Yaris Tr 1.33 Vvti Buyer Beware.

[motoxxx3]

pauljack, maybe he means the Yaris is far superior to the Corsa?

I like the new Corsa, the VXR can look stunning in white.

As far as quality is concerned the Yaris been better than the Corsa is debatable. A Honda Jazz compared to a Yaris is like chalk & cheese (in terms of quality and driving experience the Jazz is superior) - we have both of these cars so Iam not biased.

When you say that the Jazz is superior to the Yaris I must disagree.

I bought a new Jazz in 2003. I had the steering column replaced at 9,000 miles, the gear stick was 'rattling' at over 50mph ( after several visits to the garage the dealer said that nothing was wrong ), it started to use oil after 12,000 miles, coolent was also vanishing ( again the dealer could find nothing wrong ).

I now understand that after approx. 50,000 miles quite a few models have had to have the gearbox repaired, at a cost of about £1,100. There has also been several reports of premature wheel bearing failure.

I sold my Jazz when it reached only about 16,000 miles.

I'm not saying that the Yaris is really good, far from it, but compared to other makes it is better.

I was refering to a 2010 Jazz compared to a 2010 Yaris (we have both of these cars) not a 2003 model.

In truth all the manufacturers seem to have cut corners on quality these past few years.

I have friends who have always bought brand new BMW's and they say the models from the 1990's were better built then the recent ones, which they have had trouble with.

We had a 1990 Honda Civic from new - that car did over 220,000 miles in 20 years and never ever broke down - all it had was tyres, exhausts, brake pads/discs and 1 clutch! They don't make them like that anymore!

[Grompix]

Thanks for all the advice folks.

My local Toyota dealer let me take a 2010 Yaris D4D diesel out for a (long) test drive this afternoon and I was frankly amazed at the performance difference between that and my 1.33 petrol VVT1. The torque was exceptionally good (even though I wasn't pushing the revs). No sign of any throttle lag either - instant response every time. Really enjoyable to drive. Of course the throaty engine growl made no attempt at disguising the fact that it was a diesel under the bonnet but I didn't find the extra noise obtrusive at all. It was just sheer joy to be able to accelerate at a decent pace again.

My local dealer has a couple of 2010 ex-demonstrator Yaris's in stock with low(ish) miles. Need to see if they will come to some arrangement...

Might be remaining on this forum for a while after all!

Thanks again chaps.

Regards

Chris

[wharfstaff]

I've been watching this post and have to add my sixpenneth. I have owned a 1.33 TR for the last year, I test drove the diesel as well and chose the petrol over that.

Smoother to drive, admittedly less torque, but don't be frightened to rev it, down into third and quite brisk overtakes on single carriageways can be made.

I love the stop start which pays dividends living in a town with level crossings and bascule bridges and fuel consumption has averaged 45ish mpg.

I am not anti diesel, my previous car was an oil burning Astra, 1.9 150 bhp, which was a bit problematic (not as bad as my diesel Megane but that would be going right off topic!)

So in summary - petrol was cheaper to buy, smoother to drive and over 3 years would probably work out the same to own, all depends on your style of driving, laid back torquey, or revvy and a little frantic at times.

[Mick G]

Glad you've found something you like Chris. I still wouldn't swap mine for the world though, but horses for courses and all that.

I hope you sort out a good "arrangement".

:)

Take it easy,

Mick

[aygoal]

Wharfstaff, we also test drove a d4d before we bought our 1.33, admittedly it was a year old 5 speed one so not the refreshed 6 speed one, but we found it too rough and noisier than our Aygo we had at the time.

Granted to make swift progress the 1.33 needs to be taken by the scruff of the neck, but it sounds quite sporty when near the rev limiter!! The driving style for the 1.33 is similar to the Aygo & different to the previous 1.3 that we also test drove, but it is no slow coach when you are in the mood.

[Grompix]

It's good that quite a few people obviously find their 1.33 VVTi Yaris a good driving experience and are more than happy with their car.

But then I find that fact somewhat disconcerting too!

Don't get me wrong though, I am certainly not questioning anyone's judgement (well maybe mine perhaps!). But a reccurring thought keeps nagging at me that maybe I've been sold a dud. Five other people (mostly friends and family) have driven my Yaris and they all more or less agree that my car is pants performance-wise. None of them have ever owned a Toyota though (well, apart from one - but he was the dealer that sold it to me originally!).

