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Any suggestions on cheaper alternatives?
.....I always use the medium grade gas, 89 octane. Seems to me that the compression ratio is too high to avoid knock with regular when the engine is loaded. So then the computer would have to make an appropriate adjustment to avoid the knock, losing some power I imagine. Anyway, I am happy with this 89 grade, and always use it. Even coming up a fairly steep hill nearby with my 89 Toyota 2wd pickup I can hear a knock with regular gas. But I don't hear it with the 89 grade. And that engine is no high compression or high tech item (22R, carburetor).
....Finally, sorry to hear that there has been a problem with the 5th gear on a manual trans Echo. I don't believe the manual trans is a strong part of my Echo, but I treat it nicely and I expect it to last a long time. (No implication that a trans problem reflects on driving technique.) I still am planning to make a full day's run around the island to see if I can get some truly outstanding gas mileage by driving with that in mind. I bet I can beat 50mpg, but the proof is gonna be in the pudding as they say.
1/31/02, DOES ANYONE KNOW IF KEY LESS ENTRY CAN BE ADDED IF THE CAR DOES NOT HAVE POWER DOOR LOCKS.
PRICE 10
my 1999 sienna OEM manual sells for C$300 at the dealers. i bought one in L.A. for us$150+.
Is this an after market product added by rental companies or by Toyota in Hawaii?
The Honda Accord captured the title of best-selling car in the industry in 2001 from rival Toyota Camry, which held it since 1997. Ford Taurus held it between 1992 and 1996. The last time Honda enjoyed the title was in 1991.
The article goes on about how more cars share the same platform, like Camry and Lexus ES 300. So does the Echo share the same platform with any other models?
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
It has a Java-based calculator that will tell you what the impact of changing wheel/tire combinations might be.
I think 1% deviation on the speedometer and odometer won't matter too much. I'd guess that the tires slip by at least that much in everyday driving. wrgraham, keep us updated on any other changes you notice. BTW, what brand/model of tire did you go with? It'll be a while before the ECHO needs new tires, but my sister's Civic is starting to look thin-treaded -- 185/60/14 would probably be the most appropriate size for that car too.
...Scaper, that sounds bad to me about the hesitation as the revs mount while passing. I sure have nothing like that. Maybe there is some problem with the jets, feeding the fuel. Seems to me that you should stay right on top of that, and persist with the dealer till it is fixed. Can you not take the dealer out for a drive and replicate the problem? I would think if you can mark the speedometer and the gear, and the road, you should be able to take the dealer out there for the very same experience.
As for resting my hand on the shifter...I'm guilty as charged. However, I had a Ford ZX-2 with a 5-spd. prior to my Echo and had 78,000 miles with no tranny or shifting problems. There is a difference to resting my palm on the shifter and 'leaning' on it. I suppose I should avoid it all together.
Good stuff, including how the EPA conducts its testing and tips on running as efficiently as possible.
Yup, nodaker, I remember your comments earlier. 17 mpg is definitely uninspiring. I am curious to know how many minutes a day your ECHO is actually driving, and how many are just spent idling. Are you idling until that blue temp light goes out?
This was your response to jeprox' note on being able to get the same manual for either CDN$300 or US$150. Just to set this straight, the exchange rate is more like C$1.615 per US$. But if your willing to give me C$2 for every US$1, let's talk!
This was an important factor in my choice of car, since I'm tall, and two-door cars with their larger doors are easier to get in and out of.
The problem though is that most two-door cars have a flattened and squashed-down shape compared with their four-door brethren. I think manufacturers do this because they assume that people who buy two-door cars will think the lower profile looks better. But this flattened shape is a good way to destroy the headroom. However, the two-door Echo, as far as I can tell, has the same profile as the four-door Echo. Result: a two door car with good headroom.
The only other two-door car I found that had good headroom was the VW New Beetle.
I sat in and drove a two-door Saturn, Mirage and Civic. Every one of these cars felt cramped, and yet the four-door versions of these same cars were much more comfortable. But since I wanted a two-door car, I had to rule all of them out.
[I had other reasons as well for ruling out the Saturn and Mirage, having to do with mechanical reliability and insurance/safety, respectively, but that's another story.]
I also sat in, but didn't drive, other two-door Toyotas: the Celica and Solara. And I cannot imagine driving a new Celica, it is so cramped for room, and for me it would be a chore to climb in and out of. Even in the much larger Solara, I did not have as much headroom as in the Echo, and my line-of-sight was much closer to the top of the windshield. (And these cars are of course much more expensive than the Echo.)
The bottom line is that of the two-door cars, the Echo is one of the few in which the headroom hasn't been destroyed for the sake of "style". And the more I drive my Echo, the more I like this.
In a parking lot, the problem gets even worse. You cannot open the door any further out than the car in the adjoining space. Given the same lateral space, the shorter doors on the four-door can open to a wider and more accessible angle.
The body styling isn't really different, so other than being cheaper ($485 per Edmunds TMV), I don't see any advantage to having a two-door ECHO over a four-door.
And this is true not only for elderly or overweight people, but also for tall people.
There's another, related, point about two door cars. Because of my height, it was likely that I was going to have to get the front seat moved back in whatever car I bought. (I had this done in my previous car.) Doing this in a two-door car is fine, but moving the front seat back in a four-door car would result in having to climb around a post every time I get in & out of the car - the seat and front door would no longer be "lined up".
