CURRENT heir to the Festiva legacy?

[TJinPgh]

Was wondering what NEW cars (or cars that are, say, 2001 or newer) that come the closest to matching up with the Festiva in price, reliability, ease of repair, and overall bang for the buck?

As for price and bang for the buck, accounting for inflation since 1993 (or 97 if you want to consider the Aspire line) I'd think it would have to sell for less than 10-12k brand new (less if it's used, of course) and get at least 35mpg.

Reliability is a bit of a prediction more than anything. We've had over 10 years to determine the reliability of the 1.3s. A new car will be tougher to judge unless it's a design that's been in production for a while. This is more speculation than anything.

Easie of repair is self explanatory. Something the average do it your selfer can work on with some degree of sucess.

Not sure if I'm considering buying a new car or not. But, all 3 cars in my household are now at least 10 years aold (92 through 95) and the other 2 aren't nearly as easy to work on (exept for brakes, lol) as the Festiva. Just something I'd like to keep in mind if I'm shopping again any time in the next year or two (or for anybody who's in the market now).

[Safety Guy]

Cars that can be had for less than $10K are few in number: the Kia Rio, the Hyundai Accent, the Chevy (Daewoo) Aveo, that's about all I can think of offhand. These models will mostly be stripped and on special.

None are as small as a Festiva or even an Aspire. I think the Rio is the smallest & lightest and available without power steering. It is also a distant "third gen" Festiva. I know that '00 to '02 Rios used the same brake rotors as used on automatic Aspires. In '03 when they went to the 1.6 engine, they must have changed the brakes though.

Because of that, I'd say the Rio is the closest. It's also not that close. I know of no cheap and lightweight cars sold that can match a Festiva or even an Aspire. There may be some lighter weight cars on the way, but they may command a premium price. I think there is a new micro/subcompact Honda also on the way, so we'll see about that one. It may come closer, but probably not as close as the Rio.

I would like to see some simpler, no frills cars priced under $8K or $9K that weigh less than 2000 pounds. I dont know of any though. No doubt updated gov't safety regs are one limiting factor.

Karl

[gdawgs]

The Toyota Echo looks like a good option. New they run about $10,500, older models look like they go for about $4-5K. Reliability has been excellent which is to be expected from Toyota, they do not produce anything unreliable.

Engine=1.5l 108hp
Weight=2150
Fuel Economy = 34/41(manual, Festivas were rated at 35/43)

If I was in the market, this is what I'd look at.

[HappyMom]

The closest that would fit the bill IMO is the Echo 3 door hatch.

It is even rumored to be avialable in the US (at least seen by a friend of mine on northern Vermont Toyota dealer lots) and is scheduled to be available in the US in 2007, redesigned and badged as a Yaris

2116 lbs for the 3 door base model, 1.5 l, 108 HP, no power steering, about $13K Canadian, equal or better fuel efficiency. Reliable as a Festy? very likely. As easy to work on for a do-it-yourselfer? Probably not

[gdawgs]

Hey happy mom. I just barely beat you to it. I read that they have a redesign coming out for 2006, but didn't know what was in the works. 3 door would be sweet.

These things are pretty basic cars so working on them should be pretty straight forward.

[Safety Guy]

I would have said Echo, but I rarely see a used one for under $10K for some reason. Most of those are in dealer ads and I seldom scan for used Toyotas I'll admit.

I've been driven in an Echo and I drove one down my alley and street once and it seemed okay. A friend had rented it.

An Echo hatch would be cool. When they come out I'll take a closer look.

Karl

[gdawgs]

Yeah, you don't see many Echos driving around, well at least I don't see many around here. So finding a used one could be tough. One of the problems with used Toyotas and Hondas is that they hold their value very well, so it's hard to find a good deal on them.

[TJinPgh]

I had originally thought Echo but the best deal I could find listed in the Auto Trader was over $8k for a 2001 and that was over 200 miles away.

Interrestingly enough I can find Toyota Corollas the same year cheaper. Slightly bigger car but the mpg isn't far off with the 5sp. Of course, finding a used one with a 5sp can prove a challenge as most people went for the automatics.

Cheapest automatic I found in those was a dealer with a 2001 and just over 91k mi for just under $5k. It was also nearly 200 miles away, though.

Cheapest 5sp I found, a 2001 with 121k for $6900.


As with anything else, I'm sure there are better deals to be had. Just saying what was easy to find.

[gdawgs]

The Corolla is an excellent vehicle as well. Keep in mind that the Chevy/Geo Prizm is the same car as a Corolla, made at the same plant in California. The good thing about the Prizms is that they depreciate faster than the Corollas, so you'll most likely get a Prizm for less $$.

[TJinPgh]

I thought Toyota ceased having anything to do with the Prism after Geo went out in 98 and chevy took over exclusive handling of the line?

I do know they continued to LOOK like Corollas for at least a few years afterwards but was under the impression it was exclusively a Chevy product after that?

Am I mistaken?

[Safety Guy]

I positively drool over those older hatchback Prisms. They may have only been made in '89 or '90. You'll know one if you see it.

Karl

[gdawgs]

I thought Toyota ceased having anything to do with the Prism after Geo went out in 98 and chevy took over exclusive handling of the line?

I do know they continued to LOOK like Corollas for at least a few years afterwards but was under the impression it was exclusively a Chevy product after that?

Am I mistaken?

I believe so. The Prizms were manufactured at the same plant even after they changed from Geo to Chevy(1998) all the way up until they dropped the Prizm after 2002. Same car. I test drove a 2001 Prizm last year and it had Toyota stamped all over it.

[TJinPgh]

I've seen HB Prizms from as late as 91. You're right, they're fairly rare. Always thought the Storm was a cool looking car from around that same time period. No idea as to the quality of them, though. they weren't around long.

[TJinPgh]

The Prizms were manufactured at the same plant even after they changed from Geo to Chevy(1998) all the way up until they dropped the Prizm after 2002. Same car. I test drove a 2001 Prizm last year and it had Toyota stamped all over it.

Cool, something else to keep in mind. The Prizms do go for a good bit less. And, there's more of them around.

Leave it to Chevy to screw up a good deal, lol

[JerseyJay1.8T]

If they release the echo hatch here, the beetle is getting traded in or sold in a heartbeat and the hatch (also known as the Vitz in Japan and featured in GT4) will be in the driveway with either a custom turbo or a blitz supercharger kit... hey, maybe celica gts engine swap?