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Toyota Echo
5804 messages, Last post on May 10, 2013 at 3:02 AM
You are in the Toyota Echo Forum.What is this discussion about? Toyota ECHO, Sedan
#2929 of 5804 response to banddexpress by aeroterremer
Apr 06, 2002 (12:44 am)
One month ago we bought a new 2002 Echo with auto trans, a/c, and pwr steering for $13,500. This was $1,000 higher than the price Edmund's had suggested for our location, very much sticker price. It seems the dealers really aren't negotiating on Echos.In regard to the extended warranty, from reading the other posts on this msg board, it seems like a waste of money. Consumer Reports 2002 Automotive issue (in newstands now) lists the Echo as a reliable car. From my prior experiences with Toyotas (I've owned 2: '79 Corolla & '89 Tercel), the cars were very reliable. However, it is an individual decision, and every make & model has lemons.
#2930 of 5804 extended warranties by rdeschene
Apr 06, 2002 (7:03 am)
If you compare the cost of an extended warranty, or especially the price difference between a new car and a 1 year old used car with some warranty left, the amount you are spending on a warranty is really phenomenal. Among the single most expensive things that can happen to a car is needing to replace the transmission with a rebuilt unit.Compare that cost to the cost of warranty coverage, and you quickly realize how companies increase earnings by offering warranties - the odds are in their favour. It's not quite Casino de Hull, but it's going in that direction!
#2931 of 5804 Echo dinghy by rdeschene
Apr 06, 2002 (7:13 am)
luckyh.Well, I haven't towed an Echo nor do I own one. However, I know our local trailer dealer quite well, and often found him to be a wealth of information. He's an owner/manager of the operation, not a salesman, and just a regular guy who knows his stuff.
It might be worthwhile asking this kind of person's opinion - he might even be able to refer you to some local person who's doing this. He'd know who's car he put a front hitch on, right?
#2932 of 5804 Driving ECHO by kneisl1
Apr 06, 2002 (3:41 pm)
Went on a long trip last weelend with my ECHO. Passed an accident site where drivers on my side of the road were rubbernecking at the wreck on the other side. Seems a Honda CRV went under a tractor trailer. It was removed from underneath and there were orange plastic sheets on the side of the vehicle. Oh oh I thought, there must be dead people still in there. Oh boy were they dead. As I pulled alongside you could see behind the plastic. Man and woman, man minus head. Woman mangled. Apparently the driver swerved at the last second to protect his wife because the passangers side of the roof was more or less intact.On that trip I went 414 miles before filling up with gas. It took 10.5 gallons to fill the tank (165 miles city driving, the rest on the hiway) When your gas gets that low a little gas pump icon comes up flashing to the right of the odo. Anybody else ever seen this icon?
#2933 of 5804 Some info from BusinessWeek article, April 15, 02 by babyboomer
Apr 06, 2002 (8:09 pm)
"Toyota does have an Achilles' heel: its aging customer base. The average age of Toyota drivers in the U.S. is 45 - the highest for any Japanese carmaker. The revamped Celica coupe and MR2 Spyder roadster did not sell well last year. The Echo (the first Toyota subcompact aimed at Generation Y and younger and a moderate hit in Japan, was a flop with young drivers in the US., who prefer the Ford Focus or any VW."Ouch, that last part hurts. The key words there are "young drivers."
The article states that the Matrix or the Scion brand (to be launched in California next summer) could be the winner (get the young to buy them).
The article ends by stating that the company has its roots in Japan, but Toyota's destiny is all-American.
Maybe Toyota should consider marketing the Echo to that 45 year old customer base? Anyone know the average age of an Echo buyer?
#2934 of 5804 Age of Echo buyers by mdrew
Apr 06, 2002 (8:42 pm)
Last year or so I saw an analysis of Echos purchased to date and I think the average age was 42; a lot of us in this group seem to be in the same range. You always hear about the Echo not selling much, but it seems like it was hardly advertised. Personally I'd much rather have a 'cult' car that isn't too common (and without the endless recalls of the "award winning" Ford Focus). My Seafoam Blue 4dr auto has been flawless for two years now and great to drive. (My brother who has a Lincoln Town Car couldn't believe the size of the Echo trunk.)#2935 of 5804 demographics by kaz6
Apr 07, 2002 (12:44 am)
I'm makin 40 this summer so I guess I fit too! Maybe it's because at our age we can see things for what they are and make sound decisions?
I'm debating between upgrading to 15" steel or alloy wheels. The weight diff is negligible so the decision is more of a cosmetic one. Anyone get 15" wheels for their Echo? I priced out a set of alloys and 195/15 Bridgestones for $562...the steel set would be about $250 less.
#2936 of 5804 Echo - by britton2
Apr 07, 2002 (6:58 am)
won't be made anymore after next year according to a Toyota salesman I spoke to last week - I guess he meant model year 2003.#2937 of 5804 That would be a shame. by coolguyky7
Apr 07, 2002 (8:17 am)
Only 4 years of production? I say it won't need a replacement if Toyota could get a small sedan for Scion here by the time ECHO is out. If it does get pulled for 2004...don't expect a refreshment for 2003 which would be typical of a Toyota sedan, almost as tragic as the death of the Paseo after only 2 years of a new model which wasn't all that bad. Is this the shortest lived car ever, besides that terrible Vehicross?#2938 of 5804 I see ECHOS everywhere... by janbee
Apr 07, 2002 (9:06 am)
Im surprised if its true that they wont make any more after 2003,they seem to be a popular car where Im from..If thats the case would it be smarter to sell now or wait until production stops??To POST a message, please
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