what to do?

[chew246214]

aaaahhhhh sometimes wifes suck in a bad way.. (not the good way) I picked up a new 09 yaris sedan in sept.... car is great a little unhappy with how bad it is in the wind, but nothing unmanagable.. was going to put swaybar on it, and if that didn't work springs... here's the deal, my wife hates the car and thinks it's unsafe b/c of the wind issues .. (we live in RI on the shore where it's windy everyday) she will not drive it and freaks out if I take my son in it. I bought it for the gas mileage since we do about 150 miles a day but she takes our suburban daily (ugggg gas is crazy) and I take our caravan.. the car sits 5-6 days of the week at least. I only use it to get to where I need to go somewhere without my son, so needless to say it has about 2600 miles on it which we put on basicly in the first 2 weeks... minus a few hundred miles... I'm debating about trading it in (but would be taking a hit) which I don't want to do... and now this toyota thing freaked her out more...... what is wrong with people.... ????? she took it for an extended test drive before buying and actually liked it...
Sorry just wanted to vent my frustrations but am seriously thinking of getting rid of it for another fuel efficient car maybe something AWD who knows at this point I'm just a little fed up with the entire situation and think it's crazy to be paying a loan on something thats sitting around not being used.....while still using a truck that gets 1/3 the gas milage of this car.

[JumpmanYaris]

Thats just how all r

[yaris-me]

The suspension needs to break-in. The tire needs to set. After 5000+ miles the Yaris becomes more stable.

When I first bought my Yaris, I took a road trip with my son. The car wondered and needed constant correction at 80mph. Later after the suspension broke-in and the tires set, the car is stable at high mph. I've driven past 100mph with no problems. I drive 80+mph daily.

[chew246214]

been told on here that the sedans are a little squirrely in the wind.. Mostly crosswinds which is 3/4 of the 150 miles daily... much worse then the hatches/liftbacks... not sure why, and that a swaybar does wonders...... I have a thread on that somewhere in here... As for the tires they are snowtires from a previous car and it was exactly the same as the new tires... so no change there..... suspension might be the issue but i figure a swaybar can't hurt.. I think they should be on from the factory anyways.....

[dean_park]

I am an ex RI-er (02889), so I know what you mean about wind, especially crossing the Jamestown and Newport bridges.
It is true the suspension needs to break in a little. I'd definitely go for the sway bar and let it break in and then have her drive it again. You won't loose much on the sway bar because if you choose to trade it in, you can always take it off and sell it here. Lowering it will likely help too, but reducing the airflow under the car and stiffening up the suspension.

[kimona]

Initially, my car blew all over the road at highway speeds. Now, with wider tyres (205mm) and 34,000 miles, I don't notice the car being significantly affected by winds.

[derickveliz2]

I hear you, that was my impression when I got mine! I live in MA so you are more than welcome to try my Sedan to compare, with 20K miles NF210 lowering springs, 19mm Swaybar and 205/50/15 tires, it turns into a different ANIMAL! very stable in any condition.
You won't believe the difference! and the best for all an average of 41.3 MPG in winter!

[Kal-El]

Yeah, women drive you crazy sometimes. Perhaps especially when it comes to cars. My wife insists on only owning a Jeep Wrangler (um, 15 mpg ). Oh well.

I'm forced to drive it because she has a 100 mile round trip commute, while I have a 60 mile one. So to save money we share driving the Yaris that I wisely bought to be responsible and economical. So I only get it a few days a week.

So even though she can't drive it everyday because of the cost of driving 100 miles a day at 15 mpg, she still refuses to get rid of it. I don't argue with her because she's really passionate about Wranglers (and we just paid it off which is the one good thing). I just really wish we could trade it for a second Yaris.


But as far as your (OP) wife's concerns about safety and the wind. Just tell her you need mods Seriously though, invest in a wider set of wheels and tires - I'd recommend 16X7 wheels with 205mm wide tires. The lower 50 series sidewall height will make it sturdier too. As others suggested, throw in a sway bar and if you're willing, give it a suspension drop. Then let her drive it and judge then. It will feel like a different car.

