How far will it go?

[wickedpete]

We have a 2003 Avalon XL with 160,000 miles. So far we have done nothing but scheduled maintenance and brakes. Timing belt at 95K. Always Mobile 1 and regular drain / refills on transmission fluid. Still uses no oil, starts every time and runs like a clock.

How far with this car go before we start seeing repairs? And, when they do start does everything go bad at once?

[BiXLL]

with proper PM and general care there is no reason you can not get over 200,000 miles

[aznstylez]

Depends on which part you're talking about. My 01' Avalon has over 226,000 miles on it. My dad has over 320,000 miles on his 99' Avalon.

[hurl]

good thread. I have a chance to get a '03 with just over 83,000 miles and was looking through the board to see how long these can go. I recently got rid of a '98 Camry with 243,000 miles .

If I get the Avalon it would be an upgrade from a '00 Corolla.

So... has everyone else had such positive experiences?

Thanks

[TedL]

Rust from road salt, if they use it in your area, will be what kills the car. Your maintenance sounds really good, which means it's worth fixing the things that do wear out, like alternators, calipers, water pumps (if not changed with timing belt), etc.. Start using a synthetic ATF (Dexron VI) if you aren't already. Add brake and P/S fluid changes to your maint schedule. Heed Toyota's relatively short coolant change interval, and use genuine Toyota coolant. They give a generic spec for every other fluid, so I spend the extra $10 or so every 2 years for the genuine red stuff.

[wickedpete]

We are at 206,000 now and still no issues. New t-belt at 180,000 with water pump this time. Only issue is bumping noise in rear suspension - found another thread that has given me some things to check. Still uses no oil and runs great! My wife loves it and wants to keep it for a while longer.

[buchaja]

Wow. You've put more miles on your '03 since starting this thread than I have in the entire life of mine.

Glad to hear they're so dependable. I love these cars and plan to keep mine for the long haul too.

[ChiTDI]

I'm in the rust belt, so when I do replace suspension items I include new bolts. Syn fluids and good filters, frequent PCV and oil changes and you should be good to go.
Ten years for me but only 152k so far.

[ChiTDI]

Originally Posted by hurl

good thread. I have a chance to get a '03 with just over 83,000 miles and was looking through the board to see how long these can go. I recently got rid of a '98 Camry with 243,000 miles .

If I get the Avalon it would be an upgrade from a '00 Corolla.

So... has everyone else had such positive experiences?

Thanks

NO.
Those hi-milers are sludge free ones. If you are buying used, pull a valve cover and make sure it's clean. Then you can make an informed decision.