'97 Before Purchase -- Issues & Questions

[adm91]

Hey everyone. I've been looking around for a bit during my research and you all seem pretty knowledgeable, so I thought I'd go ahead and ask a few questions.

I'm looking into purchasing a 1997 Avalon XLS fairly seriously and just wanted to throw out a few problems and maybe get some feedback before I go ahead.

It's one owner and has been kept in pretty good condition — it has 125k miles on it.

A few random issues:

-the steering wheel starts to shake a little around 70mph ... I've heard it could just be alignment?

-both right doors have water in them ... it stormed a few days ago and it was *very* obvious that there was water in the door. someone told me it could just be a seal problem and it would be a quick and easy fix.

-I'm fairly sure a belt is loose, as I can hear the squeaking noise when the car is idling, and a friend thought a hose might be on the way out as there was a faint rubber smell when we popped the hood.

That's pretty much it. All other major parts seem to be working great, and although I'll have a mechanic check it out before I go ahead any further, I just thought I'd get your opinions.

The price is $3,100, for the curious.

On an unrelated (to performance) note, I think most of the speakers are blown. The front two definitely need replacing and at least one of the back does ... so why not do all four (and ignore the tweeters by the door handle). I was looking on Crutchfield.com and it seems fairly reasonable, especially if I can install myself... I'm not looking to spend a bunch of money anyway.

Thanks!

[robcam13]

the rubber smell may be the belt.it may also be the valve cover gaskets leaking a bit (very common on avalons)the 70 mph shake is most likely tires need balancing. alignments cause a pull not usually a vibration.i would check the trans fluid and check when the timing belt was changed.the miles and price is a good deal.these cars are very reliable well worth the money and you should get 200,000- 300,000 out of it without many if any issues. good luck.

[robcam13]

i forgot... the doors have drains at the bottom. they are probably plugged

[adm91]

Thanks! The timing belt was actually recently replaced, which will save me some time/money.