Drove a 2007 Avalon today

[Elkins45]

149k miles, asking $4200. Drove great, no rust. The only problem was the upholstery looked a bit tired and the dash was cracking so they had installed one of those carpeted dash covers. I’m semi-considering it so I can have a sedan with an automatic, and $4k really isn’t a lot of money for a functional (if old) luxury model.

 

[fantastic]

cool story... Get rid of the dash carpet if you figure out if you'll buy it or not. Why? I bought one but it just collected more dust & had me sneezing constantly.

 

[eljefino]

... and you're awake to talk about it!

These are great values because the people they cater to don't want to take these things to the ends of their lives. A little tinkering and you've got a cheap car for years. They out-Buicked Buick on these.

 

[cptbarkey]

That car will outlast us all.

 

[daves87rs]

Might be some interior bits at the local salvage yard….

 

[The Critic]

That car will outlast us all.

Doubt it.

 

[Gasbuggy]

I remember when best friend's parents bought a new black one in 07. Always thought they looked nice.

 

[Cheetah-kins]

I had one of these as a rental back around the time of OP's. Had never heard of them but was super impressed, much higher fit and quality than a Camry, imo. You could see Toyota wanted to build something really high quality with these. Although Toyotas are pretty reliable, I've always thought they're fit and finish were so-so at best. But these Avalons were really nice. I'd buy a nice one in a heartbeat if it came around.

 

[jdmfish]

I’d buy another one. I have a 2006 with 156k miles on it now, and my wife and I both enjoy driving it. I get around 26-29mpg driving 30 miles each way on country roads to work.

I paid $5,300 for mine 3 months ago. We already put 9,000 miles on it and plan to run it until a catastrophic failure.

It’s been one of the better purchases I’ve made in my entire life.

 

[panthermike]

I go back and forth on wanting one of these cars.

I would like to drive one of that vintage and maybe 2013 or so.

I almost bought a 2010 several months back, but I drove it and walked away a little disappointed. I think that was partially due to the fact that the pictures made the car look really good but in person, had a lot of wear and tear. Also that particular one had really harsh shifts I thought. A lot of people seem to really like the '05-08 models.

 

[Bill7]

Toyota's of those years are the most reliable ones in my opinion.
You should be able to take the Avalon to 300,000 miles with minimal adequate maintenance.

 

[jdmfish]

I go back and forth on wanting one of these cars.

I would like to drive one of that vintage and maybe 2013 or so.

I almost bought a 2010 several months back, but I drove it and walked away a little disappointed. I think that was partially due to the fact that the pictures made the car look really good but in person, had a lot of wear and tear. Also that particular one had really harsh shifts I thought. A lot of people seem to really like the '05-08 models.

From my research, yes the 05 to 09 was really the best for reliability and overall function. I was looking at a 2010 myself, but a lot more "known" issues on the newer body style such as those of the 2010-2014ish body styles.

 

[mjk1967]

Same Gen 2011.

Drove it to 296k

Bigger repairs: needed new radiator at about 120.
Alternator at about 170

Struts were done late , around 225
KYB which were not what I remembered about past quality

 

[Elkins45]

The price has dropped to $3900 today. I’m starting to wonder if there’s a glaring flaw everyone else sees but that I’m missing? Or maybe most people just can’t live with the look of the crumbling dash?

 

[ripcord]

My folk's Avalon just hit 300k last year. No major repairs ever except for worn suspension parts.

 

[Cheetah-kins]

The price has dropped to $3900 today. I’m starting to wonder if there’s a glaring flaw everyone else sees but that I’m missing? Or maybe most people just can’t live with the look of the crumbling dash?

I'd jump on it. Could be anything causing it not to be sold already. I think a lot of people don't even know these exist, I rarely see them mentioned anywhere.

 

[Chris142]

I’d buy another one. I have a 2006 with 156k miles on it now, and my wife and I both enjoy driving it. I get around 26-29mpg driving 30 miles each way on country roads to work.

I paid $5,300 for mine 3 months ago. We already put 9,000 miles on it and plan to run it until a catastrophic failure.

It’s been one of the better purchases I’ve made in my entire life.

View attachment 242416

Thats like 9 new car payments. If you get 10 months out of it you win no matter what

 

[fantastic]

The price has dropped to $3900 today. I’m starting to wonder if there’s a glaring flaw everyone else sees but that I’m missing? Or maybe most people just can’t live with the look of the crumbling dash?

It's been expensive to borrow money & lots of folks just can't spend that much for an older vehicle, especially, if they need reliable transportation among other reasons. SUV's are where the demand is.