In a previous post (link here), I mentioned I would be living in Europe (specifically Germany) for 6 months, and that I was thinking of getting a car for traveling with my family during these months. A 2.500 Euro limit and the need to carry 4 persons were my only conditions. There were, of course, many alternatives, and the CC commentariat gave me really interesting ideas (besides buying a car) I seriously considered. One of them was taking a short term lease, or a long term car rental. But none of these possibilities was within my budget. But this was.
Another commenter gave me detailed advice about taxes, insurance, and the most popular car portals: mobile.de and autoscout24.de, where I found a huge number of interesting cars. Among the car alternatives, many commenters recommended I should buy what locals buy: cars like the VW Passat, Skoda Octavia, a Volvo (V40, V70), an older Mercedes etc. I made a local search and “pre-selected” several cars within my budget: mostly station wagons from European and Japanese car makers that I found to be “special” or, at least, interesting to own or not available at home.
I found the Octava Kombi very interesting, but no good candidates were in my area. I went to take a look at a V40 Volvo, but the head gasket repair kit in the trunk made me feel uncomfortable.
Then I started to take a look at small Japanese and European 5-seater “Mini-minivans” like the Citroen Xsara Picasso, Renault Scenic, Mitsubishi Space Star, Nissan Almera Tino, Daihatsu Gran Move, Suzuki Liana and the Toyota Yaris Verso. These are considered as “minivans” in Europe and have become quite popular. I found out that interior space was even better than a station wagon and that the shorter overall length would be a nice thing when searching for a parking spot in Berlin.
Between European (mainly French) and Japanese candidates, I thought Japanese reliability wouldn’t be a bad thing for such an old car. I have had good and bad experiences with French cars: good experiences with newer ones, and bad experiences with older ones (expensive repairs). Well, you know from the title of this post where this is going to end.
I found out that buying an already registered car (from a private person) would get me faster into actually driving it, since local vehicle registration offices are completely collapsed and were giving appointments in 4 weeks. Buying from a dealer meant I would have to buy and wait 4 weeks to get my plates. Buying a registered car would mean that, with an own insurance (which is done easily), I would be able to drive it with the plates from the previous owner for these 4 weeks (provided the owner agreed). That reduced choices, but I searched and searched until I found a candidate that ticked all boxes: A Toyota Yaris Verso, manual transmission, basic version, for 1100 EUR. This was the first time I considered a car that, from its looks, didn’t appeal to me at all. But that was about to change.
I talked to the owner and arranged a visit. A few hours later he called back and told me his wife wanted to keep the car… (no comments).
One day later, I found another Yaris Verso nearby. Green, manual, and as basic as it can get. He mentioned the exhaust pipe should be repaired and was asking only 700 EUR for that reason. The whole buying experience was quite simple (one shouldn’t expect much more for such a short period and cheap car): Rust: check, but not too bad. Paint: not nice, but OK. Winter tires included: check. Engine: loud (remember the exhaust detail?), but dry and healthy. Clutch/transmission: what? it’s an automatic? that’s not what the announcement said! I thought that searching longer wasn’t something I wanted to do now (there were more important things to do!), so I decided this would be OK too. BTW, my wife wasn’t so pleased. She has always driven manual, and didn’t like automatic transmissions. But I insisted, and made a comparison to bicycles: with or without gears, is there so much a difference driving them? (I know this argument only works in one direction, since many automatic transmission drivers just can’t get used to a manual, but in this case my argument worked out!).
