Looking at getting a used car for the daughter and like the look of this, what do you think? Budget is $5k and needs to be auto.
I've no idea about cars 🤔
Is 2004 Toyota Echo a Good Car?
CantonasKungFuKick on 24/02/2018 - 12:08
Last edited 24/02/2018 - 12:28 by 1 other user
Last edited 24/02/2018 - 12:28 by 1 other user
Comments
it's about $5k worth of safety
ANCAP 3 stars according to google
Used Car Safety Rating (based on data collated from real world crashes, not just two standardised laboratory tests against an object of similar weight) is only 1 star.
https://www.rsc.wa.gov.au/RSC/media/Documents/Education%20an…
More info about the UCSR:
https://www.rsc.wa.gov.au/RSC/media/Documents/Education%20an…
Safety in a 14 year old car? what a joke. Even though the Echo had a strong shell any accidents would have comprimised the safety and integrity of the car not to mention the gradual corrosion and weaking of metal over time. And who knows if the airbags still work??? So forget about any ANCAP ratings etc. They only apply when the car is new my friends
Safe, easy to maintain and reliable car. But very boring to drive and far from stylish. Spend slightly more and you might be able to get a Mazda 3 from the same era, which have timeless styling and are a good drive.
I'm happy for it to be boring to drive, she can get exciting when she's got more experience
That's a manual
Car is Automatic and price is $5000. At least two out of three aint bad.
it'll be reliable but got shits for safety, I mean, look at that car, ugly and plasticky!
How can you make that call?
The car is 14 years old and you dont have a clue about its service history and if it has had abny accidents.
Pls dont make such broad generalisations as it will only service to mislead OP.
get a honda civic EK for 2k or less
that will do
5k is too much for a throwaway car
That's too big, I'd like something smaller
Way overpriced. Echos are good, reliable cars but I wouldn't pay that much for 2004 model. They might have put a high price on gumtree to get all the lowballers to give them the price they want which would be around 2.5K.
An even then its an automatic on a 1.3L, yuk!
Car sales and Redbook price it up to $4k for that year and model, but that's going off 200000km, this is under 100000km. They've indicated they'd take $4500 and could probably knock a few hundred off that, so I thought that it was a reasonable price?
Just so you know, I got my 2003 manual echo for $1500 after negotiating from 3K, also on gumtree.
It all depends on what the market is willing to pay and how in demand the car is. An auto Echo? Wouldn't be paying 4 grand for it. Car sales and Redbook price it up to $4k, emphasis on the "up to". It'll sell for lower if it isn't in demand.
Also, why are they negotiating against themselves? Just state the price you want and be done with it. If the market wants to buy at that price it will be sold, otherwise they will have to lower their price, which is already over the $4k estimation on Carsales and Redbook.
Around 200,000ks is about average for that cars age. To be half that number of Ks means that they either leave the car sitting for long periods, or take lots of 2 minute trips and it doesn't warm up properly, which could cause more wear than if it was driven normally.
Low Ks on an old car isn't always a good thing.
I would look into their servicing intervals as well, because they should have been servicing it at 6 month intervals regardless of Ks done.
It has full service history, and it just had one done, you can see the 9th picture on the listing.
With a recent service like this, should I bother paying a mechanic to look at it also? Or would the service have picked anything major up?@CantonasKungFuKick: If you aren't mechanically minded, either take someone along that is and knows what to look for, or get a mechanic you trust to check it over.
There may be a few things that may need replacement soon if it hasn't already, like coolant, air filter, accessories belts, brake pads, etc. Whoever you get to check over the car will let you know.
At least the motor has a cam chain so it doesn't need replacing like the cam belts on other cars.Check this site below to give you an idea of what needs to be done at 96,000Ks:
https://www.auto123.com/en/auto-parts/maintenance-schedule/?…
Whether the service centre did all the things required of that 96,000K service is a question to ask, they should have a receipt of their last service and what was done. Check it and see.
under 100 000km? Seems very unlikely, even at a conservative 10 000km per year at 14 years makes 140 000kms.
See if you can ask for proof re KMs travelled.
"Echos are good, reliable cars" ?????????????????
Not really. All depends how the car was driven and how well/often it was serviced.
Same applies to all 14 year old cars
"All depends how the car was driven and how well/often it was serviced." I had assumed that statement would be implied.
Its a well known fact that toyotas are up there for reliability, even with stretched servicing intervals compared to other makes.
Don't really see many problems cropping up with Echos, and believe me I did plenty of research before I bought mine.
WRONG WRONG WRONG!
You got absolutely no idea.
Make sure it’s not a repaired write off
New a few people who were driving these few years back and have travelled in it as passenger. Unless your daughter is very tall I think it would be a great first car. Obviously do you research re prices as per comments above.
