To Buy Or Not? 1.8 Avensis Gs 51 Plate - £2500

[pkudel4]

This was a company's car, most mileage on the highways, my guy says it was well maintained, there was no damage to the car, new MOT, valeted, service history, dark blue, navigation, 1.8 Avensis GS 51 reg 2001... - £2500, guys do you think this is a reasonable price? for 91k miles? I am a bit afraid of the mileage and haven't seen the pictures yet, but I trust (reputable mechanic) the guy which was checking it...

how does is sound to you guys?

thanks for all the info,

and maybe soon I will be a happy Toyota owner ;)

cheers for all feedback

Peter

[MarkyP]

Be careful regarding the engine and oil use.

See my current thread about excessive oil consumption.

Find out from previous servicing if it has had a new cylinder block under the Toyota extended warranty. It is has, then that's good!

[pkudel4]

Be careful regarding the engine and oil use.

See my current thread about excessive oil consumption.

Find out from previous servicing if it has had a new cylinder block under the Toyota extended warranty. It is has, then that's good!

Thanks a lot - I need all such details:)

What u think about this 91k?

[jamesholden]

If it was a pre-vvti Avensis then 91k wouldn't be an issue, but as it is a VVTi, I wouldn't bother, there are loads of nice pre-vvti ones about, the 2.0 3S-FE in paricular was one of the best 4 cylinder engines that Toyota ever made, you could even get a very nice condition Camry of similar age for around that price, made in Japan and built to last.

[pkudel4]

If it was a pre-vvti Avensis then 91k wouldn't be an issue, but as it is a VVTi, I wouldn't bother, there are loads of nice pre-vvti ones about, the 2.0 3S-FE in paricular was one of the best 4 cylinder engines that Toyota ever made, you could even get a very nice condition Camry of similar age for around that price, made in Japan and built to last.

thanks James! this is what I wanted to hear :)

have a good evening

[shroud]

If it was a pre-vvti Avensis then 91k wouldn't be an issue, but as it is a VVTi, I wouldn't bother, there are loads of nice pre-vvti ones about, the 2.0 3S-FE in paricular was one of the best 4 cylinder engines that Toyota ever made, you could even get a very nice condition Camry of similar age for around that price, made in Japan and built to last.

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

Yes oil burning can be an issue and needs to be checked regularly, but i bet many more vvti cars are unaffected by this issue than those that are.

[theofanis]

If it was a pre-vvti Avensis then 91k wouldn't be an issue, but as it is a VVTi, I wouldn't bother, there are loads of nice pre-vvti ones about, the 2.0 3S-FE in paricular was one of the best 4 cylinder engines that Toyota ever made, you could even get a very nice condition Camry of similar age for around that price, made in Japan and built to last.

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

Yes oil burning can be an issue and needs to be checked regularly, but i bet many more vvti cars are unaffected by this issue than those that are.

Was there a problem fix for the oil consumption with a modification for the VVTi engine in 2004? I think that they changed the oil capacity of the engine among other changes.

[jamesholden]

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

In my opinion from having experience of earlier non-vvti and post vvti engines, its not just the longetivity, I think that generally the vvti engines are not as smooth as the previous models, a good example is the 1.6, the 4A-FE was very smooth and quiet compared to the fairly harsh VVTi replacement. My preference would always be a non-vvti from this era based largely on this alone.

[toyota_fan]

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

In my opinion from having experience of earlier non-vvti and post vvti engines, its not just the longetivity, I think that generally the vvti engines are not as smooth as the previous models, a good example is the 1.6, the 4A-FE was very smooth and quiet compared to the fairly harsh VVTi replacement. My preference would always be a non-vvti from this era based largely on this alone.

I recently purchased a factory owned Avensis 1.8 GS VVTI - and it is a real pleasure. Engine and everything are perfectly smooth. It was about 77K when I bought it, but for toyota avensis, I don't think even 150k is an issue :-) I bought it for $2900 on a p.ex. just check for the cam belt replacement and brakes. Rest all should be fine.

[toyota_fan]

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

In my opinion from having experience of earlier non-vvti and post vvti engines, its not just the longetivity, I think that generally the vvti engines are not as smooth as the previous models, a good example is the 1.6, the 4A-FE was very smooth and quiet compared to the fairly harsh VVTi replacement. My preference would always be a non-vvti from this era based largely on this alone.

