The myth of maintenance free Japanese cars (...that go to 200k with just gas, tires, and oil)

It’s what the Amish would drive if they were allowed to have cars.

It’s today’s '58 Rambler American.

I thought we talked about this a few weeks ago

Some of the other regulars said that certain Amish denominations, sects, or what have you are actually allowed to drive very inconspicuous cars, all black

I will chime in on this discussion just as soon as my 2012 Camry needs a repair.

I know of a a courier service that has two Yaris in their fleet, both with over 600K miles on the ODO.

But I also read about a 2012 Ford Fiesta that was driven for delivery and had 400K miles on it.

A friend, just had to sell his Prius Taxi with 400 K miles on it due to company restrictions on mileage.

I have ridden in a few Ford Escape Hybrid cabs in DC with over 300 K miles on them on original part.

My son in law had a Tercel which seems to have been the precursor to the Yaris. He liked the car until my daughter told him she would not ride with him on the highway in it. The problem as I see it with the Yaris is that It appears to be a world wide popular car, especially in Europe with their more crowded streets and relatively shorter driving trips. It’s not made for American highways like the larger Compacts. There is a huge jump in quality of performance going to the Corolla with not that much difference is price to the base Corolla. The Corolla gets better mileage, goes quicker, is just as reliable while it accelerates better. We have had Corollas and never considered a Yaris for those reasons. I really think Toyota purposely makes the Yaris archaic to maintain that difference in performance in the US with a sales leading Corolla.

2 Likes

Even the Yaris has to prove itself crashworthy to be sold in the U.S.
Your daughter would have walked everywhere in the '60s. There were no crashworthiness requirements back then. Or any other safety devices.

Crash worthiness and claustrophobia are two different things.
I know I’m safer in a jetliner than on a surface road, but I still feel more anxious at 35,000 feet.

2 Likes

It had little to do with safety though his Tercel blew around in the wind like leaf. ( hyperbolic) My daughter was raised driving a Corolla while growing into adulthood. A Corolla is a virtual Lexus compared to Yaris. There comes a time when needing headphones to cancel out the road noise is asking too much for the many thousands who buy a Corolla over a Yaris.

99 Camry V6 - sold it last year
Timing belt twice
seals and water pump at 180k.miles.
2 batteries
2 serpentine belts and p/s belts
1 O2 sensor
brakes and rotors twice
synthetic oil every 10k
antifreeze every 5 years
3 sets of tires
spark plugs 2 times and back wires
air filter every 30k
Needed front struts sold as is

I feel much, much, much, much safer at 35,000 feet than on a surface road in traffic.
I only worry that after hours stuffed into modern airline seats I’ll never be able to stand again. :tired_face:
But that’s just me. Others feel differently.

Even though I am fully aware of the stats, I still feel safer down on the ground as long as I am driving. It is crazy but that’s just me. Might even decide to cycle. I do get on planes once or twice a year, but it is really out of necessity.

The Yaris (its European sister) is actually a police car in most European cities. I guess anything larger would not get through most streets.

1 Like

My 1995 5 speed stick Corolla DX 1.8 got 37mpg . . . I didn’t drive like a slowpoke and had the ac going all the time

My 1994 stick shift Tercel base model never got anywhere close to that . . . maybe 33mpg at best.

We also had a 1994 Celica 1.8 automatic and it routinely got better fuel economy than the Tercel

I agree the Corolla has traditionally been a better all around choice than a Yaris or Tercel

My Tercel was always reliable, but the Corolla had much better build quality and was more comfortable

I try not to think about it much but sometimes I just can’t help thinking about how little sheet metal is between me and the thin air up at 35,000 feet. When I start thinking that way, I find some other way to occupy my mind so I don’t go nut until we land. It’s one thing to have an engine failure or blow out on the ground but when you lose a big chunk of sheet metal at high altitude it is “high anxiety”. Think of the poor Wells Fargo lady that got sucked half way out the window not long ago. Freak yeah but at 70 mph no problem. Oh and I always keep my seat belt on throughout the flight. I don’t like buses either though.

Not crazy at all. We all have fears that rationale cannot offset. I will not get on any amusement ride that goes in the air at all, including roller coasters, and get the willies on roofs. Yet I used walk down a “heavy” aircraft fuselage almost daily.

I guess the reason I don’t mind flying is because I spent years of my life repairing large aircraft. Having participated in the bombing of Hanoi in '72, I also know how much it really takes to bring an aircraft down… far more than most people think.
But oh, the seats!!! :grimacing:

1 Like

Between the Tercel and the Yaris was the Echo. I remember renting an Echo once while my Civic was in the shop, and thinking, “I have finally found a car that feels so cheap and tinny that I would never consider buying one.” It did get 40 mpg, though.

;-]

The only way I would consider a Yaris is if it came with a Corolla motor. The difference of going 0-60 is a full two seconds between these two and it’s worse accelerating while at highway speeds. Somehow being passed by a rental van on a hill with no options is not very appealing. Until recently, you could only get the auto with a four speed. The small engine was hindered even worse. No thanks. I used to own a SAAB two stroke. I’ll never go back to one of those vehicles that feel like they are driving in mud.

1 Like

I don’t have a problem with flying…I’m probably on a plane 20+ times a year for work.

But the fear is real…You have a much higher probability walking away from a car crash then an airplane crash.

And a far greater chance o f getting into one.

I would never belittle anybody’s fear of flying. It’s a very real, very common, and very well known fear. No statistic of any kind will allay it. It’s something nobody can control. I’m sure many great men have and do suffer from it.

1 Like

I have a brother who is a white knuckle flyer, yet he drives in Mid Winter from the rust belt to Florida. Statistically, air travel per mile is 4 times as safe as driving in North America. However, planes fly ten times as fast as you drive so PER HOUR, flying is 2.5 times as dangerous as driving.

That last fact should have no bearing on your travel decision, but it does spook a lot of people.

I worked for a company that had a salesman who would not fly. He was based in Chicago and we had a sales conference in New York State in February. Yes he got in his car and drove all the way there and back.

The company allowed his expenses en route but would only pay him the equivalent economy air fare for car expenses.

True…and the likelihood of dropping from the top of an extremely tall building on a floor with sealed windows is even less…yet there are many people who can’t look out the window because of their fear of heights.

The fear of flying is a real fear for a real event that could happen…fear of falling out a window of a tall building is basically unrealistic, yet the fear exists.