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Comments
That being said, changing the oil at 1000 miles seems a little early, but it certainly shouldn't hurt anything.
I would like to offer a comment about oil filters. Like everything else, they don't make them like they used to. The fact of the matter is that some of the low end filters on the market are poorly designed and cheaply made and do not work the way an oil filter should. I can vouge for this because I used to use Fram filters on my Dodge Caravan 3.0 litre. When Fram reworked their line a couple years ago the "new" model specified for my vehicle was about half the size of the one they previously specified. When I put the low end "Extra Guard" filter on my van I started getting lifter noise very soon after installation. I tried an oil cleaning additive, a different brand filter (which was the same size as the Fram), changing the oil again, but nothing made a difference.
I did a little research on the web and found out that some of the "name brand" filters are so cheaply made that they do not work properly and do not effectively filter the oil. This basically means that they allow abrasive contaminants to continue cycling through your engine.
I found a recommendation that Baldwin oil filters are properly made and work the way an oil filter should. I located Baldwin filters at a local engine rebuilders shop and bought a few. Afer installing the Baldwin filter the tappet noise in my van went away almost immediately and has not returned. Now, I won't use anything but Baldwin. It appears that Baldwin makes a filter that fits the Toyota Echo/Yaris. It is model B33. (I will verify this when my Yaris comes in because I will definitely being ordering some good filters for it.)
Here are a couple links that readers might find useful:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
How do you explain that?
The Toyota folks are IDIOTS for making the hatch only 20% of the mix and decontenting it even more than the sedan (no tach or cruise available at any price, power package requiring pre-order, all contrary to the ease of availability in the sedan).
The hatch should be 50% of the production, with some power package cars making it out to dealers without being ordered, in addition to the cheaper cars.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
German engineering?
I think on the 2008 model we will be seeing a more souped up Yaris more widespread (and way more than 20% lb's). I also think there will be many more with the power options (esp. in liftbacks). I dont think the price will change much.
If I want one, it seems like I'll have to order one. I haven't been able to see "the real thing."
After getting it, do you like it, or do you wish you would have went with something else? Anyone that has one, I'd appreciate what you think about yours....
Have caught a few Fits and 07 Rabbits, but not one Yaris -- hatchback or sedan.
Maybe Yaris owners are super-practical, wear sensible shoes and are in bed by 9:00 pm, before I hit the highways and byways.
I don't think you'll regret buying one.
As a former Echo and xA owner, I'd appreciate it if I could pick your brains with a few questions -
1. My Echo was a little too soft in the suspension, and as a result got moved around by cross winds and big trucks (it was downright scary going across the San Mateo bridge over the San Francisco Bay). On the other hand, the xA had a firm suspension that resisted crosswinds well and tracked true at 80+ mph; but it was stiff and felt uncomfortable on long trips (short trips too, I guess). How is the Yaris? Hopefully "in the middle," soft enough to be comfortable but firm enough to be stable.
2. Do you have a tachometer? If so, what are the rpm at 80 mph? If not, what does the engine sound like at 80 - ok, or like you wish there was one more gear for it to shift in to? (BTW, do you have stick shift or auto?)
3. If you have an automatic, 35 mpg is actually outstanding in my book. I saw that mpg with my stick shift xA but never with my automatic Echo. And the Yaris is a little heavier!
4. How would you rate the noise level on the Yaris? So you know where I am coming from, our '06 Impala is very quiet, our Chevy Cobalt is quiet, a PT Cruiser is a little noisy (wind rush, not road noise or engine noise). My xA probably fell in-between the PT and the Cobalt - not much road noise, some engine noise, moderate wind noise which was actually less than the PT but not as good as the Cobalt (the Cobalt has been quieter than the VW Golf's and Ford Focii that I owned before).
I traded in a '96 Blazer that used to scare the hell out of me on the interstate when going around a semi. The Yaris has no real problems with that. I have drove in really bad thunderstorms, very windy conditions, and in heavy semi traffic. No complaints.
