What am I in for?

[HAOLE]

I am on the verge of acquiring a '99 XLS. Mileage is a little high (140XXX) but the car is pristine. No smoke, no leaks, in beautiful condition. Leather is in awesome condition, body is perfect. Somebody please tell me if these gorgeous cars have an Achilles Heel. I love it and hope they don't. Thanks in advance.

[pmesfun]

The weak point of Avalon's is the suspension, they are quite noisy. Check and see if it make noises going over bumps. Another thing is to check if the oil was changed regularly.

[HAOLE]

Car has been lovingly maintained, was bought from Toyota dealer as Certified previously-owned car, like I said it is in incredible condition.

[golfinator]

Things that needed to be replaced/repaired,(other than routine maintenance e.g. timing belt, brakes, plugs, etc.) on my '97 with 160k mi:
rack & pinion, front and rear struts, leak in power steering pump, leak in rear valve cover gasket, front window glass channels(wind noise problems), instrument panel light bulbs- that's about it.

[pmesfun]

In the 129k miles our family has owned our Avalon the check engine has only came on twice, Loose Gas Cap and Oxygen Sensor...that is about it. Always started on the first try. At the moment it needs new struts and springs, front sway bar bushing, timing/belt water pump, spark plug and wires, starter contacts that is about it. Nothing major...only problem I have is that brake system is weak(especially in the rain).

I would buy it, post pictures if you do.

[golfinator]

Oh yeah, forgot about rear bank O2 sensor and transmission SL Solenoid.

[fpny]

I bought a 96 XLS that had 125K miles on it in the Spring of 2006. The car had 201K on it now. Here is the list of parts that I had replaced since I bought the car excluding tires and brakes:

Rear hubs and bearings
Power steering pump and Rack
Rear right speed sensor
Front and rear valve cover gaskets
Knock sensors and harness
Driver side power window
EGR modulator
Front and rear stabilizer Bar Links
Timing belt and water pump
Spark plugs and wires

Things that are not working but did not get fix:

Rear driver and passenger side power windows
Power moonroof

The total cost of repair in the last 5 year is over $5000

[Jigg007]

I Have a 1996 XLS that I got at 195K, now have 245K. so in 50K miles I've


Spark plugs & Wires

Fuel injectors (3)

EGR valve

Timing belt/water pump/cam seals/pulley belts

New FR control arm

New coils, springs, and mounts all around.

New trailing/lateral arms/what-ever-you-call-them-things in the rear.

Tires.

I bought the car for $2300.
Mechanical repairs to this date ran me around 2000-2500 (Almost half on the suspension!)
I've had the car for over 3 years, it was the first car I learned to drive in.

Its in nice shape! Engine is really nice, shame on me for not having the time to change my oil, but at 5000 miles in, on conventional oil, its still clean.

The car has only let me down once, with a clogged fuel injector I was out of a car for a couple days. (well still drivable, locally) Easy starts, even on some days where it has been a chilly negative 30 degrees outside, it still fires up! Abiet has to warm up for 15 minutes afterwards

To me, it seems that maintenance is rather rare on the car, considering it does have 245,000 miles on it. Though, a lot of it has to do with that fabulous Illinois road salt!

[CTB727]

Well being the owner of a '99 XLS with just over 146,000 miles, I can tell you from experience they're incredible cars. Aside from maintenance, the only repair my Avalon needed was a new radiator at 145,000 due to 12 years of Florida heat. These cars have excellent power and mileage for their age, especially if they're well maintained.

I agree with pmesfun, the noisy suspension is a pretty common problem on these cars but isn't that big of a deal. If you do buy it, I'm sure you'll love it.

[Jigg007]

Originally Posted by CTB727

I agree with pmesfun, the noisy suspension is a pretty common problem on these cars but isn't that big of a deal. If you do buy it, I'm sure you'll love it.

Haha, check it out, in all of our "parts posts" we've all replaced, or plan to replace majoirt of our suspension components!

Yes, I tend to get 17-19 city, depending on the temperature (0F-110F, thanks Chicago!)
Highway I get 25-35 depending on speed! (extra go-go-go or being civil )
Normally I see 22MPG when I average it out at the gas station.

Still has great power on the highway, and the acceleration is pretty good too. Keep in mind it is quite the heavy car (4500lbs?) with only a 3.0 V6.

If you're in love with the car, and like what we have to say, then buy it! Or sit on the thought for a week and see how you feel, I suppose. Also, mind to share the color, possibly asking price?

[CTB727]

Originally Posted by Jigg007

Haha, check it out, in all of our "parts posts" we've all replaced, or plan to replace majoirt of our suspension components!

Yes, I tend to get 17-19 city, depending on the temperature (0F-110F, thanks Chicago!)
Highway I get 25-35 depending on speed! (extra go-go-go or being civil )
Normally I see 22MPG when I average it out at the gas station.

Still has great power on the highway, and the acceleration is pretty good too. Keep in mind it is quite the heavy car (4500lbs?) with only a 3.0 V6.

If you're in love with the car, and like what we have to say, then buy it! Or sit on the thought for a week and see how you feel, I suppose. Also, mind to share the color, possibly asking price?

Mine will need replacing soon. All that was done on the suspension was strut mounts.


Nah, they're only 3,300 lbs. Lighter than '05 and up Mustangs

[Jigg007]

Originally Posted by CTB727

Mine will need replacing soon. All that was done on the suspension was strut mounts.


Nah, they're only 3,300 lbs. Lighter than '05 and up Mustangs

Oh, I think then in my figure I was adding the cargo capacity too, which is 900 or 1000, im not sure!

[pmesfun]

Any updates? Gas mileage is pretty good for a V6. My MPG right now is 23.6, and that consists of 90% city driving. Also btw, I got my best tank today, but with a consequence, I RAN OUT OF GAS.

I am planning on keeping the Avalon for another 6 or so years. I am 17 and a senior in HS so, it should last me a while. BTW, anyone else seem like their Avalon's brake system is pretty weak???

[CTB727]

Originally Posted by pmesfun

Any updates? Gas mileage is pretty good for a V6. My MPG right now is 23.6, and that consists of 90% city driving. Also btw, I got my best tank today, but with a consequence, I RAN OUT OF GAS.

I am planning on keeping the Avalon for another 6 or so years. I am 17 and a senior in HS so, it should last me a while. BTW, anyone else seem like their Avalon's brake system is pretty weak???

Just out of curiosity, how many gallons did you fill up after running out? A full 18.5, or less? Because some people in Camry forums have noticed their tanks are smaller than what the manual says, so I wonder if Avalons are the same way.


Looks like we might be the youngest Avalon owners here
Also, I don't think the brakes are weak, maybe it's just the pedal that feels spongy. Unfortunately with these soft suspensions, when you slam on the brakes, the car dips.. A LOT.

[pmesfun]

Originally Posted by CTB727

Just out of curiosity, how many gallons did you fill up after running out? A full 18.5, or less? Because some people in Camry forums have noticed their tanks are smaller than what the manual says, so I wonder if Avalons are the same way.


Looks like we might be the youngest Avalon owners here
Also, I don't think the brakes are weak, maybe it's just the pedal that feels spongy. Unfortunately with these soft suspensions, when you slam on the brakes, the car dips.. A LOT.

I filled up about 18.2 gallons, yeah I noticed that thread. I usually fill up around 16-17, but this time the gauge was below E for a while, so it is possible that it actually holds 18.5. Now to the brake problem, the pedal is actually pretty firm, but the breaks are weakest when driving in the rain. We took it to Just Brakes and the said it could be an ABS problem. The pads and rotors being original could be a factor also.

Yeah man, are you a senior too?