I dont get the body kit thing.

If you look at the Yaris website, you can add a ton of TRD parts to the car ... Whats the point in doing that?

If someone ones an econobox that gets 40mpg and is cheap, and $12K is cheap these days ... what is the point in adding another $5K in bling? In fact, just looking at Carmax prices, all their Yaris prices were within $1k of a Corolla So much for being a $12K car.

 

chows are you not getting your vitamins again?

no one said just because it's an econobox and gets 40mpg and
accelerates like a dog running backwards with a cork stuck up
its *** that you are not allowed to make your car look nice.

you're basically saying that for those that add a Aero kit on their
MC's that they are doing something wrong...cause it's suppose to
be the cheap MINI and you're suppose to keep it econonical waaay
below the MCS's price range. why? cause it's not that fast either
and doesn't deserve any bling.

wow chows, is that what you are saying?

(i really don't care if you really mean it or not...im just having fun)

 

Dude, you are SO right. I was wondering what those One-a-Day Men's formula pills were for!!!

Not quite but your very close. What I am saying is that I ... as in ME ... as in Yours Truly were looking for an econobox to get great gas mileage for commuting then it would be a total stripper. I would want the absolute cheapest price because the reason I bought it was to be "cheap", not to "look nice". I do not think that logic applies to MCs because by definition, they are too expensive (almost 20K) and can be easily optioned much higher and are know for good handling ... autox

Apples and Oranges

For example, real life ... in the past I really wanted a commuter car when gas was very high and I bought a Toyota Tercel, absolutely stripped. NO nothing, not even carpet Plastic floor ... no kidding. Of course, Toyota didnt want to sell such a car so I walked ... 3 days later the dealer called and said he found one ... imagine that. I noticed on MSN auto today that Yaris has two main packages and the comment was ... try to find one without the packages (giving a radio, ABS, etc.). Well, I guess I would have to order one from the factory.

Hence, I see no point in buying a $14K Yaris when I could get a $15K Corolla ... by my twisted "cheap" logic

 

The hatch starts at under $11k!

Matt

 

But could you configure it without one of those option packs? I couldnt get it to not take at least one package?

I could live without a heavyduty heater, heavyduty starter, etc. came to $12270

 

Only option I went for was the shocks.... At $380. With delivery, it came to $11,910....

Matt

 

Actually, the Yaris seem to be a much better buy than either xA, xB and Matrix.

 

yeh, i know wat you mean. I had a totally stripped out
04 CivicValuePackage going at like $160/month lease...but i really
got tired of it. like REALLY tired of it. The first couple of months
were fine, but man, the ride was bouncy and terrible, stereo sucked,
AC was barely cooling the car, no power windows, no power locks...
and even looked like a pos. (great dent repair practice car though! )

Ended up with a 06CivicEX...it's one thing to go cheap, but if you
have some cash left i'd say get something that's enough to at least
keep you comfy and content while driving. therefore, i think if you
have some cash that you want to spend on your car to make it
at least exciting to you, it's worth doing it.

otherwise, i say go with a used Kia or Aveo or something REAL
cheap!

 

A/C? You had A/C???? I didn't even have AC, manual doors, manual locks etc. Radio I dont need no stinkin' radio But your also right in that it got old. I think we kept it about a year ... cost maybe $5K new ... and I could care less where it was driven ... to me a beater.

A far cry from the 3 package MINIs with all the bells and whistles!

 

chows, you're not going to believe this...i got a check in the mail
yesterday from Honda Finance (lease) from my previous car that I
overpaid them. woohoo~! i put zero money down on this current 06's
lease and my monthly payment is very low. i would almost not make sense
if i didn't buy it at the end of the lease cause i would actually make a
few grand!

now that's economy. good car, good deal, low maintenance cost.

 

You got a windfall! Very cool

 

I actually like it....I would much rather drive the cheapest Toyota /Scion or Honda than go to a KIA or HYUNDAI....
And FYI, Motor on, The Matrix and The XA are two completely diffrent vehicles...My in-laws have one of each and you cannot compare them, they are quite different...
Remember the Matrix XRS also shares an engine platform with another fantastic car...The Lotus Elise....
Toyota rules....
After MINI of course...