I don't have a tach. And I have an automatic. When I am buzzing down the interstate at 80 or 85 it doesn't sound as if it is laboring at all, or trust me I would slow down. It is fairly quiet, some road noise but nothing really bad. My stereo is usually cranked so I doubt I would be bothered by road noise. It is on par with my hubby's 2006 Eclipse, if that means anything to you?
Again....
:shades:
I have three 2007 vehicles on my list to check into, so any info would be helpful.
It probably leans more towards the stiffness of the xA, but isn't nearly as harsh. It is DEFINITELY not lumpy or ambiguous like the Echo was.
I have been really surprised at the quietness of the car at highway speeds. It's aerodynamic (.29) is on par with the Prius (In the L/B at least), so it's pretty slippery even at speed.
It also seals up WAY better than a PT, so I have hardly noticed wind. In strong crosswinds it's not a 4000lb luxury cruiser, but it's definitely easily controllable.
Again, I am thrilled so far :P
T
(5 Speed L/B in Blazing Blue)
That would be just the thing for me, depending on how it and the rumored next-gen Corolla hatch look. A 5-door fits the bill for me perfectly, and maybe by then Toyota will have figured out that the hatchback market in the U.S. is bigger than it thought, and will have started to build more of them.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Small car does not have to mean that. Upgrade the interior and put a good 60 mpg diesel in it, and they will own the small car market.
I am not going to hold my breath. I am sure they will bring a couple more SUV upgrades before that happens.
NYC here.
Many thanx-
Peace! :shades:
PS. . .I, for one, do NOT consider the Yaris liftback a "bottom of the barrel" machine. If anyone does, that's their problem. Not mine!
For a tiny car like Yaris, I will bet you could find a 1.4 or so diesel that would do it on the highway.
there are people who would take a Yaris with a cheap interior over a carelessly assembled domestic with a nicer interior that will blow a head gasket and have most every other mechanical component either break or wear out in 5 years
It doesn't have to be either-or, you know. It could be a Yaris with a nice interior.
It's NOT a Lexus :P ...
The plastics used aren't of the cheap/flimsy variety. Of course we have no way of knowing yet, but I'd think that over time, they won't be rattling or cracking like a lot of the domestics out there (look at an older Neon or Cavalier sometime).
On a side note, bottom of the barrel implies a product no one wants... Obviously not the case with Yari.
Take a page from "The Price Is Right" and just say the Yaris is the "Least Expensive" model instead
700 miles (39 MPG)
T
> high quality for a $12500 car. It's NOT a Lexus
Thanks for making my case. You also didn't look at as a small car, you looked at it as a CHEAP car.
Add a $1K optional package, name it "nice interior", get rid of the hard plastic.
And please don't tell me how durable that plastic will be. One has nothing to do with the other. It may be durable as all hell, but if it feels CHEAP, then it feels CHEAP, even if it remains the same hard and ugly uncracked self for 20 years.
Let me ask you this, for $12,500, what NEW car do you not think feels "cheap" then?
I suppose you think it should be handcrafted out of marble or something right? Maybe studded with diamonds?
It is DEFINITELY NOT the nicest interior I have ever seen, I will even give you that, but compared to everything else out there within $5000.00 of it's base price, it's definitely not cheap feeling (in comparison to it's competition) either.
If you want a Lexus interior... try buying a Lexus.
I personally think it should have a 400HP 50MPG V10 with a Flux Capacitor AND sell for under 10k...
So THERE :P
T
> (a $12,500 car) I never said it felt "cheap".
> Let me ask you this, for $12,500, what NEW car do
> you not think feels "cheap" then?
What is it with you and the $12,500? Is it a magical number? You still didn't get my post. It doesn't have to be $12,500. Read what I said. Offer an option for a nicer interior. Charge for it. What is so hard to understand here?
Offer a "nicer interior" package huh?
OK, lets live in fantasyland for a second and act like that would even be possible (a completely different interior for a charge of $???).
