2003 Toyota Echo
Summary:
Love love love this car!!
Faults:
There are a couple things that need to be fixed.
The locks are a bit tedious, but nothing that is vital. Sometimes its hard to get the key to turn on the driver's side lock.
The seal for the windshield came out on the driver's side and so I have to get that fixed as well.
And lastly, there's a funny noise when beginning acceleration from a stop.
General Comments:
With that said however, this is a great car! I'm REALLY pleased with the look of it, the spacious inside and trunk, the way it drives.
Not much acceleration, but of course you know that when you buy it. You don't buy an ECHO to race, you buy one to last you for ten to fifteen years.
This is actually my wife's car, I drive a '93 Toyota Paseo, and that thing has 177K miles on it, and it's still going strong with minimal repair costs.
Buy Toyota! They are amazing!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th February, 2009
4th Jul 2010, 16:14
To the commentor above me:
The only real problems you've had from what I can tell are the starter, alternator and A/C compressor.
The brakes are normal wear and tear items, and can be worn out faster by hard stops or riding the brakes.
I hate to tell you, but the rear shocks are normal, regardless of the fact that you've never carried passengers. What did you carry for cargo? And how often? Even if you didn't carry cargo, shocks are still wear items that will need replacing after awhile.
The door locks being difficult is really nothing more than an annoyance. Unless they trap you in your car, or out of it, they aren't a major issue. Same goes for the door solenoid. Not saying they aren't problems, just saying they aren't anything major.
28th Oct 2010, 12:09
I own a 2003 Echo that now has 286,300 miles on it. I average more than 3,000 miles per month commuting. It's not that comfortable for long commutes (4 hours) but the mileage more than makes up for 41 MPG average on the freeway.
The only problem has been with wheel bearings going dry at 100,000 miles. They are the sealed type. At 100,000 miles you can expect to change the shocks, no matter the load you carried. You'll notice the rear tires cupping on the inside and hear some road noise.
Other than that it has been a wonderful car. I wish they would bring it back. I would buy one without hesitation.
3rd Jul 2010, 13:42
We also have a 2003 Echo, and have had both good and bad things to say. Great gas mileage, acceleration is poor, even after a tune up. Very spacious and roomy.
However, although I am a Toyota fan, there are a number repairs that we have done to make me question how good Toyota really is. Since new (now 7 years old, 130k kms) we have had to replace:
- Alternator twice
- Starter twice
- Battery twice (normal)
- Front brakes three times
- Air conditioning compressor (very expensive)
- 1 door solenoid doesn't work anymore
- Door locks are difficult (same as poster)
- Rear shocks (not normal, never had passengers)
So overall, I wouldn't say it has been trouble free driving for a Toyota.