Skip to main content

Used 2008 Toyota Yaris Consumer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
217 reviews
1...

See Edmunds pricing data

Has Your Car's Value Changed?

Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.

Price history graph example

Trending topics in reviews

Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

Feels like it was just built at 108k

Calvin Luchs, 05/18/2016
updated 11/18/2016
2008 Toyota Yaris 2dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
102 of 103 people found this review helpful

A hand full of these had intermittent water pump failure. this was pretty rare, but if you're looking used inspect near the water pump for pink crust, it's a dead give away. That out of the way, I am a regular sized college student. I got this to be reliable, hearty, and get good fuel economy. I have slammed 15000 miles on it in the year I've owned it, and It has had literally nothing wrong. No squeaks, rattles, nothing. I put oil in it. That is it. If you're a guy living in america, your buddies may jag you off about this car at first but the fact of the matter is I drove to my friends house to help him fix his Lincoln in my little Toyota. Another friend with a jeep attempted to join us but his car caught fire. You will outlast anything but perhaps old Honda motorcycles with this car. For some anecdotal stuff: -I have driven in one pittsburgh winter and with half life all seasons I had no trouble getting up steep, 4 to 5 inch deep snow packed gradients. AWD cop cars were sliding down the hill past me, but the yaris kept on going. -I put my girlfriend, her dog and it's crate, and a week and a half worth of food in the back (Seats down) and drove 790 miles to Maryland and averaged 39 mpg doing it. coming back i actually got 42. On a straight highway drive at 60 miles per hour i can actually get 49 mpg reliably, with the 5 speed manual. -I learned to drive stick in this car, and even with me buggering the clutch repeatedly while learning, The shifts are quick and easy, and the clutch is a little on the tighter side when new, but it wears nicely and lasts a long time. There is nothing difficult about working on this car, and usually i don't need to jack it up for routine maintenance because it sits rather high on it's wheels, which also gives good visibility. The suspension isn't sophisticated, but it works pretty well, and the seats are awesome. You can take some pretty serious bumps without suffering in this car. Had one minor accident, sun got in my eyes and I lost sight of the road and at about 15 miles an hour slammed into a lady in a big old saturn station wagon. No damage whatsoever. Tires are cheap as dirt, and so is just about everything else for this car. Overall I love it. and If you're worried your more "Merica" friends will give you garbage, they probably will, but by the time their dodge has eaten it's 9th transmission in 45k miles, they'll come to love the car of the person who's repeatedly bailed them out and helped keep their scrap on the road :) Comfy, reliable, cheap and easy to fix and run, and everything is bolted together to a german- like standard of build quality, with a toyota- like standard of precision and engineering. Fantastic car.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
Report Abuse

4.88 out of 5 stars

The Most Reliable Car Ever

teamyaris, 07/20/2014
2008 Toyota Yaris 2dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
41 of 41 people found this review helpful

First, a little about myself. I am a 55 year old male who has owned more than a dozen cars in his lifetime, including trucks, SUVs, minivans, and a variety of small cars including Hondas, Toyotas, and Fords, dating back to the 1970s. Without a doubt, this is the most reliable and lowest cost of ownership car I have ever owned. I bought it new for $12,000 and it is now nearing 100K miles. Other than oil changes and topping off the fluids, and changing tires, it is maintenance free. Manual transmission has been fun to drive, easy to keep up with the traffic flow at speeds up to 70 mph. Mileage is 38-42mpg. Who needs a hybrid? Headroom is fine and the hatchback is convenient.

Report Abuse
4 out of 5 stars

2008 sedan still going strong

Bob, 07/24/2015
updated 07/24/2016
2008 Toyota Yaris S 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
37 of 38 people found this review helpful

Bought it new in 2008. Coming up on 195,000 miles. Most reliable car I have ever had. Just routine things like oil changes and tires. Replaced the belt at 150,000 miles. It has a timing chain, not a belt so as long as you change the oil on schedule that will never be a problem. My Mechanic says its in excellent shape, it will last me several more years. I am retired, so I drive it on vacations a lot, it has been in 45 of the lower 48 states. Engine is amazing for a 1.5 I regularly cruise at 80 to 85, and you dont even feel it. Regularly gets 40 mpg combined. Only thing I do not have that I should have gotten is cruise control, and you can get one with it. Great little car, was only 13,000 brand new. I am a big guy, and what sold me on it was the great drivers head room.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
Report Abuse

4.5 out of 5 stars

Worth it.

Elaine, 11/01/2010
2008 Toyota Yaris 2dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl 4A)
28 of 29 people found this review helpful

I bought this car brand new and I must say I have not been disappointed. For $13,500 there is no way I could have gotten a better new car than this. It is fun to drive (had a 00 Volvo before this) and you get great gas mileage. Makes great U-turns and I can actually parallel park with this car. As far as built quality, well that is where it really could do better. Too much cheap plastic and the inside cloth on the driver's door is fading for some reason. As far as reliability goes, I see it lasting forever. I've put 17K miles on it and have done only the oil changes.

Report Abuse

4.88 out of 5 stars

Still Going Strong

Cindy Sanders, 04/06/2015
2008 Toyota Yaris 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
53 of 57 people found this review helpful

Rather than write a review of a vehicle I've had for a few months, I've waited 5.5 years. I bought this car brand new November of 2008. I love this car. For the price, this vehicle can't be beat. I consistently get around 40 mpg and that includes stop and go traffic. I'm also just over 142,000 miles with only replacing the serpentine belt and standard oil changes. I'm still using the original brakes and clutch. The paint is still in excellent condition and the interior still looks great. For a base model, no bells and whistles, great for everyday use, with great reliability, you can't get anything better.

Report Abuse
1...
Items per page:
5