Buying A Used Avensis.. Confused About Models !

[smallzoo]

We are looking for a used Avensis estate for under £5k and we are getting really confused about models/specs etc..

If you see from our shortlist which are all in excellent condition ( according to the owners ) there is a lot of different titles..

2004 2.0 D-4D T2 86k Miles £3,495

2006 2.0 D-4D T2 102k Miles £3595

2008 2.0 D-4D T2 117k Miles £4,465

2003 2.0 D-4D T3-S 80k Miles £3690

2004 2.0 D-4D T3-S 76k Miles £3195

2004 2.0 D-4D T3-S SAT NAV 98k Miles £3,294

2006 2.0 D-4D T3-S 90k Miles £4,490

2004 2.0 D-4D T SPIRIT 129k Miles £3,295

2005 T3-X D-4D 71k Miles £4599

2008 2.0 D-4D TR Special Eds 120k Miles £4,850

As this is our first avensis we dont want to make a big mistake. Its going to be for my wife

could anyone help with some advice.. thanks

[Mistermena]

Welcome to TOC...

The 1st point you have to be very aware of is the Head Gasket issues that the diesel Avensis can suffer from, which in turn means a new engine as they can NOT be repaired with a new Head Gasket! Toyota have put in place a good will warranty for this (As well ase the EGR valve ect) that covers cars for 7 years or 112k from registration.

If I were to be thinking of an Avensis or any Toyota with an oil burner power unit I'd be looking for one that was well within this time period. There are very many threads about these issues on here. I have had 2 new 3/4 engines fitted under this warranty as well as others on the RAV forum that share the same 2AD engine. If you are going to buy a Toyota look for one that has had a new engine fitted or one with low milage (With service history from a VAT reg garage) to be on the safe side...

If I were you I'd be looking at a VAG group car like a VW Passet or Skoda estate.

[Heidfirst]

How many miles per year is your wife likely to be doing?

Petrol may well be the better option if doing under 20k (certainly 15k).

[kennny1000]

Welcome to the club. I would go for something with a full service history from Mr T and a lower mileage. All the above are the basically same engines but just different trim levels.

Don't be frightened by some of the stories as for every bad one there are ten good ones. My Avensis is coming up to 7 years old 127,000 miles on the clock and I have just had to change the drivers front wheel bearing. Not bad for the age and mileage. I service it every 10,000 miles and touch wood it has been running great

Hope this helps

[alan333]

Specs explained (a bit)...

T2 is the entry model which has just about everything you need, but nothing nice that you want. ie it has manual air con, remote locking, alarm, height adj seats, electric adjust mirrors (but not heated), front elec windows, fuel computer, variable intermittent wipers etc.

The T3 came in two guises - T3S and T3X.

The T3S has nice alloys and a pretty rubbish sat nav built in but apart from that I can't find any difference between the T3S I currerntly own and the T2 I formerly owned. Oh, sorry, the passenger seat doesn't have height adjustment on the T3S.

The T3X has a better spec. ie not so nice alloys (in my opinion), differenet trim colour around centre console, heated folding mirrors, auto wipers, climate control instead of manual air con, electric rear windows, perhaps shiny metal door scuff plates.

The T4 is the top spec - but I'm not sure what else it has in it.

The T180 was only available in the 2.2 diesel guise with 180bhp. It has electric seats and stuff.

As previous posters have mentioned the diesel engines can be problematic - especially the 2.2 (which I note isn't on your shortlist). The 2.0 seems to be less prone to serious engine failures but they're still not unheard of.

If you're not doing high mileage then a petrol could be the way to go. The 1.8 will do 50mpg if driven very softly and will average at least 35-40mpg driving normally. The plusses are they're pretty bulletproof, and there's less things to go wrong. Oh and the heater blows warm within about half a mile. On the minus side the 1.8 engine had an oil burning problem which wasn't sorted until approx 05 reg. There's a thread on here somewhere with "safe" engine numbers. And it's not the most powerful feeling engine unless you drive it with high revs. You should be able to pick up an 06 plate with a bit of running on it for around £4000.

Hope this helps :)

[pauljj]

I would consider a petrol model,have you seen much difference in price between them,just so you know the average mpg on my 20 diesel is 34,it has done 150k though

[cabcurtains]

Unless your doing big miles something like this would be a safe bet http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201208451702372/sort/priceasc/usedcars/fuel-type/petrol/price-to/5000/body-type/estate/maximum-age/up_to_7_years_old/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/model/avensis/make/toyota/page/1/radius/1500/postcode/s182na?logcode=p

[smallzoo]

Thanks for the answers so far.. a couple of quick questions..

...Are the diesels that bad! I spoke to my local garage and he has had diesel avensis in for years and never had a head gasket problem

...Petrol maybe an option but we are looking for good mpg , the 2.0 with 26mpg around town sounds a nice engine but not very economical

...The 2.0 D engine was quite nippy, will we notice a big difference with the 1.8 ?

Thanks

[smallzoo]

Another quick comment.. why is the petrol seen as cheaper.. I calculated based on MPG , fuel cost and car tax and the diesel seems cheaper.. am I missing something ?

