Toyota Emina

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 22:13
Toyota Emina - Mike Sammon
Hi,
I have no experience of Japanese imports. Does this look like a potentially good deal? Anything you would like to warn me about?
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180326494...w
Thanks
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Thu 29 Mar 2018 22:38
Toyota Emina - badbusdriver

Well the 1st thing is, this is a very cheap car, so don't expect too much. Having said that, it does look OK, and toyota's reliability is legendary. One point though, that is not a 2011 car, i'm not sure why it is listed as such, possibly something to do with it's import date. But, at a guess, i'd put that at late 90's-early noughties, so don't go thinking you are getting a 7 year old car for a grand!. Also, this is going to be quite thirsty, a 2.4 petrol automatic, you will be looking at no more than 30mpg so i hope you don't do a lot of miles. One last thing, Japanese market cars don't get the level of underseal we do in this country as thye don't salt the roads, so make sure it has been done.

MOT history shows that it does not currently have one (expired 1/3), which presumably means it will have a full 12 months put on it if you buy?. If not, walk away. The last MOT advisories were rear brake pads wearing thing, o/s rack has play (?) and rear suspension low, none of which sound too bad, but i'm no mechanic!. If it has a full MOT and drives fine, i'd be inclined to go for it, i mean it is only a grand!.

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Thu 29 Mar 2018 22:54
Toyota Emina - Mike Sammon
Brilliant thanks. I don’t do a lot of miles as I have a van for work. Currently have a 15 year old Almera Tino which just has too many problems that probably aren’t worth fixing now. I could get a much newer car but doing house up and previously older vehicles have served me well.
Yes I realised it’s not 2011. I didn’t have a clue on the actual date so that’s good to have an idea thanks. I’ll find out about the MOT tomorrow.
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Fri 30 Mar 2018 04:21
Toyota Emina - KJP 123

It's also done only1000 miles in last three and a half years and this while untaxed.

Edited by KJP 123 on 30/03/2018 at 04:22

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Fri 30 Mar 2018 09:03
Toyota Emina - nellyjak

Although it's certainly "inexpensive"...it IS a Toyota and the Estima/Emina/Lucida are well loved and respected vehicles...and with none of the potential negatives of the diesel unit in this case.

I doubt there is any great risk in the purchase tbh..there are "specailists" who know these truck well (eg GT Motors, Newton Abbot) and most parts can be fairly easly sourced.

You get an awful lot for your money with these vehicles..the only possible issue you might face is the O2 sensors...IIRC there are 4 on the 2.4 petrol engine and are not that cheap to replace. ..check that the EML goes out after you've started the car.

I've had my 2003 Estima V6 import for 2 years now...never missed a beat and nothing I can't get should I need it.

I had mine undersealed as part of the deal when I bought it and thus far passes MOT's with no advisories.

The correct build date can be found for sure by checking the label that's stitched to the very bottom of your seat belts..B pillar.

OR

Sites like toyodiy are invaluable...just put in your VIN or Frame number and you can find out much about your specfic vehicle...technical and trim spec/build date/parts info etc.

www.toyodiy.com/

Can't see any real problems...buy and enjoy.

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Fri 30 Mar 2018 12:19
Toyota Emina - John F

Can't see any real problems...

Well you won't, unless you look underneath VERY carefully. Use your eyes - and an old screwdriver. It might be shiny white on top and OK mechanically - but It's 20yr old Japanese metal. I once drove an old Toyota home from Africa - it dissolved after one UK winter!

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Fri 30 Mar 2018 12:21
Toyota Emina - John Boy

It looks similar to one I drove for a charity in 2005/6. It came from a specialist importer in 2005 with just over 100K miles on the clock. MOT records show that it was last tested in 2011 with 90K km? showing (the previous year showed 150K miles). It was a diesel and it used an awful lot of it. Fully loaded, it was easy to ground on bumpy surfaces. If you tried to drive slowly in those circumstances, it had a tendency to keep changing gear. It seemed as if it wanted to crawl, accelerate or be flat out - no inbetweens. It had several ventilation options, but I never found one which would allow me to hear the conversations going on behind me with any clarity. It was a lazy drive, blissful in stop/start traffic. I did lots of airport trips in it and saw several being used as minicabs around Heathrow.

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Fri 30 Mar 2018 12:48
Toyota Emina - Mike Sammon
Just spoke to the seller. He said it was built 1998. Only done 10 miles since last mot and will have a full 12 month as it’s booked in for tomorrow. Going to have a look this afternoon. Any tips on what else to look out for will be greatly appreciated. Thanks everybody, great response!
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Fri 30 Mar 2018 13:08
Toyota Emina - nellyjak
Just spoke to the seller. He said it was built 1998. Only done 10 miles since last mot and will have a full 12 month as it’s booked in for tomorrow. Going to have a look this afternoon. Any tips on what else to look out for will be greatly appreciated. Thanks everybody, great response!

Just make sure you give it a good test drive....low mileage can be a negative...tyres, brakes etc.

See what the MOT finds..advisories etc...and take a decison from there.

It's pretty obvious that you should check the underside of course for the dreaded tin worm..as you would any car.

Good luck...hope it's all you want it to be.

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Fri 30 Mar 2018 13:44
Toyota Emina - badbusdriver

Those aftermarket wheels look pretty big, so check the tyre condition as it won't be cheap to replace them, especially if you want decent quality rubber.

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