New Wannabe Auris D4D Owner

[shaidmahmood]

Hello Folks,

I have a bit of a dilemma.

First of all before being rude and getting straight to the point i think i should introduce myself.

I'm a bloke looking for a car for my wife. My wife is not too keen on changing cars as she knows little to nothing about cars and i've got an overhanging guilt for spending too much on my own car/s.

She currently has an old faithful 02 reg Honda Civic 1.6 etc. It has been very reliable and just got on with being a car without any of the associated nonsense some of the Civics rivals tend to throw up now and again. Nevertheless we have had it for a while now so it's time for a change.

So i made a shortlist

VW Golf - too expensive and wag looking

VW Polo - VW do not hide the fact it's a cheaper model of their range

Seat Leon - Lol

Audi A3 - To much like WAG

Toyota Yaris - Again, too cheap on the inside

Honda Civic - Lovely car but it's either a 2.2 diesel or 1.8/1.4 petrol (all wrong imho)

Skoda whatever they call the mid size family version - Have you seen the interior?

Peugeot 308 and anything else French - Great economy but my local mechanic likes them as he makes money from them

Mazda 3 - Great cars but too obscure

Toyota Auris - Just right :-)

Ford Focus - Possibly but gosh it has put on some weight

So i decided i want an Auris.

It must be a diesel one and i want reverse sensors as well as keyless ignition.

I have noticed that reverse sensors seem to be really uncommon (must have been an expensive option) otherwise most D4Ds have all the bits and bobs i could ever want.

So then is there anything i should really look out for on these cars?

Does anyone know of a good one for sale?

[Raistlin]

Hi, Welcome to the club... Enjoy

[Aggo]

Welcome bud

First off I wouldn't worry too much if you can't find one with factory rev sensors, it's relatively cheap to have put on by a third party.

Look for boot leaks (although it's an easy fix) 3 other people who I know who own auris' have all had same problem

They rattle like fook which is scary at first but then you kinda don't hear it after a while

Personally the only good looking auris is a modded one but each to there own

Cold starts are very temperamental

There's a couple missing out your short list if you ask me

I love my auris it has it's own personality and you'll learn to love it!

Best I can do for you.... Only my opinion of course.... Give it a min and others will tell you what they reckon :)

[Heidfirst]

Hi,

What kind of driving/mileage does your wife typically do?

If it's just short shopping trips then long term a petrol is probably better than a diesel.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hello Shaid - welcome to Toyota Owners Club.

Are you looking for a first generation Auris (2007-2012) or a second generation (December 2012 onwards)?

I've had two first generation Auris.

I had reversing sensors on both my 2009 and my 2012 Auris - a dealer fit option which cost £350 fitted for my later Auris.

Rattles seemed to be an issue for early models - neither of mine have suffered from rattles. I haven't had boot leaks on either of my petrol models.

Smart Entry & Start were standard on the T-Spirit and SR - Smart Entry uses an electronic 'key' that you keep on your person.

With the 2009 Auris the only issue I had with it was a broken cup holder in the three years I had it - replaced under warranty.

[Awebb180]

mk1 or mk2 auris? mk2 is a marked improvement over the first generation. Reversing sensors are not that expensive even genuine ones. As Heidfirst has said what type of driving does she do?

Alex

[shaidmahmood]

Thanks for the response guys.

I'm looking at an 07/09 Auris so i suppose that's a mk1.

My wife does mainly City Driving (well only City Driving) of around 12k per year.

The reason why i want a diesel is that my car is a twin turbo 340bhp V-Power only approx 21mpg on a very good day thing that is never used for going anywhere out of town with the family unless it's a motoring event/meet/etc. With a diesel we can enjoy going some cheap motoring on the weekends.

The other option is petrol but then i would have to lpg it and i'm not too sure wether vvti's like lpg or not.

On another note ref the reverse sensors. I'm aware that aftermarket kits can be purchased cheaply enough however i like the standard colour coded affairs and don't trust anyone to fit an aftermarket kit as professional as standard equipment.

I'm looking for one with the mp3 stereo. Is there a way i can get it to play usb sticks as well?

[FROSTYBALLS]

The first generation Auris was facelifted in 2010.

The pre-facelift Auris (2007 to 2009) stereo will play mp3's if they're put onto a CD-R, CD-RW or similar - it doesn't have a USB socket. Although you can get equipment like Connects2 or Xcarlink which can connect to the factory fit stereo, and provide USB connectivity.

The post-facelift Auris (2010 to 2012) has a USB socket in the upper glovebox.

[shaidmahmood]

So, has anyone installed the Xcarlink on their car?

Where would be a good position to install.

On another note guys thanks for your advice. It has been helpful :)

[FROSTYBALLS]

Think some have installed the Xcarlink - do a search of the forum