The deal was struck and we took our loud and ugly square frog for a loud ride. I got the exhaust repaired for 30 EUR the same day and the car has given us about 2000 trouble free kms in the last weeks. We added “road assistance” as an extra to our insurance and I have a car sharing membership, you know, just in case…
Now about the car itself: the underpinnings are probably well-known to most of you: it shares the same platform and the same wheelbase with Paul’s Scion xB, that means many aspects from Paul’s article about his xB apply to the Yaris Verso as well. I think it even shares the same engines with the japanese xB (bB). Mine has a 1.3 VVT engine with 86 HP. I’m perfectly fine with it, and it allows cruising the Authobahn at 140km/h with no problems (not silently, though). The car is closely related to the first-gen Toyota Yaris and was called Yaris Verso in Europe and Fun Cargo in Japan. As I mentioned previously, the looks of the car are… “Gewöhnungsbedürftig” (a nice german word that means something like “Something you have to get used to”). It’s a mix of square and rounded lines, small wheels, a frog-like fascia and a weird digital, lens-augmented, centrally-mounted instrument panel. But, in the meantime, I’m starting to like it just for being so different to all cars I’ve had before.
These both are closely related.
But the real revelation to me is the interior: it is amazing how 3890mm of car can be so large and so practical. And then there’s that huge rear window, making parking the easiest think you could imagine. But back to the interior: a flat floor. What is a flat floor? In many cars, you get a flat floor when you fold the rear seats. But the height of the cargo compartment is limited by the presence of the folded seats. The Yaris Verso folds the rear seats below a false floor just behind/below the front seats. What you get is a huge, flat and very tall cargo space. My bike, for example (a big and long 28″ city bike) can be carried upright (and with 4 passengers!). And there’s the seating: each rear seat is independent.
This is the interior, in 4-seater configuration to carry my bike.
But maybe the best way to explain all this is to take a look at these incredible Japanese ads:
A “Big & Tall cabin”. Yeah, that’s right. Note the seat folding drawings
A japanese living room on wheels
Or maybe the best thing to just take a look at these TV-ads:
Or, to get an even more clear idea of what kind of clientele Toyota designers were thinking about when they designed this little car, here you can take a look of two real-life user representations they prepared during the design process 😉
I‘ll know better when I finish my staying in Germany but, until now, I have a good feeling about my choice. And if something goes wrong, I still have the remaining budget to get another one or to finally be rational and rent a car when I need it!
Thanks again to all contributors for their advice. When I get back home (to Chile), I will also need a new car (well, not new, but “newer”), maybe that’s something for another QOTD in the future…
Wow, that’s great you actually went through with your first choice (to buy something). I was one of the short-term lease proponents and am very familiar with Germany and I am genuinely surprised.
What a great little car – I do not recall having ever seen one before so it’s certainly unique. Perhaps the textbook example of form following function…
I hope you and your family enjoy it and hope you will also write a “disposition” article when your stay comes to a close. But for now, happy travels!
Isn’t it incredible how much value smart packaging can add to a car that might otherwise not be quite as appealing? Too bad about the automatic, but then (as I have learned with my automatic Honda Fit) they are not (necessarily) the bad things that they were 20 years ago.
It sounds like you are starting a great adventure. I look forward to reading your final report.
Very glad it worked out well for you – my reply to your original post was a bit negative towards buying given the traffic issues in Germany these days.
I would be interested in hearing how you find driving in Germany now that you have had some time to experience it?
I love those ads. The kitsch factor is over the top, and even though I obviously can’t read or understand Japanese the overall gist is quite clear.
I think I’m going to quietly forward a link to this piece to my other half as a lesson in practicality. As we continue our search for a second car, which will be required for an upcoming move, I’m trying to steer the search toward something like a PT Cruiser, since in Florida they’re plentiful, cheap, and often have low mileage and a garage queen history as they’ve been owned by older folks. He’ll hear nothing of it due to the looks of the car (I personally think it’s still a fairly attractive design despite the fact that it’s admittedly a bit passe. Since we have a large sedan already, which serves us quite well as our highway car and my around town grocery getter I thought something as versatile as a PT would be great for Ikea runs, the occasional tag sale find, or for trips that require us to bring the dog along, as he travels best in his crate, which doesn’t work well in the 300M. I may just have to bite the bullet and relinquish my comfy sedan and drive the ugly practical car myself. If I could find an xB that hasn’t been ragged out by a series of 20 year old surfer owners it’d be a much easier sale, but in this area the older folks are not as “with it” as Paul, so xB’s are usually run into the ground or are equipped with manual transmissions, which sadly I can no longer buy as the other half can’t drive a stick, and I most definitely do not have the fortitude to teach him.
