Advice?! May Purchase a 2007 Liftback

[kuessemir]

Hello Everybody,

Please forgive me if I'm not in the appropriate forum. I am seeking advice and opinion regarding a potential purchase of a 2007 Liftback with the power package and a manual transmission. I currently drive and ancient Corolla and am in need of a new car. I looked at and test drove an '07 with 91,000 miles. I already know the price is mpre than reasonable at $7,000.00. There are a few items that flagged my attention upon viewing the car in person. 1) I asked the dealer if to his knowledge the car had ever been in an accident; he checked the carfax and informed me that indeed it had a collision in 2012 though, he said there was no indication on the report of any frame damage, airbag deployment or anything major. I inspected the crumple zones, underside and engine bay. Nothing caught my attention. 2) Upon starting the car, after all of the warning lights went away, the "main. req." light remained illuminated for the duration of the test drive. I know some cars will alert you if an oil change is neccesary. I dont know if this is the case for the yaris or if the "main. Req." light could also indicate faulty O2 sensors or other problems. 3) Fifth gear was particularly difficult to engage. I felt what seemed to be resistance, as if it was stuck in wet cement. I don't know the nature of the shift action in the Yaris and have no other experience to compare it to except my old Corollas which, is sloppy and loose by comparison. 4) The rear drums were a bit noisy, likely due to rust that has potentially built up in the hubs/drums...this would not be surprising due to upstate NY winters.

Other than all these trifling details, the car drove as what I would perceive as "very well". There was no suspension noise and all the power functions operated as one might expect. Please inform me if there are any areas that are deserving of closer inspection if you are so aware.

I know this is a lengthy request, but I very much appreciate the opinions of enthusiats with knowledge of this car and I hope to avoid a costly mistake. To clarify, the dealer was very respectful and courteous as I called attention to these concerns. The degree of their accomodation remains to be seen, as I have not actually purchased the car.

Thank you for your time.