Potential Avensis T180 Owner

[ph47mf]

Hello

basically i'm currently looking for a change. my mate bought one brand new in 2008 and i have sat in it a few times and absolutely love it, it feels solid and he has had no problems to date. interior needs a bit of updating but you get the sense that it'll last. my mate suggested that i should get the T-spirit as fuel consumption will be better. i know forums can be a bad place to research because it gives people bad impression of a car. after some brief reading, the 2.0 D4D T-spirit seems like the more sensible and reliable choice.

FYI i will be buying a sub £9k 2006/2007 plate Avensis.

is that true?

i need advice from both T-spirit and T180 owners, did you guys wish you had the other version? and why?

thanks all

phat

[PaulinhoT]

Hello Adam, welcome to the TOC, D4D sounds good to me

[Mistermena]

I've got a T-180 estate and love the car in alot of way! But also hate the problems that I've had with the dredded head gasket problems! But thankfully Toyota have the best customer services of any marque of car that I've ever owned, and I've had them all including Audi A6 3.2 and Merc's. I've had 2 new engines now at a cost of 13k both covered by Mr T's extended warranty (112k or 7 year) which is amazing.

So owning the car on a day to day basis is a joy. One of the main reasons why I when for this car over others was because of the safty! the 9 air bags (Including knee ones) makes you feel very safe along with the sure footed road holding. The T-180 has bags of power and coupled with a Tunit box and a K&N air filter it can make you feel like you're in petol engine sports car, and not an oil burner. On a 150 mile motorway trip last weekend I was getting 48.2 mpg at 70mph! which I think is very good for such a heavy motor.

The interior of the car is very pleasant and not dark and oppressive like a Vauxhall Insigna SRi that I had use of the other day. The power leather seats are very comfortable and the driving position is great for a 6' 2" boy like me. The stereo sounds lovely and the sat nav works well (But not as good as my Garmen 1690T) but not the best I've use for a built in system. Leg room at the back isn't great, nor is the boot the biggest in its class! But it still is big enough for our family.

The headlights are almost as bad as the ones I had on my Audi A6! So lots of people change to Osram nightbreakers. The original discs and pads (Bosch) are awful. You put your foot on the brake pedal and wonder if you'll ever stop befor the brick wall. I changed mine for MTEC drilled and groved discs with Mintex pads, what a difference.

So all in all its a great car that makes you feel safe for you and your family to be in. In goes like stink when you want it to. And now stops when you want it to.

Hope this helps... Others will be along in a min to give you there views on the T25

Ps... Regarding price. A T-180 was sold for around the 5k mark on eBay with around 80k with full Toyota service history. Lovely gunmetal greyand mint condition

[ph47mf]

that's exactly the kind of advice i need, a detailed write up on your personal experience, not what others have said. however the start of your message doesnt really put more confidence towards buying a T180. how much are these extended toyota warranties? i know there are various companies doing it cheaper etc but a toyota one sounds better any day.

the estate version is what i am after, not only it's more spacious but looks better too (wouldnt have said this if i was 10 years younger). to be honest with £9k, new shape but high mileage mondeos + mazda 6s and 06/07 avensis are the best options. i am looking for something sturdy, reliable, not stupidly expensive to maintain, spacious and quick. i originally had my heart set on the t180, but the forum has given me a fright.

[Mistermena]

that's exactly the kind of advice i need, a detailed write up on your personal experience, not what others have said. however the start of your message doesnt really put more confidence towards buying a T180. how much are these extended toyota warranties? i know there are various companies doing it cheaper etc but a toyota one sounds better any day.

the estate version is what i am after, not only it's more spacious but looks better too (wouldnt have said this if i was 10 years younger). to be honest with £9k, new shape but high mileage mondeos + mazda 6s and 06/07 avensis are the best options. i am looking for something sturdy, reliable, not stupidly expensive to maintain, spacious and quick. i originally had my heart set on the t180, but the forum has given me a fright.

Dont be put off by the head gasket issues! As Toyota are replacing engines FOC for owners as long as the Car has less than 112k or 7 years old. If you did have a problem you'll be covered and get a 6k engine fitted for no money. As long as the car has been maintained by a VAT garage! This doesnt have to be a full main dealer service history. But it helps. There is an estate on Ebay- Item number: 170713992119 atm (Gun metal grey again Best color!) with only 4 bid at £2,251 with 3 days left. Its high milage at 153k but its got a full Toyota servive history and will go for around the 3k mark.

If you're looking for the estate car try and get one with the parking sensors. Its a great help. And if possible one with the 9010 voice active nav system. And not the one that pops out of the top of the dash.

