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This car is a wonder. I am not usually one to keep cars very long, I just get the itch for something new every couple of years, and this one's 2-year anniversary comes up in about 6 weeks. But my plans for this one are gradually changing. I might keep it another year or two...oil should break $100/barrel any day now. My Matrix's best only comes in at about 37, maybe 38 mpg.
Imagine what I could do if I slowed down a bit. dephinusorca, I want to match your gas mileage!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I remember reading on another forum about ECHOs that the intermittent wipers are a drop-in replacement. I can't remember exactly where, but try searching online. The basic idea is that the Newer Corollas and Esp the Rav4 and Matrix/Vibe wiper stalks have the same switch and mounting as the ECHO. I have been meaning to hit up the local junk yard (will have to wait for spring now) as I would like Variable Intermittent wipers instead of the single speeds.
We have a local Pull-N-Save place where you take it off the car and switchgear is usually around $10, but I'm not sure if there will be any newer Toyotas there.
I also have to agree that the ECHO looks a bit funny, but I think it boils down to functionality and Cost. The biggest issue is the proportions of components. The front and rear windows looks like shrunken units from a Camry, but the side windows are rather small. The headlights and taillights look like full sized units, but are set into a tiny (by proportions) trunk lid and hood. And there there's the tiny wheel wells and even smaller wheels, yet the front doors look like the are full sized for something like a Camry. Honestly, I'd rather have off-beat styling than something like my old '94 Mercury Sable what the same styling could be seen be simply checking the cars around you at every stoplight!
Will it be worth it to wait, try to work with the somewhat difficult dealership that does have what I want 7 hrs away, or go for the well priced automatic 2 hours away?
Thanks for any feedback you can give me.
Thanks for the tip. I don't know how I would go about that, so maybe if I can't find some clear instructions on the internet I'll ask my mechanic, who is very reasonable, about doing what you suggest.
dogadder , I think just judging from what I saw in these forums when researching that an auto might reduce mileage by 10%, although there is virtually no difference in the official rating--and individual driving style, I'm pretty confident, is most important. If the initial outlay for the manual at the dealership is much larger than for the auto (and I would believe it if it is, since the dealers here are selling echo's for what seem like insane prices to me) it could take years of saving 3-4mpg on your manual car to recoup it's extra cost, and may not be worth it.
However, I would agree with Kneisl1 on looking for a deal, especially if you can just wait for the right car at the right price to come along. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to fly to one, because you might get there and find that it'd been sold, or was misrepresented, etc.
Good luck.
I had the link on my home PC, so had to search for it, but here you go: http://www.echodrivers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11492&highlight=intermittent+w- - ipers
I don't know how mechanically inclined you are, but it appears to be 2 screws and a couple of electrical connectors. The only downside that I see is mos of the Matrix/Vibes or RAV4s will probably have a rear wiper switch that will be useless on an ECHO sedan, but to me it would be work it (for variable int wipers).
dogadder,
I have an '01 Auto Sedan (w/ power steering). I drive about 6 miles all city to work and back, so it doesn't get fully warmed up. I have been getting about 30-32 MPG. when my wife was driving to work about 10 miles city/hwy mix, it would average about 35 MPG. On pure freeway trips, she will get between 35-41 MPG. 35MPG was loaded down with 3 people and a lot of luggage visit my wife's family. Speeds were near 80 MPH (Souther Idaho has 75 MPH speed limits... quite the excitement when merging in a loaded ECHO!) Nearer to home at 65-75MPH speeds, 49-41 MPG has been pretty much the standard. One thing I have noticed is that tire pressure makes a difference. I have a hard time getting over 38MPG with 32PSI (standard), so I try to run at 36-38 PSI. And as always, it pays to keep on top of Air filter and spark plug changes (I believe Toyota went to 100,000 mile plugs in the '02 model year, or partway through '01). The other thing to watch is that the ECHOs with A/C run A/C on the defrost cycle like a lot of newer cars. my wife like to leave the air selector on DEF and it can cost a few MPG as well.
Wow that's great. Thanks. I'll see if I can get the project started over Christmas.
If you poke around that forum I linked, there are a few other threads that get into the specifics. I have been prowling on eBay, but have seen some switchgear with different designs than pictured. I think I will head to the pull-n-save in the spring and look for the switch. if they have one, I 'll go back to the parking lot and pop out the echo unit for comparison.
I have actually taken to leaving the heat off in the morning until the little blue light goes out. There is quite a noticeable difference in the amount of time it takes to go out, depending on whether I have the heat on or not.
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)
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)
A year ago I started saving all my gas reciepts. For a years driving (4800 miles) I spent $252. Gas ranged from $2.31 a gallon to $2.93.
Oh yeah...last tank 10.0 g and 415 mi, ave outside temp 30-40 degrees, prob 80% freeway.
Average temp around here the last few weeks has been around 45, with freezing mornings pretty much every day (causing longer warm-up times when I head out to work) and a lot of rain, necessitating a lot of use of the defrost, which is A/C-linked in my car.
So all in all, I figure I am doing pretty good, but I can't wait to get back to 41, 42 or more in the spring.
rrhaney: the automatic Echos do get several points worse fuel economy than the sticks. I believe dephinusorca's is a stick like mine, so our numbers will naturally be higher. I think kneisl's is a stick too? I forget.
If most of your trips are under 5 miles, and given the time of year, I think 32 mpg from an automatic is in the normal range. That was about its city range from the EPA, I think. The Yaris, which has essentially identical mpg ratings to the Echo before it, is rated only 29 city under the new ("more reliable") rating system for '08.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
As for me, I have bigger tires and now in the winter I'm holding steady right at 30 in my '01 automatic. It should pick back up again in the warmer months. On the smaller tires and long highway trips I still managed 40 mpg. But even a little in town driving really knocks down the mileage on the auto.
I find that the Echo warms up enough for the little blue light to go out even if you just drive normally for a couple of minutes. Now I must admit, I am mildly curious to know what temperature the coolant is at when the blue light goes out. I do wish it had a real temp gauge, but my first wish would still be for a tach...
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)
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)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
And of course, that's under the new system. Using the same system, us folks with manual shift Echos would have rated only 30 or so in the city...
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I am plenty shocked, though, that cars overall get worse mpg than they did 25 years ago, although they weigh considerably more and have tons more horsepower. Since when did the average driver become a drag racer who needs 2-300hp for their commute? I spend a lot of time in the car and never need all 108 of the echo. My old car had less than 100 and in 9 years of driving it that was always enough. I hope we will get a new administration in soon that will dramatically raise the mpg standards.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)