Bought a Yaris

[halik]

Yeah... but now you have to drive a Yaris...

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Soccerman06
I still dont understand why they would ever put the speedo in the middle of the console.

***CHEAP***

Don't have to tool for left and right hand drive models. For a super-budget cars, having one mold and one set of dashes in inventory is an enormous cost saving.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: nerp

Originally posted by: DeviousTrap
Reading the post that you qouted, are you seriously donating a 2003 Golf because it needs $1,000 of engine work? In working condition that car has a market value of 5-7k, fix the car, then dump it. Just taking the tax deduction on a car that could easily be made drivable (regardless of whether you want it anymore or not) really doesn't make sense.

It needs a whole new motor. My mechanic said that he could sink $1,000 in parts AND spend 10 hours in labor only to give me a car that has no guarentee of block damage or having the same problem a month or two down the road. The alternative is a new motor, which would be $4,500 or so. Not exactly something worth doing with so many miles on it already. Plus it has a nice dent and a spider crack on the windshield. It's a parts car now and I'm not in the mood to deal with selling it or anything.

Hah so you're the guy that all the mechanics take for their money? Audi/vw 1.8T motor can be had for ~1500 bucks; indie can swap it in for under $2500 total if not less.

What exactly is wrong with it btw? If you have a failed lifter, most likely you'll need a new head and since you're tearing it apart you may as well get a new oil pick up on the bottom too. Once you get it back together, run it with SEAFOAM in the oil to clean up all the passages in the head and block and change the oil. If you're selling it to the mechanic ASIS, you're basically taking it ITB with no lube... if nothing else he has a HUGE economic incentive to bullshit you to get the car for cheap.

 

[Vetterin]

Originally posted by: nerp

And to OP.... are you getting the auto because the sticker on the 3 door manual is $12,205.

I'm getting the manual. The sticker on mine was higher than the $12,205 because it had the power and convenience packages added.[/quote]

I just read your Yaris forum thread and was not aware that the sticker was over $15K. Based on that, you DID get a very good deal indeed and should be very happy. FYI, a friend of mine bought a Yaris in 2004 and she still talks about how much she likes it. Hope you enjoy yours just as much.

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: nerp

Originally posted by: DeviousTrap
Reading the post that you qouted, are you seriously donating a 2003 Golf because it needs $1,000 of engine work? In working condition that car has a market value of 5-7k, fix the car, then dump it. Just taking the tax deduction on a car that could easily be made drivable (regardless of whether you want it anymore or not) really doesn't make sense.

It needs a whole new motor. My mechanic said that he could sink $1,000 in parts AND spend 10 hours in labor only to give me a car that has no guarentee of block damage or having the same problem a month or two down the road. The alternative is a new motor, which would be $4,500 or so. Not exactly something worth doing with so many miles on it already. Plus it has a nice dent and a spider crack on the windshield. It's a parts car now and I'm not in the mood to deal with selling it or anything.

Hah so you're the guy that all the mechanics take for their money? Audi/vw 1.8T motor can be had for ~1500 bucks; indie can swap it in for under $2500 total if not less.

What exactly is wrong with it btw? If you have a failed lifter, most likely you'll need a new head and since you're tearing it apart you may as well get a new oil pick up on the bottom too. Once you get it back together, run it with SEAFOAM in the oil to clean up all the passages in the head and block and change the oil. If you're selling it to the mechanic ASIS, you're basically taking it ITB with no lube... if nothing else he has a HUGE economic incentive to bullshit you to get the car for cheap.

You're assuming quite a bit.

First of all, I don't go to shady mechanics. The mechanic I have is a very repuatble one. He's the guy you take used cars to to check out before buying and he'll find things that have been hidden or in need of repair but not disclosed. He's the kind of guy you can tell to bill no more than $400 and do everything he can with that money to keep the car on the road and he'll stay within that limit. He's the type of mechanic who shows you ever old part he replaced and all the new parts with the car on the lift and gives you the old parts (if you want) to take home. He's extremly good at what he does and his reputation is quite impressive in this area.

