Yaris liftback vs. Hyundai Accent hatchback

[adamschneider]

Originally Posted by kaboom

well, if you go to toyota site www.toyota.com and get MSRP for your options in your zip code it will come up to $ 11,990-------so apparently they are giving you $ 40 discount from MSRP...........but- wait a moment - thta price includes " $ 620 shipping". I paid $ 620 shipping but I live in Ohio. Isn't the city you live at close to the port where Toyotas are shipped to by vessel ? Si if we subtract "$ 620 shipping" from MSRP we get $ 11,370......
oh, well

How did you get $11,990? I got $12,225 when I ran my configuration through Toyota's Web site: $11,150 base + $455 options + $620 destination. So they're offering it to me at $275 below MSRP. I'm not sure exactly how that compares to the invoice cost; several hundred above, assumably. Think I've got any wiggle room?

By the way, about "shipping" and such: everyone pays the same destination charge no matter where they are. A lot of the Toyotas that come from Japan first land in the U.S. at a dock about two miles from the dealership I'm talking to -- but it doesn't help me. I asked the salesman if it at least makes it any easier to get certain configurations, and he said no; once they leave Japan they may as well already be in Kansas City or wherever they're headed.

[kurokoma-kun]

adamschneider, may I suggest you check out edmunds.com.

They have a butt-ton of pricing and comparison info! Detailed specs on every car you might be considering. You can create a pricing breakdown that shows (approximate) dealer invoice on car with options you select. And do side-by-side comparison. You can even see what others in your area paid.

Also: Tips on how to negotiate price, trade-in value calculator (that was actually correct for mine), consumer opinions (100s of these about Yaris already).

[BailOut]

I know I'm a bit late chiming in here but the better fuel efficiency in the Yaris would easily be the deciding factor for me. Even with the newer, tighter EPA formulas the Yaris still has a 10% higher MPG rating than the Accent.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calcu...umn=1&id=22761

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calcu...umn=1&id=22750

[ChinoCharles]

I know its taboo to seem indifferent when it comes to money in this day and age, but my opinion is there is no use giving yourself a headache over the $200 you may or may not be able to haggle on this car. You're talking a microscopic change in your payment. Just buy it and start enjoying that gas mileage ASAP.

As far as which I'd buy, I looked at the Accent and a couple other cars, but only one was a Toyota. It feels good to be number one. After having it a year I can say its versatile, it is every bit as efficient as they claim it to be and then some, and it still turns heads. All for just over $10k? Can't beat it.

[palsan]

My decision also came down to Yaris vs Accent - yaris won out because:
- Better fuel economy will save $$$ over the 10 years I hope to own the car - I estimated a net present value of about $2500.
- I found the Accent's engine to be louder than the yaris (i.e. it felt to me that it struggled a bit more when accelerating).
- Longer wheel base on the Accent - this is personal, you may find you need a bit more room offered by the Accent - for me the shorter car leaves more room in the garage for other junk.
- The longer warranty period can be a catch 22 - a shorter period is not necessarily better. A manufacturer will often be forced to offer longer warranties when they are faced with customers who perceive their products as being inferior. Historically, Hyundai has had crappy cars, people still have this perception, hence Hyundai offers longer warranties to signal that the cars are now better built. Toyota (and others) may not need longer warranties because they don't need them.

For me the positives in Accent's favour (for similarly equipped and priced models):
- stock 15" alloy wheels
- 60/40 rear folding seats (only the RS yaris has this)
- side air bags
- variable rear intermittant wipers (yaris has only one speed - annoying)
- heated seats
- more colour options
- Hyundai dealer allowed me to test-drive the car by myself for an hour. The Toyota dealer was a harda$$ and "too busy on a Saturday" to let me have the car for that long. I guess when they have so much demand they can afford to lower their customer service standards. In the end I rented a yaris for a weekend and ended up buying one despite the lack of customer service from the dealer!

Hope that helps

[adamschneider]

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

I know its taboo to seem indifferent when it comes to money in this day and age, but my opinion is there is no use giving yourself a headache over the $200 you may or may not be able to haggle on this car. You're talking a microscopic change in your payment.

I'm not stressing about it too much, but $200 is $200 -- and I'm probably going to pay cash, so it wouldn't be spread out over a lot of payments, it'd come right out of my pocket.

I do think I'm leaning toward the Yaris, mostly because of the MPG issue. But now I'm torn between manual and automatic transmission; from what I've read here, it looks like the difference in mileage between MT and AT on the Yaris is negligible. And on the one hand, I live in the city -- which suggests I should get auto -- but on the other hand, I'm probably not even going to be driving all that much -- which means I should just save my money and get a stick!

[TOOL]

I would go with a manual, much more fun to drive!

[adamschneider]

Originally Posted by TOOL

I would go with a manual, much more fun to drive!

Even when most of the driving is in 1/4-mile segments between stoplights in SE Portland?

[TOOL]

I think its still worth it. Yaris does not have much power, if you get the stick you can get it to higher RPM before shifts, that will make the power that it does have alot more enjoyble. But its all personal preference, im a aggresive driver so when i get one its going to be manual.

[Yaris Revenge]

Well, since I was THE big advocate of the Accent in the other discussion, I'll chime in here as well.

After comparing the the two vehicles until I was blue in the face, I've finally decided that for me, the Yaris is the best way to go. That said, I actually like the Accent better. I prefer the Accent's styling, and the 18 mile test drive I had was an absolute blast... the Accent felt much spunkier than the Yaris, though I'm sure most here would argue that point. A lot of people can't see past the brand, but if you read my other posts, you'll see why I'm not worried about Hyundai's past reputation (most people forget Toyota built rust buckets once upon a time as well... things can change).

The big deal breaker for the Accent was the low gearing. There are waaay too many Accent owners with manuals that are having serious fuel economy issues. I spend most of my time driving 70-75 mph, and as much as I may like the car, I can't afford to take that chance (and there's no way I'm buying an automatic!). Besides, it's not like I'm having to settle for a Yaris... it too is an awesome little car.

Now if I was into automatics, I'd definitely be getting an Accent.

~YR

BTW, drove the Tuscon from Rome to D.C. and back this past weekend, and it kicked ass all the way. So there!

[kaboom]

oh, you can "manual shift" on automatic, too. I personally upshift my auto @ ca. 3k rpm and it's got plenty of power :)