Toyota Yaris GRMN

[Ste372]

Finally pulled the trigger on one!

I've admired them from a far & have been running around in a 2016 Aygo on a £69 a month pcp deal for the last 18 months. the Aygo was predictable, reliable, cheap, well specced but ultimately very boring.

This one was the first that has come up locally for sale so went for a look round it. the dealer offered me what i paid for the Aygo 18 months previous which was a shock. i think they knew the Aygo would be very easy to shift compared to the Yaris

anyway enough babbling i only have one picture because i cant stop driving the thing...



the dealer has refurbed the alloys & as part of the deal is putting 4 new tyres on. after id stopped laughing when the service department wanted to fit "west lake tyres" me & the dealer principal had a chat. they had a allocated budget which i respect & i wanted the oem Bridgestone Potenza tyres on the car which he recognised as well so we came to a 50/50 split on the cost which i feel is fair. i know this isn't going to be a cheap car to run or maintain.

i really wanted a new gr yaris but funds wouldnt stretch im hoping to run this for the next 2 years & when 2 year old gr yaris start to flood the market make a decision on one.

currently im enjoying it alot. usually i have plans for my cars as soon as i purchase them to make them my own. i dont feel the need to alter anything about the yaris. the car is a riot to drive when im alone but is just as at home doing the school run & the weekly shop

the extra graphics have been added by toyota apparently. the sun strip will be going, im 50/50 on the black line up the side. the top red/black extra stickers really suit it i think & break it up nicely

if its as reliable as the little aygo & my missus yaris is ill be mega happy

[Jaaack]

Wow, someone's actually bought one!

Only ever seen one out and about, shame really. Very cool car, must be pretty bloody rare? Pretty much a guaranteed future classic too.

Just looked on Howmanyleft, bloody hell! Peaked at 88 examples and currently 76 taxed. I thought they'd be below 1000, but not below 100!

I like the graphics, if anything I'd be tempted to add more

[Ste372]

thank you. there's a few about on here

they only made 600 i believe

400 came to Europe with 100 of that being allocated to the uk. mine is 371.

once i took it out on test drive i knew instantly it was going to be bought. feels like no other modern hot hatch. there's no compromise suspension is firm, brakes are strong, lsd really pulls you into a corner & the engine is comical diesel like instant torque from low down & just keeps pulling hard to the redline. the clutch is heavy & has a mechanical feel to it not like this modern light as a feather nonsense

wheels, tyres help complement the overall performance of the car

the hugging bucket seats & gt86 steering wheel help lift a average interior

once you notice & appreciate all the little details & the overall package its quite a feat that Toyota actually commissioned it for production

even at the 26k price tag when new they couldn't have made much if any money off the cars

[Neil1323bolts]

Great to see another GRMN being enjoyed. It won’t cost that much to run , Toyota is reliable. Service costs are reasonable, I’ve had mine for over a year now other than petrol and a service nothing to worry about . I’ve added graphics/ stickers and removed the bonnet stickers as they were not symmetrical, didn’t sit with my ocd ! I’m getting about 28 mpg average at the mo , mostly town driving and occasional blast . Great car probably gonna be my first car that I may actually keep , normally get bored and move them on . Mine is 195 / 400 and in the 15 months of owning I’ve never seen another on the road , that fact alone must make it better to own than a fiesta st , just so rare , but I think there are 7 for sale on autotrader right now , probably down to owner’s ordering the new GR , which I thought about but just can’t part with the GRMN .

[Ste372]

would you mind sharing servicing costs?

i personally didnt like the graphics at first never been a fan of stickers on cars but the more i see it every day its growing on me very quickly. i think the graphics near the windows help break up the car. im also not a fan of white cars but buy a car on what its capable of & not what it looks like.

also was there an options list on these when new or were they just all specced the same from factory?

[Neil1323bolts]

Ste372 said:

would you mind sharing servicing costs?

i personally didnt like the graphics at first never been a fan of stickers on cars but the more i see it every day its growing on me very quickly. i think the graphics near the windows help break up the car. im also not a fan of white cars but buy a car on what its capable of & not what it looks like.

also was there an options list on these when new or were they just all specced the same from factory?

I can’t find the receipt at the mo but I think full service from Toyota was about £250 ,I believe that all the cars were the same from factory , only option was to have the stickers removed . Works for me I love the simplicity of this car , only choice traction control off / on !

[Cabrony]

Have only seen one of these from afar (around Rustington in West Sussex). Tried to catch up with it to get a closer look but failed miserably.