Secondly, the existing motor is a 2.0.

What's wrong with the engine? A lot. it needs new lifters, two new valves, a new oil pump, plus the inside of the engine is so gunked up and carbonized that there's no guarentee that I don't have head/block damage.

This is a car that was taken care of according to strict manufacturer specifications. I used synthetic oil, did not beat on the car, did not put in any additives, etc.

If you do some research, you'll see a lot of people have this problem with similar engines in VWs from the time period. IN fact, in many cases, the factory installed the rings upside down in a lot of models. I don't know if that's the case with my old Golf, but it speaks to a larger issue affecting many, many VW drivers.

Now, I could spend more than $2,000 or so to put in a new engine. Rebuilt, new, aftermarket, original, whatever the case, this would be a retarted thing to do with a car with over 150,000 miles, a good dent, decent body wear, tires that need replacing, an impending brake job and god knows what else. Secondly, the amount of labor involved in installing a new engine is significant enough, so the cost of putting it in is a LOT more than just the cost of buying an engine.

In addition, the last thing I have the time or inclination to do is try to do it myself. I don't want my car in pieces in my driveway, nor do I want to waste my life struggling to fix a car when I have way more important things to do, like garden, work my job, make money, make love to my girlfriend and live life. I'm not a mechanic, nor do I want to be one, nor do I want to spend the money to buy the tools, engine lift, etc, only to find out that the goddamn thing is a pain in the ass to work on and will take me tons of time to pull off with no guarentee that my workmanship is up to snuff.

The bottom line is that this is a parts car now with some body damage and significant wear with a completley dead engine. Sure, the engine could be rebuilt, but if you have to run seafoam on a fucking 6 year old car that is supposedly good for 250,000 miles (bullshit) then I think you've got yourself a piece of crap engine that isn't worth repairing. I couldn't get bluebook for this car and I'm not willing to deal with craigslist idiots and trying to sell it. Instead, by donating it, I get to write it off and they give me a recipt for the blue book value of the car, which is much, much more than I'd get from a buyer.

So I bought the Yaris since it's inexpensive, gets amazing mileage and is rougly the same type of car/driving experience as my golf. My work and my life represent who I am, not my car. I worried about how "cool" or impressive my car is when I was in high school -- you know, when all you really have to show for in life is your car and your posters hanging above the bed your parents bought for you at IKEA.

I don't have to worry about my car anymore. I can just drive, change the oil, get the tires rotated and get on with my life.

So even with your estimate, sinking $2,500 into this car would be a totally dumbass thing to do, IMHO. That money was much better spent on the Yaris' downpayment. Coupled with the 0 percent financing and the tax credits, I'm paying not much for a brand new car that I can realistically have paid off in a year. That gives me at least five years of problem free driving. I know the VW would need other work within months of puttng in a new motor and the last thing I'm willing to do is be nickled and dimed to death by a car on its way out. I'll let some agency scrap the thing for parts and use the money for a good cause. I'd love to sell it to some misguided teenager who thinks he'll get it fixed up, but I figure I should spare him the nightmare that is VW. I love VWs, I love their design and they sure know how to make a car that is a dream to drive. Too bad their reputation for being royally problematic and costly after the warranty expires and reach 100,000 miles is true.

Maybe their new cars are more reliable. All i know is that the 2002-2005/6 models are quickly becoming notorious for nightmare engine problems. Just do a little googling and you'll soon see what some people are dealing with. For me, dealing with that is unacceptable.

Cliffs: read more books and long posts won't be so intellectually challenging in the future, dimwit.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: nerp

You're assuming quite a bit.

First of all, I don't go to shady mechanics. The mechanic I have is a very repuatble one. He's the guy you take used cars to to check out before buying and he'll find things that have been hidden or in need of repair but not disclosed. He's the kind of guy you can tell to bill no more than $400 and do everything he can with that money to keep the car on the road and he'll stay within that limit. He's the type of mechanic who shows you ever old part he replaced and all the new parts with the car on the lift and gives you the old parts (if you want) to take home. He's extremly good at what he does and his reputation is quite impressive in this area.

