What did you drive before your '12 Yaris?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Spruce Goose

I drove a 1992 Honda Civic VX hatchback, with 5-speed manual. I bought it in 1992, with 6000 miles on it (it was a repo). It was a great car, 43 MPG, but I finally couldn't get it to pass the smog test. I sold it to the smog test guy for $1,000, with 196,000 miles on it.

My wish list for a replacement car included: (1) Great gas mileage, (2) manual transmission, (3) no power anything, and (4) as short as, or shorter than, the Civic. My new Yaris is getting just over 40 MPG, which is fine. It has power locks (but not remote locks, which I definitely didn't want), and electric power steering, which I can live with. And it's about 6 inches shorter than the Civic. Overall, after about three weeks with my new Yaris, I really enjoy driving it.

Your wish list = . My wish list was the same and the only one I fell short re was car length (pretty close though--outgoing car =149.4 inches and 2007 U.S. Spec 3-Door Yaris I think = 150.5 or 151.5----other countries =some as short as 147 inches--differences re U.S. bumber specs?). My previous car was a 2001 Suzuki Swift that I purchased new on Labor Day Weekend 2001 for almost 20 percent under (yes almost twenty percent under) the factory sticker. I retired it from service on what I thought COULD be it's last trip, depending on conditions (and it was -- unpaved roads in Newfoundland were just too hard on the steering rack -- and I researched the Yaris before I left). I drove it up the coast of California, through Oregon and Washington, and into the Vancouver Metro...then 4 months across Canada from Lion's Bay, BC to Cape Spear,NL (with a 2 day detour into Michigan)... then back into the U.S. after the Atlantic Provinces and soon to Rhode Island for my Yaris.The Blue Book Value was literally zero and with the chewed up steering rack a wholesaler doing other business gave me 50 bucks for it and allowed me to rip out the JL Audio etc stereo including all the high end wiring. I drove 151,000+ miles in the Suzuki Swift in about 61 months.

I just looked up the specs on the Suzuki and it had a 1.3 engine with 79 HP--- with the 5 speed manual and a gear ratio with a 1st gear that felt low AND the low weight, the car didn't feel underpowered. The car could never be built now (at least for the U.S. market). The mindset the car represents (in a good way) is kind of what Bronsin wished the market could go back to offering (in a recent thread he started). The people who replied to him I think correctly pointed out that it wouldn't sell---people wouldn't give up multiple air bags, etc. that exist in 2012 and do contribute to the car costing more.

This may have been mentioned in another thread, but if so I didn't see it....I learned on Wikipedia the second generation Yaris will be sold in Europe as the Daihatsu Charade through the 2013 model year. Toyota owns 51 percent of Daihatsu and has decided that Daihatsu will pull out of the European market at the end of the 2013 model year. The second generation Yaris/Daihatsu Charade will be built in Thailand for the European market----see the link from footnote #24 from the Wikipedia article. More choices the European market gets that we in the U.S. don't, Argh!

[kimona]

Drove into the dealership with an Acura RL and drove out with the Yaris.

[SineWave]

Drove a white Mazda 323 Astina BG (pop-up headlights) until the torque converter gave out on me. Great little car, but previous owners didn't take good care of it. My wife wanted a small, reliable, economic car... So we got the Yaris! :D

[rubhamusan]

A couple years ago it was not too hard to get a title for a skyline or cefiro or any other jdm car. Georgia was easy too.Tenn was a cakewalk. Now that the dmv figured things out
It's near impossible. Its actually easier to get a registered machinegun now than it is to title a skyline.

The next to last car in the pic is a infiniti M30. I put a skyline motor in it.RB20det. In japan it's a f31 leopard. I use to drive a vitz when I was in japan alot. 2-3 times a year.
I worked for a importer. So when it came time to buy a new car yaris was it.

[ilikerice]

Originally Posted by rubhamusan

A couple years ago it was not too hard to get a title for a skyline or cefiro or any other jdm car. Georgia was easy too.Tenn was a cakewalk. Now that the dmv figured things out
It's near impossible. Its actually easier to get a registered machinegun now than it is to title a skyline.

The next to last car in the pic is a infiniti M30. I put a skyline motor in it.RB20det. In japan it's a f31 leopard. I use to drive a vitz when I was in japan alot. 2-3 times a year.
I worked for a importer. So when it came time to buy a new car yaris was it.

no kidding about GA being the EASIEST way to get a title for a JDM car. My good buddy and ex roomie bought a RHD CRX SI. got it shipped from canada. cost about 2k extra more dollars but it was his dream car

[rubhamusan]

Anything 25 years or older is able to be done now but that"s it.There is a lot of cool 70-80's Toyota's to be had tho.

[broody]

Originally Posted by rubhamusan

Anything 25 years or older is able to be done now but that"s it.There is a lot of cool 70-80's Toyota's to be had tho.

