Buying advice for a Yaris TSport

[CBECKETT97]

Hi guys,

I’m in the market for my second car, all of my friends are now driving big BMW’s and Mercs on PCP and the sort and they say I should just do that, my heart is absolutely dead set on a Yaris TSport after I fell in love with my first car (2003 Yaris 1.0 T3) though, my problem is, a lot of them are becoming leggy in the way of corrosion on MOTs(mileage isn’t a huge concern, my Yaris is on 164k and runs fine!) what’s the main things I should look out for? And how can I tell if one of them is just going to be a money pit? Any help is appreciated! 

 

P.s - if anyone is selling one..:D

[Patonski]

Check the tyres , brake pipes , discs and pads , if you can get underneath do a visual check of exhaust condition, look at the underneath for corrosion, always check the fluid levels , start up the car and see how it sounds and check for colour of smoke from exhaust, look underneath the wheel arches for condition of struts for corrosion and also check the springs aren't broken, same with the rear.

Good idea to check threw service history and receipts if you have them , old mot's can be checked online with the registration. Look at the advisories on the last mot.

Just try everything and make sure it works as it should , doors, windows, seat belts , horn , lights , heater, seat adjustment anything you can find broken can also help you reduce the money you pay , just point it out to the seller.

How much mot is left on this car ?

Year build ?

Mileage ?

Has the car been modified any after market extras fitted ?

 

[CBECKETT97]

Thank you very much Patonski, that’s great advice! There’s a car I’m looking at on gumtree, £1k with an MOT until Oct 2018, part Service history, the previous MOT states two advisories, 

Front brake pads wearing thin inner,

Rear exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases slightly corroded.

At the price point I’d be willing to fix these, worth a look!

edit: I forgot to add it’s at 105k mileage, not modified by the looks of it.

[Patonski]

Sounds reasonable ,

Wear parts are normal such as brake pads disc etc needing replaced, but have a good look at that exhaust if the rear is corroded fair chance the rest of it will be not far away from being the same, factor that in because your looking at a couple of hundred for a full system.

The one I forgot to add was the timing belt ask if its been done and only be sure if you can see a receipt for it , usual service life of a belt is 60k or 5 years , if its not been done it might be something you want to do for peace of mind again that's potentially going to cost you at a guess 250-300 pound.

Check the clutch , there are a few tests online where you can find out if its slipping , just google them.

You have a link to the gumtree add ?

[CBECKETT97]

Yeh I would do, the price point is under my budget by a margin and I would be able to get an exhaust system and front brake pads within budget still, the link is https://www.gumtree.com/p/toyota/2004-toyota-yaris-t-sport.-long-mot.-/1277534501 it looks good! 

[Cyker]

Funny, we had someone else asking the same question not that long ago!! :D

You can search for the thread in the Yaris subforum, but basically it's more or less the same as your existing Yaris so look out for all the same kind of things and niggles you've come to be aware of over the years.

IIRC rusty exhaust and fuel filler pipe seem to be a highlighted issue with the T-Sport tho.

The engine uses a chain so no need to worry about changing it, but make sure it's been regularly serviced; the oil needs to be changed regularly to keep the chain in good condition.

[Patonski]

Its looks a nice clean car from the photos , I think your much better off buying that if its decent than wasting thousands leasing a car you will never own like your buddies.

Id always say to anyone to focus on getting a house bought first, the expensive cars can come later.

I had a few of the original Yaris models over the year and I always found them to be good reliable little cars if maintained and kept on top of any works.

 

[MRichards]

2 hours ago, Cyker said:

The engine uses a chain so no need to worry about changing it, but make sure it's been regularly serviced; the oil needs to be changed regularly to keep the chain in good condition.

Chain needs to be retensioned every 100k miles (it does on a 1.0l, can't be too different for the T-Sport) so make sure that's been done if the mileage is over that - people seem to forget all about this just because it's a chain driven engine.

[Madasafish]

37 minutes ago, MRichards said:

Chain needs to be retensioned every 100k miles (it does on a 1.0l, can't be too different for the T-Sport) so make sure that's been done if the mileage is over that - people seem to forget all about this just because it's a chain driven engine.

I recall the tensioner is automatic - oil pressure..No adjustment possible.

[Cyker]

Yup, although it'd be worth having the chain and tensioner inspected at that sort of mileage; Probably not so bad on the petrol ones, but the diesel ones can start to get a bit sticky because there's so much **** in the oil. I know my one is getting a bit rattly until the engine warms up since it started getting cold!

[Madasafish]

2 hours ago, Cyker said:

Yup, although it'd be worth having the chain and tensioner inspected at that sort of mileage; Probably not so bad on the petrol ones, but the diesel ones can start to get a bit sticky because there's so much **** in the oil. I know my one is getting a bit rattly until the engine warms up since it started getting cold!

Eun ours on fully synthetic 5W-30 oil and have since 2008  - as opposed to T's semi synthetic specification so not yet a problem..

[Cyker]

Aren't Mk1 diesels supposed to be on 10W40??
I'm using fully synth 5W40 - Maybe that's where I've been going wrong...!

[MRichards]

6 hours ago, Madasafish said:

I recall the tensioner is automatic - oil pressure..No adjustment possible.

Thanks, I wasn't aware, just something I was told! So if the chain starts getting noisy what should you do?

[Cyker]

Well the tensioner can go; The seals may start to perish over time if the car hasn't been looked after, esp. with diesels, so it doesn't 'tension' as effectively as it should.

So it is worth inspecting in high-mileage cars. But some chain rattle can be normal, esp. when the engine is stone cold or under sudden RPM changes!

[Madasafish]

On 12/4/2017 at 6:50 PM, MRichards said:

Thanks, I wasn't aware, just something I was told! So if the chain starts getting noisy what should you do?

I replaced the chain on a 1.0 Yaris. You need to be competent to do it... (I am not really)