USED Toyota Yaris Hatchback (03 - 05)

My car

I have owned the yaris since 2005 - so six years as I write. It's used for a mix of urban and country traffic with occasional long runs. My wife requires a car easy to enter and exit so it's ideal and very comfortable.

Fun to drive and easy to park so driving is a pleasure. I've added rear parking snesors so supermarket car parks are a doddle.

Quiet when cold, only noisy above 70 when wind noise is an issue. With current high fuel prices, I cruise at 70 and avoid the noise..

Lots of interior space and can carry myself , wife and 3 grown up children with no struggle. Boot space is OK for shopping but with only two in th car, fold down the rear seats and we have carried: several pallets, a tumble dryer and a deep freeze.. but not all at once.

Ride? OK except for broken surfaces and potholes. I am adept now at judging road surfaces to avoid bad ones.. the rear jitters on them. Fine on smooth roads.

Running costs are superb. It averages 61mpg with mainly urban use. On long runs 70mpg if you keep below 70mph.. I DIY which is simple and easy.. each service with oils and dilters costs under £50..

Things that have gone wrong: New disks and pads after I bought it - prior owners lived near sea and lots of corrosion on disks.. now none. And anti roll bar droplinks and bushes wear. pattern parts cost under £25 (Toyota £50) and are a doddle to fit. It has had new tyres : they last approx 30,000 miles and the aircon regassed .

Apart from that it has been faultless.

My car

A very good car. Excellent hassle free motoring. I have the automatic version, which does need to be worked hard. The MPG is not great, get 35MPG around town, and about 45MPG on the motorway. The audio system is not great, even with steering controls, it does not naivgate between saved stations, but goes to next available frequency. Also the rear wipers have no intermittent setting, just on & off, seems bizzare. I owned a T plate Yaris before this & that had the same audio & rear wipe configuration. You'd think they would remedy the issue. Rear space is excellent for the space of the car. Overall I know that I will get years of hassle free motoring as with all the other Toyota's I have owned.

My car

I have owned a 1.4 D4D Yaris T3 for two years and I am selling now only because I am switching to something a little more sporty - a Celica.

This little Yaris has been absolutely legendary. Covering 65,000 miles between myself and my father it has been totally faultless. Keep up the servicing and use good tyres and you're onto happy days. I had the clutch master cylinder changed purely because it was making a noise and this was done under warranty.

Driving is a breeze. It does understeer terribly but this is only if you push it a little. It is great on the motorway and superb in the city due to its size and nippy turbocharged diesel.

Boot space is kind of limited. But the back seats can be rollwed forward, or flatened for extra space. It really has served our family well.

Fuel economy is outstanding and it will be sorely missed. 65mpg and £35 a year road tax is not to be sniffed at.

All in all a superb car which is a strong contender for the ultimate cheap all rounder.

My car

I have owned my 1 litre Yaris 5 door for just under a year now. I am a mobile hairdresser and use this car everyday. I love this car and its never let me down touch wood! It uses hardly any petrol I fill it right up and it costs £35. Which seems to last 2 weeks. Its got plenty of room and goes well and will do 80 mph comfortably. The only thing I would say which is not to good is it struggles up hill if you have a passanger/s but its got a very small engine for a big car. The build quality is spot on, I have a sunroof and its never leeked and a/c which I think every car should have. Its not dead cheap on insurance but its not that bad either.