Remember that the Yaris comes from the factory in a very basic economical set up that doesn't exactly lend itself to optimal stability. Tell her that and say that for under $2 grand you can make it all better. And that $2K will quickly be saved from the gas not used in the Suburban.

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

Yeah, women drive you crazy sometimes. Perhaps especially when it comes to cars.

So not true with all women!!

1. look at the number of women we have on this forum that own/drive Yarii.

2. As much as I would love to own a Wrangler myself (more for play than daily driver), I chose to purchase a sensible car, my Yarii. My boyfriend on the otherhand, chose to purchase a VW TDI for $25k. I payed a little over $15k for mine. So for $10k more, he is getting about the same if not worse MPG than I am with the Yarii.

Oh, and on a sidenote, guys can drive us just as crazy! I have a story I can tell, but just not quite ready to tell it (it's a confusing situation for most, but involves the boyfriend).


To the OP:

I have the LB. I love my car. Yes, on the turnpike I occassionally get shifted in my lane (even with the swaybar installed) when a trucker goes zooming past me (I keep it to the speed limit on that road, since it's already 65, and I have a lot of hills to deal with on my 100-mile daily roundtrip). However, it's no worse than I've experienced in the sedans I have previously owned, or the trucks/vans I have previously driven under similar conditions (high speeds with winds) or worse conditions.

I consider the Yarii to be a lot safer than most out there. While it can be slightly pushed around by the wind, it's easily corrected.

[thebarber]

wider tires will help...205's are a good option

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by DevilGirl

So not true with all women!!

Absolutely. I wasn't trying to generalize. And yeah, it goes both ways. The fact that men and woman are so different will never change.

Also, more women own a Yaris than men (almost certain). However, this forum is largely men because we tend to be enthusiasts and inclined to be on car forums.

So many women are very sensible with cars but many of them still only feel safe in tanks. I say drive whatever you want to drive. Just be willing to pay the price for gas guzzlers if that's what you want.

[chew246214]

Hey I never said that all women are bad... just this situation I am butting heads with my wife ..... btw how are the 210 springs? are they really bouncy... it's still going to be a daily driver hopefully with 150 miles daily so a jarring choppy ride would be bad for us especially with 1 toddler and another on the way.....

[kustom play]

get a motorcycle, the yaris will become a whole lot safer

[jambo101]

If nobody drives it for 6 days a week and your wife hates it then i'd say get rid of it before it depreciates even further.
I have somewhat of a similar problem,our old Echo needed replacement so i bought a newer Echo ,but a year later the two girls are driving and
the wife says go buy a new car,
i say what kind of car do you want?
She says 4dr manual shift economical car.
i say you want to come shopping for it? maybe take a few for test drives?
She says i trust your judgment,
So i bring home a brand new Yaris sedan and within a month she hates it,says its too small
So now she drives the newer Echo and me and the girls drive the new Yaris
Fortunately i like the Yaris but had i known it was going to end up being my car i might have considered the Corolla or Matrix..

[chew246214]

have 3 motorcycles, she's never been on any of them.....

[Aothachos]

just say "honey its either this or i get the deathtrap of a car smart car" haha see her facial experession

[tomato]

OP: don't butt head with your wife over a car. A car is a just car (sorry guys) and there are other cars out there, no need to get your marriage in trouble over that.

So you say "OK, Honey, I hear your concerns, fine we won't drive the Yaris (as is). " and then you say "but you know, if we trade in now, we're gonna take such a beating (which is true), let's try this first to see if it'll help the situation ..." and then you go out and get yourself some tires and a rear bar and see how it drives then.

It's a reasonable move, won't cost that much. Worse case scenario, you end up selling the Yaris anyway, with new tires on it and a $130 sway bar on it. No biggy. At least you tried and you won't be wondering "what if I had kept the Yaris" for the rest of your life ;)

I know what you mean about winds. I 'm in San Francisco Bay Area and we get really bad winds here too My Yaris LB gets blown all over, especially on the suspended bridges when the weather is bad, and I can't say I'm a fan of the handling in the wind. I'll be honest with you, when the weather is real bad, I either postpone my driving if I can, or take public transportation instead.

[Wita09]

get a new wife?