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Any idea when the Mk 2 was introduced Moodyman and what do you mean by hardness ?
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It's hardiness which means sound and long lasting, My neighbour has had 2 of these and for their age are rust free and mechanically reliable. I have been watching re runs of The Bill on Drama and these cars feature a lot as CID use them. Today they still look fresh and do not look dated.
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Toyota put a lot of effort into the MK2 to improve the reliable but mundane image of the predecessors. These models are known for refinement but without the complexities of mk3.
I read some of the earlier petrol VVTi models had a tendency to use oil, but many of these were fixed (quietly) under warranty.
By the way, my motoring sits at the shed level (£1500 or below). If you intend to buy further up the pay scale, there is no reason you can't find a well looked after motor.
MK2 was introduced in 2003 and was replaced in 2009 - I think.
Edited by Moodyman on 20/12/2020 at 17:13
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Toyota put a lot of effort into the MK2 to improve the reliable but mundane image of the predecessors. These models are known for refinement but without the complexities of mk3.
Apart from the electric handbrake, what other complexities does the mk3 have?
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I am on my 3rd Avensis estate (2007 2.2 D4D, 2012 2.2 D4D & 2017 1.8 petrol) so know a bit about them if you have any questions.
Or the ToyotaOwnersClub forum is great.
If you are looking at the T25 1.8VVTi I would look for a facelift (mid-2006) as the engines in those had been fixed of their possible oil-drinking ways..
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The one I have my eye on is a 60 reg petrol estate.
Assume this is a my 3 with electric handbrake ?
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The one I have my eye on is a 60 reg petrol estate.
Assume this is a my 3 with electric handbrake ?
The very one I have, assuming it’s an 1800. To date I’ve only had one minor issue with it and that was a broken front spring which after ten years and 90,000 I can’t really fault it for. It drives without fault or rattle, does up to 50mpg with care on a run and it feels like it’ll outlast the next ice age. That two work colleagues have big mileage examples, one with 180k and a previous gen with 166k both of which drive fine fills me with confidence. I won’t hesitate in recommending a well looked after example to anyone. The only issue is that many are abused and neglected as workhorses so take care when buying and pay extra for a good example. Check that the electric parking brake operates correctly as they can go wrong, though mine, the 11plate I recently located for a friend and the 180,000 miler have all been problem free in current ownership. Other than that it’s just the usual used car checks.
I also would add in the Mazda 6 2.0 petrol, Ford Mondeo 2.0 petrol and the Honda Accord 2.0 petrol, all of which drive better than the Toyota and still offer almost similar levels of reliability if you get a good one.
Edited by SLO76 on 20/12/2020 at 23:31
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I have had two Avensis Tourers in the past 10 years or so. The first one was a 2009 1.8 petrol version and so was the second one, a 2015 model. Both were manual. In the 10/11 years ownership these cars never let me down and I only ever had minor bills additional to annual services and MOT. I sometimes ask myself why I ever got rid of them and I suppose the answer is that finally I wanted a change!
They are comfortable and spacious with good all round visibility. The Valvematic engine is smooth and refined being generally very quiet with noise at tickover barely perceptible. They are at their best as a motorway cruiser and a little less comfortable on bumpy, winding roads. First gear is a bit short but it accelerates quickly enough if needed. I was getting about 38mpg with mixed driving. Sat nav, rear camera and cruise control are features that I used regularly and they work well in the well equipped Business Edition version. The boot was big enough to comfortably accommodate my large dog.
I strongly recommend them but you'll find that for some time now there have been very few of the petrol versions available on the used car market. Being sought after cars residual values are strong.
They might not be the best looking car in the car park but they beat most if not all the others for comfort and reliability!
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Thank you everyone. This has been so useful.
I am in contact with the owner of this 60 plate very low mileage main dealer serviced from new , tourer .
Used by an elderly gentleman for mostly trips to the allotment.
Do these cars have a cam belt please.
And would anyone like to hazard a guess about a price range ?
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Thank you everyone. This has been so useful.
I am in contact with the owner of this 60 plate very low mileage main dealer serviced from new , tourer .
Used by an elderly gentleman for mostly trips to the allotment.
Do these cars have a cam belt please.
And would anyone like to hazard a guess about a price range ?
It will have a chain cam belt.