(Because of the Echo's high seating position, however, I actually am comfortable the way it is, so I probably will not have the seat moved back.)
Slugline, I see your point about opening the door in parking lots; for some reason, this hasn't been a problem for me. Maybe it's because I've always owned fairly narrow cars. I'm always careful to not bump my door into the adjacent car, and this has not been a problem with my two-door Echo.
Don Gillespie
Nashville TN
I previously commented Weapon-R on two occasions: Celica GTS & ES300 in regards to their testing procedures.
In short, they do their dyno tests with the hood open. Unless you are willing to drive with the hood flying open all the time, then you'll be able to trust their data.
Also, because of the nature of the placement (inside the engine compartment), they don't show the results of the dyno test with the effects of heat soak in a normally operating temperature engine. The Celica dyno test was compared to Injen Cold Air Intake (CAI), which its placement is away from the engine compartment (near the wheel wells). Though their tests did confirm the performance of an Injen CAI on the Celica GTS.
Quality and service (being a past customer) isn't that great either, and many others in various forums will recommend avoiding WeaponR, from their past experiences (Weapon R is good to clublexus.com on some forums only).
Foam versus cotton gauze, that's another argument, for say Aftermarket Accessories forum.
So for the following Dyno test on the Celica GTS, take their intake test with a grain of salt.
ECHO setup
Look at its position:
It's far from a cold air source (bad for power). 1)To the left and below, are the exhaust headers: lots of heat coming from them.2) The stock intake gets its air from behind the drivers side headlamp, next to the grille. It is a great source of cold air.
Cost: 1 mandrel bend is cheaper than a few mandrel bends to get the filter behind the driver's side headlamp area (where there is plenty of room, and the air is cooler, plus greater air flow).
Material: 6061T6, nothing against it.
I got the pictures from www.dragonintakes.com
Cliffy1, I'm interested to know how you think my post was related to my username here on Edmunds. I don't encounter many people who actually recognize "slugline" as journalism jargon. . . .
I guess I misunderstood Edmunds descriptions of the hybrid systems in the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius; I thought the Honda relied mainly on its gas engine and supplemented it with the electric motor as needed, while the Toyota relied mainly on its electric motor and got help from the gas engine as needed. So does this mean they operate virtually the same?
Then maybe what should be on nodaker's wishlist is a 100% electric car. The relatively short range of the batteries obviously would not be an issue.
Hey ya all, you've been so helpful and I appreciate all the responses I've gotten. Slugline -- you sure know your vehicles, and Don from Nashville you are such a positive and encouraging person!
I have actually seen one Prius in person... or would that be in metal? Very sharp looking vehicle (I actually like it better than the ECHO -- yes, you can chalk me up as one who thinks the ECHO is one swell looking vehicle). I did not see the owner so I couldn't talk to him about how he liked it and how it did in our cold climate. If the nearest certified Prius dealer is in Bismarck, we are talking a 4.5 hour drive. Not too great if you need service. Someday I will own a hybrid -- when I'm living much further south... and I WILL be living much further south. I think the biggest mistake I've made was buying my ECHO at the end of October. I haven't had fun in the sun with it yet so I'm looking forward to that.
Just so you'all don't think all I do it complain -- I just need to stress again how much I really like everything about the ECHO. Every time I slip in and out of the car with such ease I simply can't understand why others put up with having to pull and heave them self out of a sedan. Although ECHOs don't come with a ton of options, I do have the 4-doo automatic trans, which came equipped with wheels (sharp), spoiler, A/C and the winterized package. I ordered custom seat covers from Seatcovers.com (The Scottsdale), and they are sharp! The fit is perfect (I highly recommend this company), and people are surprised to learn they are not the actual seats. I put a lighted mirror on the passenger visor, and when I need to replace the tires I will put wider tires on at that time. I have never objected to the center mounted pod and didn't have even a nano-second of adjustment time.
Did I mention that I think this is a swell looking vehicle?
I still don't know what to think. I'll check the airbox to make sure it's closed properly but am at a loss to explain the noise.
Does anyone have experience with having a wreck in their Echo? Do you think the repair will go okay? I hope the mechanical bits are alright after all is said and done. I haven't selected a body shop, and have no idea what to look for. Is there anything special about the Echo that makes it different than other small car bodies of its vintage, and should I seek a special body shop? The guy clipped me on the driver's side, taking out the headlight and turn signal, and bashed in the middle, with the passenger side of the hood popped open and the windshield fluid container ruptured. Other than that, no other fluids leaked, so I'm hoping that's positive. The airbag also didn't go off, so perhaps the crash speed wasn't too fast. Any input would be appreciated. I loved my Echo; hope it can heal!
We had a bad accident in our '93 Camry back in 1995 and Allstate repaired that car even though the bill was $8500. plus a rental for 51 days! Sounded crazy to me but hey. A month after I got the car back, got rid of it. Used the local Toyota body shop that time, big mistake. Wouldn't accept the car the first two times, inferior work. Finally on day 51, took delivery. Total nightmare. Moral to whole story, go to an authorized shop or ask friends. And hey, good luck!
Sorry for the long post!
http://www.seatcovers.net
The seatcovers are awesome.
I will probably attempt to change the filter myself tomorrow. Unfortunately, the 2000 Owners Manual doesn't seem to have any directions for this . . . and I would normally consider this run-off-the-mill DIY maintenance. I hope it will be simple and obvious once I have the hood up.