Deciding on a yaris- purchasing choices and haggling woes - Toyota Yaris Forums

KorJax · 08-20-2014, 11:55 PM

Hey everyone, new here. Thoughts I'd get the experts thoughts on a potential new Yaris purchase I'm thinking about making.

I'm in the market for a subcompact like the Yaris, and I just got back from test driving two of them today, and was a big fan. So I think I'm pretty sold on a yaris - though I wouldn't mind something like a Mazda2, I simply can't find ANY within 300 miles of me that are manual and cruise control compatable.

The first one I test drove was selling a 2007 manual 2D hatchback Yaris for $7700 with 109K miles on it. I'm assuming this is pretty over valued by quite a bit considering the bluebook value of the car is only $6K assuming everything was flawless. I would say its not - it needs new tires in 20K, the battery had a good bit of corrosion on it and it simply didn't drive as silky as the other yaris I drove, but it was still pretty good (though that might be because the other yaris was a newer generation). It had all the works EXCEPT cruise control, which is a major downside for me. However generally other than what I mentioned it was super nice looking. I'm looking at trying to get the price down to $5600, which is the blue book value assuming everything is in "very good condition".

Do you think its a good idea to go for a car like this? I'd much rather pay a little bit more for a newer model with less miles, but I'm afraid this is literally the only option in my state that is manual. I simply don't want to be in a position where I'll have to do a major or somewhat major repair within the next 4 years, and the milage doesn't put confidence in my head. But, I hear these are reliable cars so who knows - if I could make it to 150K without having any serious issues I'd be ecstatic. The good news is my monthly payments for such a car would be cheap assuming I got it for $6000 after tax (about $60-70/mo). The other major issue with it is lack of cruise control - this is a must for me. I hear they are easy to install aftermarket, however I don't know if this works for the 07 and if it'll work for manual. Am I out of luck here?

The only other Yaris option within 200 miles of where I live (short of getting a like-new one at a dealer) was a 2011 manual Yaris, 4D hatch with 75K. I was really REALLY sold on this one when I drove it and it was in excellent condition with cruise, but the seller demanded an INSANE $10500 for it, well over $2.5-$3k over its bluebook value. He tried to butter it up saying it was a practically new car and "that the market dictates the price and this is the only yaris like this" but I saw right through the BS. Sucks, because it would have been an instant purchase at a less sleaze-ball price (if I'm paying $10K for a car, it better be not more than a year or two old and not more than 50K miles).

Should I just wait it out another few months? These are the only manual yaris's I can find in my state that is under $10K in price, so my options are limited. I was a big fan of the 2007 one, but the age+milage+lack of cruise is a big concern of mine. Should it be?

08-20-2014, 11:55 PM	#1
KorJax Drives: None Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Dayton, OH Posts: 25	Deciding on a yaris- purchasing choices and haggling woes Hey everyone, new here. Thoughts I'd get the experts thoughts on a potential new Yaris purchase I'm thinking about making. I'm in the market for a subcompact like the Yaris, and I just got back from test driving two of them today, and was a big fan. So I think I'm pretty sold on a yaris - though I wouldn't mind something like a Mazda2, I simply can't find ANY within 300 miles of me that are manual and cruise control compatable. The first one I test drove was selling a 2007 manual 2D hatchback Yaris for $7700 with 109K miles on it. I'm assuming this is pretty over valued by quite a bit considering the bluebook value of the car is only $6K assuming everything was flawless. I would say its not - it needs new tires in 20K, the battery had a good bit of corrosion on it and it simply didn't drive as silky as the other yaris I drove, but it was still pretty good (though that might be because the other yaris was a newer generation). It had all the works EXCEPT cruise control, which is a major downside for me. However generally other than what I mentioned it was super nice looking. I'm looking at trying to get the price down to $5600, which is the blue book value assuming everything is in "very good condition". Do you think its a good idea to go for a car like this? I'd much rather pay a little bit more for a newer model with less miles, but I'm afraid this is literally the only option in my state that is manual. I simply don't want to be in a position where I'll have to do a major or somewhat major repair within the next 4 years, and the milage doesn't put confidence in my head. But, I hear these are reliable cars so who knows - if I could make it to 150K without having any serious issues I'd be ecstatic. The good news is my monthly payments for such a car would be cheap assuming I got it for $6000 after tax (about $60-70/mo). The other major issue with it is lack of cruise control - this is a must for me. I hear they are easy to install aftermarket, however I don't know if this works for the 07 and if it'll work for manual. Am I out of luck here? The only other Yaris option within 200 miles of where I live (short of getting a like-new one at a dealer) was a 2011 manual Yaris, 4D hatch with 75K. I was really REALLY sold on this one when I drove it and it was in excellent condition with cruise, but the seller demanded an INSANE $10500 for it, well over $2.5-$3k over its bluebook value. He tried to butter it up saying it was a practically new car and "that the market dictates the price and this is the only yaris like this" but I saw right through the BS. Sucks, because it would have been an instant purchase at a less sleaze-ball price (if I'm paying $10K for a car, it better be not more than a year or two old and not more than 50K miles). Should I just wait it out another few months? These are the only manual yaris's I can find in my state that is under $10K in price, so my options are limited. I was a big fan of the 2007 one, but the age+milage+lack of cruise is a big concern of mine. Should it be?