Thinking about selling 03 corolla for new one or 07 yaris. - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

brhino692 · 03-13-2006, 10:58 PM

Hi,
I have a 03 Toyota Corolla S that has nearly 60,000 miles on it. My payments are 278 a month, and I owe about 6500 on it. I am considering selling it out right (I believe I can get approx. $10k to 10.5k, let me know what you think) and applying the extra money to either a new Yaris when it comes out or buying an all together new Corolla. If I can get a Corolla at good financing my payments would be around 315 for 3 yrs, but I would have a new car, no miles, and not have to put money into it for awhile, whereas my corolla I will have to get new tires, timing belt, and brakes within the next year. If I buy a Yaris for approximately 14k minus the 4k downpayment, my payments would be approximately the same as my current payment, but I would owe 3 yrs, instead of my current 2. Please let me know what you think of this idea, or if you think I am completely nuts! Also, please comment on how much you think I will be able to sell a 03 type S for that is in good condition. Thank you!!

Raddman · 03-14-2006, 12:49 AM

I have the same type car and mileage as you and $10k is probably what you will get from a dealer(who will turn around and sell it for 12-13K) The Yaris is just a redesigned echo which in my opinion was one of the ugliest cars made. I checked it out at the auto show and wasn't really impressed with it, reminds you of one of those Beep Beep cars driving the streets of Europe...I'm thinking about a trade in myself but will wait to see what the new generation corollas look like that will be coming out this fall or early next year before making a decision on what to do!...good luck...Radd Guy...

igorien2k · 03-14-2006, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brhino692

my corolla I will have to get new tires, timing belt

umm timing belt? your car has a timing chain. should be a lifetime part unless it starts making noise

the yaris might not be bad. its damn heavy for such a small car. they said they added electrical power steering to save weight but it still seems like it weighs 2300 lbs. my guess is that it wont have the performance or fuel economy to match other subcompacts in its class. the corolla weighs about the same but has 140 hp(with a celica ECU), about the same fuel economy and the reliability to boot.

Old Dood · 03-14-2006, 09:16 AM

I looked at the Yaris...it didn't impress me either. I could never get use to the speedometer in the middle like that. It is bad enough with the wife telling me how fast I am going now.

I am looking forward to my new Corolla LE I have on order. Wish they would hurry up...I was told it fell into a "Special Order" tag. Why? I only ordered the options that Toyota offered. *sigh* Looks like I won't see this car until next month now...and with gas at around $2.50/gallon...this is painful.

Raddman · 03-14-2006, 09:46 AM

Quote:

I looked at the Yaris...it didn't impress me either. I could never get use to the speedometer in the middle like that. It is bad enough with the wife telling me how fast I am going now.

I forgot about that speedo that would drive me nuts

...It took me almost three months to get mine but it sure was a nice feeling driving away from the dealership with 4 miles on the speedo...They say to drive with the window cracked open a little for awhile till that new car smell leaves, I guess their finding more and more bad things about that

..Radd Guy..

Guido · 03-14-2006, 03:34 PM

Funny thing is on the highway the Corolla gets better mileage than the Yaris.

***REN69*** · 03-14-2006, 04:34 PM

The only thing that would stop me from trading in an 03 S for a newer Corolla is the whole drive by wire deal. I would do it for an XRS or even for a Yaris, but I'm not sure if I would go for a newer Corolla.

Old Dood · 03-14-2006, 07:00 PM

Help me understand REN69...what is this drive by wire and why is it not looked on very warmly? I hear more of you good people here state you don't like it....why is that since I have a 06 LE on order.

touringcamry · 03-14-2006, 07:21 PM

I haven't driven a Corolla yet, but I have driven a couple vehicles with electronic throttle and I wasn't impressed with them.

On one vehicle I was driving, there was a point where I would press on the throttle slightly to get the vehicle going slightly faster than idle, but the engine would sputter as if the computer couldn't decide whether or not to open the throttle. It would open for half a second, close, open, close, etc. The result was that it made the vehicle very jerky. Another issue that some cars have is that the electronic throttle has a slight delay from when you push it to when the throttle actually opens, especially for WOT, and a delay from when you let go to when it closes.

Guido · 03-15-2006, 08:08 AM

I have an '05 with the drive by wire and I don't notice anything different than any other car. I test drove about 10 vehicles before buying this, all between 2003 and 2005 models and no difference.
If you plan on road racing the thing around a track every weekend then maaaaybe there may be an issue, but with every day regular A to B driving it's a non-issue. This is not the first or only car with this technology.

Possibly, the only issue with the drive by wire is the no-start problem. It could be a coincidence, but Toyota is not talking.

Guido · 03-15-2006, 08:23 AM

Oh and to answer your question - drive by wire means the throttle pedal is connected to the engine electronically (by wires) instead of the more traditional way of using a cable (similar to a brake cable on a bicycle).
You may also hear about steer by wire, and brake by wire in the future. Same conecpt - no mechanical connection, only wires.

brhino692 · 03-15-2006, 10:10 AM

so what would be the benefits and negative aspects of a drive by wire versus a conventional type of system?

Guido · 03-15-2006, 11:15 AM

Benefits?
Cheaper for the manufacturer in many ways (incorporating into engine management, platform sharing, one less hole in firewall, etc). More precise throttle control. No pedal stiffness in extremely cold weather.

Negatives?
Bad electrical connection more likely than a cable breaking. Not as easy to troubleshoot. More room for problems (see above posts).
Note: If the system fails the engine will run in "limp-home" mode to help prevent you from becoming stranded.

In reality for the customer there is no difference between the two systems. Unless there is a problem you can't tell the difference.

igorien2k · 03-17-2006, 09:48 AM

honestly IMO these drive-by-wire systems are gonna put an end to tuning. some say the golden age of tuning ended with OBDII, but its just gonna get worse and tuning these systems is gonna be a huge problem

UFOtofu27 · 03-17-2006, 12:33 PM

Keep what you have. Modern cars don't wear out in three years. Pay it off, quicker if you can. Drive it until it no longer drives. Let somebody else take the hit on depreciation. Save for retirement. 60k is low mileage; at 600k maybe start looking for something newer.

New set of tires should be $300 out the door, maybe less.