WTF is an Avalon???

I got to spend some 'quality time' with an Avalon, doing a 'prep for
sale'. You ever want to know what a car is all about, give it a good going
over before buying it.

This car is NOT a Toyota! It's a Caddy wannabe.

To my mind, Toyotas are small, inexpensive dependable cars that do what
they were designed for very well. The Avalon is none of these (except for
the doing what it was designed for part). It is a bloated luxo-barge with
TOO many bells and whistles for my mind. I haven't learned alot about
them yet; what do you do when the 'key fob' (there IS no key!) goes
berserk and the Start button doesn't work? The shifter is a confusing
nightmare; leave the gated shifters to Mercedes, eh?

I miss the little, buzzy Corollas and Coronas and Celicas of my younger
days. Seat of the pants driving for those who want to 'experience'
driving. That's what I loved about all my Toys. This thing has no
feedback, is too plush, too many gadgets, etc. And it is USA made only. My
experience with US made Toys has not been good and is only being
reinforced by what I see at work. The US models don't seem to hold up as
well as their Japanese counterparts.

To me, the current 'Toyotas' are the Echo, the Matrix and the soon defunct
Celica. The Camrys are OK, and the trucks are ok. I'll just have to wait
until the new LandCruisers start coming in. Other than that, I'll be
waiting for a good used Matrix to come in (made in Canada...) or perhaps a
Celica (still made in Japan) or a Japanese built Camry.

How many Camrys are imported and how do you tell one easily other than the
VIN?
tnx

--

73
Hank WD5JFR
"hachiroku" <Trueno@ae86.gts> wrote in message
news:d%0ke.15438$_f7.6888@trndny01...[color=blue]
>I got to spend some 'quality time' with an Avalon, doing a 'prep for
> sale'. You ever want to know what a car is all about, give it a good going
> over before buying it.
>
> This car is NOT a Toyota! It's a Caddy wannabe.
>
> To my mind, Toyotas are small, inexpensive dependable cars that do what
> they were designed for very well. The Avalon is none of these (except for
> the doing what it was designed for part). It is a bloated luxo-barge with
> TOO many bells and whistles for my mind. I haven't learned alot about
> them yet; what do you do when the 'key fob' (there IS no key!) goes
> berserk and the Start button doesn't work? The shifter is a confusing
> nightmare; leave the gated shifters to Mercedes, eh?
>
> I miss the little, buzzy Corollas and Coronas and Celicas of my younger
> days. Seat of the pants driving for those who want to 'experience'
> driving. That's what I loved about all my Toys. This thing has no
> feedback, is too plush, too many gadgets, etc. And it is USA made only. My
> experience with US made Toys has not been good and is only being
> reinforced by what I see at work. The US models don't seem to hold up as
> well as their Japanese counterparts.
>
> To me, the current 'Toyotas' are the Echo, the Matrix and the soon defunct
> Celica. The Camrys are OK, and the trucks are ok. I'll just have to wait
> until the new LandCruisers start coming in. Other than that, I'll be
> waiting for a good used Matrix to come in (made in Canada...) or perhaps a
> Celica (still made in Japan) or a Japanese built Camry.[/color]

The VIN shows County of assembly of all cars sold in the US. In
the case of Toyota look for 'J' Japan, '2' Canada, '3' Mexico,
'4' US of more than 40%, but leas than 75% American parts and '5'
less than 40% American parts. Generally the Camrys sold today on
the west cost are a 'J' the rest are
a '4' or '5' with the majority currently being built presenting
with a '5'


mike hunt



Henry Kolesnik wrote:[color=blue]
>
> How many Camrys are imported and how do you tell one easily other than the
> VIN?
> tnx
>
> --[/color]

So it sounds to me like the best are made in Japan and those Toyotas are on
the west coast. Do they make it ot Arizona?

--

73
Hank WD5JFR
<RustyFendor@mailcity.com> wrote in message
news:4290ED43.A6AA623C@mailcity.com...[color=blue]
> The VIN shows County of assembly of all cars sold in the US. In
> the case of Toyota look for 'J' Japan, '2' Canada, '3' Mexico,
> '4' US of more than 40%, but leas than 75% American parts and '5'
> less than 40% American parts. Generally the Camrys sold today on
> the west cost are a 'J' the rest are
> a '4' or '5' with the majority currently being built presenting
> with a '5'
>
>
> mike hunt
>
>
>
> Henry Kolesnik wrote:[color=green]
>>
>> How many Camrys are imported and how do you tell one easily other than
>> the
>> VIN?
>> tnx
>>
>> --[/color][/color]

Like any other car maker, Toyota sees an opportunity to sell cars for
2-3 times the price of a Corolla that only cost 50% more to make. I'm
sure their profit margin on Avalons is much higher than your typical
$15K Corolla. In a sense I agree with you that "Toyota" has
traditionally meant function, quality and dependability above form, but
it's a cultural phenomenon that Americans typically buy much more than
they really need and then complain about the high cost of gas,
insurance, etc. Toyota is simply filling the needs of a high profit
market and you can hardly blame them for that. If we are dumb enough
to buy "luxo-barges" then someone is surely willing to step in and fill
that need. Personally, I would rather spend what I have worked hard to
earn on other pursuits, no luxo-barges in my foreseeable future.
Hopefully Toyota never loses its focus on quality, there are signs that
lapses occur from time to time but in general I think the techniques
they have developed over the past decades still serve them well in
building good, dependable cars.

