PDA

View Full Version : Toyota Yaris Vs. Ford Fiesta



Metal Head
21st March 2009, 01:36 PM
Hi,

Well the wife and I thought it was about time to purchase a brand new car for her - especially as she brings in most of the money:). We've looked at most of the small cars available and narrowed our choice down to two (the above mentioned).

I was wondering if anyone here who as either had one (or even better both) and would like to comment what are the pro's & con's were for them?

Thanking those in advance for their reply.

Cheers
MH

AUSSIE
21st March 2009, 01:53 PM
Go up a notch to Focus or Corolla:2tsup:

againstthegrain
21st March 2009, 03:23 PM
We have a 2006 Yaris and it's been a good vehicle. Got ours with all of the optional safety equipment and thus equipped it has a fairly high safely rating.

No problems with it so far at 30,000 k's.

ian
21st March 2009, 09:56 PM
Hi,

Well the wife and I thought it was about time to purchase a brand new car for her - especially as she brings in most of the money:). seeing you are, or will become a two car household, let her have a bit of fun

Get her a Mazda MX-5

then your tool spending will be in it's proper perspective – just a small harmless hobby compared to her fun car



ian
disclaimer, we had an MX-5 up until two months after our son was born, by which time we had worn out our welcome borrowing four door cars from different family members

Optimark
21st March 2009, 11:10 PM
The Yaris has one thing in its favour in this country, a full size spare tyre.


I don’t know about the Fiesta, but that was the deciding factor with a friend’s wife purchasing her first new car in her life.


She and her husband thought long and hard, they narrowed it down to three vehicles, the Hyundai I30 diesel, the Yaris and the Fiesta.


After test-driving all three vehicles they concluded that the Hyundai was very good on fuel consumption, but the base cost was higher, so it was deleted.


The Yaris and Fiesta were nearly identical, but the Toyota got over the line.


I would suggest that the higher cost version would be better as you can then adjust the steering wheel, the base model doesn’t have this feature and as my friend is 189cm tall, he requires a high steering wheel position, whilst his missus who is relatively petite, has the wheel in the lower position.


Having been in the Yaris for a trip with four adults, I can vouch that it can comfortably take four adults in comfort, even in the back seat where I sat, it is comfortable.


Mick.

weisyboy
21st March 2009, 11:44 PM
holden!

Jigsaw
22nd March 2009, 09:47 PM
Sorry to say this, but I would not buy any Ford ever again.
My current 95 EF has had a replacement motor, replaced air conditioner, replaced Auto Transmission, blown head gasket and stuffed gas converter and it only has 160,000km on the clock now. The motor, air con and converter happened under 100,000km.
To have these failures in a modern car is ridiculous.

I also have 90 Toyota Camry which has 300,000km on the clock now and has only had a changeover alternator.

My next car WILL be a Toyota Camry or Toyota Corolla.
I have just convinced my daughter to buy a Corolla and another friend a Corolla about 12 months ago.

If someone gave me a Ford for free, I would sell it and buy a Toyota.

The petrol is the cheapest thing you put into a car.

RETIRED
22nd March 2009, 10:08 PM
We looked at all the small cars and finally bought a Jazz. 100,000 K in 2 Years and nothing major.

The seats fold flat and is truly amazing what you can get in it.

Horsecroft88
23rd March 2009, 10:47 AM
Why not go a little left field and buy the best small car in the field today. Get a Fiat 500. They are really excellent. I have driven one recently and offer a lot more value for your hard earned $$$ plus are extremely economical, fun to drive, and look great. The Yaris is plain ugly like all Toyotas and the Ford is pretty basic. :D

Greg Q
23rd March 2009, 11:15 AM
I use this publication for detailed information whenever I am buying a car. Published in New Zealand, they take no advertising and hence are beholden to no one and call a spade a spade.

Their rating on the Fiesta is "Appaling", as is, by the way, the Fiat*.

They recommend the Yaris.

www.dogandlemon.com

*I think Fiat cars are cute, and I wouldn't mind having one for a few weeks. After that I understand they start circling the drain.

Horsecroft88
23rd March 2009, 12:28 PM
I may be a lot biased, for I have only ever owned Fiats and Alfa Romeos (for the past 32 years), but I think while the Dog and Lemon guide serves some purpose, (eg. fire lighter :rolleyes:) you do need to treat the guide with a degree of scepticism.

I will explain, and while it has nothing really to do with this thread it may also help people's understanding. I previously reviewed the D & L guide out of interest, being a "petrol head" or enthusiast, in relation to its listings re Alfas.

Now having owned 8 Alfas to date needless to say I was curious. Basically the guide said that all Alfas fall apart, are rubbish and never to buy one. So I had a more closer look at the litinay of issues that the guide had with the model I have ('03 JTS 156 Sportwagon) to see if it rang true. Far from it. Basically if I believed what the guide said I should never have bought mine. Well all I can say is that either I bought an excellent example or the guide is total crap. My car has been perfect since I bought it, not costing me a cent, apart from normal servicing (which BTW is not expensive). I have had the 156 since November 2007, being the car's 2nd owner. :D

So I thought I would get in touch with the author/publisher behind the D&L guide and I actually got a reply to my queries. The only real experience that they had with Alfas was back in the mid '70s with a Alfa sud which despite being a fun cheap car rusted away. Well all cars did back then so what was new.

My point being that my experience on owning a variety of Alfas, let alone all my mates in our Italian Car club who also own Fiats, Alfas, Lancias, Ferraris, Lamborghinis etc is far more an accurate guide as to the reliability of such cars then the D&L guide.

The problem being that since they purport it to be accurate and as it is published, it must be true. Not so. The same is true for the ill informed and unexperienced motoring journos who write for the local rags or newspapers, without international experience. The continue to write the same old myths which realistically arent true.

All cars can have problems, and yes you can be unlucky and get a bad example, but in fairness, Fiats are no better or no worse than many models and yes the 500 is definitely cute. :cool: Will it fall apart in a few weeks after purchase, No. Manufacturing standards these days are higher than they used to be in general, well perhaps apart from the Taiwanese, Korean and Chinese brands, but this is definitely not true for the euro cars. The same is equally true for scooteers. If you want a good one, the Italian ones are definitely the best.

Now back to the thread, for it was re a question about Toyotas and Fords to which I have little personal experience. Dave

elmoticus
23rd March 2009, 02:36 PM
Another vote for Toyota, they have fixed price servicing for the first 3 years or 60,000km, so you won't be presented with a large unexpected service bill.

artme
24th March 2009, 07:31 AM
Don't know about comparative prices but I'm with on the Jazz. I've owned 2 and they are a brilliant little car in every respect. No problems under warranty, fuel misers, comfortable, great all round vision and the cleverest seating ideas on the market.:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

rsser
29th March 2009, 06:36 AM
Son's got a Focus and it rates an OK in the D&L guide. However at around 100 k km it's done a head gasket and chopped out the front wheel bearings and cones.

Partner has a 91 Camry with 210 k km and it's done a clutch - but that'd be her rather than the car.

When you look at the fault and recall notices on Ford and GM you'd have to conclude that buying one is a matter of faith. The only example I've ever tried was a new Commodore in 1996 and that had something like 5 faults from new, 2 or 3 of which were a matter of notified recall.