I am going to look at a Toyota Vitz today. it has done 109ks. are they good cars. any opinions. advice appreciated. the asking price is $3,500 ono. thanks.
girlwaiting,
Mar 20, 4:05pm
Anyone.
martin11,
Mar 20, 4:14pm
Similar to an Echo should be a good car if its in well maintained condition .
girlwaiting,
Mar 20, 4:32pm
I have been told it has been regularly serviced. thank you martin11.
petal_91,
Mar 20, 5:14pm
Good cars. At that price it must be quite old, like an early 2000s model and you might be able to get something newer for a similar price that will be just as good, but in a different brand such as Mazda (the Mazda Demio may give better value for example). Getting a newer car is usually the best thing to do if you can, however, the Vitz will probably still give years of trouble free motoring, even at ~15 years of age.
andy61,
Mar 20, 6:36pm
If it is a 1 litre Vitz(1000cc), walk away, they are hopelessly underpowered to the point they are dangerous crossing intersections from a stop, just so sluggish and slow, go for a 1300 or 1500 Vitz, they are fine, very reliable and economcial(more economcial than Mazda Demios).
franc123,
Mar 20, 6:43pm
Don't accept that line until a PPI backs that up and it can be verified with receipts. Regular service to some people means its had a quick oil and filter down the local garage every three years and nothing else, to some it means its had a WOF once a year and nothing else. You get the picture.
attitudedesignz,
Mar 20, 7:10pm
We have a '01 RS Vitz manual that has just ticked over 312,000km. Have done 211,000km in the last 8 & half years.
We have replaced 2 coil packs. couple of sets of front pads & rebuild of both front brake calipers.
It's a great wee car.
noswalg,
Mar 20, 7:20pm
Good to hear, the missus has got an 05 RS manual with 72k on it, probably keep that until it dies, will be good runabout for the next 20 years.
poppajn,
Mar 20, 10:22pm
I have a 2005 1300 Vitz, love it, easy to get in and out of even with a crook back, returns 47 to 50 mpg constantly, not sure what that is in litres per k. Last xmas went Invercargill to Nelson return, very comfortable
tgray,
Mar 20, 10:32pm
I keep hearing people say this! I have bought and sold many 1000cc examples and the only down side I have found is having to use third gear going up a long motorway hill. Because they have a 4 cylinder engine and a 4 speed auto (unlike other 1Litre examples), I have found them very zippy and go great. Not underpowered in my mind for general driving about. With all respect, I think your post is an exaggeration. "Dangerous at crossing intersections from a stop?" Have you driven one? Tell you what, get in one and put your foot down. The way they take off, you would swear it's not a 1000cc car.
andy61,
Mar 20, 10:50pm
I used to own one,never again, I replaced the Vitz with a Corolla Fielder 1.8S , and it used far less fuel than the 1 litre Vitz plus it was far more relaxing to drive.I found the Vitz 1 litre very sluggish and slow on take off that cars behind you were trying to run into the back of you. They should be banned from entering the country.The 1300 vitzs are fine for everyday driving.
richardmayes,
Mar 20, 11:50pm
I keep bending nails over. I blame this hammer. if I had a better hammer this would never happen.
nesta129,
Mar 20, 11:57pm
I quite agree. I have driven my friends 1000cc vitz and its a struggle trying to get it up to speed or up a damn hill!There is a huge hill near hers in Glenfield and she has to do a run-up before the start of the hill to make it to the top.She drives it on the motorway nearly everyday for work and would rather a 1300 or 1500cc vitz.
Though if you are doing a lot of low speed driving,in traffic etc then I say go for it but get it checked first.
tamarillo,
Mar 21, 12:39am
Hi op. So what model is and what are you using it for. For $3000 you can't get fussy and if your a town driver and one of these will do for that money. Depends more on condition, how it feels, and service records than anything else in a cheap car. Toyota has a great rep for well built if dull cars of this type.
tgray,
Mar 21, 12:47am
I can think of a lot of other cars that have slower acceleration than a 1L Vitz. The ones I don't like are the 3 speed 1L cars and also the 3 cylinder ones, neither of which are very powerful or fun to drive. The Vitz/Platz/Echo are the only 1L cars I would consider owning. Again, they are 4 cylinder and 4 speed. A must if you ask me. (car dealer for 30 years). I drove a Daihatsu Sirion 1L to Hamilton from Auckland and it was horrible!
gammelvind,
Mar 21, 1:43am
Excellent economy, you must have done some mathematical gymnastics to convert kilometers into miles and litres into gallons (hopefully imperial gallons not US as that would really throw a spanner in the works) especially since we changed to metrics in 1972.
srs5,
Mar 21, 2:50am
My daughter has a 2000 1.3 (or 1.5- can't remember) manual and it is sooo economical. Great little car, similar Kms and hasn't needed anything doing to it.
ianab,
Mar 21, 4:57am
Are there some very sick Vitz's out there, or are people just afraid to give them a bit of Jandel? Like they should put out ~69hp, but that's at 6,000 rpm. So to get them to move, you have to let them rev.
Personally I'd get the 1500, because on the open road it's actually got some power in reserve. But if the 1l can't drive around town at 50ks realtively easily, it's got a problem.
petal_91,
Mar 21, 5:05am
I agree with some other posters about the 1.0L model having sufficient poke if you rev it hard enough. One time I drove my sister's one of these over a really steep hill north of Dunedin on SH1 called the Kilmog. I just put it in low gear and revved it to near the redline and it was pulling like a train and passing lots of cars. What I think people don't realise is that with modern cars they have a rev limiter, so you can't actually blow the engine up like what might have happened years ago.
peja,
Mar 21, 7:37am
Partner has had two Vitz's. First one was a 2000 model, still going strong at 290,000 kms until someone drove a truck into it one night. Now has a 2004 one done 65000 km, drives much nicer but thats probably down to the far lowe mileage. Great little cars, reliable, economical and quite comfortable too.
nesta129,
Mar 21, 6:28pm
If you are talking automatic gearbox then if I recall automatic cars from the 80s also have rev limiters.People have been realising that as part and parcel of a automatic gearbox.Not sure about the 70s and earlier ones though.
poppajn,
Mar 22, 12:54am
Just keep all dockets and converted back as I relate better to mpg being an old fella.
gammelvind,
Mar 22, 12:55am
Lol, I'm in my 60's so not too young here.
richardmayes,
Mar 22, 2:25am
I followed a 1000cc Morris Minor convertible from castle hill to klondike corner in a 1500cc 4-speed auto Nissan Sunny renter once.
. just!
The Minor stonked along pretty well for a one litre, 4-speed, half-century-old car!
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