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Comments
Cheers,
Peter
Love my car. Love my gas mileage. Love my title, when I get it.
And yes kneisl1, there is nothing like being on a motorcycle during strong crosswinds! I used to get major adrenaline rushes crossing the Verazanno Bridge(sp?) in NYC!!! 6ft steel expansion joints with the wind at 30mph and rain...whoo hoo!
2) easier to get in and out of
3) better mileage
4) more room inside
5) quiet
6) Toyota guarantees a muffler, shocks, or struts for life if they install them
7) Consumer reports likes ECHO
8) I think its a better car. I've fixed everything on all my cars and motorcycles all my life. GE trained me to work on Large Steam Turbines. RCA trained me to work on NASA flight hardware.
8) The other cars you mention are not really small cars anymore. (if you want a small car)
9) ECHO is cooler, IMHO
I think the slam by Edmunds is mainly at the economic aspect of buying ECHO....a Honda might make more sense when it comes to resale value. But the part where they call ECHO a cartoon car and "would you want to be seen driving up in this car?" is really wrong on thier part. That's a subjective comment, not a comment on the true function of ECHO as an automobile. But they could be viewed as being correct...some people actually think like that and that might be a factor for them in purchasing a car. The slam by Edmunds on ECHO is really a slam on the materialistic, ego driven, "I'm cool because I of what I drive" aspect of our society. It really isn't pretty.
Ian
So to answer the question of wether or not to take it to the dealer: I'm sticking with the quick lube place! At least they only charged me what I'd pay which is $19.95...
As far as extended warranties...I had one on my ZX-2 because it was brand new model in its first year AND a Ford. The warranty basically didn't cover anything that DID need work-'check engine' light never seemed to go off and after three visits and $50 deductible I learned to live with it.
As far as fraud...2 Toyota dealerships here in CA had lost class actions regarding slamming with leases costing owners double the value of the car!!!
Thankfully, my Echo is trouble-free and I plan to visit the dealer as little as possible.
The only other experience I've had like this was with a Kawasaki dealership in NYC. Don't get me started on that one! lol
pjordan- I had all the same cars on my list when I was deciding. I liked the Echo the best because of my experience with Toyotas in the past, the price and because I don't feel so low in the seat compared to the other cars I drove. I also like it because it's small and great on gas. I kept going back and forth between the Focus and the Echo. I really liked the way the Focus drove, and would have bought it without a doubt if it wasn't made by Ford. I just kept test driving everything on my list and researching. A really helpful thing was when I asked the dealer if I could have the Echo for a few hours. I got to take it home and park it in my garage, parallel park and take it on the highway. I even went to the store with it. I rented a Focus for weekend trip too. Loved it- don't trust Ford.... now I'm repeating myself...... I'm gonna answer my own question about the wipers: no the base model doesn't come with intermitent wipers according to my pamphlet. Pooie oh well! I still love it!
vitaminj: good luck with your silver baby!
couple of things dealer 'forgot' to do with mine-the tank was not filled(only 1/4 tank!!!)and they forgot to put on some trim pieces for the passenger seat base.
If picking your car up at night as I did, make sure to park it under a bright light to make sure there is no cosmetic damage to the paint before leaving the lot.
I bought/took delivery at night so was not able to have them fill it-they were rushing me out so they could go home. Make sure steering wheel is centered (9&3 pos. horizontal)-mine wasn't; and the headlights were not aimed-I did it myself as it is very simple to do.
Have fun with your car and don't be afraid to take corners fast...Echo's can corner fairly well!!
Don
Don
I was looking at the "ugly cars" list and I wanted to see if they were bashing ECHO. I only saw two references to ECHO. Mostly they were trashing cars like the new Lexus! What a rotten buch of people!
That said, other than the headlights being really out of aim the tires were severely overinflated. A lot of people forget how light the Echo is and inflate the tires too much. Have you checked your tire pressure? Maybe you need to let some air out so they aren't so hard in the cold weather.
Allow yourself to get used to the car as well. For the first week I felt like I was riding on one big trackball and felt like it would tip over cornering. It was just me as I have found the Echo a very nimble cornerer and the ride very comfortable.
Good luck with your new baby!
kneisl1: I have friends that live in Voorhees...you near there?
2. Keep tires to Toyota's recomended pressure. This info can usually be found on the little sticker on the inside of the driver side door.
3. Check your tire pressure often. This applies all year round. Tire pressure drops 1 psi for every 10 degree drop in temperature.
4. Check other things such as coolant, wipers, oil on a monthly basis. This also applies all year round.
And the most important tip of all!!
5. Dont be an idiot. Mother nature always wins so dont drive any faster than the weather ,your cars ability and your winter driving experience will allow. FWD is better than RWD in snow, but you can just as easily find yourself in the ditch as that Corvette.
Happy motoring!
I've got to give a great deal of credit to all of you on this message board for helping me make my decision to purchase this little go-cart. Your enthusiam towards this car far exceeded that of any other message board in its class. I'm now proud to be an echoite too!
thanks.
Don
I've been reading your comments with great interest. Thanks for all the information. Largely based on what we have read here, we will be buying a new Echo as soon as my husband graduates in April. We live in Alberta and are interested in a basic automatic, four door with A/C. Can any Echo drivers from Canada give me an idea of what to pay for one (minus GST & PST)? This is our first new car and we've done a lot of research but the dealers here are quoting 1,500 to 2,000 over MRSP. Any suggestions?
I bought another radio/CD player for my Echo and want to install it myself. Does anyone know how to do this? I could not even see how to take the original one out...
Thanks
I'm switching to synthetic (Mobil 1) at 7500mi.
and then click on "Radio Removal Procedure" under the Echo topics.