Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[Piotrsko]

Nice newer~ less problems. Take to dealer, they fix, possibly under warranty, maybe for free, sometimes you get loaner. 18 year old F250 breaks, old man owner needs to crawl around in snow wrenching screws, nuts and bolts.

No brainer to me.

When ws the last time you heard a prospective buyer argue final price instead of monthly payments?

[litesong]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

They've announced the cancellation of the Cruze already. Along with the Volt. Malibu too? I forget.

A major reason for canceling said cars...... other than the reason Chevy foists off on the public?
Self-righteous car dealers thought they could stick on the list price & never come down. Twice, I visited to purchase an Eco-Cruze & neither time would they lift off the list. I said I could save $5000 on a Hyundai Elantra, just trying to get them to drop their price $2000. They told me to get the Elantra. Best advice a dealer ever gave me...... & I saved $6000 on an auto Elantra. Loved the Elantra so much, we now own a another Elantra, a manual, we got for under $13,000. In 120,000 total miles, nothing has ever gone wrong with either. Looks like the Cruze wouldn't have been as good & we never could have afforded a second one. We also have a third Hyundai, adding to our total miles, now 260,000. We will still own all three, when they have a total 400,000 miles(more?). My regular mechanic has forgotten my name.

[Frank Lee]

18 year old f250 breaks, old man owner needs to crawl around in snow wrenching screws, nuts and bolts.

that never happens!

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

that never happens!

Yup. Gramps learns that Uber ain’t just for a night at the bar.

[JSH]

WSJ reports the Sonic is dead:

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/01/18/...ic-gm-killing/

This isn't surprising.

GM sold 20,613 Sonics in 2018 (Down 32%)
GM sold 89,917 Traxs in 2018 (Up 13%)

The Trax is build on the same platform as the Sonic but the starting MSRP is $6000 more. The Sonic is made in the USA and sold at a loss. The Trax is made in Mexico and sold at a profit.

[Bicycle Bob]

If you want to see really crappy cars, go to the parking lot of a marina with fishermen and live-aboard boats.
A friend of mine had to replace his daughter's engine. When the warning light came on, it didn't say "Oil," which she would have dutifully stopped for.
I can drive junk because I know how to nurse it home, etc.

[MetroMPG]

Yaris hatch, RIP:

In a move that may not come as a complete shock, Toyota has discontinued the Yaris Liftback here in the U.S. Once the brand's most affordable car, the Yaris name was recently re-purposed for the Yaris Sedan, the latest incarnation of the Scion iA. The change was confirmed today by Toyota spokesperson Nancy Hubbell.

The Yaris sedan (a rebadged Mazda 2) will carry on.

Source: https://www.carsdirect.com/automotiv...inued-for-2019

The article, however, also says that Toyota will be making a Yaris-related announcement at the New York Auto Show regarding its 2020 model.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Sure I wouldn't hold my breath for Toyota to release the Etios in the US or Canada, but the Vios which is currently rebadged as Yaris in some emerging markets such as Brazil has a lower cost which could make it remain more competitive against the Mirage there.

[MetroMPG]

Toyota's priced out of the Spark/Mirage/Micra $10k MSRP battle in Canada, so it would make sense for a cheaper car here. But there is no similar battle in the States.


Another rumour: the Yaris hatchback will return as a rebadged Mazda2 hatch, with a Toyota nosejob. Makes sense, since it's mechanically the same as the sedan.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Toyota's priced out of the Spark/Mirage/Micra $10k MSRP battle in Canada, so it would make sense for a cheaper car here. But there is no similar battle in the States.

I wouldn't hold my breath for the Aygo to become available there. There is also the Indonesian-made Toyota Agya, which I believe wouldn't be cost-effective to make it crashworthy enough to be federalized.