Persuade me to buy a Yaris!

[TONIZZLE]

Originally Posted by HYang

Despite being an enthusiastic Yaris driver, I have to wonder if now is the most economically advantageous time to trade-in your SUV for a subcompact.

Afterall, gasoline prices are higher every day- demand for SUV's are tanking while prices for all subcompacts are ratcheting up. Throw in the Fukushima factor, which in the short term means the supply of Yari is uncertain (and even more excuse for sellers to raise prices), and you might wonder if you might not like to try holding your 4runner for a while longer- until prices at the pump stabilize a bit or the factories in Japan start running again.

It may not be the most advantageous time to trade-in your 4runner for that Yaris. YOu could lose more money than you normally would; ie. when fuel prices are more 'normal' and no Tsunami after-effects in Japan.

Sure enough, I just checked Yaris prices on truecar.com, and people are paying more than two-grand higher than they were back in January, when I bought mine.

Having said all that, go for it!
Yaris is a great little car, if Best Value For Your Money is what you are shooting for.
In addition to fuel cost savings, you might also save money on car insurance.

Don't think I'll save with insurance. I would need to get the $1000 deductible coverage since I'll be financing.

Originally Posted by bigdoglover

its a big adjustment from an suv to the yaris and i know because i did it almost 4 years ago. i do miss the suv, but not when i pull into the gas station and fill up. its not as comfy, i don't consider the yaris to be anything more than a great little car for running around. long trips, no-but you can rent a suv if you take a road trip. i have the 3 door liftback and have put lots of large items in it-i always leave the rear seat folded flat and my large labrador jumps right in and off we go! i still long for the comfort of an suv, but right now i am loving the great gas mileage. i do wish mine was the 5 door because the 3 door gets hot in the summer-it would have been nice to be able to crack the rear windows for some fresh air. sounds like a nice little car you are looking at-
my driving style has certainly changed with the yaris-i drive faster-i used to lumber down the road with my trailblazer, now i zip right along hugging curves. this is from a grey haired old senior woman.

Here we go! An SUV to Yaris owner. I noticed you didn't mention anything about winter driving with the Yaris. Do you miss the SUV in the winter? What would you consider a long trip? 1hr each way? I didn't feel any discomfort when test driving the Yaris. But that was only for 5 minutes.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

Here we go! An SUV to Yaris owner. I noticed you didn't mention anything about winter driving with the Yaris. Do you miss the SUV in the winter? What would you consider a long trip? 1hr each way? I didn't feel any discomfort when test driving the Yaris. But that was only for 5 minutes.

Winter driving in the Yaris is a blast - with winter tires. Winter tires should be used with all vehicles though, not just cars. Even trucks and SUV's benefit greatly from them.

My wife has a Jeep Wrangler which I often have to drive because her commute is longer and therefore takes the Yaris. For me there's no comparison, the Yaris is a way more enjoyable ride. I so badly want to get rid of the Wrangler but my wife loves 'em.

When it snows in the winter, guess which vehicle I take? Yaris of course. Wrangler stays in the driveway.

[HYang]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

Here we go! An SUV to Yaris owner. I noticed you didn't mention anything about winter driving with the Yaris. Do you miss the SUV in the winter? What would you consider a long trip? 1hr each way? I didn't feel any discomfort when test driving the Yaris. But that was only for 5 minutes.

Winter driving:
According to the Internet, ESC (electronic stability control) was not yet available for the Yaris (and most other subcompacts) in 2009. ESC is supposed to help prevent loss of vehicle control in snow/rain.

ESC became standard for 2010.
I got the '10 model for that reason and I don't regret it.

The 'slip' light (indicates that ESC has been activitated) came on quite often after the snowstorms this past winter, especially when turning corners- I never had any spin-outs, and I assume I have ESC to thank for that.

So yeah, you might consider ESC (or lack thereof) to be part of your decision on trading your 4runner for that '09 Yaris (unless of course your 4runner does not have ESC either).

As for longer trips:
I find the Yaris's firmer seats to be much more comfortable for longer trips than the cushy seats in my dad's Buick LeSabre or my brother's Oldsmobile Delta88.

Longer trips for me means 5-hour drive thru western NY.

Then again I've never really had issues with any car seat. I'm 5'7", 150lbs, maybe that's why.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by TONIZZLE

I noticed you didn't mention anything about winter driving with the Yaris. Do you miss the SUV in the winter?

Lots of Yaris up here in Quebec,with proper winter tires no one seems to have any problems in the winter, as for comfort i've done 3 trips to Florida and one trip to Vancouver with a family of 4 in an 08 sedan and no one complains about comfort issues.
Bigger cars/SUV's maybe more comfortable to drive in but the Yaris is all about being an economical and reliable daily driver that averages 35mpg with a light foot on the gas pedal.
heres my baby on the way back from a trip to Florida last week.Seems the flash catches the rain drops..=

[TONIZZLE]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

If you want my advice, I would keep the 4runner until the wheels are about to fall off.

You're not the first one to say that. We shall see if your prophesy will come to fruition.

Originally Posted by HYang

Winter driving:
According to the Internet, ESC (electronic stability control) was not yet available for the Yaris (and most other subcompacts) in 2009. ESC is supposed to help prevent loss of vehicle control in snow/rain.

ESC became standard for 2010.
I got the '10 model for that reason and I don't regret it.

I drive the family's VW Jetta from time to time, and the ESC light goes on when the roads aren't plowed. Usually with more than 2" of snow. I just drive slower when that happens. It's a nice feature, though this '09 has the iPod interface, and if I had to pick between the two I would choose the iPod.