[embee]

I have a 2011 1.33L/6sp Yaris at around 30k mls and the gearbox and gearshift are very nice and smooth. I have heard of such issues but if you did go that way and it feels OK on a test then fine.
It's a generally nice car (I have the T3), the HVAC (heating/aircon) is very good, ride is decent and quiet, engine is very smooth, instant starting, fuel economy is OK (45 on short usage, 60 possible on a longer run). The one thing I don't really like much is the rather wooden feel to the electric power steering, it doesn't self-centre very well at medium speeds, which I gather is a bit of a trait of the car. It gets better if the tracking is set absolutely right and centred properly, but still a bit wooden.
A Jazz is another similar choice, I have a 2018 CVT which I like a lot, easy drive, comfortable, loads of space, excellent economy (10mpg better than the Yaris). Not exciting, but what do you want? You'll see scare stories about cat thefts but that only applies to the mk.1 Jazz pre-2008, after that they're no more susceptible than other cars (cat in engine bay).