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Why would one even compare Echo and Prius? Because they are the respective fuel economy leaders in gas and hybrid cars? Not enough of a reason - the Prius is in a completely different class of size and features.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Car is manual 2000 w/ 69,000mi
1. It came on while driving (actually watched it come on).
2. If it is relevant, it also came on while I had been driving a while with the gas warning light flashing (maybe 10 miles). Owners manual says the light can come on when totally out of gas (it wasn't--only took ten gallons). Maybe this triggered it (?), but would it reset or not after fill up? (It did not.)
3. Everything runs/sounds great as far as I can tell.
If I recall there is an autostore that will read code for free? If so, do you know it?
Also, if I get it looked at, do I need to go to a dealer, or can any mechanic check it?
Thanks for your help.
I believe you can disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and that will reset the computer. If the light comes on again then theres a problem.
Possible the low gas situation caused something but lots of people run their cars like that. (dumb on several levels)
Good luck and please report back!
Its not a good idea to run your car so far out of gas the fuel light comes on because:
1) When it gets that low if there is any sediment/water in the tank that crud might get sucked into the system.
2) The fuel pump is in the tank and it runs cooler/longer if submerged in gas.
3) You are BEGGING the car to run out of gas. If that happens it might be very difficult to start it when you do put some gas in there.
I had a buddy at the dealer who ordered it in for me, it's regularly 150 bucks, but I got his shop price on it, so that was nice. They're a huge dealer, but they still had to get the part from Japan, since it's so new. Works and looks great though.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Don
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/09/12/frankfurt-2007-toyota-iq-concept-details- -and-pics/
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/toyota-aygo-review/
The things that I think are the strongest traits of the Echo - light weight, maneuverability, high fuel economy, low emissions, cheap to insure and run - are not attributes appreciated by the "professional reviewers" in America. Luckily, those traits ARE appreciated by a growing crowd of the buying public.
I would love to see the Aygo come to the States, whether as the next Echo or just as itself.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
"What Edmunds.com says
We don't like the Echo. Check out the superior offerings from Hyundai and Kia.
Pros
Good gas mileage, speedy acceleration, roomy and functional interior, likely to be reliable.
Cons
Cartoonish styling, annoying gauge placement, tilt-a-whirl handling, deceptively low base pricing. "
Yeah, the Echo's funny lookin', but like you said, if you get your self-worth from how your car looks, you've got bigger issues. I love the center-mounted instrument cluster, and I wonder why all cars aren't made that way - it's especially nice for night driving.
The one fault in the Echo is it's high roof-line allows it to get blown about a bit on the highway, which could be disconcerting if you weren't ready for it. Beyond that, I love mine.
Anyone have experience with both models to know if subtle changes or quality improvements were done in the last model year or two...or is all of this my imagination??!!?? :confuse:
Two reasons why I think Toyota is not selling them here: They make more money on the gas guzzlers( still) and the emissions may be a problem, although European governments focus more on emissions than mpg ??
Toyota is a master at manufacturing reliable fuel efficient cars around the world. I guess American car buyers are not interested in those attributes just vehicles that are mean looking , are fast and can intimidate other drivers.
I often exceed 80, but average between 70 and 80. I just hit 150,000 miles on my Echo.
Mine is a 2000. How can this car possibly achieve 40 miles per gallon??? I'm not being a jerk, I'm seriously interested! I get about 27 at this point. 27-30 at best.
And if you have an automatic, it has become apparent to me from reading here that the Echo autos do significantly worse for gas mileage than the stick shifts do.
My long-term average is 41 mpg, an average which now covers about 40K miles. I obey speed limits, exceeding them only to pass. I don't execute jackrabbit starts, I keep the car tuned up and the tires inflated to Toyota's recommended pressure plus two psi. Apart from that I do nothing special. I am lucky in that I have a commute that rarely includes stop-and-go, and is only 5 miles long.
Having owned the Echo for a few years now, I look around and am really disgusted at the lousy choices we have for new cars that are fuel-efficient. My Echo was designed to its spec more than eight years ago, and in that almost-decade no-one has been able to beat its fuel economy with a gas-only powertrain. In fact in California, I don't even have diesel choices, so that leaves me with just two to pick from: the Civic and Prius hybrids. And even they only average 5-7 points better than the Echo I already own, and cost twice what it did.
I sure hope the next 8 years see a LOT more automakers taking fuel economy seriously.
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)
The funny thing was that with the primitive state of hybrid technology in 1997, the Echo when it arrived in 2000 could often match the fuel economy of the Prius! Of course, the Prius had a weight disadvantage with the battery pack and whatnot, and the Prius had a lot more standard and optional equipment.
And with its engine shutdown feature, it would beat the Echo for gas mileage if one's driving was mostly in the city or stop and go traffic.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
All in all, I would not hesitate to recommend a well cared for, 147K Echo. If the maintenance has been there, the thing is probably good for another 100K at least.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I sold my 2001 Echo with 187K miles and it did not require any repairs at all, NONE.
Ask if you can take it to a mechanic and have them go over it (honestly, if the seller refuses, that's a red flag right there). In the end, if the price is right I think it's not a bad idea. It's a great first car for sure.
And it doesn't seem to be reflected yet in on-line resources like Kelly Blue Book.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
And it doesn't seem to be reflected yet in on-line resources like Kelly Blue Book.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
This primarily effects the top speed of a vehicle where it requires a virtually infinite amount of power to push an extra mph higher. The flip side is, it also requires much more gas to provide that power.
My 2001 Automatic Echo got 42 mpg on a road trip once but I didn't spend much time at all above 70 mph. Around town I average 31'ish but I've got bigger tires now and tend to accelerate harder and drive faster - though I'm making an effort to cut back on that again!
So, while the mileage on your Echo may be a contributing factor, a far bigger component is your speed.