Any regrets?

[Bob Dog]

TRD springs, shocks and swaybar: I liked the car before, still crazy about it 25,000 after putting them on. The sway bar is only a buck and a quarter, and I recommend it strongly.

[Henry G.]

Originally Posted by Bob Dog

TRD springs, shocks and swaybar: I liked the car before, still crazy about it 25,000 after putting them on. The sway bar is only a buck and a quarter, and I recommend it strongly.

Ditto. 20 min install max and worth every penny. I love driving the crap out of my 105 HP "sports car" now.

[monchito18]

only regret is.... I should had picked mine STD and not AUTO lol but I like it anyways :D

[hachi-roku_fan]

I'm in the same situation. Luckily for me, the Auto Show is opening this Friday, so I'll be able to sit in all the cars I'm interested in, without the pressure of a sales person, and get a feel of the cars so I can narrow the field for test driving.

[advocate]

My only regret is that the xD is a 1.8L and therefore probably a lot more fun to drive.

Also +6 for the sway bar and drop spings so as to not get blown over on a bridge, etc.

[why?]

Originally Posted by advocate

My only regret is that the xD is a 1.8L and therefore probably a lot more fun to drive.

Also +6 for the sway bar and drop spings so as to not get blown over on a bridge, etc.

y'all are so overstating this. The car is not that unstable in wind. try driving a conversion van...

[eht13]

Originally Posted by why?

y'all are so overstating this. The car is not that unstable in wind. try driving a conversion van...

I agree; this is often overstated around here. Many cars, and especially SUV's, are less stable in wind. I wonder if any prospective buyers who do not want to have to do any mods have been scared away by reading some of these posts.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by eht13

I agree; this is often overstated around here. Many cars, and especially SUV's, are less stable in wind. I wonder if any prospective buyers who do not want to have to do any mods have been scared away by reading some of these posts.

I really think the Yaris 's handling in the wind is worth mentioning, so people are prepared. Then again, I live on the coast, where the wind can be, ahem...

As far as scaring away prospective buyers, I don't know about that. I read mediocre reviews of the Toyota Yaris and still decided to take a chance because it looked like I could live with the negative and the positive elements far outweigh the negative

Also don't forget, we are also a consumer group and our feedback through forums like this one is invaluable information for Toyota and other auto manufacturers. There is no doubt in my mind that their marketing people at the very least pay attention to consumer feedback through boards like this one.

[eht13]

Originally Posted by tomato

I really think the Yaris 's handling in the wind is worth mentioning, so people are prepared. Then again, I live on the coast, where the wind can be, ahem...

As far as scaring away prospective buyers, I don't know about that. I read mediocre reviews of the Toyota Yaris and still decided to take a chance because it looked like I could live with the negative and the positive elements far outweigh the negative

Also don't forget, we are also a consumer group and our feedback through forums like this one is invaluable information for Toyota and other auto manufacturers. There is no doubt in my mind that their marketing people at the very least pay attention to consumer feedback through boards like this one.

But that's just it; I don't think the handling in the wind is as bad as people make it out to be, unless the hatchback is far worse than the sedan, which I doubt. To read some of these posts, you'd get the impression that the car is just unsafe without a rear swaybar.

Regarding mediocre reviews of the Yaris not scaring us away; well, true, but we are here so we obviously bought it anyway. There are surely readers of those websites and magazines who did put more stock in what they were reading and chose to buy something else. Their loss, in my opinion, but it is still a case of incomplete information leading people to make not-totally-informed buying decisions. Just yesterday, I read a new car review magazine with another mediocre review of the Yaris, where the author did not seem to be able to actually point out what they didn't like about the car, just that they didn't really like it... despite the great reliability and fuel economy that they acknowledged that it had. I just shook my head. I especially like the ones that criticize the driving/handling, but who may very well have not actually driven it, and just based what they wrote on assumptions.

[YarisOwnersDad]

I have no problem with the way my Yaris Sedan handles in corners or in a cross wind.

I don't try to take corners like I had a sports car, though, I will admit.

Tom

[tomato]

Well, you can't compare the Yaris to a Lamborghini! I think those people writing reviews make comparisons reviews between the Yaris and other cars not necessarily in its category, so of course if you compare an entry level vehicle to a more sophisticated vehicle, then the Yaris will look lightweight.

Even the mediocre reviews said that the Yaris years 2006 and after was mechanically extremely reliable, so that was the selling point for me.

PS. Yes, I drive the hatchback, and I was planning on adding a rear bar at some point but it seems I have adapted to the body roll so we'll see.

[eht13]

Originally Posted by tomato

Well, you can't compare the Yaris to a Lamborghini! I think those people writing reviews make comparisons reviews between the Yaris and other cars not necessarily in its category, so of course if you compare an entry level vehicle to a more sophisticated vehicle, then the Yaris will look lightweight.

That was kind of my point. Doing that is poor reviewing. Except that they often say the Fit is great (within the same category), again often without giving real reasons why it is really any better.

[why?]

I drive a liftback too. I use to live right on the east coast, and drove through some pretty crazy weather, and the winds didn't seem to bother me.

It could depend on what you are coming from. Or that the winds on the san francisco bay are unique, as a good majority of the people with the wind complaints seem to hail from there.

Car reviews are extremely biased. You need to read through the reviewers biases to get to the real info nowadays. Its kind of sad.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by why?

It could depend on what you are coming from. Or that the winds on the san francisco bay are unique, as a good majority of the people with the wind complaints seem to hail from there.

I'm sure that's true about what you're coming from.

I can handle the wind on the road just fine, but when you're several hundred feet high up on some of the suspended bridges of the Bay Area, and it's starts blowing like crazy, that's a different story and I'm not all that sure of myself anymore.

(to be honest, the wind here can get pretty intense)

Anyway, wind or no wind, still no regrets. Car is fine for my purposes 95% of the time, which is pretty damn good.

[marcus]

no regrets.. just easy on the upgrades..

rims and tires makes big difference on acceleration and mpg 3 lbs each corner extra is a noticeable difference..maybe trading my new rims for a lighter ones. cone filter and axleback is good enuff then go light wheels..

[advocate]

How can you overstate the fact that when you live in California and go over the bay bridge you have to constantly correct the steering wheel because the wind is trying to blow you off the side?

It's hard to overstate the truth.

I've driven a couple other cars before the Yaris in very similar situations and this was the only one I experienced it in.

It might be true that vans are worse but commercial vans are in the realm of freight moving vehicles and not economy road cars.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Toyota made the car unsafe without a sway bar, I would just say that it's a bit unnerving and probably not 100% safe to be affected by the wind that much. It's probably more like only 80% safe.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by advocate

How can you overstate the fact that when you live in California and go over the bay bridge you have to constantly correct the steering wheel because the wind is trying to blow you off the side?

.

Pfeww, finally!! I thought I was the only one!! I was starting to wonder if i was trippin' or something.

By the way, the LB and the Sedan really are different cars.

[eht13]

Originally Posted by tomato

By the way, the LB and the Sedan really are different cars.

Yes... the Vitz and the Belta in Japan. So they are different models with a similar style, not two body styles of the same model like here.

But I'm curious, is the theory that the hatchback is less stable in wind than the sedan? Has anyone here driven both (or better yet, owned both) and can comment on how the overall driving experience of the two compares?