One of my previous Avensis' was a 60 plate tourer so to help you know what is probably the minimum price I tried the "webuyanycar" website. I stated my car was 2 previous owners with FSH and 60,000miles. The valuation was £3,500. You could use this website with details of the car you are interested in to get your own valuation then use that valuation to negotiate a price with your prospective seller?
From what you say it sounds potentially a good buy, depending on price of course.
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"It will have a chain cam belt."
I thought it was either a chain or a belt....but what would I know?
If anyone has a moment, I think it would be useful if you could provide a brief summary of the pros and cons of each for the benefit of non-mechanics like me. I'm sure it's been done before, but some time ago I think.
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"It will have a chain cam belt."
I thought it was either a chain or a belt....but what would I know?
If anyone has a moment, I think it would be useful if you could provide a brief summary of the pros and cons of each for the benefit of non-mechanics like me. I'm sure it's been done before, but some time ago I think.
YYou're correct its either chain or belt one made from steel (apart from VW who use cheese) the other a rubber belt.
Both have their pros and cons.
A belt will need changing at regular intervals unless fitted to John F,s car (toung in cheek). A chain in theory should last the life of the car but nit always.
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It will have a chain cam belt.
Sorry, should have read "it will have a chain rather than cam belt"
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I am in contact with the owner of this 60 plate very low mileage main dealer serviced from new , tourer .
Used by an elderly gentleman for mostly trips to the allotment.
If you get to looking at it/test driving:
check the front doors by the hinges/check strap for possible cracking (Toyota were fixing these earlier for free on those that exhibited it but at 10 years they may no longer be)
they have very little torque at low revs & the clutch isn't the best so it's not unusual for people to stall until they become accustomed (especially if coming from a diesel with lots of bottom end torque).
They are in demand by those in the know - last time that I checked mine was worth more s/h than diesel versions with similar mileage but that had been priced higher than mine when new.
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Our experience of an Avensis 1.8 estate on a test drive was poor, we ran away.
This was back in April 2010 and we were looking to "upgrade" our 1.6 TDCi C-Max after 5 years. Wifes commute was only about 5 miles each way so did not want another diesel. On paper the Avensis looked to be perfect for our needs, plenty of space, good kit and with just over 140 PS instead of the 110 PS of the C-Max plenty of performance.
On test drive the first thing we spotted was the stupid location of the electric handbrake button, whoever put it behind the steering wheel. Then we spotted the performance or should I say lack of it, slowest car I had driven in years, overtaking on dual carriageways needed a downshift. Might have had 140 PS but I never found it.
We went home and put 4 new tyres on the C-Max.
Turned out for the best really, wife was made redundant 3 months later and the job she got was 20 miles each way so another diesel made sense. We bought a Kia Ceed and it was great for the 5 years we owned it. Loads of performance, great economy and more space than the Toyota for less money. Win, win, win, win.
The petrol Ceed was not as good as the diesel but it was without doubt better than the Avensis.
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On test drive the first thing we spotted was the stupid location of the electric handbrake button, whoever put it behind the steering wheel. Then we spotted the performance or should I say lack of it, slowest car I had driven in years, overtaking on dual carriageways needed a downshift. Might have had 140 PS but I never found it.
I agree that it's not the best location for the EPB button but it is liveable with & you get used to it's operation.
The Valvematic is a variable valve timing design so the ~147bhp is there but it's at the top end. Peak torque is ~4000rpm. Combine that with a 6th gear ratio that is biased to cruising on motorways & you often will need to swap cogs to overtake elsewhere - it isn't a car that encourages you to press on regardless but to assume a more relaxed style (not necessarily a bad thing & probably good for your blood pressure :P).
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"I agree that it's not the best location for the EPB button but it is liveable with & you get used to it's operation.
The Valvematic is a variable valve timing design so the ~147bhp is there but it's at the top end. Peak torque is ~4000rpm. Combine that with a 6th gear ratio that is biased to cruising on motorways & you often will need to swap cogs to overtake elsewhere - it isn't a car that encourages you to press on regardless but to assume a more relaxed style (not necessarily a bad thing & probably good for your b2lood pressure :P)"
Couldn't agree more.
