08 Yaris For a Camper and College Student?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by CLuchs

Is it really fun to drive? I mean through the twisties is it a bit exciting? Thanks guys! looking forward to being one of you on friday!

Houston is pretty flat, and you really have to get past The Woodlands to find any very minor 'twisties' (some back roads that lead to Montgomery). However, when I purchased my '07 Yaris new in October of 2006, I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. That Yaris has also 'seen' all of the 'lower 48' states and literally all four corners of the U.S. (all types of 'twisties'). One of my past cars was a GTI that I bought new and drove just past 195,000 miles. My blue Yaris = almost as fun as the GTI . A completely stripped new Yaris in '07 (not mine) would have come with 14" wheels and fairly narrow tires. My '07 had the Convenience Package, which included the wider 15" tires...185/60-15 IIRC...I'm in California right now, so I can't walk out to the garage and look . My 2014 doesn't have quite the same feeling. Although my 2014 Yaris has 15" wheels, the tires are narrower (Toyota being cheap ). Given that the bones of the car are the same, I think my 2014 will probably feel the same or similar once it has the same size wider tires that grace my 2007.

The only location where my 2007 has felt less than absolutely rock solid stable is the 80 MPH limit section of Interstate 10 that covers much of the area between San Antonio and El Paso (significant crosswinds). My 2014 felt more stable over this stretch (IIRC, the 2014 has a lower CD), even with the narrower tires. All of the trips over that part of I-10 so far, have been with just me in the car. The added weight of 1-2 other people, and their stuff, might make the issue disappear.

P.S. .... Only other location where stability was an issue...some of the gravel roads near Table Rock Lake (another side, away from Branson) in Missouri in 2013.

[NYC-SE]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

One of my past cars was a GTI that I bought new and drove just past 195,000 miles. My blue Yaris = almost as fun as the GTI .

I agree. I never owned a GTI but a friend of mine had a first gen model that I drove quite often. My 2014 SE reminds me of it. More than any other car I think the 3rd gen SE embodies the spirit of the first gen GTI. When I tell people that they look at me like I have two heads. Of course I am remembering the experience from long ago. It would be interesting to drive them both back to back. I can't remember the last time I saw a first gen GTI, imagine most of them have gone to the great autobahn in the sky.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by NYC-SE

I agree. I never owned a GTI but a friend of mine had a first gen model that I drove quite often. My 2014 SE reminds me of it. More than any other car I think the 3rd gen SE embodies the spirit of the first gen GTI. When I tell people that they look at me like I have two heads. Of course I am remembering the experience from long ago. It would be interesting to drive them both back to back. I can't remember the last time I saw a first gen GTI, imagine most of them have gone to the great autobahn in the sky.

Yep .....and the two (?) manual SEs I've driven handle a bit better than my blue Yaris. I wanted the 5-door and a manual transmission (in the U.S....have to get the SE to get this), but I didn't want to give up the turning circle of the non-SE. I asked a question on a long ago thread....Would changing the tires and wheels on the SE to non-SE spec result in the turning circle the non-SE has?...replies = no.