 

When I started looking for a new car (I currently have a '98 civic dx coupe) I actually first looked at the FIT since it was a new Honda and all. I really liked the interior - the stereo is really nice! However, I don't really like the exterior much, it really does look like a tiny minivan, haha. The seats are really neat though since they fold all over the place!

In the end, I decided on the MINI (no contest!) mostly because it was only around $3500 more than the FIT with similar (and better) features. With taxes and all, the FIT Sport was around $16900. My cooper is going to be $20437.91

I must admit I did go slightly over my budget of $18000 to get a MINI, but I think it will be worth it in the long run, since I want to keep it a while.

They others are interesting little cars though. I think the Yaris is really ugly and wouldn't even consider it! The new Nissan Versa is really plain too... although it has the most horsepower of the three and a six-speed standard... I guess if I was a teenager again, I'd be happy with FIT

 

^^ chows, people are now comparing their MC's with Yaris and Fits.

lol!!!

 

and they are doing the biggest mistake of their life, MC is getting old i guess, people are looking for alternatives.

 

Now consider the difference in resale value and you'll find MINI actually cheaper!

 

yah, plus when you get a good deal on a trade-in you pay less
sales tax on the new car so that's always a good thing.

im a little dissappointed in how fast my subaru depreciates in value,
but considering it worked very well in the snow i will let it go this time.

im still thinking about possibly doing a chows and replacing that with
a new Rav4 in the future... not yet commitment level, but getting closer
as my other alternatives continue to dissappointment me in one way or
another. that new Rav4 will probably keep a good resale value.

 

I like the Yaris - a lot. It is good to see that this country is finally beginning to accept small fuel efficient cars.

 

yah, i want to see the Demio here. the only maz i like.

 

i rode that car once.. and was one of the worst experience of my life..

 

+1
If you could fit some bigger wheels on it it wouldnt look to bad.

 

Yep, clearly Toyota doesn't know what they are doing as they approach overtaking GM as the number one car maker in the world.

You can't please all of the people all of the time but they do a good job of pleasing a huge share of the people.

I had not seen the ad in question. So I went to youtube to see if I could find it. Look at this one that I found. http://youtube.com/watch?v=lKViXp7vs...elated&search=

But it is interesting to see what Toyota has done. Over the last few years they have nearly completely eliminated sports cars from their lineup. No more MR2, no Celica, no Supra. I hear that this year will be the last year for the Solara which will not be replaced. So then no convertibles. Obviously Toyota has shifted the sports cars over to Scion and Lexus. But even at Scion can it be said that the Xa and Xb are sports cars?

And lately we hear that the US car makers have become much too dependent on SUVs. We occasionally hear rumors of GM and Ford being on the brink of bankruptcy as a result. Chrysler has been dumped at a huge loss by Daimler. But Toyota has actually increased their SUV lineup. Toyota makes six different SUVs. They have also increased their focus on competing in the pick up truck market.

Of course Toyota leads the world in hybrid sales too now having three hybrid models. But it does not seem that the hybrids are a huge part of their sales.

 

My neighbors across the street have a Yaris 'Sedan', it is so gross, such an eyesore for my MINI to constantly have to look at

 

I don't dispute that Toyota knows what they're doing in the MAKING of cars -- my issue is with the silly ad campaign.

As for the disparaged 7 year car loan -- it works well for my mother, who keeps cars until they die. Until 2004 she'd been driving her '92 Saturn, when it developed terminal maintenance issues. She had, however, gotten used to life without a car payment so she financed her Golf for 7 years to keep the payments super low. She'll drive the car to its death, so even if she's upside down in the lease she'll never know as she won't be selling it.

 

I didn't intend my post to be in dispute of what you had to say. My post was more of a expansion of the idea of appealing to the masses.

Did you see the other Yaris ad I found? If so, do you find that one more or less offensive than the others?