I have been keeping an eye on the Verso market and the price of them has plunged in the past 6 months. You can now pick up a 12 month old low mileage, lowest mileage I have seen has been 3K, 1.8 T3 for just short of 10,000 pounds.
I have seen numerous cars for sale at Toyota dealerships for this price and you can get the diesel equivalent now for as low as 11,250.
I mention this because it should have had a knock-on affect to older highr mileage Versos.
Hope this helps.
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Something else to consider with the Verso is that it really needs front and rear parking sensors as you cannot see any corner of the car. These are ludicrously ridiculous at Toyota dealers with anyone from 500 to 1K being quoted as the cost of fixing them to a car.
Maybe a bargaining position is to get them as part of the deal?
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Where does the OP live? I guess it is a consideraton depending on how much the OP wants for it and how far it is, it could be a few weeks before I have the money so that may or may not be a problem.
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Thank you both, I'm now in a quandry. I'm on the south coast and our local Toyota dealer is still asking about 9k for a 2005 1.8 T3, so a bit of an eye opener to do a national search.
I don't have to change it immediately and I'm beginning to feel I'm rushing it just to get it over and done with . I can't fit two car seats and my Mum in which is the problem and I don't want to leave it too long. But taking into account what the prices are doing I think it might be wise to wait for a couple of months and widen the search area a bit. And very very good point about parking sensors, I shall definitely look at that.
Having had a look further a field on Autotrader I don't feel very well disposed to paying 5 - 5.5k for a 4 year old car with 60k on the clock when I've just seen a 07/57 which has done 10k for £8991.
Does it make sense then to wait do you think ? All this help is hugely appreciated as car buying completely stresses me out for some reason.
Rattle, I'm down in Dorset. I'm not sure that we are going to get rid of the Corolla though
as it has been so reliable so is worth a lot to us in terms of peace of mind and we think we should hang onto it in case DH has to change jobs and needs a car to commute which he doesn't at the moment. Sorry to read of your problems, I have had numerous cars that have given me no end of grief in the past .
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The best prices I have found for Versos is the Bristol Toyota dealerships. Every now and then they seem to have a batch lot in.
My local one seems to think there has been no bust and IMPO is still pricing cars as if last year. 40 miles up the road the prices fall dramatically and then they fall even further when I go another 30 or 40 and get to Bristol. I am talking about several thousand of pounds saving.
The other thing to bear in mind is that from about March in this year Toyota upped the spec of the Verso by adding front sensors, MP3 function in the radio and tinted rear glass to the T3. Around May this got upped again to rear sensors also - I think the model is called the SR.
Well, in a few months those models will be 12 months old just as the new model is coming out so I suspect prices for the them then will be very keen - plus between then and now the economy is just going to get much worse.
The Verso sounds the ideal car for you as it has loads of air-bags and plenty of space in the second row for legs. Also, not sure how old your Mum is, but if she is elderly then it will be nice and easy for her to swing her legs in and out of the Verso as the seats are at a sensible height. There is a good long-term report on the Verso over on Autoexpress where one of their staff got hit by a BMW and claims the Verso came off the better and, more importantly, did he and his family.
One reason why I have not bought a Verso yet is that I want the sensors - when you sit in the driver's seat you cannot see the front or rear of the car nor any corner which would make parking a nightmare IMPO. On the plus side I have been a geek and talked to numerous Verso owners and all love it with the exception of the MMT box which apaprently judders the car along. I am also not convinced by the diesel, nor do I like diesel, so if I got one I probably would go for a 1.8.
Oh, and in late 2007 there was a slight model change which is really only noticeable by the front grill - changed it to make it look like the Yaris and Auris I think?
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Tawse, thank you so much, this is extremely helpful. I've had a look at the Bristol dealerships and they are pricing their 2007 models at the same price my local one is doing 2005 ones which have about 3 times the mileage. Have you seen any older ones in the Bristol ones at all ? My brother lives in Bristol (in fact my parent's 2 toyotas came from one of the dealerships more years ago than I care to admit to !) and is away at the moment but back the beginning of March, so that might be good timing.
