Persuade me to buy a Yaris!

[carnageehw]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

1) I would have to finance to get the Yaris, but that's money I can save since the 4Runner is all paid.

I don't understand this. You can save money on financing the Yaris since the 4runner is paid off?

Lets say you get a 09 yaris for 11,000, and you finance it for 3 years. That's a 305 monthly payment over paying nothing per month for the 4 runner.

2) The 4Runner is a beast in heavy rain and snow, and was pretty good in the 23" blizzard that occurred last Feb. (I'm in the midwest).

With good tires (I'm in Canada) the Yaris works well in winter. With crappy tires, it's not so great. As long as you don't mind the annual "tire switch" form all seasons to winter, you'll be fine.

3) I would save at the pump with the Yaris of course, to the tune of $800~ per yr if I drive 10K miles.

If you drive 10,000k a year, you'll save 800 bucks? What about when you factor in the monthly cost of the Yaris, compared to a car that's paid off?

Might be worth it in the long run though.

4) The 4Runner has a solid resale value, and it seems the Yaris doesn't hold value that well.

It's got decent "resale" value, it's just that the car doesn't cost much to begin with.

5) The interior of the Yaris didn't impress me with all that cloth and plastic, compared to the 4Runner's leather and wood trim.

The interior sucks. The quality is crappy, the seats are meh, the cupholders are in really annoying places and the dash in front of you collects dust quickly. If you get in your 4runner and love the look and feel of the cockpit when driving, you'll be disapointed in the Yaris.

6) When test driving the Yaris I liked how peppy it was going 0-40mph. With the 4Runner it seems like I'm standing on the pedal to get a response.

It's really peppy and quick, but if you're used to a heavier pedal, you might hate the Yaris' accelerator and brake. They are very sensitive. You'll get used to it eventually, but it can be annoying at times.



Other things to consider:
1)Your car obviously has more cargo room that the Yaris, especially a hatch. How important is that to you?

2)Are you selling your 4 runner? That should make a decent dent in the Yaris cost.

3)Test drive the car a bunch of times. It's seats don't adjust that much, and it's sensitive pedals are going to be really, really different than the car you are used to, especially if you have been driving it since 99.