The Echo was first sold in North America in 2000. It was only sold as a sedan or a coupe. Other markets received a hatchback and a station wagon.

The Echo was powered by a rather weak 1.5 liter I4 engine. It was paired with a 4 speed automatic or a 5 speed manual transmission.

Despite initial success, the Echo did not sell very well in the United States. It's unusual for a car this cheap to not sell well in a country that seems to value low price tags more than actual quality (think of all the people who bought Ford Pintos), but it seems that there were too many better options that were just a few thousand more than the Echo.

Almost 50,000 Echos were sold in its first year. By 2004, that number was down to under 4,000. Toyota had to throw in the towel and redesign the car and even rename it in an effort to remove any stigma that may have been stuck on the Echo name. It seems to have worked, as Yaris sales have been much higher than Echo sales in its final years.

If you are looking to buy a used Toyota Echo, the first place you should look is on eBay. There are plenty of listings on there, and some aftermarket parts as well.