My Mum is 70 and had her hip replaced a few years ago, getting into the corolla was a bit of a nightmare for her, we could have done with the verso at that point really.
Good to hear a real life account of the Verso's safety. I like the idea that it has 5 stars on Encap. A friend of mine had a close encounter with a milk tanker the other day and although opened up at the side like a tin, she was able to drive it home. The insurance payout is a whole other story though. Hers is a 2004 T spirit that she bought 4 months ago for 10k from a Toyota dealer in Somerset. The insurance company have said it is worth 6.8k and as the repairs will be more than 65% of the car it is a write off. Poor thing is completely gutted, she had waited a good few years to get one then this happens.
I want the 1.8 T3 petrol version, my mileage is too low at the moment to justify a diesel. I've read on What Car reports of the MMT box completely failing so am definitely going to avoid that one.
Think my Verso search is going to be a bit of an ongoing saga...
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The Bristol dealership has some spanking new looking cars in for the prices I mentioned. Occasionally, you might find some scratches or scuffs on the interior plastics of the dash and doors but there is no need to buy these IMPO as they seem to be followed quickly by seemingly perfect looking models.
The same dealership operates in Cardiff and Bridgend but, IMPO, they do not seem to get as 'good' models in as Bristol and also do not seem as keen on prices but all are much much better, IMPO, than my local dealer. I have come to the conclusion that whoever buys in the cars at Bristol has, how can I say this, superior standards? LOL!
Nope, I have not seen any older models in the Bristol dealership but I have done in the Cardiff one which is the same chain. They seem very nice but they usually are dark grey or black which I personally find depressing and for which I have safety concerns.
The other good thing about the Verso is that when you sit in it you have loads of room around you in the cockpit - space between you and the metal and plastic of the car body which is an oft over-looked important safety aspect. The pedals are big and nicely spread also unlike, say, the Focus where, IMPO, you need the small feet of a young girl to be able to safely use them. Oh dear, maybe it is my big feet?
Your Mum will be able to step in and out of a Verso pretty much easier than many other cars on the market and also, if needed as she gets older, you will have the space in the door-frame to lean in and help give her hand. Same thing applies to baby seats. The other plus is that with all seats folded you have a big pretty space to carry big items.
The only faults I see with a Verso are:
1. Needs the afore-mentioned parking sensors.
2. The 6th and 7th seats are useless and unneeded - it would have been better as a big 5 seater.
3. The base of the seats, especially the two front ones, are now that long and hence they might not provide you with adequate thigh support if, like me, you have long thighs.
4. Image - it really screams "I have a wife and two kids" :-)
5. Lights are considered weak.
The other car I have considered similar to this is the Golf Plus but it is much more expensive to buy initially, although prices finally seem to be dropping, and is more expensive to insure and service. The seats are more supportive but in every other aspect it is inferior to the Verso IMPO.
Oh, apparently there were instances of airbags failing to deploy on the Verso for which there was a safety recall. Make sure this work has been carried out.
Edited by tawse on 15/12/2008 at 10:44
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Lots of food for thought, thank you. I am convinced that the Verso is what we need and it is very handy that the Bristol Toyota dealer is keenly priced given that my brother will be back there in March. Well over budget but doable in a few months so we need to think carefully. I really don't want to be doing this again for another 10 years if I can help it so don't mind taking the time now.
All the faults you've listed I can live with and I am the wife with 2 children so now worries there !!!!
Thank you again for all your help. I will update this when we are sorted.
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I really don't want tobe doing this again for another 10 years if I can help it so don't mind taking the time now.
I tend to keep my cars for 10 years so this is another reason why I have considered the verso - they seem to still look good several years down the road and also, hopefully, they have Toyota reliability. Well, the petrol ones should have but I am not so convinced about the diesels re dual mass flywheel failures and such-like which seem to be increasingly common amongst modern diesels of all makes.
If you could hold out till March I guess you could find one of those upgraded SR models for much nearer your current budget. I peronsally would not bother with the T-spirit model as I have read numerous posts about problems getting the DVD and the bluetooth to work so cannot see why anyone would pay a premium for them.
