i bought a 2014 L 4sp auto trans with 42,000 miles from hertz in 5/16 as a snowbird car. i was looking for reliable, simple and fun mostly city transport. my choice boiled down to either a french made yaris or better equipped mexican made nissan versa note at same $9k price point. i chose yaris for its simple reliability. i actually like the retro crank windows, and lack of bells & whistles, happily reminds me of what i drove almost 40 years ago. i added a plug and play oem cruise control kit that i found on yarisworld.com, as the L comes internally prewired for it. i really like it as a city car, added cruise control makes a world of difference on highway. pros: great visibility, tight turning radius, simple, roomy interior seating, mpg 38 highway/32 city. cons: steering wheel doesnt telescope, a bit noisy at 70mph (lacks 5th gear and tire choice), no tachometer. note on hertz experience: i was informed afterwards that, despite a clean autocheck, this yaris had its front bumper replaced. in a heated discussion at hertz i learned that bumpers are excluded from hertz's warranty (in very fine print) and hertz self-insures so non airbag accidents dont get reported. the car is very sound and solid, but discovering this anomaly after the purchase was deeply troubling.
