Avensis T3-x 2.0 Possible Purchase

[lucklesspedestrian]

Hi there

Been looking around for a likely car to replace our rather clapped Primera and join our excellent 1997 Camry which just keeps on going.

Test drove an immaculate 2004 (54) T3-X (2.0) Avensis hatch (manual) this afternoon and was hugely impressed by the quality of the thing and how easily it drove (only 31000 miles, full s/h and one local owner) The local franchised dealer will go down to £5950 for it and include a years warranty/ 6 months road tax.

The only slight concern I have is what the real world mpg will be? It will mainly be the wife who's driving it and she's not terribly heavy footed. The usual school run is about 6 miles of single carrigeway A road followed by a couple of miles on the outskirts of town.

I know the official figures but would be interested to hear of any actual experiences from this model.

Also, I'm guessing that the problem on the VVTi engines with the excess oil consumption was sorted by late 2004?

Cheers

Steve

[alan333]

As you've no replies so far I'll give you my input (for what it's worth).

Just over a month ago I bought an 05 plate 1.8vvti T2 hatchback in metallic dark blue with 55k miles from a franchise dealer with dealer history for £4200, but without road tax included. The sticker price was £4988 but there was a few heavyish marks on it. I've since had most of one side painted for £200 so really the car cost mr £4400. They were offering a year's Toyota warranty but I felt it was worth the risk of a month standard warranty as part of the price negotiations.

Obviously, being the entry model, the T2 has a few things missing. For me it came back to heated mirrors. I can live without climate control, alloys, electric rear windows and front foglights.

My daily commute one way is 22 miles in the middle of the night on open "A" roads and motorway, and the return journey is mid afternoon in heavyish traffic, and I don't drive it with too heavy a foot (ie 60-75mph). The fuel computer said my last tank was 46.2mpg, and when worked out the old fashioned way by galons used per miles travelled it was 45.9 - so the computer's pretty much bang on. It's also insurance group 7.

I've covered nearly 2000 miles so far (including "I've got a new car, let's go somewhere" miles) and I'm very pleased with it. It's very roomy, quiet and comfortable. My oil level is still at the max - even tho the 1.8 is said to be the worst for oil consumption. The 8 speaker stereo is fantastic (ie you can talk over it at quiet volumes but it can kick ***** if required), the heater heats up quick, the dash layout is logical and functional, the seats are comfy, the headlights are good, there's not a single rattle/squeak, the ashtray is in a good place (ok Mum I'm a smoker), the door lights actually light up the pavement, even the fuel flap release button is well placed (in the middle of the drivers door - so you don't need to lean away down to press it when you've forgotten).

I suppose I should also list the things I don't like to give you a fair comparison... The dash is lit up too brightly with the ignition on and can't be dimmed unless you have the lights switched on, the remote locking doesn't "clunk" loudly so you need to look out for the indicators flashing, I'm not a fan of the left foot footrest but it can be unclipped (and therefor easily later reinstated), the light in the boot isn't very bright. Ermmm - that's about all I can fault it on.

I'm sure you'll have done your own sums but if you're doing low miles ie 8000 miles per year then at 40mpg it would be 200 gallons, and at 33 mpg it would be 240 or so gallons. Realistically you're talking a difference of under a gallon of fual per week. I'm sure we all spend more on a take-away meal.

In summary I'd say that if you want the peace of mind of the warranty and the tidy low mileage car then it sounds like a fair deal (it's around what Parkers say it should be worth) - and what the heck if you could run a smaller engined model for a couple of quid cheaper per week. However if you're willing to take a risk on the warranty (and I'll add here that in theory it WON'T break down as it's a Toyota) then you'll probably find a cheaper one elsewhere.

As a side note I'd like to say (without any attempt to sound patronising) that I'm very handy with a socket set (to an extent that I've re-built a good few write-offs over the years) - so I know what I'm looking at regarding the car industry.

Good luck with your prospective new purchase - I'm sure you'll be delighted if you decide to go ahead with it.

Hope this helps, I've tried to be as unbiased as possible. :)

[lucklesspedestrian]

Thanks for the reply Alan.

We're actually going to look at a 42K D4D 130 on a 56 plate tomorrow evening which is on at a reasonable enough £6995. We'd obviously hope to get a few hundred off for no trade-in.

Sadly it's a colour collection not a T3-X so no alloys or climate control but it still has everything you would appear to need in the real world, the same great stereo, the post face-lift improvements to ride/handling plus a cracking engine (with 6 speeds i think?)

will keep you posted

Steve

[jamesholden]

The oil burning issue hasn't really be resolved but it's not an issue on the 2.0's anyway.

Have you thought about getting a newer Camry? Better in several respects in my opinion (road and wind noise in particular), made in Japan and they cost about the same as a comparable Avensis.

[lucklesspedestrian]

The oil burning issue hasn't really be resolved but it's not an issue on the 2.0's anyway.

Have you thought about getting a newer Camry? Better in several respects in my opinion (road and wind noise in particular), made in Japan and they cost about the same as a comparable Avensis.

I'd have another Camry in a shot James. The 2.4 manual CDX is the likely replacement for the current '97 2.2 when it finally gives up the ghost in another 10-15 years or so!

Sadly, the new car's for the wife and the Camry looks a bit big and dated for her and my cries of "but think about the mechanical integrity and the build quality for pity's sake!" seem to be falling on deaf ears...oh well!