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Post by Tim on Sept 25, 2024 11:14:20 GMT
So, having sought no advice from anyone - which is probably in breach of forum rules - I came to a decision about the replacement for the Mighty Kia which is getting collected by the scrapman tomorrow. I don't have it yet but its a black Toyota Yaris GR, same as this one (although NOT bought from AC). www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409244377998?sort=relevance&aggregatedTrim=GR%20Circuit&make=Toyota&model=Yaris&page=2&postcode=ky15%205un&advertising-location=at_cars&fromsra2021, 8,500 miles, FSH, bought from a local Toyota dealer. Red would've probably been my first choice but I'm happy enough to get a black one and, as I'm sure you all already know, getting it dirty isn't going to cause me sleepless nights  I had a VERY brief test drive of it a couple of Sundays ago on the way home from Up North. It hadn't been through the workshop so I drove it on the access road outside the dealership. Following that I paid a £500 deposit - refundable but necessary to reserve the car so I could go back for a proper test drive as the ones I've seen locally don't hang around for long. The proper test drive was last Friday on the roads north of Perth - Luncarty, Stanley, Murthly then cross-country to Bankfoot and back down the A9 so I got to drive it on a variety of roads. There's an underpass of the A9 at Bankfoot and when I suggested to my chaperone that we should've probably had the windows down for that he insisted I go back and do just that. (I was so excited at this point in writing this out that I spilt a cup of tea over me, my keyboard, desk, chair, floor and laptop bag!). There are a few minor paint blemishes being addressed due to it being a black car and having spent a year in London (why would you buy one of these if you live in a city?) and the nearside front wheel has been kerbed so that is getting sorted too. Pickup should be Friday except we're away so Monday instead. Mrs Tim hasn't driven it at all yet and only briefly travelled in the back on the initial short drive. She's clearly somewhat confused by my choice. She pointed out this is the most we've paid for a car but it's almost the smallest. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Sept 25, 2024 12:28:25 GMT
May the Force be with you.
(Cracking)
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Post by Big Blue on Sept 25, 2024 12:53:21 GMT
Awesome. One of the Partners at my place bought one and it replaced an RS4. He was over the moon with it last time we chatted cars.
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Post by Boxer6 on Sept 25, 2024 12:59:17 GMT
Very nice indeed! And I know exactly the underpass you speak of, too. I used to love taking the SpecB through tunnels etc like that!"
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Post by Tim on Sept 25, 2024 14:34:02 GMT
I'm really looking forward to next week.
The road between my house and the local town, although only a couple of miles, appears to be perfect Yaris territory with some decent straights and nice corners plus it has the advantage of being in decent condition.
Obviously I'll only be enjoying it on the way home as I'd never thrash a cold engine (and a message comes up on the dash when you start the car to warn against that).
Mrs Tim reckons we'll have it for 2 years maximum before it gets replaced by another 'toy'.
She has her eyes on an M3 Touring
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Post by johnc on Sept 25, 2024 14:47:26 GMT
Good choice Tim. I followed a white Yaris GR for about 10 miles at the weekend and every time he left the 30mph limit he floored it. I can't say I could really hear it but it certainly went very well and the 2 roundabouts we came to looked like great fun with a tiny hint of oversteer as he exited on full throttle.
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Post by Tim on Sept 25, 2024 14:57:14 GMT
I noticed that selecting Sport mode made the exhaust a bit louder.
Anyway, I've just done the insurance quote.
Anyone want to guess how much extra its going to cost to replace a 2011 Kia Ceed estate 1.6 diesel auto worth £3,450 with the Yaris at £30k?
I've not changed the mileage allowance or excess at all.
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Post by bryan on Sept 25, 2024 18:26:54 GMT
I'm going to go low ball and say not a lot extra?
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Post by Tim on Sept 26, 2024 7:46:47 GMT
It was £17 for the remaining 105 days until renewal.
I was expecting something like £200!
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Post by alf on Sept 26, 2024 9:01:06 GMT
Ooooohhhh! VERY good call! You do like a mean looking black car don't you? I mean I'm not one to doubt that choice. Very good, love these, looking forward to hearing all about it! Similar price to a Quad (an older one anyway) - lets see how the running costs go |
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Post by Tim on Sept 26, 2024 9:09:59 GMT
I'm hoping the running costs will be somewhat lower than a Quad! Mind you it gets services/checks every 6 months so we'll see. I'm a past master at mean looking black cars.   |
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Post by alf on Sept 26, 2024 9:33:14 GMT
I'm not sure I can see the colour there! Yaris GR's are very cool, it would have to be auto (and I would need to be sure its comfy and refined on long motorway hauls) but one would sit well alongside the Boxster, as my daily. Hope you enjoy it! In Scotland I imagine the 4WD and compliant suspension are a big plus...
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Post by Tim on Sept 26, 2024 10:10:22 GMT
Oi! Our roads are no worse than yours.
I'm not totally sure just how compliant the Yaris suspension is, my initial impression was its slightly, VERY slightly, softer than the 4 series but I haven't driven that on the same roads (apart from that stretch of the A9 which is brand new and totally smooth) so will look forward to finding out over the next few weeks.
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Post by Martin on Sept 27, 2024 8:48:42 GMT
Good choice Tim, be interested to hear how you get on with it. I was going to say black is probably a mistake for you, but it doesn't seem what to matter what colour they are, they all end up the same....  Although that's not fair, Mrs Tim looks to have done a decent job on the tip run vehicle! |
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Post by Tim on Sept 27, 2024 10:29:14 GMT
She did an atrocious job on the Kia but I took the photos from a good distance and in a sympathetic light! I might try to keep the Yaris a bit cleaner. Moving house would probably help as well.
