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Review 3 of 141
Price Paid:
$13200.00
from Jones Toyota Belair Year / Model Reviewed:
2005 2Dr Strengths:
So far everything seems to be a Strength..The Engine as mentioned is easy to work on, it also has good pick-up and seems right at home doing 70mph. I bought this to use as a work car as my job as an inspector requires going from location to location..So the added gas mileage was a big factor in going with the ECHO, The dealer claims not many people are buying ECHO's because they can get a Corolla for about $1000.00 more But, they ain't getting the mileage the ECHO gets...This is just a fun car to drive and while driving it you feel as if you are driving a full size car because of all the room inside, it's only when you park it in a parking lot with all the full size cars that you realize just how small it is. You could probably fit at least 1 and a half bodies in the trunk if needed. (You know for sneaking into the Drive-ins and such) but seriously the trunk is huge. The car drives like a charm with power steering and is very easy to handle and fit thru tight spaces. I'd recommend this little car to anyone, for the price you can't beat it. It was so cheap that I didn't even bother haggling with the salesman and from reviews I read here it sounds like the Toyota reputation for reaching 300,000 miles with few problems should be a reality. I really like all of the nooks and cranies to throw junk in and the split glove box is just ingenious in itself. The dash mounted speedodmeter is very easy to get use too and smart enough of an idea that all cars should be made this way. The sound system that comes standard is pretty decent although I did goto Best Buy and buy a JVC cd player just cause the Radio alone can get boring..I thought of going with the dealer add-on CD player but you always get more bang for your buck going after market, Besides some seat covers to keep the seats clean and a cargo net in the trunk this car really dosen't need much else...oh did I mention it's fun to drive..probably because the gas needle dosen't fall out the car as you drive like other cars Weaknesses:
Weaknesses as I said are few and really not worth metioning but here goes..I'd like to see a console or arm rest in the center it gets tiring driving with no where to lay your right arm, the little ledge on the drivers door does find for the left arm although I have seen people complain it's not big enough for them. Next I'd like to see adjustable mirrors as standard, having to reach out and manually adjust the mirrors is a pain I know the do sell upgraded adjustables mirrors so this may be worth looking into at the dealer.I'd also like to see innermittant wipers standard again this is an upgrade item, But let's remember this is the lower price car Toyota makes so beggars can't be choosers here..If it's within reason I may add these 2 items on, I'll talk to the dealer. But that is it!! Everything else about this car is a plus and believe me I've owned everything from a 65 buick to a full size Blazer to 4x4 trucks...This beats them all. Summary:
OK So I just bought this car Mine is a 2005 but that was'nt a choice when selecting the year. So far this car hasn't stopped impressing me, I pay alot of attention too the engine layout when buying a car simply because I do my own oil changes and anything else that's not beyond taking it to the dealer. Let me say I've already did my first oil change at (750 miles) Yeah I'm Anal about changing oil, I do my first one on New Vehicles between 500 and 1000 miles for 2 reasons...A: I don't know what the dealer put in it and B: Since the engine is new there is always the possibility of little metal filings (From Production) floating around and I wouldn't trust the filter to stop them, then it's every 3000 after that, I know the dealer says every 5000 But, he's in business to sell cars...OIL is the life Blood of any vehicle if you don't do anything else to it at least change the oil and hopefully you won't have any engine problems down the road. and with the ECHO it's easier than doing my Saturn VUE (Which is required to be jacked up just to access the oil drain plug) anyway there was no jacking with this little car...You just reach under and bam!! the Oil filter and Drain Plug are easy to reach. I'm amazed still..The engine seems to be layed out for easy access to just about everything you need to lay your hands on. Speaking of the Engine that little 1.5L has plently of pep. So far I haven't found too much I don't like about this car and what I don't like is so minor it's not even worth mentioning, But I will below and let's keep in mind that I just purchased it and the excitement is still going full speed, I have to admit though I wasn't even this excited over my Saturn VUE that I bought pretty much loaded, The ECHO I bought almost bare bones except for I wanted an Automatic, at 42 yrs old my days of Manual shifting are behind me. A/C was a must and that was my only really big requirements...it did come with some dealer add-ons like the 2 mentioned above plus the heavy duty winter package which just seems to consist of a heavy duty battery and rear window defogger and it also came with a digital clock and Power Steering and also the upgraded 15" tires instead of the standard 14 inch, But that was about it. One thing I did opt for was the extended warranty, I don't normally go for these things but it cost only 25.00 extra on the payment for 100,000 miles of bumper to bumper coverage and best of all if I end up not using the warranty within the 100,000 miles time frame, toyota refunds all my money I paid into the warranty except for $50.00 I had to make sure that was in writting cause I never heard of this before, But it seems like it's worth it since I use this as my work vehicle so it will see alot of mileage quick. My wife just bought a RAV4 last year at a different Toyota dealer and wasn't offered this deal, So I don't know if this is new or only offered at my dealership..The warranty is suppose to be good at any Toyota dealer nationwide, We'll see if I ever have to use it. Let's hope not cause then I don't get my $$$ back..But then again I guess it would be worth it if I do end up usin it. It seemed like a Win, Win deal so I took it. Similar Products Used:
Currently own the following:
Saturn VUE AWD (2004)
Toyota 4x4 Tacoma (1999)
Toyota RAV4 (2004) The wife's that I occasionly drive.
and of course my new ECHO (2005)
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