The "cheap" as you call it interior is a direct result of the PRICE POINT of the car. It's not an issue of offering it as an option, because the vast majority of buyers of this type of vehicle would never spend money to improve what is already a comparably nice interior.
In reality, they DO offer a "nicer interior" option. It's called a Corolla, or a Camry, or a Lexus LS etc... And guess what, it's only a nominal charge
If you want to invest money on adding leather or coating the dash in whatever goo you find "not cheap", well hey, it's a free country. But until you can find another car around my magical number with a "not cheap feeling" interior, realize that comparitively it's not.
T
A member is entitled to state an opinion that you do not agree with without being assaulted with arrogant, childish, snotty replies.
He/she doesn't like the quality of the interior and thinks it screams "bargain-basement" and you disagree -- end of story.
How about movin' on?
However, I am entitled to ask what car at this price point he thinks is better.
I should also be able to defend a car people may be considering buying, but may see someone's opinion and think otherwise.
Obviously everyone is free to disagree, but saying this car has a "cheap feeling" interior and screams "bargain-basement", is something that is not only disagreeable, but not supported by the majority (if not all) of the proffesional reviews out there.
Again, I just wanted to know what his alternatives were. And no, I don't consider a "nicer interior option" for xxxx$ an alternative. I wanted to know if he considers at this price point a car like an Aveo nicer, or a Rio, or an Accent?
Excuse me, but I will defend my car a LITTLE
PS: I do consider the Fit to be a little nicer as well. But as said, you pay for it.
Aren't you reading a little much into a simple post?
As for the other poster stating that if one wants better interior, one should buy Corolla or Camry, again you miss the point. Why does having a choice of an upgraded interior disagree with you so much? You wouldn't have to buy it. That's the meaning of the word "option".
> point he thinks is better.
And again, "price point" is not the point, which I stated over and over again.
Alright, again, why not just buy something like the Bugatti then? If price point isn't the point.
We might as well compare horsepower to the Viper while we're at it... Wah, it's less
LOL
:P
And, ok, I can see the other vehicles (Rio, Accent, etc.) being considered as having a nice interior. But at least that's a realistic comparison.
> the Bugatti then? If price point isn't the point.
Huh?
> And, ok, I can see the other vehicles (Rio,
> Accent, etc.) being considered as having
> a nice interior. But at least that's a
> realistic comparison.
And did I ask for an unrealistic one (read: Bugatti and Viper)?
I LIKE Yaris. I just wish it had a nicer interior, even at a higher price point. Now, PLEASE folks, read it 5 times before repeating the same recommendation to buy some other car.
As a matter of fact, you did. Once you said the price point was irrelevant, every car available entered the equation.
My frustration stemmed from the fact that you are seeming to miss the whole point of this car. It provides maximum everything (with Toyota build quality) for it's PRICE POINT. Of course there are more expensive alternatives... that's true of everything in life.
If you AREN'T taking price into consideration, of course it isn't going to have the "nicest" interior. It's like saying the Lexus has a "cheap" feeling interior compared to a Bentley or Rolls Royce.
Until of course, you realize the $$$ involved and categorize the cars properly...
T
They figure that if they have to charge more for the interior in this market, then they had better make the outside bigger too. Sure I could buy a Lexus, but the smallest model is a much bigger car and doesn't break 30 mpg!
NOBODY makes a car with a nice interior priced under $20K IMO. At least, one that's for sale in the U.S. VW gets closest, but the FE is awful.
And in case anyone hasn't noticed, there's a lot less hard plastic in the liftback than in the sedan, because the Europeans designed the LB. The sedan has hard, fairly tacky plastic everywhere. The LB has doors fully lined with cloth right up to the sills - I like that, and it's part of the reason I wouldn't want the sedan, only the liftback.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Also, cars like the Accord LX, Mazda3s, and Sonata Limited (w/leather) are available under $20k, and have quite nice interiors IMO.
T