I’m looking at an '08 Toytoa Yaris sedan (manual transmission) with 28k miles. The warehouse selling it is asking below KBB, just $11k. Should I be really worried? Or do warehouses generally start out at rock-bottom prices?
I’m adding a question to this discussion… If the car originated in Florida and I’m buying it in Illinois, can some sort of winter-weather-protection be applied/added? Or does that car need to stay out of the winter elements to avoid damage/rust/etc? Thanks!!
From my little bit of experience with Yaris and friend who owns one, that is not too low. It’s a very inexpensive car.
Even though I like Toyotas in general, I would not recommend one as a primary car. There are too many draw backs and better options. 2nd or third car, perhaps. All Toyota’s have their own long life coolant and is good anywhere. Winter tires would be your only concern to make it a decent winter vehicle.
BTW, there is no such thing as winter protection, just good overall maintenance to minimize the ravages of winter travel. Just keep it clean and waxed.
Thanks for your input!
My daughter has a Yaris and she loves it. She got around Philadelphia through all the snow they had this year with little trouble, and the car consistently delivers 35-40 mpg.
I don’t see $11K as a rock-bottom price for a 3-year old Yaris, and it’s certainly nothing to “worry” about. I think you could buy it for less. KBB is just an estimate, and often a high estimate. Don’t put too much faith in these numbers. Negotiate the lowest price you can get.
Al Yarises are built with the same rust-proofing at the factory. They are meant to be sold and driven in any climate. You do not need to add anything for use in winter climates. In fact, adding undercoating can do more harm than good. Just leave it alone.
Yay! Thanks so much! That calms my nerves.
Just make sure you’ve drivena Yaris to confirm it meets your needs. And what’s a ‘waarehouse’?
Take a look at nadaguides.com and edmunds.com to help you make a reasonable offer. That will give you three or four data points to work with.
“Warehouse” is really a meaningless term for any car dealer. The marketing implication may be they want to set their prices cheaper than others, but the proof is what they will take to move the car. That may or may not match your economic view of the same car.
From what I see, $11k is dead-on KBB for private party in excellent condition.
Whether or not that is a good value is another question. Personally, I think that price is high for the car. This is a very basic car you’re looking at and it should go for around $14,250 brand new. There are plenty of good options in the $11k-$14,250 range, including a brand new Nissan Versa w/ AC ($11,600) or a 2011 Ford Focus S ($14,600)…
The 2008 Toyota Yaris base model with a manual transmission, however, was named by Consumer Reports as one of the 11 worst vehicles made then (http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/autos/0802/gallery.2008_cr_worst_cars/7.html) - not because of reliability, as it is very reliable, but simply because it was so crude and compromised when you could get much more enjoyable vehicles for the same $ or just slightly more.
Thanks for your feedback, it’s definitely something to think about. My mom has an '09 Yaris sedan, she’s really happy with it, and I love the way it drives. The only drawback I’ve noticed with her car is that my super-tall brother and dad have to practically fold themselves in half to get in.
I am not sure what the specifics on this car are, but I am always leery of out of state used cars. Lots of flood/salvage/title washing possibilities.
They’re charging about $2,000 less than brand new. A 1997, new, with automatic and air costs $14,000.
I would like to see Toyota make just a few minimal improvements in driving position and gearing to make it an excellent car. The Corolla is an infinitely better car with just slight in crease in fuel consumption. A Corolla 1.8 in a Yaris with a refit driving position, would make a great fit. But, like the crude the Ranger is kept as much not to take sales away from the f150 Fords, the Yaris has it’s low level place not to take sales from some Scion and Corollas which might be better choices overall.
According to Edmunds, that’s a high price. It would have to be an S with a lot of options for $11,000 to be a good price.