especially going uphill in deep snow and it skitters around the road on hard packed. Perhaps others could relate their experiences with their ECHOs drving on snowy roads. I love my ECHO and I hate to burst your bubble, but thats the fact of the matter. Maybe someone else has had better luck.
  • rossm2rossm2 Member Posts: 96
    If you check the "Tirerack" ratings of the original tires, you will have the explanation. The OEM tires are just about the WORST tires you can fine for driving on snow. There is nothing wrong with the car - if you have proper rubber.

     

    Ross
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    I agree with the fact there is nothing wrong with the Echo in the snow. I purchased the cheapest "snow" tires at Wal Mart 4 years ago and use them every winter, for about 3 months. They are still good for at least another year and the car is very stable in snow and ice.

    Of course if you drive at the same speed you drive in summer you are looking for trouble, regardless of what car you own.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    What would listers say are good all season tires for driving in snow? The car will need new tires in a couple of years. It has the origional Potenzas on them now. Does anyone know of a cheap place to get rims for an ECHO? I dont imagine Id find any in a junkyard around here there not being that many ECHOs around.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I found that the Kumho Ecsta 716 HP4 is a good all-around tire and was able to handle 8" of snow (not real fast, but it made it through). They are very inexpensive also. Sears and Discount Tire (for two) carry them, but you might have to special-order your size. I put them on my Elantra in place of the original Michelins in November and have been very pleased with them.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I just realized my wifes car has the same type of tires as my ECHO, Bridgestone Potenzas. But here car is a tank in snow and my little ECHO likes to swap ends.
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    What is the weight difference between the two cars?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Probably twice as much as the ECHO, judging by the mileage it gets. But what a car weighs means nothing in terms of its ability to drive in snow. My old VW Beetle weighed as much as my ECHO and was great driving in the snow. So were the Ford Pintos the car rental agancy I worked for used to rent, and they were rear wheel drive. When it snowed (in Albany NY) we would drive those around instead of the other cars we rented. The Ford Granadas were also excellent despite being rear wheel drive.
  • reba05reba05 Member Posts: 36
    I just have to say that I purchased my ECHO last Friday and I LOVE IT! It drives very well and it is surprisingly fast! I think the doors feel a little cheap/thin but other than that, it seems to be well built.
    And we did have snow the other day and it drove very well - my very first car was a little one with skinny little tires, and I recall how well that drove in the snow also - tires cut right through the snow versus spinning on top. I have Michelin tires, not sure what type, but they seem to be pretty good.
    The best thing was parallel parking - I thought I was close to the car behind me and when I got out I had 4 feet of room! Need to get used to that...
    Will keep you posted on my travels!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Another happy customer! Is any of this sinking in, Toyota?
  • bryanwbryanw Member Posts: 12
    I just picked up my new Echo sedan last Friday as well. First new car for my wife and I in 14 years. We took 3 months to pick out what we wanted. Started out looking at minivans-blechhh-then got the idea that a compact sedan would be a good choice having suffered through several gas guzzlers. The Toyota dealer was low pressure and more than willing to accomodate requests for extended test drives.
    The high quality construction, reliability ratings and low operating cost of these cars is what won me over.
    The new Echo has been dropped right into the middle of the Canadian snow belt with Michelin MX4 14" tires. Last night we got 10 inches of wet snow and the Echo was able to navigate through it no problem. BryanW
  • sluglineslugline Member Posts: 391
    Has anyone experimented with plus-sizing the tires on their ECHO? Maybe 185/60-14 instead of 175/65-14? That might open up the number of choices dramatically.

