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Toyota Echo

5806 messages,  Last post on May 21, 2013 at 2:56 AM

You are in the Toyota Echo Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota ECHO, Sedan

Messages Page 240 of 581

#2388 of 5806 Edmunds, at it again by majorthomecho

Oct 11, 2001 (10:58 am)

Check out the 2002 Echo overview here on Edmunds.
 
What's new for 2002? Well, according to Edmunds and I quote, "Toyota has left the Echo untouched for 2002, thereby sentencing this car to another year of slow sales."
 
Was such a statement about sales really necessary or appropriate in that section? Does not sound very unbiased to me.
 
And Edmunds has once again tweaked the paragraph about the Echo's showing in the NHTSA tests. And tweaked it wrong. Edmunds' paragraph implies that only tests that can be compared within class were conducted by the NHTSA. This is patently false. Side impact crash tests were also conducted on the Echo, it did fairly well, and these tests can be compared between ANY cars of ANY class.
 
Finally, Edmunds has left intact the part about a fully loaded Echo requiring the rolling down of the windows and the manual setting of the sideview mirrors. The latter remains true, but the former does not.
 
Edmunds can expect yet another letter from me.

#2389 of 5806 Consumer Complaints by aeroterremer

Oct 11, 2001 (2:01 pm)

Just thought I'd share this interesting website with the members here. You can look up the model & make of most cars by year to see which complaints are being filed. A word of caution, though. Don't believe everything you read. It seems to me some of the problems are driver-related. With exception of the airbags not being deployed at times, I don't remember reading about any of the other problems mentioned in the reports occurring here among you members: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/index.cfm

#2390 of 5806 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars by babyboomer

Oct 11, 2001 (6:40 pm)

Source: Environmental Protection Agency
 
The top fuel economy winners amount 2002-model cars. Mileage is city, then highway, then combined.
1. Honda Insight, manual transmission 61 68 64
2. Honda Insight, automatic 57 56 56
3. Toyota Prius, automatic 52 45 48
4. VW Jetta Wagon, diesel, manual 42 50 45
5. (3 way tie) VW New Beetle, Golf, Jetta, all diesel with manual transmissions 42 49 45
6. Honda Civic HX manual transmission 36 44 39
7. Honda Civic HX automatic trans. 35 40 37
8. (3 way tie) VW Golf, Jetta, Jetta Wagon, all diesel with automatic transmission 34 45 38
9. VW New Beetle, diesel, automatic 34 44 38
10.Toyota Echo, manual transmission 34 41 37
 
"Just 6 percent of the 2002 models headed for showrooms get more than 30 mpg. Average fuel economy for the 491 cars was 23.9 mpg. Aside from lifestyle and taste, choosing a more fuel-efficient vehicle can save an owner hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a year while also helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions that scientists say contribute to global warming."
 
The worst: Lamborghini L-147 Murciel with 10 mpg.
Smile if you drive an Echo.

#2391 of 5806 I'd smile more if I had the by fangio2

Oct 11, 2001 (8:33 pm)

LAMBORGHINI,but then again I'm not politically correct.

#2392 of 5806 Re: Consumer Complaints by ml91

Oct 11, 2001 (8:39 pm)

I have only owned my Echo for a few days, so I am not exactly an authority on this subject, but I will offer my opinion on the consumer complaints that I read by following the link in the above post: (1) "Hydraulic drill noise": the person who filed this complaint also posted a review on another Web site which mentioned this problem. If this is a legitimate defect, it must be an isolated incident; otherwise there would be similar complaints posted here and elsewhere on the Internet. (2) Brake failure: I suppose this could be legitimate; there is also a good chance that the driver is attempting to blame the car for an accident that was caused by him following another vehicle too closely. (3) Pedals too close together: nonsense. I wear size 12 shoes and I have no problem operating the pedals on my Echo. (4) Windshield replacements: I don't know what the problem is here, but it sounds suspicious.

#2393 of 5806 Consumer Complaints by aeroterremer

Oct 11, 2001 (9:01 pm)

I agree. Some of these complaints do sound suspicious. I am an original owner of a 1989 Tercel hatchback which has never given me any of the problems presented under the complaints listed for the tercel, and believe me, there were far more problems listed for this model than for the echo, given the same timeframe. Just goes to show you can't always judge a car by what you read. There are lemons and lemonhead drivers in every car class and category. I'm still very impressed with the Echo by what the members here say about their cars.

#2394 of 5806 I would not sweat Edmund's reviews by fangio2

Oct 11, 2001 (9:21 pm)

For instance a review of the 2001 Honda Accord LX v-6 critizes body roll,tires,ride and poor exterior quality.Then it ends with calling it a quality,refined car and names it best family sedan.
I reread the Leganza reviews and I guess the handling.ride tires and exterior quality wrer not lousy enough to get Edmund's approval.
Enjoy your Echoes and hope next year Toyota sends a better fruit basket to the Edmund's reviewers at Christmas time.
The Honda Accord review can be found at the home page.Click family sedans.The review is dated may 30 2001.

#2395 of 5806 Edmunds review by majorthomecho

Oct 12, 2001 (7:42 am)

I have no problem with Edmunds not liking my car. I just want them to get the factual things right. Is that too much to ask?
 
After all, Lexus aka Toyota has paid Edmunds a lot of money, I hear. ; )

#2396 of 5806 Just bought 2001 4dr, 5-speed Echo by mccallr

Oct 15, 2001 (6:08 pm)

I just bought a 2001 5-speed Echo and love it! While I only have 51 miles on it, I like the way it drives around town and on the highway. The 6 speaker AM/FM/Cassette/CD player sounds truly awesome! In fact, the sound rivals my 2001 Grand Am Monsoon sound system. I hope I get the great mileage a lot of people seem to get. I'll let you know once I fill up.

#2397 of 5806 RE: Just bought by majorthomecho

Oct 16, 2001 (10:27 am)

Welcome to the club. I remember when I bought my 5 speed Echo, but that was about 10 months and 15k miles ago.
 
In fact, I just got back from the service department getting my 15k maintenance done. I have oil changes done every 5k.
 
The cost was $159 and change. The service advisor said they also recommend a front end alignment at 15k for an additional $64, but I turned them down. I have had no problems with the car that would indicate an alignment was needed.
 
The service department goes beyond what Toyota specifies in the book. This service department also replaces the transmission fluid. Yes, even on cars with manual transmissions.
 
In and out pretty quick and overall, very happy with the work.
 
One thing I noticed that the emergency brake is a lot tighter. Tighter than it had been even when new. Car also seems peppier.
 
Mazda may have that cute catch phrase, but we Echo owners know where the real zoom, zoom is.

Messages Page 240 of 581

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