Mark

Avalon - In Arthurian legend, an island paradise in the western seas to
which King Arthur went at his death.

Sounds like a luxo-barge to me... LOL

Actually the barges I worry about are the SUV's. That is why I bought a
300M and Avalon. They get decent mileage and if I am hit by a SUV I have a
small chance of survival versus none at all in something smaller.


"Mark" <markpippin@email.com> wrote in message
news:1116861465.465058.138660@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Like any other car maker, Toyota sees an opportunity to sell cars for
> 2-3 times the price of a Corolla that only cost 50% more to make. I'm
> sure their profit margin on Avalons is much higher than your typical
> $15K Corolla. In a sense I agree with you that "Toyota" has
> traditionally meant function, quality and dependability above form, but
> it's a cultural phenomenon that Americans typically buy much more than
> they really need and then complain about the high cost of gas,
> insurance, etc. Toyota is simply filling the needs of a high profit
> market and you can hardly blame them for that. If we are dumb enough
> to buy "luxo-barges" then someone is surely willing to step in and fill
> that need. Personally, I would rather spend what I have worked hard to
> earn on other pursuits, no luxo-barges in my foreseeable future.
> Hopefully Toyota never loses its focus on quality, there are signs that
> lapses occur from time to time but in general I think the techniques
> they have developed over the past decades still serve them well in
> building good, dependable cars.
>
> Mark
>[/color]

Some years ago, I tried a Buick Riviera with 12k miles on it. As I got in
passenger side and pulled door closed, whole door panel fell off in my lap!

So, yep, Avalons are big boats BUT they are a Toyota. We've had 2 and wife
wants an 05 in worst way. The 02 has about 45k on it so hard to part with
the $$$ it'll take to switch. Probably wait till 06's are out
Ron

On Mon, 23 May 2005 23:44:44 +0000, ron wrote:
[color=blue]
> Some years ago, I tried a Buick Riviera with 12k miles on it. As I got in
> passenger side and pulled door closed, whole door panel fell off in my lap!
>
> So, yep, Avalons are big boats BUT they are a Toyota. We've had 2 and wife
> wants an 05 in worst way. The 02 has about 45k on it so hard to part with
> the $$$ it'll take to switch. Probably wait till 06's are out
> Ron[/color]


The new Prius is even weirder! I got in with the fob in my pocket, pushed
"Power" and nothing happened. But some key-shaped light in the panel kept
flashing. I saw a little flap, pushed it with my finger and then decided
THIS is where to put the fob. Neat. The gearshift knob is funky, too.

This is the future, eh?

hachiroku <Trueno@ae86.gts> wrote in news:UUuke.19598$Y36.5302@trndny05:

[color=blue]
> The new Prius is even weirder! I got in with the fob in my pocket,
> pushed "Power" and nothing happened. But some key-shaped light in the
> panel kept flashing. I saw a little flap, pushed it with my finger and
> then decided THIS is where to put the fob. Neat. The gearshift knob is
> funky, too.
>
> This is the future, eh?
>[/color]


Sheesh. If that's the future, I'm gonna go live with the Amish.


Have you heard of the Amish computer virus?:

"Greetings,
You have just received the Amish Virus. Since we have no computers or
electricity, you are on the honor system. Please delete all of your files.
Thank thee."

--
TeGGeR®

You stand corrected..The Cressida and the Land Cruiser were neither small or
inexpensive yet they were all Toyota. I love my 1995 Avalon with 154K miles
and no Caddilac could match the past 10 plus years of excellent driving
experiences with relatively little maintenance concerns. My 16 year old
insists that I give her this car as her first car. Yep she's getting a
TOYOTA. I'm shopping for an '05 to replace it.

"hachiroku" <Trueno@ae86.gts> wrote in message
news:d%0ke.15438$_f7.6888@trndny01...[color=blue]
> I got to spend some 'quality time' with an Avalon, doing a 'prep for
> sale'. You ever want to know what a car is all about, give it a good going
> over before buying it.
>
> This car is NOT a Toyota! It's a Caddy wannabe.
>
> To my mind, Toyotas are small, inexpensive dependable cars that do what
> they were designed for very well. The Avalon is none of these (except for
> the doing what it was designed for part). It is a bloated luxo-barge with
> TOO many bells and whistles for my mind. I haven't learned alot about
> them yet; what do you do when the 'key fob' (there IS no key!) goes
> berserk and the Start button doesn't work? The shifter is a confusing
> nightmare; leave the gated shifters to Mercedes, eh?
>
> I miss the little, buzzy Corollas and Coronas and Celicas of my younger
> days. Seat of the pants driving for those who want to 'experience'
> driving. That's what I loved about all my Toys. This thing has no
> feedback, is too plush, too many gadgets, etc. And it is USA made only. My
> experience with US made Toys has not been good and is only being
> reinforced by what I see at work. The US models don't seem to hold up as
> well as their Japanese counterparts.
>
> To me, the current 'Toyotas' are the Echo, the Matrix and the soon defunct
> Celica. The Camrys are OK, and the trucks are ok. I'll just have to wait
> until the new LandCruisers start coming in. Other than that, I'll be
> waiting for a good used Matrix to come in (made in Canada...) or perhaps a
> Celica (still made in Japan) or a Japanese built Camry.[/color]

