Hi there Scotty, and other members,
I'm interested in buying this "2007 Toyota Yaris Yrs 4 Sp..." on Gumtree;
- Kilometers:
I did an online check for the airbags and it seems to have been corrected (by entering the VIN here https://www.toyota.com.au/recalls).
Other than that, the deal seems to be a bit higher at 5500 AUD especially for the odo clocking more than 200000. My budget is about 5000 AUD.
Do you have any recommendations? Is this worth inspecting using a mechanic (250 AUD chargeable)?
Thanks for your great work!
Best,
Bharath
The Yaris is actually Mazda. They are the cheapest Toyota sedans (and I think the whole line up) and Scotty does not recommend it.
@yaser
can you elaborate on the yaris is mazda ?
@yaser
The newer Yarisis are manufactured by Mazda. The older ones (07-12) are manufactured by Toyota with a Corolla engine.
I would pay a mechanic to check ANY used car you decide to buy. Yeah if you look at a lot of used cars, it can add up, but it can also save you from spending thousands on a car that ends up being a piece of junk. As Scotty always says, get it checked out before buying. And I would have it checked by an independent mechanic who has no benefit as to whether you buy the car or not (I wouldn't take it to another dealer necessarily).
One thing I might be weary of is that it is an automatic. Those can be reliable cars, but usually the manual transmission cars are the ones that will last the longest. I don't realy know what those go for in Australia but look at the used car values. I'd say if it checks out mechanically and is within a "fair price" range, then maybe go for it, but even 200,000 km is a lot of miles, but I think I've seen people with more than that on theirs so it could be an OK car. Just get it checked out. It will be worth the 250 AUD.
I personally think that’s way too much for a clapped out Vios in Australia. Look elsewhere mate, there are plenty of older Toyota Corollas & Camry/Aurions, Honda Jazz, Civics which can be had with much less mileage than 200,000kms.
No matter which car you choose, get that pre purchase inspection done without fail!
Depending on the shape that it's in (I would get it checked by a mechanic to be on the safe side), that Yaris still has a TON of life left in it. I drove a 2007 Yaris sedan and got it to 272,000 miles (437,000 kilometers) before I sold it to get a new car. As long as you don't mind an outdated interior, the car is great!
Be prepared for a few things too:
Brake pads on the Yaris don't last very long, so you'll need to get them replaced pretty frequently.
The hubcaps WILL fall off at some point. For some reason, the hubcaps fall off even on the smallest of bumps. Here in the States, you NEVER see a Yaris with all four of its hubcaps (kinda funny, haha).
The Yaris is NOTORIOUS for its squeaky belt. It's worse in colder weather. When I would pull in to my college campus, people would always know it was me haha...
Besides that, it runs really well. It's a car that can take a beating and still get you to where you need to go.
