Yaris sales hit new low...

[Onwrdigo]

I can understanding wanting more compared to the competition.

Thing is, the Yaris seems to have everything except a Moon Roof, standard alloy wheels across the range, variable delay front wiper and an intermittent rear wiper and an armrest ( I bought a square, black "pleather" pillow to put in-between the front seats and it is way more comfortable than any armrest I have come across.)

Then again...

We have all the safety stuff: ABS, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability Control, Brake Assist, 9 airbags including seat bottom and knee airbag and more.

A "spare tire is standard" instead of a "kit" that almost all the other competition had instead. Kia wanted $300 bucks for me to add a spare tire and jack to replace the kit. Fiat wanted about the same. And for my beach trips, I am able to pack a lot of items around that tire and still close the lid even before I start packing the cargo area.

We have outside temp reading, instant and overall mileage readouts, miles to empty, Bluetooth phone hook-up, plug-in for devices.

We also have a cool little feature of being able to roll-up the power windows after the ignition is shut off.

Interior lights will shut off after a few hours if you leave them on accidentally...at least mine does. I don't recommend testing this. It happened once to me. I was like "whoa, that is cool".

I am glad we have the old 4-speed automatic...it is proven, bulletproof and shifts way better/smoother than any of the others that had more modern transmissions. "And", I am averaging 37 m.p.g. on pure highway driving at 70-75 m.p.h. with a/c on; almost the same as those 6-speed automatics. Go drive a Focus/Fiesta, you will be shocked how bad those transmissions act.

If direct-injection makes a car better, yet sounds as bad as it did on first start-up and driving the first few minutes (at least on the Rio), you can keep it. Give me the old-school Yaris. I have owned many types of cars.... 1 Ford, 6 VW's, 2 Isuzu's, 2 BMW's, 1 Saturn, 1 Jeep, 2 Mazda's, 2 Toyota's, 1 Scion. My Yaris handles hills and has a power to weight ratio better than most of them. Believe or not, it reminds me of the "good" traits" my BMW's had in many ways. I still have my '05 Scion xB with 95,000 miles on it and it has been "amazing" in reliability with the same engine and transmission as our Yaris'. I know one guy with an '06 xB that has 340,000 miles on it and he has only replaced the water pump and oil pan gasket besides the regular maintenance. That engine is still quiet and that auto transmission still shifts smooth-as-new. To me, "Old-School" can have some really nice advantages. I like "longevity and proven reliability" that goes with the old-school Yaris....That was one of the top reasons I bought it.

And the maintenance schedule is just dang-awesome. It is so easy and cheap to do.

Personally, I think it is a hell-uv-a-deal....and not all, but "some" dealers will deal on them. I got almost two grand off the sticker of my brand new Yaris LE with 5 miles on the odo. It had been on the lot for only 4 days.

But I "do" respect those who want more''''.....All of us will always want more of something in some way.

Peace''