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Post by Tim on Oct 1, 2024 7:53:12 GMT
Collected it yesterday morning. It was raining so the car was never going to stay clean but the local farmer celebrated my purchase by starting to transport boxes of potatoes out of the next but one field and the final 200 yards to my house was a mud bath. So the Yaris now looks as though it's just finished a Welsh rally stage Initial thoughts are that I absolutely love it and can't wait to get to know it better. More practical thoughts are that fuel economy looks like it'll be, er, challenging. The 20 miles back from the garage was a mix of dual carriageway and main road plus a few villages. There were a couple of decent opportunities to give it a bit of welly but generally I was in traffic. Result was just under 30. This morning's commute saw 35 though. I realise this is NOT the point of the car.... There's a lot of road noise from the back so I may look into some sort of additional soundproofing there but at least the stereo can cope Hopefully I'll get a decent run home tonight, there are a couple of nicely cambered roundabouts on the route |
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Post by PetrolEd on Oct 1, 2024 10:03:15 GMT
WOW! How did I miss this thread. Congrats Tim, enjoy the dark side.
I do think this really is all the car I would need. How is the driving position? I understand a lot of people complain you sit on it rather then in it with its higher seat?
I think if I came into some money, a GR Yaris and a GT3 would be serious car goals.
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Post by Tim on Oct 1, 2024 13:55:38 GMT
I've read a lot of the reviews about it and they all mention the driving position but I think most car journos are 6ft+.
For a short arse like me the driving position is fine and the centre screen and rear view mirror don't block my view.
Sure you're not sitting on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you like in the BMW but its certainly not van-like.
Mrs Tim drove it last night (I let her go out on her own) and she was happy with the driving position despite her being 5ft nothing. In the BMW she sits on a cushion.....
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Post by alf on Oct 1, 2024 14:19:49 GMT
Great, glad you like it! Interesting comments already as I'm always interested in long drive refinenment in my daily, sounds like it may not be for that!
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Post by Tim on Oct 1, 2024 14:55:13 GMT
I could put up with it easily enough, I reckon that on a longer journey you'd tune it out or drown it with the stereo.
If you're back up to the central belt again we can meet up for a meal and a drive.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 1, 2024 15:41:25 GMT
I initially assumed this thread was about a phrase from Roger's Profanisaurus, as in; "she hit it so hard I ended up with a bellend like Darth Vader's Helmet".
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Post by Tim on Oct 2, 2024 8:06:11 GMT
I initially assumed this thread was about a phrase from Roger's Profanisaurus, as in; "she hit it so hard I ended up with a bellend like Darth Vader's Helmet". Brilliant. Years ago I spent many happy hours printing the Profanisaurus off at work and reading it. |
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Post by alf on Oct 2, 2024 8:58:43 GMT
I could put up with it easily enough, I reckon that on a longer journey you'd tune it out or drown it with the stereo. If you're back up to the central belt again we can meet up for a meal and a drive. I'll take you up on that at some point! I have reason to be visiting York regularly now, and anyway with few business trips want to do more road trips of my own. Away from the main trunk routes and cities, anything in the UK north of Leeds is like motoring Nirvana to me! I'm looking forward to my blat out with Paul Ripley next Friday in Yorkshire.... |
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Post by Tim on Oct 2, 2024 13:34:37 GMT
I took a friend out in it last night.
On a smooth road (resurfaced about 8 years ago and still in good condition) I would guess that conversation was possible at a normal level at an indicated 90, not that I would do that sort of speed on the road of course.
I was listening more carefully this morning and the road surface makes a huge difference, much more so than in the 430.
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Post by PG on Oct 3, 2024 13:07:13 GMT
Good fun car choice. Enjoy it!! Maybe it's an age / hearing thing, but I find road noise increasingly annoying. Manufacturers can design all sorts of cool stuff, you'd think they'd be able to make road noise a thing of the past? What are you going to use to take hedge clippings to the tip now? |
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Post by Tim on Oct 3, 2024 15:24:57 GMT
I can put up with the road noise as its that sort of car but certainly wouldn't put up with it from something more comfort orientated.
Hedge clippings simply get mown over, the state of the Kia was purely down to me cutting a gigantic bush down at my mums house and then having to dispose of it.
That won't be happening again - any large sections of tree/bush at home get dumped in a faraway corner of the garden.
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Post by Andy C on Oct 3, 2024 18:59:39 GMT
Fantastic thing, enjoy
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Post by Martin on Oct 3, 2024 19:23:25 GMT
Good fun car choice. Enjoy it!! Maybe it's an age / hearing thing, but I find road noise increasingly annoying. Manufacturers can design all sorts of cool stuff, you'd think they'd be able to make road noise a thing of the past? What are you going to use to take hedge clippings to the tip now? They can almost eliminate road noise, you just need to buy a Rolls Royce! |
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Post by bryan on Oct 5, 2024 11:36:13 GMT
I have a soft spot for these - glad to hear you are enjoying it - a bigger exhaust will solve the road noise
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Post by PG on Oct 7, 2024 9:10:45 GMT
Funnily enough we pulled up next to a deep maroon red Yaris GR at some traffic lights on Saturday. It's the first one I've seen up close. You certainly know its not a cooking Yaris, in fact it looks bigger than a Yaris, but I expect that's down to the wider arches and different stance. Weirdest thing is that it was being driven by a really large bloke and his passenger was his equally large female partner. They looked like two peas in a pod!
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Although that's not fair, Mrs Tim looks to have done a decent job on the tip run vehicle!