I am so pleased to know that my tips about taxes, insurance, and likes didn’t faze you one bit. Congratulations are in order for the successful expedition into German car-buying world, especially for the visitors and short-term residents!
If you live outside Berlin, you would probably get the new plates sooner than four weeks. The situation with Behörden in Berlin is thankfully limited to Berlin and a few cities.
Great choice! These really appealed to me since its introduction, given the lover of compact but roomy cars that I am. It’s an ideal car for Europe: compact for the city, yet roomy for trips and hauling things. And I’m quite confident it will give you reliable service.
Prices on older cars are surprisingly low in Europe compared to the US. A good used Toyota from that vintage will fetch quite a bit more than that. My 2005 xB has a drastically higher value.
Don’t worry about the automatic. You won’t get any respect, especially in Germany, but, then again, look at that car! Be proud and be yourself! Is this one a diesel or gas?
I really don’t get the European argument/demand/obsession for manuals anymore….. European cities all now have the worst traffic imaginable — so why the need for ‘control’ when all one does for half the trip is engage first, move forward, clutch down, wait, engage 2nd, stop, repeat. And Italy has gone all in for mini traffic circles which, while perhaps keeping semi-suburban traffic moving, adds in a whole extra fun set of motions as one slows, decides whether to keep rolling and engage in 2nd, stop and go to first, and then shift as you negotiate the tight circle and three other cars entering and leaving the circle with you.
Perhaps the idea of the open road is even stronger there than the similar myth carried here in the US. But geeze — there’s so much more to do when stuck in traffic than bother with that shifter and clutch — play with one’s phone, change the radio settings, clean out the center console…. Just wind that little engine up, push the revs to the limits, and use the gear shift to hold it in gear when you need to. It ain’t gonna break. And you won’t have to worry about worn clutches, noisy throw-out bearings, embarrassing stalls at toll booths and the rest of the joys of manual driving that most in the US gave up by 1958. (If only more transmissions had adopted freewheeling overdrive like my ’51 Studebaker, I might be saying something else…)
Yes.
I have had 50/50 manual to automatics, but you really need at least 2.0 litres otherwise the thing will struggle to keep pace , as noted elsewhere, older cars are really cheap it seems in comparison to the US,
For that Verso I would expect to get one in reliable condition for around £600 in Great Britain. So if the automatic needed repair the car would effectively be a write off, that would be true of virtually any sub £1000 automatic car here.
A manual is a much safer bet in the older car market. In the new car market automatics are on the increase.
Ed N – what makes you think Europeans spend all their time driving in cities? Many city dwellers don’t bother with cars, and if you never left the city there would be little point in owning one.
In the UK at least, there is an extensive network of curvy, old fashioned “major” roads on which a manual is far superior.
In addition, it probably wouldn’t cross most people’s mind to buy an auto as you take your test in a manual and might not know anyone who drives one. When asked by a salesman if you want to spend a grand on something you don’t need or want, you say “no”.
Oh, wow, look at the ads. I love them. Almost makes me want to buy one. Our car ads are so dull – – – well, when you think about it, the duller the product, the more inventive the ads, like the worse the beer, the more memorable the advertisement. Bud has had the talking frogs and lizards and such for really awful beer.
@mtn: if you want a versatile, inexpensive second car with lots of life in it, you cannot beat a 10 year old minivan. They usually have Responsible Adult Mr. Rogers-type owners who change the oil and do the maintenance and drive like there’s an egg between their foot and the accelerator. They tend to be shunned by the buy-here-pay-here types who figure, if I’m not going to make the payments on something and it’s going to be repossessed, it might as well be something with some style. They aren’t THAT much bigger on the outside than a PT cruiser but much bigger inside and about the same fuel economy, but generally in much better shape mechanically. The minivan depreciates more than a comparable car and you can get a really elderly one with plenty of life in it for under 2k or under 5 if you want something a little newer. Plus, there’s NOTHING that won’t fit in a minivan.
