My first car. Need Model Suggestions & advice on discontinued echo

[jw970170]

Hello,

I am going to by my first car (it will be used). I drive a lot and live in a region where gas cost significant;y more then the national average, so I am looking for a car with excellent fuel economy. I also want one that is reliable, and cheap.

Any advice on models I should consider?

Any general advice on things I should be doing for my first car? I have no one to help me but I think I am on the right track. I'm researching the cars online. When I go to buy one, I will take it to a mechanic to make sure everything is ok. Should I be doing anything else?

Finally, I think the toyota echo seems like a perfect car for me. Good mileage, cheap, and reliable. However, it is discontinued now. I figured this would make it a bad choice because it would make part replacement expensive 5 or 6 years down the road. Am I completely wrong? Should I just get an echo?

thank you so much for your advice (in advance :)

[jw970170]

I just wanted to add, the following car models also seem to fit my requirements although they are a bit more pricey.

Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla

Jetta/golf are also good on gas but I have a consumer report that says they are very unreliable and should be avoided. Also, they are expensive to repair.

[Matt @ Skye Service]

Buy the Gas Electric Honda insight, if you want good gas mileage

[CRX-R]

Jetta's are great on gas. I just filled up this morning at 97.4 - cost me around $50 but I will get 600-625kms out of it. Pretty decent. I'm not sure who's writing that they're unreliable but I find mine to be excellent. That being said though, there are quite a few parts that are dealer only and are a little pricey.

[FiveFreshFish]

Have you considered a diesel Jetta?

[GTS Jeff]

Echos are still available. :dunno:

I think the Echo hatch is a great choice. Cheap, reliable, good on gas, roomy, sporty, and fun. It'd be my first choice if I were looking for a new car.

[Godfuader]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
Echos are still available. :dunno:

I think the Echo hatch is a great choice. Cheap, reliable, good on gas, roomy, sporty, and fun. It'd be my first choice if I were looking for a new car.

:werd: Echos are a great car. If gas prices were to soar sky high, I would definately consider the echo hatch. They look nice, have a cult following in Japan under the name Vitz. They have lots and lots of aftermarket parts (mostly cosmetic). Even if the model is discontinued, Toyota will have replacement parts virtually forever. New ones start at just under $13,000 and of course you would get the warranty too.Echo Hatchback (http://www.toyota.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WWW.woa/14/wo/Home.Vehicles.Go.EchoHatchback-lPyseNXMEh2mDZLsiY7QQM/0.15?fmg%2fechohatchback%2fintro%2ehtml)

The Echo name will be discontinued and the new Toyota small car will be the Yaris

[Sorath]

civics are a great choice, so are the corollas.. also have u ever considered a protege?

[JordanEG6]

i say corolla, i have an 05 and they are very reliable and great on gas, i get a about 530km from a 40L tank. which isnt too bad considering it's gasoline.

[jw970170]

Thank you all for your comments. Keep em comin :)

In response to some of the above:

-The jetta reliability thing came from some consumer reports article on used cars.

-Echo hatchback looks good but I can only afford a used car so I'm looking at something from 1997 - 2001 ish

-Corolla's and civics both seem good

-Protege is supposed to be good for reliability. I haven't considered it too much and I don't know why. It is good for mileage. Thanks for bringing it to my attention again :)

I'm still wondering to main things.

1. Is there anything in particular I have to do when buying a used car besides taking it to a mechanic?
2. Is buying a discontinued car a bad idea do to the availability of parts?

Thanks to all who have takin the time to help me out.

[trikypenguin]

240sx :D

[trikypenguin]

or depending on price range 300zx :drool:

[chris]

Originally posted by trikypenguin
or depending on price range 300zx :drool:
not exactly good on gas, get a golf tdi, mm boost

[chris]

Originally posted by jw970170
Thank you all for your comments. Keep em comin :)

In response to some of the above:

-The jetta reliability thing came from some consumer reports article on used cars.

-Echo hatchback looks good but I can only afford a used car so I'm looking at something from 1997 - 2001 ish

-Corolla's and civics both seem good

-Protege is supposed to be good for reliability. I haven't considered it too much and I don't know why. It is good for mileage. Thanks for bringing it to my attention again :)

I'm still wondering to main things.

1. Is there anything in particular I have to do when buying a used car besides taking it to a mechanic?
2. Is buying a discontinued car a bad idea do to the availability of parts?

Thanks to all who have takin the time to help me out.
1. just get an inspection to have them check it out and get a vin report to see if it was a salvage or had been in any major accidents.
2. first of all the car isn't discontinued, second of all, no, they will always make parts for this car, THIS WILL NEVER BE AN ISSUE. My car has been discontinued for 15 years and was never produced in canada and i can still get parts within 3-5 days

[Xtrema]

Echo is fine, just watch it on highways.

[method]

my protege5 has weak gas mileage compared to other compacts in the segment. 2.0l robs it!

echo #1!

[Supa Dexta]

Sentra is in that mix too.. I get atleast 550km of spirited driving in city on 40bux which is likely ~40-45liters or so out of a 50L tank.. They are cheaper, good reliability, and decently spec'd for an econo....

I looked at proteges too when I was hunting, but they seem to have a lot of transmission complaints... cough ford cough....

:)

[A790]

Get the Echo hatch. You'll be fine for quite a few years.

[carzcraz]

My bf used to own an Echo hatch (4 door) that we took on numerous trips to Vancouver and the States. If I am not mistaken, it only costed us $40 to get to Vancouver and the gas tank was not even empty when we got there.

The car is also surprisingly roomy with good headroom (compared to my CL-S) and can hold its own on the highway.

The car is currently discontinued, but Toyota will start selling its replacement...the Yaris early this Fall. The car is a very basic vehicle, therefore I do not anticipate that you will be paying through your nose or have any difficulty allocating parts for when you require them somewhere in the years to come.

The Corolla is not a bad recommendation either. It's basically a larger Echo...only a little more expensive (CE), roomier, slightly more hp (though the car is bigger and heavier), less road noise, and we only spent a little more than $40 to get to Van city a few weeks ago.

:thumbsup:

[nich148_9]

Originally posted by jw970170
I just wanted to add, the following car models also seem to fit my requirements although they are a bit more pricey.

Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla

Jetta/golf are also good on gas but I have a consumer report that says they are very unreliable and should be avoided. Also, they are expensive to repair.

Consumer Reports are losers. Get a Jetta/Golf TDI, and you'll save big $ at the pump. It costs us about $40 to get a fill up, maybe a little more, but we can drive to Vancouver on a tank, or tool around Calgary for a week doing major driving and not have to fill up.