Possible New buyer - what to look for ?

[JCUK]

Afternoon all,

I did try to use the search function so apologies - but couldn't find a thread which seemed to help.

I am in the process of trying to convince the other half we have an IQ sized hole in our lives and that it is the perfect car for the work commute! 

Is there anything to look for when looking / asking sellers ?

Any checks, recalls, bits that fail, rust areas etc etc.

Thanks in advance.

Jonny

[FROSTYBALLS]

One thing to look out for is pearlescent white paintwork, which can peel off the car in patches. Some cars have been resprayed by Toyota under goodwill, but now I believe they have a criteria for only agreeing goodwill where the vehicle is under 10 years of age and having a full Toyota service history.

[JCUK]

Thanks Frostyballs...

What are the requirements for changing belts, timing chain etc?

And Services should just be yearly ? Oils and filters?

[FROSTYBALLS]

The engines have timing chains - so if the car has had regular oil changes, etc should last.

Servicing every 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

[J0nny]

I went to buy one in Dec 2020. It was at a main dealer, looked perfect, took it for a test drive and loved it. Drove perfectly. Parked it back on the forecourt and just before going in to buy it I took the oil cap off to check for signs of water and found the view as seen in the attached photo. A bit of foam I could understand but this was totally caked in water foam so although it was running well, i think it probably had a blown head gasket. I spoke to the staff and they said it was probably just because of short journeys, however as I wanted the car for cross continent driving between the UK and Germany I decided to give it a miss and a few days later bought a Yaris 1.33 which has been wonderful. I have 2 homes and the Yaris is kept on the continent so I am now looking to buy a small car for my UK home and IQ 1.33 is top of the list. Its same mechanicals as the Yaris which has been totally reliable.  Most important buying advice is same as every car - make sure the car you are buying is the car its supposed to be. After that, unless its a bargain price check its not been crashed.   If anyone close to me ( Stockport, Greater Manchester ) is selling an early model 1.33 manual then feel free to contact me.