2004 TSpirit 2.0L Buying Advice

[NomNom]

HI, Im new to this forum but may be becoming a more permanent member soon -

I've seen a 2004 Avensis 2.0L T Spirit VVT-I with 55,000 miles which has been offered to me for £2k

It has service stamps for the following years - 07,08,09,10,11,13,15,16,17 -never more than a 10,000 mile gap between each service.

I called up the Toyota garage that was on the 15,16,17 stamps and they corroborated the mileage and stated a 120,000 mile service was done this year, an intermediate in 2016 and a full service in 2015. no outstanding recalls or other major work has been carried out.

The bodywork is in good condition - paint was good for its age, no rust spots/bubbles, all lights work

The interior is leather all the radio, A/C, heater , Electric windows work

Iv done an online check of the cars reg and it came back clean

All in all the car looks in good condition and with the full service history is really tempting. I will be going to test drive it tomorrow.

So my question for this forum is:

Seems this car is well looked after - would you agree?

Are there any specific things I should look out for on the test drive tomorrow? (apart from standard drives straight, smooth, no funny noises from engine, suspension, gearbox etc)

[Konrad C]

Check the rear under body, suspension and brake lines for rust and corrosion. Check the drive belt condition and the crank pulley for play - the crank pulley is also a vibration damper, so the rubber lamination can deteriorate and separate. During and after running the engine, sniff under the bonnet for petrol fumes. This engine has direct injection, which works at much higher pressures than standard fuel injection. Seals and joints need to be good and age  could be a factor. 
headlights are a known weakness with this age of Avensis, but they may have been upgraded. A night drive will confirm.

If the car has been regularly maintained and cared well, then some of the items I mentioned, should have been sorted. Oil and filter changes every year regardless of the low mileage is good for the VVTi engine. This engine (1AZ) is totally different to the 1ZZ 1.8 engine which is known to have a high oil consumption. The 2.0l with low mileage should be fine. 

Car should have two black remote keys, plus the grey valet key with owners handbook and hopefully key number (for replacement key).  

Hopefully this info will help you to decide. 

[m456an]

I bought mine for the same price about 3 months ago, all I did was a quick glance under the rear, and a test drive, then bought it in 10 mins they also drove it to my house. They even helped me to tax it and I insured it for under 500 on the same day with Hastings using confused.com. I got all 3 keys, the guy told me to keep checking the oil every 4 weeks but it is staying at the same level.

[NomNom]

Thanks for the replies. Ill make sure to look under the rear.

I did start the engine yesterday and didnt notice any petrol fumes. Will check again after the test drive

It hasnt got 3 keys, just the two black remote keys. Ill make sure the key number is in the manual. How much should i expect replacement keys to cost?

Some quick research yesterday highlighted the clutch as a weak spot. Was that only on diesels, Or is that the case for petrols too?

[CHERRYVILLE]

I have a 2004 T Spirit D4D  since 2005. Great car but  in addition to above pointers do check inside the boot for dampness. Cause can be a headache to sort plus you will be tortured with all interior windows misting up, especially this time of year. Good luck

[NomNom]

2 minutes ago, CHERRYVILLE said:

I have a 2004 T Spirit D4D  since 2005. Great car but  in addition to above pointers do check inside the boot for dampness. Cause can be a headache to sort plus you will be tortured with all interior windows misting up, especially this time of year. Good luck

Thanks for that pointer.

Out of interest what is the cause and the fix? Just in case there is dampness so i know in case i want to haggle

[CHERRYVILLE]

I had a new boot seal fitted by Mr T way back under the 3 year warranty for same reason yet the problem persisted to this day. I actually removed the rubber bung in the passenger side boot well below the rear light to let any water out. I removed the rear light cluster checked seal, all ok and refitted following an application of multi-purpose grease to all it's contact area.

Still have misted windows plus a white stain running horizontally 9 to 12 inches above floor level on the inner passenger side boot lining.

I even went over the welded seems  down the P/S rear hatch channel with a little Hammerite of a very similar color to the car but this again made no difference.

This is a widely known problem on these hatchbacks. I suppose I could be lucky in that only one side of mine is affected. BTW spare wheel well is never wet.

You will have to remove the large sponge under boot mat to examine the outer rear quarter well for dampness. 

[NomNom]

Thanks for the followup CHERRYVILLE. Ill add it to my list of checks.

Incidentally the one im looking at is the saloon not hatchback. Is the water issue more common on hatchbacks?

[CHERRYVILLE]

Can not say as no experience with them. Here in N.Ire a saloon is a rare site (03 to 09 series ). Worth checking the boot anyway, I am nearly sure the rear lamp is the source of the problem but I have had it out several times and carefully resealed and tightened it down carefully. Another item, especially this time of year to check is the headlamps wet inside. I have one and just noticed today it is actually  very  wet on the inside of the glass. Maybe this was the cause of my 2 dipped bulbs blowing yesterday evening when I switched on my lights. All working now with new bulbs. When one went a surge of power may have gone to the other and blew it. Will be keeping an eye on it and should it blow again I will remove the offending lamp and get it well dried out and reseal it with clear silicone. Why go for a petrol Avensis my D4D  regularly averages towards 50 mpg now has 127000 miles done. Regular servicing is key.

[NomNom]

Update:

So i went to test drive the car this afternoon:

Checked the rear under body, suspension and brake lines for rust or corrosion - no rust or corrosion 

Checked boot under sponge layer and no dampness and no marks on the boot liner that may indicate previous water ingress.

Headlights were in decent condition just a little yellowing on the plastic which can be expected with this age.

Crank pulley had no play that i could tell by sticking my hand down the side. The belt felt in good condition too

Checked for smell of petrol at start and end of drive - no smell of petrol whatsoever from the engine bay.

Drive was good engine responded well, brakes didnt seem to be engaging well at the start but by the end abt 20min they were fine - emergency stop was dead straight so discs are good. No drift or bubbling or odd vibrations. Car went over bumps perfectly without knocking or creaking.

So TL:DR is i am now the proud owner of a 2004 Avensis 2.0Vvti

Thanks again for all the help. Can anyone recommend an independent garage near Stevenage?

[Konrad C]

12 hours ago, NomNom said:

Thanks for the replies. Ill make sure to look under the rear.

I did start the engine yesterday and didnt notice any petrol fumes. Will check again after the test drive

It hasnt got 3 keys, just the two black remote keys. Ill make sure the key number is in the manual. How much should i expect replacement keys to cost?

Some quick research yesterday highlighted the clutch as a weak spot. Was that only on diesels, Or is that the case for petrols too?

Don't worry about the grey valet key, you already have the two important black keys. Clutch should not be an issue unless the previous owners ride the pedal or kept slipping it. The clutch is standard and does not have dual mass flywheel of the diesels. Even if it needed changing, it should be cheaper than even my Valvematic.