I recently purchased a factory owned Avensis 1.8 GS VVTI - and it is a real pleasure. Engine and everything are perfectly smooth. It was about 77K when I bought it, but for toyota avensis, I don't think even 150k is an issue :-) I bought it for $2900 on a p.ex. just check for the cam belt replacement and brakes. Rest all should be fine.

[toyota_fan]

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

In my opinion from having experience of earlier non-vvti and post vvti engines, its not just the longetivity, I think that generally the vvti engines are not as smooth as the previous models, a good example is the 1.6, the 4A-FE was very smooth and quiet compared to the fairly harsh VVTi replacement. My preference would always be a non-vvti from this era based largely on this alone.

I recently purchased a factory owned Avensis 1.8 GS VVTI - and it is a real pleasure. Engine and everything are perfectly smooth. It was about 77K when I bought it, but for toyota avensis, I don't think even 150k is an issue :-) I bought it for £2900 on a p.ex. just check for the cam belt replacement and brakes. Rest all should be fine.

[toyota_fan]

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

In my opinion from having experience of earlier non-vvti and post vvti engines, its not just the longetivity, I think that generally the vvti engines are not as smooth as the previous models, a good example is the 1.6, the 4A-FE was very smooth and quiet compared to the fairly harsh VVTi replacement. My preference would always be a non-vvti from this era based largely on this alone.

I recently purchased a factory owned Avensis 1.8 GS VVTI - and it is a real pleasure. Engine and everything are perfectly smooth. It was about 77K when I bought it, but for toyota avensis, I don't think even 150k is an issue :-) I bought it for $2900 on a p.ex. just check for the cam belt replacement and brakes. Rest all should be fine.

[toyota_fan]

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

In my opinion from having experience of earlier non-vvti and post vvti engines, its not just the longetivity, I think that generally the vvti engines are not as smooth as the previous models, a good example is the 1.6, the 4A-FE was very smooth and quiet compared to the fairly harsh VVTi replacement. My preference would always be a non-vvti from this era based largely on this alone.

I recently purchased a factory owned Avensis 1.8 GS VVTI - and it is a real pleasure. Engine and everything are perfectly smooth. It was about 77K when I bought it, but for toyota avensis, I don't think even 150k is an issue :-) I bought it for $2900 on a p.ex. just check for the cam belt replacement and brakes. Rest all should be fine.

[toyota_fan]

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

In my opinion from having experience of earlier non-vvti and post vvti engines, its not just the longetivity, I think that generally the vvti engines are not as smooth as the previous models, a good example is the 1.6, the 4A-FE was very smooth and quiet compared to the fairly harsh VVTi replacement. My preference would always be a non-vvti from this era based largely on this alone.

Not intentional i am sure, but to balance the case here, there are lots of happy vvti owners with higher mileage than 91k, so it can't be that bad.

In my opinion from having experience of earlier non-vvti and post vvti engines, its not just the longetivity, I think that generally the vvti engines are not as smooth as the previous models, a good example is the 1.6, the 4A-FE was very smooth and quiet compared to the fairly harsh VVTi replacement. My preference would always be a non-vvti from this era based largely on this alone.

I recently purchased a factory owned Avensis 1.8 GS VVTI - and it is a real pleasure. Engine and everything are perfectly smooth. It was about 77K when I bought it, but for toyota avensis, I don't think even 150k is an issue :-) I bought it for $2900 on a p.ex. just check for the cam belt replacement and brakes. Rest all should be fine.

[Lomondcruise.com]

my friend just took a 1.8vvti on a xplate off the road as a taxi

had 300k and the only reason its off the road is it needed a new clutch so sold the whole car for 200 quid

vvti or not, it'll last a long time

[MarkyP]

I loved my old pre-VVTi engine 4A-FE (?), unfortunately I bent the car.

It appears that the oil issue is generally with the VVTI engine 1ZZ (this should be on the engine block nameplate). Excessive wear between the piston rings and the cylinder bore.

It may affect some Corolla's as well.

Can anyone out there confirm this?