Glad I could be of help.
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Pleased with our diesel T3, which we bought new in May. It did a good job of taking us and our holiday clobber to France in August, and our two children think it's great.
The space is phenomenal for something that occupies so little road - for the front five, it gives away next to nothing to the much bigger S-Max. I'm a short-legged 6'5", but I could wear a hat to drive it - it's certainly the only car I've had where I could put the recommended fist thickness between my head and the roof. And my size 12 feet appreciate the space around the pedals too.
It's generally pleasant to drive as well, but I've developed a couple of reservations, specifically about the steering and brakes. The steering isn't heavy, but the wheel offers a sort of springy resistance that feels unnatural and becomes fatiguing on a long drive. Similarly, the brakes eventually stop the car well enough - but make you aware of the 1500kg weight of the bus as they do so, and are hard to apply with finesse. I find they're short of bite in the early part of their travel, so I end up standing on the pedal as the red light looms, rather than losing speed early and coming to a smooth and fuss-free halt.
Oh, and the audio system is feeble and the steering wheel controls are fiddly to use - dangerously so in the case of the cruise control. And there's no constantly-visible clock, which is infuriating - and the one you have to burrow in the computer for can't keep time properly, which is inexcusable. And, for reasons I can't fathom, the window override switch doesn't just disable the rear switches, as in every other car I've had; it disables the motors in all but the driver's door. Bizarre.
But these are minor gripes about an otherwise excellent piece of kit. If you want an SR, make sure you can live with the darkened 'privacy glass'. Our children hated it and would have vetoed it if I hadn't done so first because it blocks the view for the lane-change shoulder check. And if you want a 1.8 petrol, check how far it goes on a tank of fuel. Our diesel manages 42mpg but still won't go much more than 400 miles between fills.
Anyway, good luck looking and I hope you find one you like.
}:---)
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Thought I'd update. Have just put down a deposit on a 54 reg diesel, 57k on the clock, was on at £5995, paying £5750. They will do the 60k service etc. It is coming from a Peugeot dealer who get the part-exs from the other dealerships in their group if they haven't sold within 60 days as the Peugeot place has a huge forecourt. It has been serviced by the Toyota dealer in the same group as them and the salesman is getting them to check the about the airbag recall. He wasn't able to move much on price which I think was fair enough really but is doing little things like superguarding it and putting some diesel in plus getting a bit in the back that had had a scuff touched up, plus a week's free insurance whilst we swap over.
Had a turn around over the diesel as thinking about things our mileage will be higher than it has been in recent years and we will be doing more longer trips. Decided against going for one of the 57 regs in Bristol (which had my local Toyota dealer stuttering when I asked him exactly why they were charging the same amount for a 05 reg with 40k on the clock !) as wanted to keep our costs down with things as they are at the moment.
In fact it has been a bit of an education all round. Rang a garage who had a 54 reg petrol version which Parkers reckon should be £5340, he has it on at 7.5k. Pointed out the price of the 57 reg etc and the Parkers price. To which he replied that he tells people that Parkers is great for stuff to start the fire but he uses Glasses which everyone in the trade uses and that he is bang on the money with his pricing but would knock off £750. Couldn't be bothered to argue and will watch with interest at how much longer the car stays there, it has been a fair time so far.
So thank you all for your help, I am looking forward to picking it up on Saturday and hopefully forgetting all about car buying for a few years !
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Congratulations.
I too am reconsidering paying out 10Kish in the current climate and it sounds like you have got a good deal there. What, in 4 years that car has lost about 70% of its original price. Can you imagine taking that hit yourself?
Most important question though - did you get the colour you wanted?
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Yes, we've got blue, a change from silver for the last 6 years ! It is a T2 rather than a T3 so I guess it hasn't lost quite that percentage but still a lot. It has got everything we need though apart from parking sensors but I shall look into that.
Good luck with your car hunting. I am hugely relieved mine is finally over and will sleep well tonight as a result ! Thank you again for your help.
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