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Nirupa

Hi I am looking to buy a small Toyota car- around 1.3 or 1.5L. Do you have any make that might be good in particular? My family also has a Vitz that serves us well, but I just wanted to know if there was another Toyota small car that is good?

ABayliss

In this engine capacity range, there's nothing wrong with the Vitz/Echo, or later model Yaris. Also, there's the Ist, which can be 1.3 or 1.5, and various Corolla derivitives such as the Runx and Allex which can have the 1.5 litre engine.
All these cars generally have good reputations for reliability.

Nirupa

Great. Thank you so much. When you say later model, how late are we talking?

I also noted that you said in a previous thread that CVT is not great. Should it be avoided altogether? What is an ECT? Is that a different version of a CVT?

ABayliss

When I said "later model", I was really referring to how Toyota badge their cars. The Yaris superceded the Echo in New Zealand, but in Japan there was a crossover between Vitz and Yaris. These vehicles are really all the same car with a different badge.
I'd avoid earlier cars with the CVT transmission, but from around 2009 on, the technology has improved enormously, with most new Toyotas now having CVTs which are very reliable.
ECT is merely "Electronically Controlled Transmission" which all late model transmissions are, regardless of whether they are CVT or not.

Nirupa

Great. Thank you very much.