Engine size:1.8 Litre Petrol

Fuel consumption (urban):30.1 mpg

Fuel consumption (combined):39.2 mpg

Cost Fuel: £1.38

Fuel 8000 Miles ( Local ): £1389

Fuel 8000 Miles ( Combined ): £1067

Car Tax 12 Months: £210

----------------------------------------

Cost Per Year (AVG): £1438 1.8 Petrol

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Engine size:2.0 Litre Diesel

Fuel consumption (urban):37.7 mpg

Fuel consumption (combined):48.7 mpg

Cost Fuel: £1.45

Fuel 8000 Miles ( Local ): £1166

Fuel 8000 Miles ( Combined ): £902

Car Tax 12 Months: £165

----------------------------------------

Cost Per Year (AVG): £1199 2.0 Diesel

----------------------------------------

[cabcurtains]

MPG is not the only cost, Diesels are more expensive to buy/insure/service when compared with their exact equivalent petrol model. But the key thing is if they go wrong, the parts are a lot more expensive and they have more things to go wrong. If the turbo/injectors/DMF failed it would wipe out 6yrs of fuel savings doing 8,000 miles per year.

[alan333]

You're probably not wrong that in theory the petrol will cost a couple of hundred quid more per year to run, although you can't buy much EGR valves or head gasket/engine repairs for £200. During my ownership of a 1.8 vvti Avensis my MPG never went below mid 40's, so depending on how you drive you might be pleasantly surprised how frugal they can be. Also, apart from engine services, all I spent on mine was a rear wiper blade and one tail light bulb - hardly breaking the bank LOL.

The 2.0 diesel has 126bhp and 221 lb/ft of torque, whereas the 1.8 petrol has approx the same 127 bhp but only 125 lb/ft of torque. Therefore the diesel will feel faster with the bucketload of torque but if you want raw horses then the petrol will come alive up the rev band a bit.

I had my 1.8 petrol for nearly 3 years and recently bought an Accord 2.2 cdti with bags more torque and power. However I sold it within 4 months - partly due to the seating position and ride quality etc, but also partly to do with gearing and the diesel engine. The petrol Avensis was much more forgiving ie you can do 25mph in 5th if you want, or 80mph in 3rd - whereas the Honda was less flexible and you were always changing gears at roundabouts etc. Perhaps I was too familiar with the relaxed driving aspect of the petrol. I did find, however, that where the petrol lacked any 'get up and go' was when sitting, at say 50mph, in 5th gear and asking for acceleration it was flat.

See if you can test drive both and get a feel for what you like. At the end of the day you'll buy what suits you best.

ps I bought another 1.8 Avensis after the Accord, albeit an auto this time.

[smallzoo]

Thanks for the info. We drove a 1.8 today and really liked it. quite happy with the power compare to a diesel.

We have got a T3-X in mind but often see adverts for te 'colour collection' where does this fit in the range ?

any good sites/garages other than autotrader where I might find a good one for under £5k ?

[cabcurtains]

Pretty sure colour collection is a base model special edition, A-Trader is still the most popular place by miles.

[Casey]

I thought T-Spirit was top spec?

Anyway, I am dumb when it comes to these car things.

[alan333]

Yep, colour collection is a base model with a few extras. Not sure what tho.

+1 for Auto Trader, but look at Gumtree and eBay too. Obviously you'll buy one cheaper from a private seller or at auction than you will from a dealer. There was a tidy 07 or 57 (can't remember) with about 60k miles went thru auction the other week for about £4000 including their fees.

I forgot to mention that the T3X also has front fogs and a leather steering wheel. And perhaps Casey is correct that there's a T spirit higher up the spec list too.

[cabcurtains]

T-Spirit is the top spec model, full leather etc

[Speccy]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I am also looking at a Toyota Avensis for my next car. Reading about the oil issues with the VVT engines is a worry though, and I'm struggling to find many post 2005 that are within my budget and not on the otherside of the country.

One local independent dealer has a 2.0 with the 'Japanese spec' D4 petrol engine. I can't help suspecting that this is a recon, so can anyone confirm that this engine is factory fitted in the UK, and does it suffer oil issues?

[cabcurtains]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I am also looking at a Toyota Avensis for my next car. Reading about the oil issues with the VVT engines is a worry though, and I'm struggling to find many post 2005 that are within my budget and not on the otherside of the country.

One local independent dealer has a 2.0 with the 'Japanese spec' D4 petrol engine. I can't help suspecting that this is a recon, so can anyone confirm that this engine is factory fitted in the UK, and does it suffer oil issues?

That lump looks like all the 2.0 VVTI's i've seen in the Avensis, i dont recall the 2.0 having the oil issues the early 1.6 & 1.8's had.

You could take the Reg No and call your local Mr T and ask them to confirm its the original engine model for complete peace of mind.

[Speccy]

I thought I'd seen some 2.0 that looked like the 1.8 blocks, but have been looking at a lot of cars so probably just getting them mixed up. I read elsewhere here that there was a thread that had the 'safe' (non-oil burning) VTT engine codes, but I haven't found it so far.

Calling Mr T is a good idea.

[cabcurtains]

95% of the Petrol RAV's of this age have a 2.0 VVTI engine, if it had oil issues this forum would be full of threads about it.