opinions needed

[aka paco]

Hey guys, started poking around the 2nd gen Avalon forums to get a feel for the place, I'm a long time Toyota/Lexus owner, I've had a handful of SC300's, 2nd gen GS300, a GS430, a few other in between.

Anyways earlier this year I bought my wife a 2003 Camry SE 4cyl auto (wanted something good on gas) it was my first Toyota to ever give me so many issues, and the final straw was the transmission started slipping, and i started dreading the infamous 2AZ-FE stripped headbolt issue those engines seem to have. So we sold the Camry, i've been looking for a car to replace it in the 6,000-10k range 2003+ accords seem to have auto trans issues like the previous generation.

Just recently started looking at 2nd gen Avalons, the interior and ride reminded me alot of my 01 GS430, MPG ratings for the avalon seem very close to my 03 4cyl camry.

Just trying to find out anything i might overlook, i noticed they seem to have the oil geling issue, is this fairly common, or is it more of extreme cases of maintenance neglect that really see's this issue?


if anyone has the time to fill me in on a few things i might want to look for before purchasing i'd very much appreciate it, i assume cars with around 90k I should be asking if Waterpump/Timing belt has been done, any issues with powerlocks not working (common 2nd gen GS issue) or things of this nature..

again sorry for the lengthy post, just trying to figure out which year vs price i should be looking for and such..

Thanks

[TrailDust]

I own a 2002 XL and have never had any major issues with it. Only thing I've encountered is a driver's window that has trouble going up or down, and has been diagnosed at the motor. As far as oil gelling issues, I think that's mostly due to people who do short trips that don't allow the engine to heat up properly, plus they don't have regular maintenance performed either. I have no complaints with mileage, which averages 19 city and 31 highway.

[zythr]

Whatever you decide to purchase, just make sure to have it checked out by a decent mechanic. Some of the reasons these vehicles have neglect in maintenance is that they're traded in/sold/dumped after 5 years or even before. Good luck

[aka paco]

thanks for the info guys, I wanted a 03/04 for the slight differences and just newer i guess..

looking at this 01 though, one owner garage kept, toyota dealer maintained http://charleston.craigslist.org/cto/1958677992.html

hopefully i can get a little more knocked off the price

[BiXLL]

I think thats a pretty good price if the car is as good as it looks in the pics!