i've spent about a year and more money than i dare admit on the avalon. now it certainly is a superb ride. i've driven a lot of cars. jags. rottis. beemerz. vetts. saabs. fiats. ferraris. mercedes (ugh) even citroan. and a bunch of hemi cars. while it's true that most of the cars were hotrods, none of them could make 10% of the avalon.
the ride is precise. the motor is quiet, smooth and, while not outrageous, amazingly strong for 183 cu. in. the handling is something i think most people that have avalons miss. the thing is GLUED... and you can drive it from cradle to grave and never know that, unless you push it into a turn.
the "luxury car" mystique really has me off. this one was born to run and loves to move, in a way that belongs to it, and it alone. it makes 100 miles/hour boring. without the speedo, you'd never know .) the car is unsafe after 135. it lacks real ground effects. air can and will get under it, causing the steering not to work. i know that. now you do, too. a word to the wise....
i simply can't get enough of driving this car! how 'bout you?
The avalon is an okay car, nothing special about it. I too dumped a lot of money this past year, so it should get me 4 years of college no doubt. After that I'm sure it will have over 200k and possibly be dead, who knows? The handling of my car is pure crap imo, my mom's VAN handling 100000x better. So much body roll and steering looseness makes it very annoying to drive, but I think the original sway bar links and tie rods are the problem. The suspension/handling is the only thing I don't like about this car, other then that it has never broken down in its life and has been very reliable. I like that my avalon still has a modern look to it, many people think its a Lexus. Speaking of Lexus if anything happens to it before I graduate I will probably get a 2nd Gen GS430.
I have driven plenty of cars out there, and I still haven't found ANYTHING that I would be willing to trade my Avalon for. It's solid, comfortable, and reliable. My 95 has just enough electronics to allow you to forget about everything but driving, without getting between you and the road.
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Black 95 Avalon XLS 170k
Spectra Blue 02 Celica GT(Rolling Chassis)
2009 Kenworth T-660 (Cat c-15) 447k
This is my first car and I must say I'm very thankful to have an Avalon as a first car, while many other people my age get crappy, slow, beat up cars. I love the V6 power, decent fuel economy for its age and engine size, and the reliability of it. It's very comfortable, especially for highway cruises. Lots of room, and the stock stereo sounds damn good, especially for its age.
However, the suspension sucks in my opinion. So much body roll, bounces over bumps, takes very little weight to cause the rear to sag. I have never taken the car up to 135 (didn't know that was possible). That's probably suicide though. I've taken it up to a pretty high speed (rather not say how fast, because this thread may get locked ). Let's just say that over 90 you notice the front end becoming very light and the steering gets pretty lose. Very dangerous if the road isn't perfectly smooth and straight.
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1999 Toyota Avalon XLS
2006 Toyota Tundra Double Cab X-SP
2010 Lexus ES350 w/ Nav package
Quote:
Originally Posted by rty
Six Camrys, one from each generation. In a temperature controlled alarm secured garage filled with Camry memorabilia. I just worry I might not be able to enjoy every Camry. So many Camrys so little time.
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It's a very nice car for the money (we paid $2200 for ours last year) and I love the combination of good power with decent fuel economy, however I've owned/driven many cars too and don't know that it qualifies as "awesome". The car's Achille's heel seems to be its suspension; many owners complain about weird noises stemming from shock mounts, sway bar bushings/links, weak and sagging original springs/shocks, etc.
Ours had new shocks/struts and springs before we purchased it, so it has a nice stance and handles pretty well especially now that I changed the front and rear sway bar bushings. It has the 7" wide factory wheels so I think that helps handling a bit too.
After a year of ownership I do think the Avalon is a reliable, comfortable car and I always look forward to taking it for a drive down the coast to Malibu with the top open. It's not particularly sporty or great looking, but it is one of the most pleasant cars I've ever owned for daily driving. It currently has 180K and I'm hoping it'll go to 300K, at least.
However for our next car I've been thinking about moving up to a Lexus LS430; it has the small displacement V8 and rear wheel drive which I think I'd like even better. I've seen a few with the optional factory alloys and they look really good. Of course, that car would be in a different league price-wise.
Last edited by American Pie; 03-28-2011 at 06:31 PM.
i love toyota more than nobody...if I dont work as a musician IM pretty shure I would be a salesman from a toyota dealer, or lexus... i change struts on my avalon and yes feels so good but the sounds are there, bushings or something like, I installed and amplifier and speakers and now I cant hear the sounds...
i love toyota more than nobody...if I dont work as a musician IM pretty shure I would be a salesman from a toyota dealer, or lexus... i change struts on my avalon and yes feels so good but the sounds are there, bushings or something like, I installed and amplifier and speakers and now I cant hear the sounds...
rofl - that'll work!
i have what may be new ideas about the sounds...
i just discovered that there are supposed to be two "bottom pans" ahead of the inner fenders. i bought them (hard to do as most junk yard cars are wrecked in the front) and installed the right side. some of the noises went away! could it be that these cars... somebody said to he77 with putting that stuff back on (it's no fun) and that's where these noises come from - the front bumper cover whacking against the aluminum bar?
i'll install the right one soon - just as soon as i work out the thing with the air cleaner. if i ditch it i want to take the great big plenum tank off, as well, and it's directly above the part i bought.
My parents Avy has 190,000 and it has had money put into it recentally. All maintence stuff but that still adds up to almost 1,200 dollars. The Avy is a quiet, comfortable ride for all passengers and we load it full of people a lot. The 3.0 is a powerfull, reliable engine that still gets 22-29 MPG. I find it hard to complain about this car a 96, its quieter, smoother, and cheeper than the new lines of yota's.
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1999 Toyota Avalon
). Let's just say that over 90 you notice the front end becoming very light and the steering gets pretty lose. Very dangerous if the road isn't perfectly smooth and straight.
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