From Explorer to Yaris
Trading down measures up



ALTAMONT — Before setting out on my journey from central Iowa to Albany County to start my new life as a reporter, I was confronted with a lot of choices. The biggest of my concerns was transportation.

I’d had an SUV, a 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. It was a reliable company vehicle, but, knowing what kind of gas mileage it got, and knowing that I was going to, most often, be the only one in its cockpit, I didn’t think it all that practical or economical to purchase the vehicle from my father’s company.

The job I was taking as a reporter covering towns in the hills would send me winding around curves, facing the obstacles of the road, encountering numerous blind spots, and making many wrong turns.

Before I made my decision to purchase a new car, I had many things to consider. At the top of my list was gas economy.

Having owned SUVs and light-duty pickup trucks, I can safely say there’s nothing more disappointing than paying $55 every four or five days, comparing that with the miles it gets you, and praying for long trips so that you will finally feel as though you’re actually getting your money’s worth.

So, after surfing car manufacturers’ websites, perusing magazines and newspapers, and making numerous trips to car dealerships, I bought a 2007 Toyota Yaris. When I bought it, I was told by a salesperson that it had been selling over in Europe for years and was quite popular.

The Yaris is a small, four-cylinder vehicle, which boasts about 40 highway miles to the gallon. In town, it gets roughly 34 miles to the gallon. Though it only has an 11.2 gallon tank, I’ve discovered I can get pretty far without filling up. I made the trip from Iowa to New York, and spent a little under $100. And throughout the past month, I’ve realized I’m not at the pump nearly as often as I was when I drove an SUV.

Though it doesn’t have power door locks and windows, I’ve gotten pretty used to not having the feature. I roll down the window only when I’m getting fast food, and it’s not all that often that I have a passenger, so three of the four doors remain locked most of the time. It was an option, but the car that I bought was on the lot and ready to go.

"American ideals"
I didn’t have any qualms about buying a "foreign" vehicle. In this day of globalization and an attitude of every man and woman for himself, I didn’t feel as though I was compromising any of my American ideals.

It would be nice to say that American vehicles are more efficient, better-built, and the way of the future. Having once been in the automotive business (I was in the trailer hitch business and was under vehicles daily), I’m not all that convinced that American-made vehicles of today can stake that claim.
Once I made the transition from the SUV to the car, I haven’t had to get my oil changed as often. Every 5,000 miles now, instead of every 3,000. When I went to get my oil changed and tires rotated at Lia Toyota, I noticed there was a big poster on the wall in the waiting area. It read "10 Ways Toyota Helps the American Economy." My interest was piqued right away. Clearly, someone within the company knew there was skepticism in some American minds, and wanted to try and do something about it.

The poster was wrinkled, nearly falling off the wall, and outdated. (it was published in 1993)
I read about the ways in which Toyota has "helped the American economy." First of all, the poster said, Toyota has invested more than $5.2 billion in the U.S. Toyota, the poster, said, also employs nearly 16,000 Americans, contributed $14.1 million to U.S. charities in 1992, and produces nearly half of the passenger cars it sells in the U.S. in North America.

According to a more recent study, which was conducted by the Center for Automotive Research, and financed by Toyota, the car manufacturer is employing more people in the U.S. than it ever has.

The study says Toyota, which has five manufacturing plants in the States, employed approximately 29,000 people in the U.S. in 2003 for its manufacturer-related activities, and about 74,000 in sales and service.

Measuring up

The Yaris has front-wheel drive, so I’m not too concerned about the coming snow. I’ve been told the winters here can be treacherous, and that I am going to have to get some snow tires. I’m confident the vehicle and my conscientious driving will ge –me through in one piece. However, never having experienced a New York winter, I may have a lesson in store.

Buying the car wasn’t easy. I was a bit hesitant for many reasons. For one, I’ve never bought a new car. Since I was 16, I’ve been the recipient of second-hand vehicles and company-owned trucks and SUVs. Entering the showroom, throwing around figures, and playing psychological games while making the second-largest investment possible, was a bit intimidating. I survived.

Speaking of survival, I’ve learned a bit about feeling susceptible. I’ve never before felt the vulnerability that goes with being close to the ground, continuously being passed by trucks and SUVs twice my size; as they rush by, I sometimes imagine the drivers laughing at my miniscule size. Until I drove the Yaris, I’ve always felt I measured up.

Now, measuring up has taken on new meaning. I think to myself when the full-size trucks and SUVs blow by how uneconomical they truly are, how their owners possibly feel quite helpless and defeated when they see the numbers winding up as they pump more and more gas into their tanks and at a much higher frequency than I. I wouldn’t say that I am smug about it, but there is a certain amount of satisfaction, a feeling of being a more practical, thoughtful consumer.