Need help choosing between 1st and 2nd gen Yaris.

[Cyker]

The 6-speed in the Mk2 1.33 is the first gearbox failure I've ever had in a car; Wouldn't trust 'em...

 

[corradovr6]

sorry to hear that, and thanks for the real-life feedback. What was the nature of the failure?

[Cyker]

Started getting increasingly hard to move into 1st and 2nd; At one point it got so bad I sometimes had to lift the reverse gate in order to move it left enough to engage.

One day while driving down the A10 it suddenly wouldn't go into any gear except forwards into 3rd when I tried to move off at the lights (That made me very popular!  ). Every other gear, felt like there was some sort of obstruction preventing it being moved left or right or down.

Had to get it towed to a garage by the AA, where they confirmed gearbox failure; Managed to source a replacement from a welsh breakers yard for ~£150 (vs the £700 a London breaker wanted, and the £700+3weeks a gearbox repair company quoted me!  )

I never did get around to taking the old one apart to see what went wrong, but it felt like a selector fork had sheared off.

 

[m456an]

My next door neighbour has a mk1 with an old registration plate. She does go a little far to a certain mot garage that always gives her a pass. 

 

Though mine was badly serviced, only had one stamp. The oil filter was a little loose and even rusted, the broken fog light was taped over. But I did the full service and bought it back to health, even did a partial gear oil change. Need to check the gear oil, once I get the rear bearing sorted, this is the problem you are most likely to have with mk1.