'97 Avalon

[89molavi]

Trying to get back to Toyota community, I have found a used Avalon, '97 with around 55KM on the ODO. The car is really clean and drives smooth. Since this is the first time I have driven an Avalon want some input for both pricing and trouble points to look for before purchase.

Also if you don't mind compare it with same mileage 2003 Chevy Malibu.

I want a car that would at least last me 5 yrs.

[gideon1331]

My Mom has a '95 Avalon with 209,000 miles on it, and it shows no signs of old age. The only problems we have had with it are:

the CV Joints, which went at 170,000 miles. Those arn't bad so long as you catch them before the rubber boots completely fail to protect the joints...at that point its just a matter of cursing AutoZone for selling the wrong boot before making a trip to the dealer to get the proper ones.

leaking valve covers. tightning the bolts on the cover helped contain the problem till the engine passed 200,000 miles.

Also, with the 1MZ-FE V6 there is a problem with engine sludge, but only if the oil wasnt changed on a normal schedule.

Other than that the car has been excellent to us. The origional rear brake calipers/rotors and struts needed to be replaced 5,000 miles ago. Almost everything else on the car is origional, with no rust after 11 new england winters.

[sloopercat]

At that age I would check the power steering system for leaks, that's a known issue. Struts front and rear and front strut plates, there was a redesign of the strut plates to eliminate noise. The rear toe adjust strut inner bushings go bad. Take a look at the tranny to see if the fluid has been changed, it could be plenty nasty despite the low mileage. Make sure the brake fluidl looks like it has been changed regularly. If you are not mechanically inclined, take it to a mechanic. Best money you can spend on a used car. Also check the carfax. While it is up in the air check for corrosion and accident damage. The trunks have been known to have leaks also, pull the trunk carpet and the stuff at the outside edges to take a look.

[silverxls]

that's very low miles for a 97. like gideon says, sludge could be a prob if oil wasnt changed. a quick way for first sign of sludge is simply remove the oil cap. the underside of the cap should be clean and the area you can see in the oil port should be clean...if it is sludgey there, it's prob alot worse in the engine. 97's call for timing belt at 60K, so that will be needed soon.....150 to 200 dollars, so bear that in mind. aside from all that, i'd rather have the avy than a malibu or any other ford or chevy in the same price range. what are they asking for it?

[89molavi]

Thanks everybody so far. the asking price is over 7K. I am trying to tune it down, but apparently Toyotas sell and I don't have much room for haggle. Is this price outrageous?!

[MarkPhx]

Originally Posted by 89molavi

Thanks everybody so far. the asking price is over 7K. I am trying to tune it down, but apparently Toyotas sell and I don't have much room for haggle. Is this price outrageous?!

Is it an XL or XLS and what kind of options are on it?. I just bought a '97 XL with sunroof and traction control (no leather) from my parents for $6000. It has 56k miles on it. It's a one owner and is in very good condition for a 9 yr old car. It drives great although I do want to have the front suspension checked out. Sometimes I think it feels a little loose up there but it could just be the way the car feels naturally. So $7k may be a little high. When I decided what to pay for it, I took edmunds.com values and took an average of the values for Outstanding and Clean and that was still only $6k. I have a hard time giving any 9 yr old car an "outstanding" rating. It does have 3 dings and 1 rock chip in it after all

[89molavi]

It is an XL. I am buying from a dealership, so have less room for haggle than dealing with my parents.
Anybody knows if these have interference engines or no?