Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Hawi, Hawaii

Solrac2k, I don't think I have anything of substance that will help. My mechanic looked very closely with mirror and all to get the numbers as best he could off of my alternator. Then he phoned a foreign cars supply source and they found the replacement alternatives on the US west coast. So an alternator was flown in and installed in just a few days. But then I am told that the noise is still there, and out went the new alternator and a water pump has been ordered and will be installed next week. The noise has been progressing slowly, but still we use the car some and it is not an alarming sound yet. By the way, no expense for me due to the wrong diagnosis, these people are good ones. Sorry i did not get back to you sooner, these are busy days for many of us.

The 70 amp is something like $240 and the 90 is forty dollars more. My mechanic recommended I get the 90 if we use the A/C a lot. My wife and daughter both do. He had a listening device that he applied to both the water pump and the alternator, and the sound was clearly the alternator.

My 2000 Echo finally has a problem that needs repair. The alternator is making some noise, though still functionning fine. Apparently there are both 70 and 90 amp alternators available, and mine is a 70 but I am getting a 90 replacement. With shipping it is gonna cost about $300, so not cheap. But it is my first problem of any magnitude.

regarding reliability, I am also surprised by the problem with the oil leak and the differential replacement. I am now up to 118K miles on my 2000 Echo 5 speed. No problems. As far as the shipping to Europe, and test driving ahead of time, and Matrix and Corolla and such: I wonder if you have some good friends in the USA. And I wonder where you are seeing the particular used car opportunities. If it were me I would ask one of my (few) tech-savvy friends to check out used car opportunities for me. If the price and model were right, and the condition was verified by my friend, then OK. But I wouldnt go along with anything else. You also talk about the options on a Corolla compared to an Echo. Do you want lots of options? If you do, then I guess they are worth something to you, quantify it.

I had been looking for a low mileage used echo 4 door with 5 speed, but no luck after a month. I wanted to sell my older 2000 Echo with 113K miles to my sister. I called Toyota City on Oahu and they had only automatic trans models. So today I bought a 95 Corolla for her with only 19K miles for $6500. I could have bought a 2001 Protege with 48K miles for $7000, but I feel better about the Corolla. When I test drive these cars they feel so HEAVY compared to the Echo which is so responsive. I am happy enough to stick with my ECHO, it'll last a long time.