USED Toyota Yaris Hatchback (99 - 03)

My car

I bought this car with 10,000 miles on the clock in 2001 and it has now done 45,000 miles.

Throughout, it has been fun to drive, reliable and cheap to run. The SR model of this age does have an odd exhaust, which would normally be seen on a boy racer's car!

A better model name would be Tardis as it's outside size belies the internal space available for up to five people fairly comfortably. The boot size is a little small, even with the back seats pulled forward, and is unable to take my golf clubs.

With the back seats forward, there is little legroom for rear passengers. Rear visibility is diffiicult and the low front bodywork can easily get caught on kerbs.

The car is fun to drive and reasonably comfortable, even for a driver over 6ft like me, with excellent headroom. Its handling is a little skittish in poor road conditions and it's not the best car for a long trip.

The only thing that has gone wrong is the brakes seizing up on one occassion when using the handbrake. Petrol consumption has averaged around 37mpg over this period. Depreciation has been low too.

Overall, it's a car I would certainly buy again because, even though there are better appointed and cheaper superminis on the market, the Yaris's reliability, overall design, fun driving characteristics and running costs tend to set it apart from the competition, even the newer entrants to the market from other manufacturers.

My car

This car has met all my requirements and I have been very satified with it.

It has an excellent driving position and good handling. The blind spot to the left is a bind and I think the upholstery very cheap-looking indeed, in fact it really irritates me.

However, my next car will be a Toyota. I am looking for the new model in October or November.

My car

First impressions - nippy, small but roomy runabout car with reasonable looks, good economy.

My car

Having owned a Yaris for two years, I felt very disappointed with this car. My vehicle had the Freetronic transmission, which caused endless problems and the vehicle. I visited the Toyota dealer on a regular basis (at least once every month).

It was a good job that the service from my dealer was impeccable and I was never left stranded and they provided a helpfiul and polite service, with all work done under warranty.

The parts that were replaced were the clutch assembly (twice), the clutch hydraulics (twice), the clutch electronics (countless times) also replaced were the interior carpets (which wore through) and the alloy wheels (which corroded). Not bad for a very reliable car!

As you may imagine, this has clouded my judgement a bit.

The car itself met my needs well, so much in fact I was going to purchase another Yaris, but with the full auto box. However, the sales side of the Toyota dealership offered me 30% less trade-in than dealers of other makes.