*knew
You could have edited your post, but ironically once you replied to it you couldn't. Lol.
i think there is a time limit to edit
I think it good value for 5000 for a 100k , unless she want to do some uber. Make sure it 10 year or less
I sold my excellent corolla 2006 with115k for $6200. I say this echo is way overpriced.
Or you sold it too low 😋
1.3L only good for single passenger city driving.
More then one passenger, AC on or going uphill is game over.
Expect the motor to have a short lifespanI agree, add AC to the equation and performance is going to suffer even more with the auto.
If maintained appropriately, the motor should be fine. Toyota vehicles have a reputation for reliability that is well deserved. My Echo is still going strong!
Nothing wrong with driving a car which is ‘underpowered’ as a new driver. I think I’d rather my kids were in something under powered than overpowered. Anyway, it’s all relative, a 2004 car that feels underpowered is probably a rocket compared to a similar spec car from the 80s.
I disagree. I see plenty of underpowered cars trying to enter the freeway and it causes many problems with them trying to merge in and slowing everyone else down as they aren't getting anywhere near the speed limit to merge effectively.
I had a Chrysler Lancer from the 70's as my first car and it sure as hell felt much faster than an Echo!
I own an manual Echo as my daily driver to work so I know the difference, I assure you.An auto makes it worse as they aren't thinking about driving the car. I would rather new drivers work a manual as it would leave them less time to work a smartphone they are so fond of playing with these days. I'm sure you would agree with that.
As cartman said, and if someone starts merging into you you can't floor the accelerator and get out of the way if your car is very underpowered.
I feel a million times safer on my 500cc scooter than I ever did on my 125cc@Quantumcat: whilst I agree having more power is better and having driven quite a number of slow cars, the current definition of underpowerrd is a lot more power than it used to be. I also haven’t driven an echo so can’t really comment on that either.
@Euphemistic: Manual Echo is surprisingly good at up to highway speeds, I can get up to 100Kph pretty quickly and overtake in 5th gear easily. Without a doubt, the auto would be much slower unless you were wringing its neck all the time.
@Amayzingone: Agree, lots of petrol stingy people on the road take forever to get up to speed. It doesnt matter how overpowered their cars are their V8 makes three cylinder cars look like F1.
I have a 2005 Toyota Echo Rush, auto, 1.3L, 5 door, 170,000kms. I have had the car since new and absolutely love it. Apart from regular servicing, tyres, batteries, etc, I have not had any issues at all with the car apart from one fuse that i think cost $0.70 to replace. It is a very reliable car. Fuel economy is great and because it is a small car it is easy to park.
It is fine with hubby, daughter and I. It can be a little gutless going up a hill with air-con on and certainly isn't the most exciting car in the world but it will definitely get you from A to B which is the whole point of a car anyway.
My agreed value is $4,500 with my insurer though I don't think I would get that for a private sale or anywhere near it. I think $5,000 for the car you are looking at is way too much.
Echos are great cars if you value fuel economy, reliability and a surprising amount of interior space to put stuff in. I'm completely happy with mine!
My wife had a 3 door version (2004, auto), we sold it when she fell pregnant. A fantastic little car, I would highly recommend it for your situation.
With a good service history you'll get another 80,000+km out of it.
The auto's are fine, a simple button to lock it out of overdrive up big hills the click it back into overdrive on the flat. Yes, the AC takes the wind out of it's sails a bit, but it depends on what sort of driving (city or highway) driving you are doing.
We have a 2001 auto Echo. It is a good car. We bought it for our kids to learn to drive in. I found I preferred it over my Prado so I use the Echo all the time now. It is reliable, cheap to run, cheap to service, comfortable. It would be a great first car for any young driver. We paid $5200 for ours about 2 years ago but it only had 27,000km and had been fully serviced every 6 months. It now has nearly 70,000 km and hasn’t missed a beat.
I have a 2000 Toyota echo which I bought 2 years ago for $3k. It has around 157000km.
It has been great so far. I did change the brakes(around $150 each), installed a good battery($170), spark plus($1 each) and replace oil and filter every year. The car is ideal for those who are still learning how to drive like myself because I am a P plate.
The car does struggle a bit when you stop in a traffic light and then need to accelerate. Some drivers will give you the look if you hold them a bit. To get in a highway sometimes takes a bit until it gets to 100km but once you are on the speed it is just any other car. I plan to sell it next year when I get my full licence and do an upgrade but so far loving this little Toyota.Im sorry but I must say this question is absolutely ridiculous!
OP is asking if a 14 year old Toyota Echo a good car?
How can anybody answer this question seriously?
I suggest OP engage a mechanic or NRMA/RACQ/RACV and carry out a thorough inspection of any 14 year old car but dont expect it to be any "good"
When it comes to 14 year old cars they are getting very old and so the brand has very little to do with how good or bad it is…..
