Apparently I’m wanting an old man car…

[Elkins45]

When I looked at my saved posts list on Facebook almost all of them are either a Toyota Avalon or a Mercury Grand Marquis. With a budget of $4-5K I’m sure to find a winner, right?

 

[CKN]

How many miles are on these beauties?

 

[maw_76]

Lol, my 53 yr old brother-in-law just went from a Grand Marquis to an Avalon. He thinks that Avalon is the cat's meow! I know he's considered the TRD spoiler because "it looks real tasteful."

 

[dlundblad]

I wouldn’t mind an Avalon honestly.

 

[Elkins45]

How many miles are on these beauties?

Lowest one is a 2004 Grand Marquis at 104k. The highest is a 2008 Avalon at 198k. Under normal circumstances I would laugh at the thought of buying a car with 200k but I understand Avalons routinely go 300k with normal maintenance, and I probably would only drive it 5K a year.

 

[Oliveoil2]

Both of these are really great, comfortable cars. And you save a ton buying them used!! Two thumbs up!

 

[SC Maintenance]

Skip the Avalon and go the the LS430.

I had a GM and didn't like it much. Maybe I like it better because I am older now, but I doubt it.

 

[Elkins45]

Skip the Avalon and go the the LS430.

No timing belts for me.

 

[bdc101]

How many miles are on these beauties?

Does it even matter? I'm pretty sure you can get an Avalon to last forever as long as you make sure to change the oil every 25,000 miles.

 

[JoeDirt41]

The only thing I don’t like about the Avalon is that rear bank of cylinders is a pain to work on. Same situation for just about any front drive, V6 car. Just the nature of the beast. I owned a Buick Lacrosse with a 3800 and did a lot of work to it, a lot of which involved that rear bank of cylinders. I had to replace the rear exhaust manifold. Heck even just spark plugs were a pain. Might never be an issue for you, and still wouldn’t stop me from owning one, just something to keep in mind. Avalons were one of Toyota’s best cars IMO.

I owned a Lincoln Towncar for a while too. Loved it. Absolute tank of a vehicle, amazing ride and stupid easy to work on. Can’t go wrong with either option.

 

[HemiBenny]

If either of those two choices passes a thorough inspection, you can’t go wrong if the price is right. You should be thorough in an inspection. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, have a trusted shop do it. Even reliable vehicles can be destroyed by previous owners.

Toyota Avalons are solid, reliable vehicles. I’ve seen numerous Avalons with 200k+ still running strong.
I think the Ford Panther Platform has proven itself, even if certain BITOG members turn their noses up at it.

 

[Oillover]

Skip the Avalon and go the the LS430.

I'd also consider an older ES series.
Far easier and cheaper to maintain/repair.
Many are available with great service history.

To the OP, nothing wrong with an "old man" car.
A buddy of mine in his mid 30s recently went from a tuned Golf R with DSG to a late model Lexus RX350.
Although he states he likes it, I find it interesting that he's now considering getting back into sport motorbikes.

 

[Legs4Arms]

I still think the 2011 Lexus is350 is one of the best used sedans going if you can track one down that hasn't been miled out or "tastefully modded".
They're nicely appointed, quick and agile, super reliable, just a very well rounded car. I'm in Canada but they're often found with the above criteria in Florida and California.

 

[joekingcorvette]

Good luck with your search and I agree the Avalon's are acceptable.

 

[Cujet]

Old man cars in order of 'ultimate' to 'meh' :

Lincoln Town Car in sliver. The undisputed champion!
Mercury Grand Marquis, in tan. Or white with a blue roof.
Crown Vic. of course
Buick LeSabre or Lucerne. These need no introduction and are tied with the Crown Vic.
Avalon. Yup, it fits the mold perfectly.
Prius, base model. Just a solid choice for the frugal old dude.


And of course if you are 'country', any GM half ton pickup that is more than a quarter century old.

 

[GSCJR]

Exactly what my wife called a '97 Avalon when I brought one home for her. She also disliked the Acura RL for the same reason.

 

[mcm0455]

Grandpa gold. 06 ES330 that my dad gave me a few years ago prior to his passing. Now up to 17k miles. Zero issues.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Lincoln Town Car in sliver. The undisputed champion!

I had a great aunt that was driving into her late 90's.

She drove her Town Car right INTO the doctors office, below the bay window IIRC into the waiting room.

She was fine, no one was in the waiting room, the town car was driven home, some body work later and after she successfully PASSED her requalification exam at 98, she went back to driving.

I was tasked with disconnecting the battery cables to keep her from driving.

And then we see on the cameras (installed to for her safety, independent till 102) she's having a neighbor reconnect the battery for her, we all freaked out.

 

[PF52]

What ever happened to the forum member who had inherited his grandpa's Avalon? It was an older one if I remember right..... 1990s era. His plan was to keep it and drive it for the whole rest of his life.

We've been waiting in suspense for years!

 

[LouC]

I for sure would get a Ford Panther platform vehicle, that was the last great NYC taxi and squad car!
Actually I am like the boxy old school Town Cars the best. Fire up that old 5.0 and crank up Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, while I go out to pick up the cannolis and torrone! True to my Brooklyn Italian Roots!