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Comments
Maybe it's time to trade for an auto Echo...
I agree that perhaps an auto Echo is in order.
For you motorcycle fans out there, I'm the recent purchaser of an '03 Honda RC51. It will suffice to say "Whoa."
Hey, does anyone here buy car parts online? Are there any good sites for that sort of thing?
He definitely needs new front brake pads and a rotor machining, as the car starts shaking once you get it up to about 60mph. But 60K on front brakes (if the previous owner didn't replace them in the 36K they had the car) is pretty good I think.
Meade
He hits every bump in the road and isn't careful with the car, so no wonder it shakes and rattles like it does.
They also say it will take them 9 days to get around to the car (Servco in Honolulu, Hawaii). Apparently broken Toyotas are stacked up so deep they can't see over the top. What's up with this quality reputation - major repairs at 30k miles? So many dead Toyotas they can't keep up?I bought the dang thing because of the reputation - maybe I made a mistake.
Anyone else having CVs go?
If anyone is interested, send me an email and I'll send you the scanned article in PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) or as a JPG if you prefer (smaller).
My email is in my profile.
Since in the US small cars don't sell that well total sales would probably be much lower.
However, my dealer didn't seem to know about the TSB or the newer part. I've scheduled an appointment two weeks from now to have the child restraint anchor and rear brake tube modifications done, as well as to repair the buckled rubber strip on the roof and a rattle in the dashboard. Because most of my rattles come from the door lock pulls, it would be really nice to have these replaced at the same time.
If anyone knows more about this TSB (e.g. its number or where I can find it online), I would be very interested in hearing about it. The lists I've consulted don't seem to have anything beyond "fixing interior rattles" or something like that.
Thanks,
Matt
Where are the Echos manufactured? I was surprised to learn that Acura TLs are manufactured in the U.S. My Jetta, and I wasn't aware of it when I bought it, was assembled in Mexico a few years back. I don't think VW fired those Mexican assembly workers yet because the VW Jettas and New Beetles are still rated as unreliable according to Consumer Reports. I agree.
In 2000 I could have bought 2 and 1/2 base Echos for my fully-loaded Jetta GLX.
Does anything on the Echos ever fall apart?
Only regular oil changes, 1 drain and fill of ATF and coolant, respectively.
Tires are still 70% (Michelin), brakes are 60%.
Average MPG=41.9 (Automatic, AC)
I test drove a plain 2 door, manual transmission Echo (very plain, no extras, not even power steering) and I liked it a lot. Price = US$ 10000. Not a bad deal in my opinion although I would add AC.
Dealer checked brakes and found them at still 60% and suggested a brake fluid drain and fill. Sounds like a very good idea to me.
My roommate and I think of her Echo as being silver in color and that is her Echo's name, "Silver." As in, "Hi Yo Silver, Away." You also have to know that my roommate and I go to casinos and we both like the Lone Ranger video slot game.
Had the car for a couple of weeks now and it still looks pretty clean even though we have not been able to wash it. Quite a contrast from Major Tom (my black Echo) which looks dirty a couple of hours after I wash it.
Silver has her (yes, the car is a she) first door ding. Not bad and hard to spot, but a ding nonetheless. We have been so careful. All I can say is that people are such jerks at times.
One thing I noticed was that Toyota changed the wording of the break-in period. Now you are not supposed to drive at high speeds during the first 1,000 miles. Would someone tell me what "high speeds" mean?
Silver had 906 miles on her when my roommate's son took her for a trip to St. Louis this morning. I told him to keep her at 60 or under for the next 100 miles. He claims his mother told him 70 and I know she did not. I suppose if he does 70 that it won't hurt that much since we are so close to the 1,000 mile mark.
Well, I better post this as I want to visit another thread before I have to sign off and go to work.
Go to www.toyota.ca to have a look.
The surprising thing was that even without power steering I felt the steering was very responsive and the car was very agile.
Only when parking the heavier steering effort was noticeable.
Wrgraham:
I feel the same as you about cars with all kinds of electronics and gadgets. I used to own a 91 Chev Caprice Classic with all options. The engine and transmission were bulletproof (sold at 280k miles), but the repairs of those electronic gizmos were starting to pile up.
[I was also suprised by the number of Tercels I saw there.]
I guess people there are on a much stricter car and fuel budget than here in South Jersey. And I guess the econo Toyotas handle the weather there real well. Made this RAV-er proud.
Other factors favouring small cars include the fact that until the 1970s/early 80s, they preferred European cars (Renaults) which are smaller. As well, winters are brutal there so cars don't last as long. Finally, ever try driving in old Montreal or Quebec City? These cities predate the automobile and are tough to navigate with big cars!