Its all about how well the car has been maintained, does it have a service record, has it been always garaged, how much corrosion does it have, how many kms and are they genuine, does everything still work, how many owners has it had, has it been in any accidents etc etc etc
Yes this particular one on Gumtree looks OK but they all look good and are typically oversold in the adverts Im afraid. So do your research and thorough investigations as I suggested
So dear OP you are asking obviously the WRONG question!
Its more a case of what to look for in a 14 year old used car and what cars to avoid
The amount of people approving this car on this thread THAT HAVE OWNED ONE and still own one seem to disagree with you. We can all answer it seriously, and we have, its a great little car to own. Perfect for a learner.
Have you even driven one?
My friend. Pls read my reply again.
Toyotas generally have a good reputation but that doesnt make them any better than other cars.
I have seen plenty of bad ones.
All comes down to what I said.
Its perfectly good advise for any used car
I must add that THIS model Echo hatch is very dangerous in my opinion due the the fact that if any moron ran into the back of this car it offers very little protection for anyone in the back seat and the fact it is so light it would go flying and the driver would suffer injuries as well.
If you are looking for a car for your daughter and you love her then get a bigger safer car
This tiny car is a DEATH TRAP in any accident Im afraid.Only your opinion, the ANCAP rating for this year model car is the same or better compared to other hatches of the era, even the 2017 Kia Stinger has only has 3 Stars!
http://www.ancap.com.au/safety-ratings/toyota/echo/8cf3f4
Thats for the 3 door model, the 5 door one would be a bit longer to accommodate the 2 rear doors so have even more rear crush room.
Any car is a deathtrap if another car hits it hard enough from any angle.
Given the below - particularly the bit at the bottom left regarding the Used Car Safety Rating(s):
http://www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au/Rating-Process/Car-Rating…I would put more weight on the UCSR than the ANCAP.
You can rely on ANCAP. I rely on common sense.
Why do you think so many mothers prefer to drive SUVs and 4WDs?
Its not just about the space!You are so naive man.
ANCAP rating only applies when the car is NEW!
A 14 year old car would probably fail the ANCAP rating due to wear and tear, bumps and lumps and how its driven let alone if its been on 1 or several accidents along the way.
WAKE UP MAN!Dude, its a good car, especially for a learner. What do you have against them? Did one crash into you once?
@Cartman2530: Those uninformed people that cite the ANCAP rating are so naive. They think a car does not age nor suffer from wear and tear.
You accept a car for what it is. In this case a 14 year old car. Not a new one. You hence treat it accordingly.
And any tiny car is a death trap in my opinion. I would not put my daughter in one - ever!
If you read what others have said they tend to agree as they recommend larger, safer vehicles.What wear and tear are you talking about specifically?
Dunno where you are located, but in NSW thats what a safety inspection is for. If there was anything to compromise the safety of the car, be it structural or mechanical, it would have to be repaired before the car was legally allowed back on the road.
If you are going to be on the road in ANY car, you accept the risk of injury. You are naive to think that a bigger car will save you, there will always be a bigger car that would nullify any advantage a big car would provide. A head on with a semi comes to mind. Not many cars would save you from that.
@Amayzingone: a death trap vehicle is one with no brakes or a sticky throttle. Ie likely to cause an accident at any time. A Toyota echo, while small, if in good mechanical repair would be quite safe to drive. Driven defensively would present very little additional risk over a larger car and potentially may provide better braking and maneuverability to help prevent a crash, after all swerving and stopping a smaller object is much easier thanks to physics.
However, in the event of a crash it is likely to be smaller that the opposition and suffer accordingly.
Not a death trap, but the size something to consider as part of your overall safety strategy.
@Euphemistic: You are welcome to your opinion and certainly free to have your daughter run the risk of driving one. . When it comes to my daughter I regard it as a death trap. So lets agree to disagree
Thats right. What she needs is a Hummer. Nice and safe.
Or simply consider any alternative with, say, 4 or more stars for Used Car Safety Rating:
https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/1046063/U…
As everyone else has said, very reliable cheap to maintain. However it's an old car and depending on the kms and condition, tyres, major service etc, $5k could be too much to pay. You should consider Yaris or Corolla for little bit more.
I recommend and suggest looking at a Mazda 3 or 2. For what u can get in it and with it. Owned both a Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 in the past. Perfect cars for your first car if you can find one under $5000. Reliable, fuel efficient and a fun car to drive. After all you want your daughter to 'like' and 'want' to drive the car i guess. Look for a car that's regularly serviced but don't just base it off that. If it's looked after than more likely you will have better luck with it. Most of all try driving a few different models. Btw, i personally hate Toyota's but my only lemon was one so…
lol. Of course it isn't a good car. It was a shit car when it was new, but people knew that they were buying a sufficient mode of transportation for their needs.
No it's not a good car. Buy a Golf same year.
Make sure you get the DSG gearbox too.
Manual is much better, that's what europeans drive.
safety rating? i mean it is for family