Take a look at what the value is of a say 6-8 year old Caddie and similar
Avalon. Then compare what the initial prices were. Scary what it costs to
drive a Caddie.

The new ones may hold value better but.......

Ron

On Tue, 24 May 2005 02:10:05 +0000, Richard W. Foster wrote:
[color=blue]
> You stand corrected..The Cressida and the Land Cruiser were neither small or
> inexpensive yet they were all Toyota. I love my 1995 Avalon with 154K miles
> and no Caddilac could match the past 10 plus years of excellent driving
> experiences with relatively little maintenance concerns. My 16 year old
> insists that I give her this car as her first car. Yep she's getting a
> TOYOTA. I'm shopping for an '05 to replace it.[/color]

Yeah, but the Cressida was a Toyota. Maybe not inexpensive, but still a
somewhat 'seat of the pants' car with the 3L inline 6 like the Supra.

Now, this may sound a bit weird, but Toyotas had a sort of a 'soul'; you
could expect a certain feeling from any Toy you got into, no matter what.
I can still see that in the Echo and the Matrix, somewhat still in the
Camry, but the Prius and the Avalon have lost that. Not surprising in the
Avalon, since it was designed and built solely in the US. I've driven them
all; Corollas, Coronas, Crowns, Celicas, MR2s, Camrys (er, not the
Cressida...), Tercels; they all had the same nature about them. The Avalon
doesn't have that.
[color=blue]
>
> "hachiroku" <Trueno@ae86.gts> wrote in message
> news:d%0ke.15438$_f7.6888@trndny01...[color=green]
>> I got to spend some 'quality time' with an Avalon, doing a 'prep for
>> sale'. You ever want to know what a car is all about, give it a good going
>> over before buying it.
>>
>> This car is NOT a Toyota! It's a Caddy wannabe.
>>
>> To my mind, Toyotas are small, inexpensive dependable cars that do what
>> they were designed for very well. The Avalon is none of these (except for
>> the doing what it was designed for part). It is a bloated luxo-barge with
>> TOO many bells and whistles for my mind. I haven't learned alot about
>> them yet; what do you do when the 'key fob' (there IS no key!) goes
>> berserk and the Start button doesn't work? The shifter is a confusing
>> nightmare; leave the gated shifters to Mercedes, eh?
>>
>> I miss the little, buzzy Corollas and Coronas and Celicas of my younger
>> days. Seat of the pants driving for those who want to 'experience'
>> driving. That's what I loved about all my Toys. This thing has no
>> feedback, is too plush, too many gadgets, etc. And it is USA made only. My
>> experience with US made Toys has not been good and is only being
>> reinforced by what I see at work. The US models don't seem to hold up as
>> well as their Japanese counterparts.
>>
>> To me, the current 'Toyotas' are the Echo, the Matrix and the soon defunct
>> Celica. The Camrys are OK, and the trucks are ok. I'll just have to wait
>> until the new LandCruisers start coming in. Other than that, I'll be
>> waiting for a good used Matrix to come in (made in Canada...) or perhaps a
>> Celica (still made in Japan) or a Japanese built Camry.[/color][/color]

--
The Relentless Pursuit Of Conception...

Mark wrote:
[color=blue]
> Avalon - In Arthurian legend, an island paradise in the western seas to
> which King Arthur went at his death.[/color]

Oh, its all clear now. We have an "Art" here that about drove himsefl to
death with his Avalon. Something about a crooked dash LOL


--


[url]http://www.rightwingstuff.com[/url]
[url]http://www.gop.org[/url]
[url]http://www.townhall.com[/url]



The Second Amendment Is Americas "Original" Homeland Security!
[url]http://www.nra.org[/url]
[url]http://www.nraila.com[/url]

"hachiroku" <Trueno@ae86.gts> wrote in message
news:GBPke.356$Li3.298@trndny05...

<snipped>[color=blue]
>
> Now, this may sound a bit weird, but Toyotas had a sort of a 'soul';[/color]

<snipped>

I heard about a customer in the L.A. region that was complaining that her
car was haunted and that the "soul" would only appear in the rear-view
mirror on her way home from work. Even after the service advisor, service
manager, and district service manager politely explained what she was
seeing, she demanded that the D.S.M. provide the explanation in writing
because she was going to sue for "deceptive practices" if the ghost kept
appearing. The D.S.M. provided the written explanation, and they never
heard from the customer again, probably because even lawyers probably
laughed her out of their offices.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply