2000 Toyota Echo from North America
Summary:
A trusty, reliable, inexpensive little car that won't let you down
Faults:
MAF sensor had to be cleaned a few times.
I did a lot of work myself - ignition coil replacement, front brake replacement.
Had a belt break, but nothing major with this car - no major repairs the whole time we had it.
They do rust - particularly on the hood, up front, and the wheel well area.
Due to the way it's built, it can be a little tough to control sometimes when the cross-winds in Alberta break 60kmh!
General Comments:
Reliable. Very low cost. Great gas mileage. Would still have it if the O2 sensor didn't need to be replaced - the car was still running to the end (used by two of our four kids, daily), but the rust was becoming major. Interior was mint.
With the 13" tires, going thru snow is actually very good - with the right tires, these are excellent cars in the snow.
Very light, so high winds can be an issue. Has little "pep", but can pass trucks on the highway. Anything near 120kmh is pushing the little 4-cylinder, but it responds. Doesn't burn oil. Some blind spots when looking back to pass.
I'd buy another - simple as that. These are very good daily commuters, and great first cars for a high school or college kid.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 24th November, 2020
26th Nov 2020, 16:52
The car was not flawless - a flawless car was never made. But I think it was one of the best cars produced in the past 20 years or so. YES, it had a (very) ugly interior and the exterior was funny to look at, however the engine was very economical, the seats were exceptionally resting for very long drives (note I'm not saying comfortable, I'm saying resting), the transmissions worked very well, the great suspension gave the car a very nice feeling, the car had very few maintenance problems (wheel bearings, rust, some VVT engine issues), and ABOVE ALL this was an exceptionally easy car to live with: very easy to hop in - very light big doors and high seating position - and very easy to drive around.
That's why I say it was among the best cars produced in the past decades by any car makers. The overall design - again with the strong exception of the ugly and plasticity interior - was very well done. I would say the only weak point was the very slow steering turning; it felt like a truck and it took away any feeling of sportiness. In comparison, the next generation launched in 2005 - which was called Yaris in the North American market, was a disaster. CLEARLY the two models were designed by completely different engineering teams. The 2005 Yaris had horrific bad seat comfort on long drives - even though the seats did 'look' better than the Echo, and the suspension was worse than a Trabant - absolutely horrible suspension setting for a modern car. However, the Yaris had good points for the very nice interior design and plastics, the exterior was also better looking, and Toyota did put a much better steering feeling mechanism into it. Speaking of the Yaris 2005-up, the Sedan had very little head room clearance for tall drivers, much less than the Hatch version.