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No denying that it lacks torque but this is of course largely irrelevant when shopping for a cheap used car. It is perfectly capable of maintaining limit bursting speeds on the motorway and overtaking is dispatched easily enough with a quick flick of your left hand into a lower gear. I can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with the cars performance but then I’m no boy racer and I don’t tow. I wouldn’t advise ranking outright performance as being important at this money. If however you were buying a new car with a manufacturer backed warranty then yes it would be a worthy of mention. What you want here is reliability, low running costs, comfort and safety. All of which the Avensis provides.
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Thanks for pointing out the possible lack of low end torque.
Coming from a 1.9 Tdi Audi to a 1.6 Tdi was a massive shock for me and I found the lack of low end torque cause me to stall the engine until I got used to it.
Low end torque makes city driving a pleasure with take off s in second gear and fewer gear changes .
It's something I really miss and I need to take into consideration when testing the Avensis.
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Thanks for pointing out the possible lack of low end torque. Coming from a 1.9 Tdi Audi to a 1.6 Tdi was a massive shock for me and I found the lack of low end torque cause me to stall the engine until I got used to it. Low end torque makes city driving a pleasure with take off s in second gear and fewer gear changes . It's something I really miss and I need to take into consideration when testing the Avensis.
You'll definitely notice it in the Avensis then, I can 100% guarantee it.
If you do a lot of city driving maybe consider the CVT version (HJ's favourite version of the Avensis). Or, of course, a diesel if you have the journey profile/mileage to keep a modern, emission-equipped turbo-diesel happy (but being aware that when they do go wrong they go wrong expensively).
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Thank you Heidfast. Your comment is extremely useful and relevant.
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Yes, it’s a chain driven engine. Check it from stone cold, it shouldn’t rattle at all, it it does then the chain or tensioner is worn and the car has most likely been neglected, something these can suffer from as many buyers treat them as white goods. They turn it on, use it and forget about it without ever servicing the thing. Look for good history showing regular oil changes.
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This popped up today on the Toyota UK Blog blog.toyota.co.uk/history-of-the-toyota-avensis
The Mk I Avensis was my first bangernomics purchase. After losing a fortune in an unreliable nearly new approved used BMW E46 Coupe I bought a 99-V Toyota Avensis 1.8 SE 5dr from an elderly neighbour with 59,000 miles and a fat wad of paperwork for the £1250 he had been offered in part-ex. It was bought as a stopgap but it proved to be utterly reliable, cheap to run and more comfortable than the previous £15,500 worth of BMW so it stayed for 3yrs until I sold it to a friend for £850 who then ran it for a further 3yrs or so. These are great cheap family cars.
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This popped up today on the Toyota UK Blog blog.toyota.co.uk/history-of-the-toyota-avensis
The Mk I Avensis was my first bangernomics purchase. After losing a fortune in an unreliable nearly new approved used BMW E46 Coupe I bought a 99-V Toyota Avensis 1.8 SE 5dr from an elderly neighbour with 59,000 miles and a fat wad of paperwork for the £1250 he had been offered in part-ex. It was bought as a stopgap but it proved to be utterly reliable, cheap to run and more comfortable than the previous £15,500 worth of BMW so it stayed for 3yrs until I sold it to a friend for £850 who then ran it for a further 3yrs or so. These are great cheap family cars.
I had a one a Y reg 1.8 petrol vermont that my dad gave me back in 2013. I needed a car and had zero funds. The thing was bullet proof and never let me down despite being run on a shoe string.
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This popped up today on the Toyota UK Blog blog.toyota.co.uk/history-of-the-toyota-avensis
The Mk I Avensis was my first bangernomics purchase. After losing a fortune in an unreliable nearly new approved used BMW E46 Coupe I bought a 99-V Toyota Avensis 1.8 SE 5dr from an elderly neighbour with 59,000 miles and a fat wad of paperwork for the £1250 he had been offered in part-ex. It was bought as a stopgap but it proved to be utterly reliable, cheap to run and more comfortable than the previous £15,500 worth of BMW so it stayed for 3yrs until I sold it to a friend for £850 who then ran it for a further 3yrs or so. These are great cheap family cars.
I had a one a Y reg 1.8 petrol vermont that my dad gave me back in 2013. I needed a car and had zero funds. The thing was bullet proof and never let me down despite being run on a shoe string.
You must have been lucky as the Avensis around that date i new suffered gearbox bearing issues, several i know had 3 gearbox replacements in a few years and had engine sensor problems as well
Gearboxes for them after warranty run out were around £1000 some later models had it as well but were improved
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