I know my Yaris only has 1800 miles on the clock at the moment and that the engine will probably loosen up more with accumulated mileage - but surely that can't be the reason for it's sluggishness - can it?

Anyway, it's all just speculation now as I have indeed come to an 'arrangement' with one of my local Toyota dealers. I'm picking up an ex-demo Chilli-Red Yaris D4D on Tuesday next. Registered in March this year, it's done just over 7000 miles and looks pristine. It was only going to have the remainder of 3 years warranty on it though (as the 5 year one didn't come out until July I believe). Then I mentioned the 'Big 5' Toyota deal I'd seen here on this forum:-

http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=117544

The dealer had not heard of it but after a quick telephone call to Toyota UK, he upped mine to the full 5 years warranty without a quibble.

I received a better-than-expected part-ex price for my car to so the financial sting hasn't hurt t-o-o-o much (ouch!). Overall, I reckon I've forked out about the same amount I would have paid for a Diesel Yaris in the first place (going on Whatcar recommended prices). It's just the thought that a load of unknown drivers have been piling 7000 miles on it in the meantime makes me wince a bit!

Ah well - could have been worse I suppose. I'll not get caught out like that again (I hope!)

Thanks again folks.

Cheers

Chris

[Cherry Red Pocket Rocket]

Typically, I'd never buy a new car. You lose so much when you drive it off the forecourts. Even Yaris's I'm afraid to say although not as much as other brands like Range Rover! Ha ha ha. It also takes a good few thousand miles to get all the initial niggles ironed out in the car. I'll always buy a car second hand because its a lot cheaper for a start and will have all these niggles ironed out of it. Both my cars have been old high mileage cars and never had any trouble with them. I hope you get on with your replacement car more!

[Sico2]

Is it just me, who finds the Yaris 1.33 rev too high only when the engine is cold, or do everyone else find it as a "genral flaw"? I was very surprised how the engine and throttle behave in my 09 TR Yaris but after a while I started driving it properly and without revving. The engine screams quite high when very cold and especially after reaching over 2-3000rpm on a gear change. I think it's just special high fuel management to heat up the engine. I used to drive my dad's polish Fiat 125p, 1989 where you had to turn on extra fuel lever to let the engine heat up quickly in winter ;) That was like a power booster, from 40 to 45bhp! ;)

You can see fuel consumption on a 4th gear 30mph by around 38MPG, but the same road, the same speed and gear on a warm engine will give me 55 or 60MPG.

I hate the electronic throttle and it annoys me, but only when on a 5th or 6th gear and when acceleration is needed. Apart from that it's fine. Well maybe starting may be a bit tricky do master smoothly, but still it's still ok.

Overtaking? Hmm... you don't get much chance to do that, do you? Most people drive on a speed limit or over it any way, so my task is more to get out of the way, rather then overtake, especially with my little daughter in her child seat.

[Cyker]

That's one thing I really love about my D4D; in 5th it'll go from 60 to 70 in the blink of an eye which makes quick overtakes muuuuch easier.

In my previous car (1.3 Fiesta; AVOID the 1.3!) I would have to back off many car lengths to open up an acceleration gap, then try to time my acceleration to 70 so it would coincide with a gap in the middle lane!

And if I was behind a slow lorry on a hill, I'd actually have to downshift because the stupid endura engine couldn't go up hills at less than 55mph in 5th!! (But would scream !Removed! murder above 50!)

Now I just need to spot the gap in the middle lane because I know the D4D can get me in and out of it safely and, once I'm on the motorway and barring solid traffic, I don't need to think about gears, even fully loaded! (Which is as it should be!) :D

[fifty years of driving]

i bought my yaris 1.3vvti (new) in 2012 and apart from the usual wear and tear i have had no problems in 10+ years. 2 batteries, 1 rear wiper, 3 front wipers, 2 front springs and (next week) 2 rear springs, arms and bushes. still the same exhaust (surprisingly). Yes, sometimes the power is a little lacking but i am not a boy racer anymore (50+ years of driving). on the whole my car is cheap to run and that is important when fuel is almost £2/litre. i have no intention of changing the car in the near future, barring major issues or accident.

[Mooly]

 I think that Toyota started using stainless steel for exhausts many years ago. Still have a 2003 Corolla on its original exhaust. The last car I had an exhaust on was a 1990 Carina II which I had from new and that had the usual back box replaced after around four years. The front section also had a very slight leak as well when I sold it at 5 years old.