Great buy, congratulations OP.

[scottos]

Other than the graphics i love these. I remember when they first came out i was at sprint day with my friend at Croft and there were two of them competing in that. Enjoyed having a look around one up close.

[lukeharding]

Do like these. Someone I know has one, and when I complained about the cost of wheels for my car he told me a pair for the GRMN are €3200! Probably worth looking after those...!

[5harp3y]

scottos said:

Other than the graphics i love these. I remember when they first came out i was at sprint day with my friend at Croft and there were two of them competing in that. Enjoyed having a look around one up close.

same, graphics need to go, look like mega fun

[Neil1323bolts]

lukeharding said:

Do like these. Someone I know has one, and when I complained about the cost of wheels for my car he told me a pair for the GRMN are €3200! Probably worth looking after those...!

Actually I remember reading they are probably more than that , I think over 9000 euros for a set of 4 which is insane amount . I probably should take them off my car this winter and run them on a cheaper set .

[Ste372]

Finally had time to get it back to the dealer I bought it off to have the tyres fitted as part of the deal when I purchased it

Sales had allocated a budget & service wanted to fit westlake budget tyres. I had a email chat & phone call about it with the dealer principal & once he saw I wasn't trying to get something for nothing & didn't mind paying the difference towards the oem potenza re050 being refitted. We agreed in 50/50 split. He even showed me the trade price they were paying & went down the middle at that.

Also had a safety recall done on fuel pipe bolts & spacers whilst in there.

On a sore note. One of the alloys has been chipped fitting the tyres. Liability has been admitted without question even before I picked it up & paid. It will be rectified in the new year at no cost to me.

Also had a alignment carried out at protyre in Stockport as straight as the day it left the factory according to the lad who done it. No charge. Refreshing to see honest worksman ship after the recent bashing garages got on the imaginary work thread.

I've done around 800 miles in it so far & have no regrets about buying. As above I enquired about the new gr but it's sadly out of my budget at present. Circumstances pending I may look for one after a couple of years

I will put some pictures up soon. Its booked in to have a winter protection detail nearer Christmas time.

[iphonedyou]

Ste372 said:

i know this isn't going to be a cheap car to run or maintain.

Why is that?

Hope you enjoy.

[Ste372]

iphonedyou said:

Why is that?

Hope you enjoy.

Anything limited production run is never going to be cheap.

An alloy is over 1k each apparently
Front brake discs are bespoke & again big cost towards 1k

The 1.8 supercharged is notoriously bad on fuel. I'm currently averaging 18mpg. Now I could drive it more economically. But I've bought it to enjoy it not worry about how much its costing me

You can't have your cake & eat it unfortunately. If I want to keep it in tip top condition then as the old saying goes. You have to pay to play.

Servicing costs seem pretty reasonable so far but anything consumable bespoke to the grmn is eye watering.

[Asbo]

I know this is an old chat line, but I'm thinking of buying a GRMN and need so advice. Does the car hit its undercarriage when going over speed bumps? I read the back muffler gets hit when doing so? We have a number of speed bumps around here and according to Toyota a new muffler (end box) cost £4800 to replace. Thanks in advance

[Ste372]

Asbo said:

I know this is an old chat line, but I'm thinking of buying a GRMN and need so advice. Does the car hit its undercarriage when going over speed bumps? I read the back muffler gets hit when doing so? We have a number of speed bumps around here and according to Toyota a new muffler (end box) cost £4800 to replace. Thanks in advance

Hi I've never hit anything underneath the car going over speedbumps. I don't crawl over them but don't try & get air Bourne either.

[Terminator X]

Great car, well played fella!

TX.

[Koolkat969]

Asbo said:

I know this is an old chat line, but I'm thinking of buying a GRMN and need so advice. Does the car hit its undercarriage when going over speed bumps? I read the back muffler gets hit when doing so? We have a number of speed bumps around here and according to Toyota a new muffler (end box) cost £4800 to replace. Thanks in advance

Wow, that's pretty pricey for a back box if that price is correct. Been looking at the second hand market for these but I think that price for the exhaust alone would put me off getting one.

[Asbo]

Thanks. Not that bothered about the cost too much, as long as doesn't get hit, as it looks well made and should last a long time.

[Ste372]

Terminator X said:

Great car, well played fella!

TX.

Thank you. Needs a few minor cosmetic changes but it's the first car I've bought in years where I can't see any obvious improvements to make performance wise