    bryanw: That's interesting that you started looking at minivans and ended up with an ECHO. It sounds like going down to the pet store to buy a dog and coming home with a parakeet. :) Although I still think an ECHO wagon might make an interesting stuff hauler ... but I guess that would cut into the Scion line too much.
  • bryanwbryanw Member Posts: 12
    I know it sounds strange bringing home an Echo when we started out looking for a minivan. The logic goes like this. First look was at a Dodge Caravan but the poor quality, dismal reliability, and lousy gas mileage scared me away. Same for Chevy Venture and Ford Freestar. Who does make a good minivan? Toyota and Honda do but too pricey. Then on the Toyota salesman's recommendation we packed our 3 kids into the Echo sedan and it made sense. It was roomy enough inside for the short city runs we do and met or exceeded all expectations for reliability and gas mileage.
    In the lunchroom at the office all I hear is complaints about blown engines and trannys and high fuel consumption in co-workers late model domestic SUV's and minivans. I think the big three automakers should be ashamed of themselves for what they build. Then again in the words of one buddy who works on the paint line in the Chrysler minivan plant "what do you expect when everyone is stoned on acid". The drug use and alcoholism is rampant in the big three's plants and it shows in the final product.
  • tsnooktsnook Member Posts: 18
    I purchased a 2001 Echo with 120,000 miles on it about a month ago, and after taking it to the shop today for its 120,000 mile maintenance, I was told that it has a bad transmission and should be replaced. The transmission makes a sort of grinding noise in 3-4-5 gears and is only present both when you have the clutch out and are giving it gas, and when you arn't giving it any gas (with the clutch out.) If you have the clutch out and you arn't giving it any gas, then it sort of makes an intermittant grinding noise that sounds like something is engaging and disengaging very quickly - the same grinding noise that the car makes in gear when you are giving the car gas. The technician (who I am told by everyone is very good) has decided by the noise that the transmission is bad and must be replaced. I don't really know if I want to bust out the $1500 dollars when the car drives perfectly fine and the only problem is a grinding noise that has been there for several months and hasn't gotten worse. Has anybody else come across this problem? Also - there doesn't seem to be very many 5-speed transmissions laying around for the buying, so if you know of any that I can get a reasonable deal on, I would be glad to hear it.
  • bryanwbryanw Member Posts: 12
    I had a Honda Civic that sounds like the same situation. Before rebuilding the tranny change the gearoil and add a bottle of conditioner. Worked for 2 years on my old Honda and it had over 200,000 k's on it. It will cost you under $100-. Best wishes, BryanW
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Heres what you do. Get the car up on ramps and drain the transmission oil. There two 15/16 inch bolts one a drain (on the bottom of the trans)the other a fill(on the FRONT of the trans). You have to remove some plastic shields at the front of the car to get the fill bolt out but theyre easy to do. Drive the car for an hour beforehand to warm the oil up. Drain the oil for an hour into a CLEAN pan, put the drain bolt back in and take the pan out from under the car into a good light. Look at the oil. If the trans is lunched there will be a metalic sheen to it. There could even be bits of metal in there. Maybe even chunks. Maybe even NO oil! Go to the store and gete three quarts of manual transmission oil and a tube of Molybdenum Disulfide grease. It comes in a squeeze tube. Pour one of the quarts of oil into a clean pan on the stove under low heat. Dissolve the Moly D into it. Pour it back into the bottle it came out of and squeeze it into the trans fill plug hole. It take two quarts to fill the trans, but you cant get all of a quart bottle into the trans because the bottle is level when you squeeze it out. Hence the need for three quart bottles. But get ALL the quart of Molly D oil into the trans. Put the fill plug back in and take it for a drive and see how it sounds NOW. If you got a lot of metal in the oil you might want to consider getting the trans rebuilt or a junkyard one put in. Depends how much you like the car. Maybe an oil change will help and thats all you need to do. Tell us what happens!!!
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Incidently, the things that indicate a bad manual trans are popping out of gear or refusal to go into gear (which could also be the clutch) As long as it shifts up and down you can use it. It might run a LONG time like that. Usually it will pop out of/not go into first and reverse before the other gears are affected. Even if you dont have 1st and reverse you can still start in second and just park so you dont have to back up.
  • tsnooktsnook Member Posts: 18
    The echo oftentimes will not go into 1st gear unless I am going 5 MPH or less. I will try to get into 1st, even with the clutch all the way in, and the it is extremely difficult. The car will go into 1st gear effortlessly if I am stopped or going 1-2 MPH, but any faster and it requires a lot of force - if it will go in at all. I don't know if all manuals are like this, but I thought I would mention it.
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    "The echo oftentimes will not go into 1st gear unless I am going 5 MPH or less" This is normal. You should NOT put it into first unless you are under 5 mph. This applies to all manuals.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    That sounds Ok to me. Yeah I would DEFINATELY check the oil level in the trns...there might not be enough or even any. A change with the molly in it should also help. Good luck and tell us what happens!
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