thinking of getting a 2001 echo

[Lauralai]

hi
I'm getting my first car and I was looking at a 2001 echo for around $5000. the specs are as follows...
Year 2001
Make TOYOTA
Model ECHO
Model Detail 4 DR. SEDAN
Exterior Colour BLACK
Interior Colour GREY
Transmission AUTOMATIC
Drive Train FRONT WHEEL
Engine Size 1.5, 4 cyl.
Fuel Type GAS
# Doors 4

Price $4,888.00
Mileage 216,752 km
Warranty Yes

# Air Conditioning
# AM-FM Stereo
# Compact Disc
# Tilt Wheel
# Drivers Air Bag
# Passenger Air Bag
# Anti-Lock Brakes

A 7 month, 7000 km Warranty on Major Components plus Seals and Gaskets coverage

The only draw back I can think of is the milage. Is that high milage going to cause a bunch of problems later on. I mean I'mlooking for a car around $5000 and I want a smaller car and preferebly not a cavalier or sunfire. Also I may try to get the price lowered because the paint on the back bumper is off a little and one of the side doors is scratched a little I think. Of course I will get a vin check if i'm interested and take it to a mechanic if allowed, and won't buy if not allowed, i just haven't asked.

So any opinions as to if this is a good car to get for a first time driver who just got her g2 and wants a car to last a couple of years at least. Also it is mainly to get back in forth to work.

Thanks

[MP3_SKY]

If you want to keep that car for couple of years, and you are only a new driver. I would suggest you to finance or lease a cheap compact car instead.

Yes, 210k KM is a lot of KM for a 2001 (over 40000km per year). The older and the more KM on the car, the more repairs and problem that may come out. Instead of going to garage to check this and fix that every 2 months, get something recent. Since you are new driver, I imagine you dont know much about the mechanic. You may drop down few hundreds of dollars from your wallet everytime you walk out to the garage for repair.

If you are that lucky, you may driving that high KM ECHO without major problems, but higher chance that you may have to keep going to garage to get this fix and get that repaired. Even though you will get the car inspected, no one can gurantee that the run will run smooth later on, I insepcted my first car I bought, they said the car is in top shape and 3-4 months later, new brakes needed, rebuild alternator, change drive axle....all together comes to 1000$ and there maybe be more to do later on (AC,....muffler). (It was a 94 MX6 with 150,000km). I sold it after 1 year and get a newer car instead.

Conclusion, I would rather use your 5000$ on hand and get a newer car thats under warranty and pay month by month, and worry free for you.

Good Luck.

[ViperZ]

Here is some of my self-advertising: http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=298733

My friend at work had Echo - what a fugly car!

[rchong]

The echo may look ugly but it gets great gas mileage and I consider it roomy with lots of trunk space. :cheesygri
With that many high kms, before buying, take it to a trusted mechanic to look for any problems. A great website for echo owners is echodrivers.com/forums

[Bullseye]

Toyota engines can hit 400,000km easily if well taken care of. Even if you only get another 100,000 out of it with no major problems, it would be a good deal. The mileage is high, but the car is pretty new, and the chance of problems is always a mix of mileage and age.

Your biggest concern should be maintenance records for the car. I assume you're buying from a dealer? If they can't produce any records, I wouldn't buy, that's how important it is, you have to know if it's been well taken care of.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you buy private you'll likely get a better price, be able to meet the (hopefully original) owner of the car, and you save on the GST, which is $350 in this case.

You might be able to get a slightly older (they stopped in '99), but lower mileage Tercel, which would also be a great choice. These are proven reliable cars. I bought a '91 Tercel as my winter beater last year for $300, over 300k km on it, drove it for six months with no trouble, then gave it to my brother who drove it across the country and all over, also with no problems. He beats the hell out of it, climbing logging roads, bashing through everything, it just never quits.