Introducing...the Yaris!

[The Spectacle]

I've been wanting a gas sipping daily driver for a long time and I decided to pull the trigger on one of these little cute things yesterday. The 5sp hatch was hard to find, so when I found it I didn't waste anytime. It will be great to retire my S2000 to weekend duty from now on.

2008 Yaris Liftback with Power Package and keyless entry. Only things I'm wishing I had were cruise control & a tach. I'm going to do some a few mods here and there, but I plan on leaving the motor and all that stuff stock.

Going from ~23mpg to ~40mpg will feel real good. Not to mention the increased comfort which has already proven worthy. No more climbing in and out of that cockpit everyday!

http://www.tamparacing.com/photopost/data/3688/medium/IMG_0923.JPG

http://www.tamparacing.com/photopost/data/3688/medium/IMG_09311.JPG

http://www.tamparacing.com/photopost/data/3688/medium/IMG_0933.JPG

http://www.tamparacing.com/photopost/data/3688/medium/IMG_09291.JPG

By the way, this was the worse car buying experience I've ever had. This car is in such high demand that the salesman didn't work with me one iota. I paid full sticker for it (14k) which sucks but that's just the way the market is right now.

Let the gas saving begin!!!

[Loren]

:headbang:

First mod better be window tint with that black paint!

[TIM TIM TIM]

aweome. I wish I knew what 40mpg felt like..I really dont mind that car other than the guages in the middle. I cant stand it when they do that, does it serve any purpose?

[Loren]

Purpose = same dashboard for LHD and RHD markets. Cheaper to produce.

You get used to it.

[The Spectacle]

Purpose = same dashboard for LHD and RHD markets. Cheaper to produce.

You get used to it.

Very true.

[chi town brat]

Happy that this worked out for you :)

[TIM TIM TIM]

smart from a production standpoint but I still dont care for it lol.. I agree in that I think I could learn to live with it for 40mpg

[redinjuns]

Same experience here, I was lucky to get some fresh rubber on the used tdi I picked up from the vw dealership. Didn't move on the price at all.

[Buri3d]

wtf a manual w/o a tach?

[sl2racer]

i would have waited for cruise control and a tach. 2 things that will help in your mpg quest

[Loren]

For 07-08 (not sure about 09), the only way to get a tach in a Yaris is to get the "S" package, which adds around $2k to the price of the car. For me, the only thing worth having in the S package is the tach. I opted to buy a base model and spend $50 on an aftermarket tach and $130 on a (used) ScanGauge.

Hell, even with my $900 coilover kit and $150 swaybar, I've still spent less than I would have on an "S".

[The Spectacle]

I do miss the cruise and the tach but I'm slowly getting used to not having them. I just realized yesterday that I learned to drive stick using the tach and this is the first time I've gone without one. Usually its easy to compensate by listening to the motor but this one is so damn quiet it makes it hard sometimes lol.

217 miles on first tank so far....still have a little over half a tank left :)

[Loren]

If you're driving a Yaris for economy, you don't need a tach. Just shift every 10mph. Shift out of first at 10, out of 2nd at 20, etc.

And if your cruise speed is less than 50, drop into 5th as soon as you reach it.

Or if you're not driving for economy, just rev the snot out of it until you figure out where the rev limiter is. :) Not sure where it is in 1st... it's over 60 mph in 2nd, and well over 80 in 3rd.

[Aoshi]

Purpose = same dashboard for LHD and RHD markets. Cheaper to produce.

You get used to it.

um, real purpose is toyota being stupid trying to make the car futuristic and
retarded.

Way to save money on gas by spending an extra 360 a month on a car!

edit: sorry, dont mean to be a complete dick, but yeah, I just think buying a NEW car for the sole purpose of saving gas is stupid as hell.

[Jordan Y.]

I don't think he bought the car solely to save gas. It sounds like he's wanted a new daily for a while and simply took this opportunity to buy a particularly fuel-efficient daily car.

[kumar.]

nice!

[jlude90]

maybe he wanted to play a part in lowering amerca's purchase on fuel
maybe he wanted to play a part in lower emissions
maybe he wanted a more efficient car that is cheaper to operate and he can fit stuff in

i have an S as well, and its no the most fuel economical but isn't horrible, emissions...as much oil as the F motor burns thats out the window, and good luck fitting anything more then a fold up camping chair in the trunk, not to mention warranty and cheaper "performance" parts

i agree that if he bought it to have a lower gas bill its a little misguided and will take a long time ot offset the purchase cost, but there are so many other reasons that to him it apparently is worth while

[The Spectacle]

Well let me set the record straight...

I bought the Yaris for a couple reasons. My number one reason is actually a split of three...gas mileage, comfort & reliability. I'll start with the gas mileage:

My S2000 averages 23mpg on my daily commute. That's not bad, but I have to baby it to get that. Going nowhere over 4k on the tach and being very frivolous with the AC. Gas has gone nowhere but up in the last year and I don't see it going down any further. Clearly, driving a sports car geared for high revs with gutless bottom end powerband to get around traffic to work everyday isn't exactly the most gas efficient way to do things IMO. Yaris owners with not a care in the world of their average gas mileage consistently get over 30mpg in the city. If that's the worst I get, I will continue to smile from ear to ear. I don't think I need to explain that any further. 7 mpg may not seem like much until you actually do the math.

If you've ever been in a S2000, you know it is tin can sized cockpit with virtually no lateral movement possible. Fun to rip through turns and drive spiritly in? Sure. But what about those days you just want to take it easy and relax? As I've gotten older I've found that those days occur WAY more frequently then they used to. When I got the S2000 I was 21 and was perfectly happy with sitting like a F1 driver day in and day out. Now at 24, the thrill is gone. The first thing I said to myself when I sat in the Yaris was, "wow look how easy this thing to get into." The second thing I said was, "holy shit I can stretch my legs and arms without immediately hitting something." The difference in comfort is obscene. The Yaris does things my S never will - idle silent, drive virtually silent, hold cargo, carry more than one passenger if need be, etc etc. For driving everyday, its perfect for me in every single way.

And lastly, reliability...my S is now 7 yrs old going on 8. It runs fine, but the maintenance on it is starting to add up. Within the six months I've had the head rebuilt, clutch and top replaced. Its too old of a car for me to continue drop money into just to keep it running not to mention depend on to get to work reliable. The Yaris is brand new and has a warranty. Now if I blow up the S again or go forward with my FI plans, I don't have to worry about being without a vehicle.

So as you can see, for me the Yaris was a great decision. Cheap & reliable transportation that happens to be my favorite style of car (2dr hatch) and fit every need I wanted in a daily. The best part of it all is, its my first car that ISN'T a Honda so I'm less tentative to fuck with the motor or something.

If you're reading this and have been on the edge about replacing your fun car for a simple car for daily transportation, I encourage you to take the dive. It is worth it in every way.

- The Spectacle