I love small, well packaged cars. With the strong boundaries of affordable price, economy, and versatility, as significant challenges in successfully designing and marketing them. Being able to include charm and character in their formula makes me even more impressed.
Nice pick.
Glad you found such a good car, and best of luck in your European adventures. We expect a re-enactment of all those wonderful, baffling ads in your future posts. 😉
Welcome to the FunCargo Owners Club – we’ve had one in Japan here as our son/daughter’s car for six years – superbly packaged vehicle – you really don’t realize how spacious it is until you see it in person.
I anticipate you’ll have few problems – ours has just over 75K with zero issues – typical Toyota.
If my memory does not deceive me, this was one of the cars I (and others) mentioned
when you first asked the question – I’m fairly certain it will serve you well, and as long as you can keep up the pace on the Autobahn, who cares if it’s an auto box.
I’m drawn to the practicality of these. Truly impressive! It seems like these mini-minivans were about as popular here as they were in the US. We got the Skoda Roomster, it sold dismally. There were the more conventional Citroen Picasso, Renault Scenic and Holden (Opel) Zafira but those also sold poorly. Funnily enough, the jacked-up Scenic RX4 seems to be much, much more common than the regular Scenic even though ti was clearly a van with some ugly cladding and a higher ride height. And this was before the crossover craze really set in.
So, while I like the Yaris Verso, I don’t think it would have sold well here. I wish these vans were more popular though.
This is actually one of the most intelligent I have ever had a pleasure of driving and riding in!
Just a fun fact – it one of very few cars that can carry the biggest washing machine in original packaging (cardboard, styrofoam and all) , on its original Euro pallet, loaded by a forklift (rear door opens to the very end of the floor, bumper included!) and still use only 6-7l of petrol per 100km ( 34-40mpg) !
Also, entering this car is so natural (high roofline, very low opening – again, seat on the “just” height), front or back.
It has incredible leg room in the back. It’s wide, so cabin doesn’t fell tight, although three in the back my not be a good idea, ’cause middle seat is a joke.
It’s zippy, even with 1.3l engine (short gearing from FWD Rav helps…), VERY reliable (1NZ and 2NZ engines are possibly the best designed VVTI, on par with UZ V8).
And for us on tight budget, there is even sweeter fact – it runs well on LPG! It takes about 20,000km for conversion to pay off and then it just saves you even more money.
How much? We, running on LPG, you can almost double you mileage, for same budget for fuel. (I say almost – it does always start on petrol, of course, and usually we switch back to petrol for short blasts or sustained drives over 4000-4500 revs, to preserve valve seats).
Best friend of mine bought one on my recommendation and has only praise about this car (and he really use it properly – his a local vet, does a lot of stop’n’go short runs).
They do keep their value quite well (10-years old well-kept examples cost 20-30% of their original price!), but maintenance is very affordable (especially comparing to modern diesels…).
Only in last few months have prices finally dropped somewhat, so you could by 1.5 manual for 2500-3500EUR, depending on condition and mileage.
I do plan to get one in near future, possibly even two (1.5 as a passenger car, 1.3 as delivery car) and my friend is considering purchase of second-gen 1.5 version as well. They really are that good!
Any faults? Yes, but fixable. Payload capacity is rather low 400-450kg, but can be fixed with instalation of “rough road” package (stiffer springs and shocks). Front seat are for everyone, especially something as big as me, but floor is flat and seat runners are flat and straight (unlike, for example, in se3cond-gen Rav4!), so new seats can be installed.
Oh, and some people think they are ugly as a cockroach…bad for them 🙂
UM BOM CARRO.