There are many classic to be had, but they cost a fortune in Japan too. The big advantage of 15-20 years old jdm cars is that they are almost given, we pay more for the import cost than for the cas itself.

An affordable car that I would like to own is the Honda City Turbo II, it's more than 25 years old now.

[Strider199]

I lost my 1999.5 VW TDi Golf to a deer last Nov and the cost of a new 2012 VW was $31,000 so I headed to the Toyota dealer to get my 2012 Black 3 door Yaris. I have driven VW diesels since 1982 including, 1982 Rabbit, 1985 Golf, 1988 Jetta, 1986 Golf, and the 1999.5 Golf. My first gas car is the Yaris.

[AndreS123]

picked up a blazing blue '12 yaris L about 3 weeks ago.

The car just previous to the Yaris-
1998 Chevy prizm, the corolla's re-headed step-sister. still running at 273k, but needing some work...

other previous rides- 1991 Geo Prizm, 1994 Ford Bronco, 1991 Toyota 2wd pickup, 1987 toyota pickup, 1984 Jeep CJ7(swapped from 2.5l 4cyl. to 4.2l I-6), 1988 Dodge Daytona.

Other current rides-
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 extended cab shorty, 5.2L, 5-spd... my utility & tow rig
1988 Mazda RX7, LS1 V8 swap, after much sorting it does consistent 11.70-11.90 @ 114-116mph 1/4's... on a stock motor with basic bolt-ons.
1994 Honda XR250L (for sale)
2003 GasGas HP300


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rdOWiBuR44

[Ladbrox]

VW polo 1,4 3 doors 6n1 -96 with coilovers and a 2inch from the catalyst and back in stainless steel :p

Question, why was the skyline illegal in the US?

White Yaris '12 :)

[Vail]

first car: nissan micra S 998 16valve

then my love: Mini Cooper with lots of mods:




now happy to spent half in gas, driving white 1.3l, 99HP 6 Speed Yaris MY2012

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Vail

first car: nissan micra S 998 16valve

then my love: Mini Cooper with lots of mods:




now happy to spent half in gas, driving white 1.3l, 99HP 6 Speed Yaris MY2012

1.3 lit. 6-speed....we can only wish here in the U.S.....what kind of KPL are you getting with that wonderful engine?

[skuzzlebutt5]

i just bought those wheels! nice! are those 17s?

[Vail]

Yessa.. ultraleggera 7x17 7,2kgs fitting 205/45 R17 :Q____
They was amazing and the car change completely from my original 17 11,5kg o_O

On Yaris I'm thinking on sparco assetto gara

[skuzzlebutt5]

Are you going to run on 17x7 again? I bought 16x7 with 37mm offset for the '12 SE. Thinking about going 205/45/16 with them and dropping down 1~1.3".

[shibasmith]

My '12 replaced an '02 Echo, which I really liked except for the flop-on-its-side-and-die handling it exhibited around most corners.

An extended family member needed a car quickly, so I sold him the Echo, which gave me an excuse to get a new Yaris which I had been very interested in as soon as I saw the new model. After 4 months with the new car, I have no regrets at all. :)

My weekend and ski trip car is an '09 Subaru Outback Sport, which is an enjoyable car in need of stiffer suspension (I may eventually get around to putting a rear sway on it to begin the quest to improve its handling) and which unfortunately guzzles gas, relatively speaking. Which is what relegates it to weekend and fun car.

If I could get a Yaris with the Subaru's power but the Yaris's fuel economy and handling (and definitely the Yaris's shifter and brakes), that might just be the perfect car for me! :-P

[Chifte]

I drove an '08 Ford Focus coupe 75k miles prior to the Yaris, and before the Focus I had a 2001 GMC Jimmy which I loathed for it's phantom electrical problems.

I'm happy to be out of the Ford, though it never left me on the side of the road it was leaking oil at 73k and had a squeal (that made it sound like a hoopty) apparently perplexed Ford techs for 45k miles.

Now I have my Yaris, I love it, it feels very minimalist and has a lot of utility.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by shibasmith

My '12 replaced an '02 Echo, which I really liked except for the flop-on-its-side-and-die handling it exhibited around most corners.

An extended family member needed a car quickly, so I sold him the Echo, which gave me an excuse to get a new Yaris which I had been very interested in as soon as I saw the new model. After 4 months with the new car, I have no regrets at all. :)

My weekend and ski trip car is an '09 Subaru Outback Sport, which is an enjoyable car in need of stiffer suspension (I may eventually get around to putting a rear sway on it to begin the quest to improve its handling) and which unfortunately guzzles gas, relatively speaking. Which is what relegates it to weekend and fun car.

If I could get a Yaris with the Subaru's power but the Yaris's fuel economy and handling (and definitely the Yaris's shifter and brakes), that might just be the perfect car for me! :-P

How many miles on the Echo when you sold it? New when you bought it?