Used Toyota Echo Hatchbacks- Questions

[neonlily]

Hey all,

I'm looking at getting a new used car so I can own my own car when I move out. I've always wanted a hatchback car and I'm a fan of Import cars (being toyota, honda etc). I had a look at Chevy Aveo but since GM is bankrupt I don't want to chance it and get one, plus all the used ones I find are manual.

I've looked at some Echo hatchbacks and they look really good. If anyone owns one and has any review on it that would be great. I wanted to get first hand knowledge of what you think of them and if you've had any problems. I would have liked to have gotten the new Yaris but I don't have that kind of $$. Echo still seems to fit the bill of what I'm looking for.

I'm currently looking at a 4dr black 2004, automatic.

Thanks!

[mrmccowcow]

A very reliable car. My family has had one for almost 10 years and I think we only needed to change the brake pads once due to the car being so light.

Since the car is so light, on windy days you will feel the car being shifted by the wind. Also, it has no power so you need to step down on the throttle to get it to go which drops your mpg.

[rchong]

If you want a/c, make sure it's strong enough for you. I have a 2001 sedan and it's not very strong when its 24C+.

[urameatball]

My friend bought one back in 2004.
crashed it a hand full of times and still running strong after 160K+. (crashes were due to driver error and not because the car failed on him)

If that's not proof of Toyota reliability, then I don't know what is :P.

I drove it a few times and it's your basic economical car. Nothing fancy, just gets you from A to B efficiently and reliably.

[SkiD]

The reality is the Echo is not a very good car (do some real research). It's not really that much better than the Korean cars (Hyundai/Kia/Daewoo) and there are much better options out there. Even the Corolla is a hell of a lot better vehicle. Go look at Honda's instead.