If you wer to buy an extended warranty (To cover the rest of the car) only go for the Toyota one from the main dealer. This is the same as if the car were new and covers almost everything. The after market warranties (Like Warranty direct and warranty wise ect) are not worth the paper they're printed on. A total waste of money when you try and claim on them in my view and experiance. Others will tell you the same...

[Mistermena]

that's exactly the kind of advice i need, a detailed write up on your personal experience, not what others have said. however the start of your message doesnt really put more confidence towards buying a T180. how much are these extended toyota warranties? i know there are various companies doing it cheaper etc but a toyota one sounds better any day.

the estate version is what i am after, not only it's more spacious but looks better too (wouldnt have said this if i was 10 years younger). to be honest with £9k, new shape but high mileage mondeos + mazda 6s and 06/07 avensis are the best options. i am looking for something sturdy, reliable, not stupidly expensive to maintain, spacious and quick. i originally had my heart set on the t180, but the forum has given me a fright.

This head gasket issue isn't just a problem for the 2.2 T-180 engines! Its also happens in the 2.0 ltr derv powered cars. If you think thats bad you should take a look at the Honda 2.2 engines literally drinking the engine oil and seizing up the engines. Or the Mazda EGR valves. All these manufactures have problems. But Toyota have realised the issues and appproched them head on. How many other manufactures would extend the warranty for 112k? not a lot I can tell you...

[ph47mf]

does this head gasket problem affect the 2.2 D4D T spirits as well? its comforting to know toyota takes care of its own mess unlike VW i have dealt with, but the cars i'll be buying are roughly 4-5 years old. the cover isn't really that long. i just had a look at the toyota site, its about £500 a year for warranties, i was expecting it to be around the £300 mark.

i also looked at the new mazda 6 sport, lovely car until i found out they need a £800 cambelt service in midlife.

ok let me ask you a question, would you continue to own the T180 if you have no extended warranty on it? or confident enough to own and drive it without a warranty?

[Parts-King]

how much are these extended toyota warranties? i know there are various companies doing it cheaper etc but a toyota one sounds better any day.

It is not an extended warranty you are buying, Toyota are replacing engines up to 112K or 7 years whichever is the sooner IF you get issues with head gasket or major oil burning. You dont pay for that, Toyota are honouring their responsibilities as a manufacturer

Kingo

[Mistermena]

does this head gasket problem affect the 2.2 D4D T spirits as well? its comforting to know toyota takes care of its own mess unlike VW i have dealt with, but the cars i'll be buying are roughly 4-5 years old. the cover isn't really that long. i just had a look at the toyota site, its about £500 a year for warranties, i was expecting it to be around the £300 mark.

i also looked at the new mazda 6 sport, lovely car until i found out they need a £800 cambelt service in midlife.

ok let me ask you a question, would you continue to own the T180 if you have no extended warranty on it? or confident enough to own and drive it without a warranty?

I know what you mean about VW! I've got an ongoing issue with them over my 2003 Polo TDi. The 2 front wings have started to rust and it has a 12 year paint warranty. VW are saying its a merchanical problem and not a paint one! WTF... How does a wing move on a car? Answer! It doesn't. They have offered me a 70% contribution and which will cost me over £200. I've never gone to them for a good will guesture in 200k. So I will fight on...

[Mistermena]

Yes this issue is with all the 2.2 oil burners. Remember that a lot of people don't get any problems with there cars. It just highlighted on forums like this as this is where people come to find out info like you and i have done. And yes I'd still have my T-180 and I haven't any warranty that I've purchased. The extended warranty you can buy has to be taken out befor the car hits 100k or you can get it. And £500 is a good deal in my book. I think its £900 for 2 years unlimited milage warranty. But me mate Kingo will be able to clairfy that for you.

These T-180 have chain driven cams. So no problems with cambelt changes.

[ph47mf]

thanks for the replies. after a night of thinking, a lot of thinking, and lots of reading, i have decided to use the money on a gen 2 Prius T-spirit instead. To me, reliability and ownership cost are more important than what clarkson says - POWER!! I love the gadgets in the prius and i think it will make a great family car.

there are a couple of questions i want to ask before i spend many more hours using the search function.

1) what's the tank size on gen 2 prius? average miles out of a full tank? i am currently paying around £45 to do 250 miles in my Nissan note 1.6 Auto, i'm hoping it will double it.

2)for my budget, i can probably get one that's around 40-50k miles on the clock, is that too old? on average how many miles do these priuses do before they pack up?

3)few places i have looked at says Prius have 76bhp? am i right in thinking that doesnt include the electric motor? what's the total output?

4)any big expensive services required?

any advice welcome

thanks all

Adam