Secondly, the existing motor is a 2.0.

What's wrong with the engine? A lot. it needs new lifters, two new valves, a new oil pump, plus the inside of the engine is so gunked up and carbonized that there's no guarentee that I don't have head/block damage.

This is a car that was taken care of according to strict manufacturer specifications. I used synthetic oil, did not beat on the car, did not put in any additives, etc.

If you do some research, you'll see a lot of people have this problem with similar engines in VWs from the time period. IN fact, in many cases, the factory installed the rings upside down in a lot of models. I don't know if that's the case with my old Golf, but it speaks to a larger issue affecting many, many VW drivers.

Now, I could spend more than $2,000 or so to put in a new engine. Rebuilt, new, aftermarket, original, whatever the case, this would be a retarted thing to do with a car with over 150,000 miles, a good dent, decent body wear, tires that need replacing, an impending brake job and god knows what else. Secondly, the amount of labor involved in installing a new engine is significant enough, so the cost of putting it in is a LOT more than just the cost of buying an engine.

In addition, the last thing I have the time or inclination to do is try to do it myself. I don't want my car in pieces in my driveway, nor do I want to waste my life struggling to fix a car when I have way more important things to do, like garden, work my job, make money, make love to my girlfriend and live life. I'm not a mechanic, nor do I want to be one, nor do I want to spend the money to buy the tools, engine lift, etc, only to find out that the goddamn thing is a pain in the ass to work on and will take me tons of time to pull off with no guarentee that my workmanship is up to snuff.

The bottom line is that this is a parts car now with some body damage and significant wear with a completley dead engine. Sure, the engine could be rebuilt, but if you have to run seafoam on a fucking 6 year old car that is supposedly good for 250,000 miles (bullshit) then I think you've got yourself a piece of crap engine that isn't worth repairing. I couldn't get bluebook for this car and I'm not willing to deal with craigslist idiots and trying to sell it. Instead, by donating it, I get to write it off and they give me a recipt for the blue book value of the car, which is much, much more than I'd get from a buyer.

So I bought the Yaris since it's inexpensive, gets amazing mileage and is rougly the same type of car/driving experience as my golf. My work and my life represent who I am, not my car. I worried about how "cool" or impressive my car is when I was in high school -- you know, when all you really have to show for in life is your car and your posters hanging above the bed your parents bought for you at IKEA.

I don't have to worry about my car anymore. I can just drive, change the oil, get the tires rotated and get on with my life.

So even with your estimate, sinking $2,500 into this car would be a totally dumbass thing to do, IMHO. That money was much better spent on the Yaris' downpayment. Coupled with the 0 percent financing and the tax credits, I'm paying not much for a brand new car that I can realistically have paid off in a year. That gives me at least five years of problem free driving. I know the VW would need other work within months of puttng in a new motor and the last thing I'm willing to do is be nickled and dimed to death by a car on its way out. I'll let some agency scrap the thing for parts and use the money for a good cause. I'd love to sell it to some misguided teenager who thinks he'll get it fixed up, but I figure I should spare him the nightmare that is VW. I love VWs, I love their design and they sure know how to make a car that is a dream to drive. Too bad their reputation for being royally problematic and costly after the warranty expires and reach 100,000 miles is true.

Maybe their new cars are more reliable. All i know is that the 2002-2005/6 models are quickly becoming notorious for nightmare engine problems. Just do a little googling and you'll soon see what some people are dealing with. For me, dealing with that is unacceptable.

Cliffs: read more books and long posts won't be so intellectually challenging in the future, dimwit.

Well with the 2.0L the cost of fixing it is even less - check this, you can literally get the motor for under 500 bucks.

Moreover the argument is really for fixing and selling if you're set on the yaris anyway. Selling the car as is is always a huge rip, so if you can sell it for 4-5K with a new motor (possibly more,cars with new engines command premium), you come out on top.