Yaris Newbie - T Sport Buying Advice

[Ben_G6]

Hi all

I venture over from the Corolla Club! Having owned a G6 from just February this year, it's unfortunately been rear ended ;( It's more than likely going to be written off now which I am NOT happy about because it was MINT, low mileage and just a fantastic car to drive! Anyway....

If it gets written off, I'm thinking of buying a Yaris T Sport.. I would have a small budget of £2500 which is just enough to get an early tidy one with reasonable miles it seems.. But I have a few questions about buying a Yaris T Sport;

Are they any good?! (ie nippy? Reliable? Affordable to run?)

Is reliability as good as I hear?

Are they chain or belt driven and what's the service intervals for this?

Are there any things to look out for on the early models / common faults etc?

And finally - longevity? How good are the 1.5 engines? Is a unit with 100,000 miles on it with a full Toyota service history still a worthwhile buy?

Cheers for any tips guys

Best regards

Ben

[Madasafish]

Are they any good?! (ie nippy? Reliable? Affordable to run?).

[0-60mph 9.2secs. As reliable as any other Yaris (very) . 40mpg. Watch insurance

Is reliability as good as I hear?

Yes.. but require servicing.. will stand abuse.

Are they chain or belt driven and what's the service intervals for this?

Chain: life of engine.. Note if noisy due to poor oil, parts to replace £200+

Are there any things to look out for on the early models / common faults etc?

General neglect, radiator corrosion, rear boxes rust, anti roll bar bushes wear (cheap), disks can be neglected. Paint chips bonnet.

And finally - longevity? How good are the 1.5 engines? Is a unit with 100,000 miles on it with a full Toyota service history still a worthwhile buy?

Should be good for 200k miles if serviced properly

[Chris81]

I always thought it was 8.9 to 60 and having owned one for 4 years they certainly are quick off the line. They love (and need) to be revved. I'd say it'll be noticeably quicker than the G6. Best thing for me is that other drivers see a Yaris and assume it's slow and driven by a grandad, so it's a nice surprise when you open the taps. Lightweight car + 105bhp and a rev happy engine + short gearing = a lot of fun. They accelerate pretty quickly but soon run out of puff, but you're already at the speed limit by then so who cares. Downside is it could do with a 6th gear as at 70mph in 5th the engine's at 3500rpm. Punch it to 80mph and you're talking 4000rpm.

Anyway, yes they are getting cheap to buy now and insurance is low considering it's a nippy car. Driving a mix of 'pedestrian' and 'enthusiastic' I average a solid 39.5 mpg, having always serviced the car to schedule and replaced any parts as necessary. Been through a couple of sets of anti roll bar bushes (whilst it was in warranty - I don't bother now as they're only a bother if they're split and causing the suspension to knock). Also had driveshafts done under warranty as they were clicking on full lock - I'm sure the new set does the same, must be a characteristic of the car. Listen out for clutch pedal squeaking - can be solved by greasing up the linkage under the bonnet. Also as above - my front disks looked in great shape after 4 years however the inner faces were falling apart so get under the car and check - the outer face may look fine but the inners rot. Brake guards rust away too. alloys will almost certainly be corroded - they all are, but some are a lot worse than others. As above - there's a couple on autotrader saying 'exhaust blowing' so listen out for that. Paint is thin and scratches easily and there'll be a tonne of stone chips on the bonnet but hey ho.

[Ben_G6]

Thankyou for all this advice!

I have some pressing questions now that I know are hard to answer on a forum but here goes;

I've found a t sport going very cheap and although it's got 100,000 miles all seems very good apart from two issues:

1. The handbrake light is on - the seller says the handbrake works just fine and is unsure why it is on? Any ideas? Potentially a pricey fix?

2. The engIne management light is on - seller says that it was traced to lambda sensor and that it's s common fault? Can anyone shed any light on this?

The car has just had 12 months MOT on it though with both those lights on apparently.. Are these niggles that can be rectified easily or does it sound best avoided?

Best regards

Ben

[ormi]

it should have NOT passed the mot with the brake symbol on...but could be as easy as the brake fluid needs topped up or the small connector has come off the handbrake i work for a toyota main dealer and 100k on these engines is nothing as long as its been looked after....i have seen one with 175k and its still going strong...

[Chris81]

Handbrake light - never heard of this being on permanently. Please note although that warning light comes on when you apply the handbrake, it refers to the braking system as a whole so it's not just the handbrake. Handbook says it could be down to brake fluid being low but I doubt it's that. It also says take it to a Toyota dealer immediately as brakes may not work properly. So it doesn't sound good to me - nobody should be taking risks with their brakes.

As for the engine management light - have you got an OBDII reader? If so check the code yourself. Sounds like it's the P0420 code. I have experience of this on a friends 1.0 Yaris. It means the oxy sensor after the cat is reading the same frequency as the oxy sensor before the cat - i.e. the cat is knackered and doing nothing. My friend replaced the cat (not genuine Toyota) and the engine management light cleared for several months but came back on - P0420 again. I spoke to Toyota this time and they said it could be due to a non-Toyota cat being fitted (slightly different tolerances) or it could be the oxy sensor (lambda)to blame (i.e. the cat is fine). The car continues to drive fine so the light is just permanently on now - which sounds like the case in this car you're looking at.

Would I buy it? Well, it depends how cheap it is but those lights would put me off, particularly the brake one. And you could spend hundreds on oxy sensors, cats and exhausts and still not get rid of the P0420 code.

[Ben_G6]

That's all the info I needed I think - I will avoid! Not worth the hassle and potential cost!

Cheers for the info guys.. My insurance pay out is disappointing so a t sport may be off the cards unless I wait a while before getting another car.. I might compromise and get an SR instead....,.?!

Best regards

Ben

[Chris81]

Whilst I don't doubt the 1.3SR is a decent car, it's the T-sport you want. Bodykit, better seats, and more importantly, a more powerful engine. Much more fun to drive! Last time I looked there were loads on autotrader.