Might buy a 2006 Toyota Avalon

[Benzadmiral]

A local Toyota dealer has an '06 Avalon, 36K miles (yes, that's right), gold over cream, that has caught my eye. I drove it last night and found it smooth, quiet, and powerful -- a fitting successor in all ways to the Buick.

My regular mechanic has inspected it, and aside from a misaligned headlight and a non-urgent need for rear brake pads, he gave it thumbs up. It does need the front bumper repainted, and the VVT oil line recall has to be done; but the other recalls were noted as performed on the records sheet they sent me.

So. I will go to the dealer tomorrow, let them look over the Buick, and make me an offer. Here's the link: http://www.bohnbrostoyota.com/used/Toyot...4ff7372323a.htm

Edmunds says a car like this should go at retail for about $12-13K, NADA says $17K, so I thought I'd offer $13,500 with $4500 trade for the Buick, and see what they say.

I really liked it (which is understandable; Toyota designed the Avalon to appeal to people who liked a big Buick).

 

[silverrat]

I think you are valuing the Buick too high

 

[Benzadmiral]

Probably; the range I see is between $3700 and $4200. But isn't that negotiation? If we can meet at, say, $14K and $4K, with said $14K to include the items that need to be done, I can go with that. Especially if I can get a low interest rate.

 

[raytseng]

if you like it buy it.

Here's what to watch out for test on this car.
1) Make sure you are OK with the way the throttle response goes. A main complaint is the computer algorithm disconnects you from the car.
Try a few stabbing motions at the gas pedal. This isn't a normal driving technique; but it will show you the delayed throttle response.

2) Make sure the steering wheel is smooth. this is correctable, but the grease on the intermediate shaft dries up, and without extra grease injected leads to a feeling there is a clunk in the wheel.

3) do a few slalom manuevers to ensure you are OK with the boat-like handling characteristics of this car.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I did notice that the go-pedal took a fraction more effort to get the Avalon to take off than I'm used to with the Buick. With that car, I had trouble with the pedal until I bought a pedal adapter that clipped right on, and suddenly the pedal was exactly where I needed it to be. Maybe something like that would be needed here?

The wheel was quite smooth.

And as for boat-like, it didn't seem that way. Maybe a tad more so than the Buick with its touring suspension, but not wallowy or anything. I recall some years ago driving an '83 Cadillac sedan that belonged to a friend's mother. Now that seemed like a small yacht.

 

[mrsilv04]

Are you sure that it hasn't been in water?

Not sure why the dealer needs his name in *two* separate places on the trunk. (It really doesn't need to be there at all). The lower one underneath the tail light is subtle and could stay. The black and white upper one underneath the word "TOYOTA" is flat out gaudy and they need to remove it for you.

You might see about having the front bumper professionally touched up instead of completely repainted. I've seen bumper covers that *never* match right after they've been repainted.

I'm not a fan of the silver switches, nor of the upper LCD display that is shared by the radio and HVAC system. That's just a huge repair bill waiting to happen... on a car that is already 8 years old. That's just me.

Have the tires been replaced, or is that factory rubber? If it is factory rubber, then it is 8 years old.

My biggest concern is that you're going to spend $13,500 to only move up 3 model years over what you have now. Personally, I'd be at $10K and the Buick to start.

 

[Artem]

Why would one of the headlights be crooked? Sounds like it might have been in a fender bender. Did your mechanic checkout the front end well enough?

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Are you sure that it hasn't been in water?

Not sure why the dealer needs his name in *two* separate places on the trunk. (It really doesn't need to be there at all). The lower one underneath the tail light is subtle and could stay. The black and white upper one underneath the word "TOYOTA" is flat out gaudy and they need to remove it for you.

You might see about having the front bumper professionally touched up instead of completely repainted. I've seen bumper covers that *never* match right after they've been repainted.

I'm not a fan of the silver switches, nor of the upper LCD display that is shared by the radio and HVAC system. That's just a huge repair bill waiting to happen... on a car that is already 8 years old. That's just me.

Have the tires been replaced, or is that factory rubber? If it is factory rubber, then it is 8 years old.

My biggest concern is that you're going to spend $13,500 to only move up 3 model years over what you have now. Personally, I'd be at $10K and the Buick to start.

The car wasn't even built until 3 months after Hurricane Katrina, and my mechanic checked it for that as well.

Good point about the badges. The car was originally sold by them in late '05, so that might account for one; no idea why the other. If they can retouch the bumper to my satisfaction, sure, there's no need to repaint it. And the tread on those Michelins was pretty deep, I thought, as though they didn't have many miles put on them. I'll look them over tomorrow for a date code.

Yes, it's only 3 model years over the Buick -- but 70,000 miles less. If this were a 2010 with 36K miles, it would seem fine, wouldn't it? But those cars are out of my price range, or at least what I want to spend.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: Artem
Why would one of the headlights be crooked? Sounds like it might have been in a fender bender. Did your mechanic check out the front end well enough?

Yup, he put it up on the lift and inspected. The headlight didn't look crooked to me last night -- I checked on 'em, wanted to make sure they weren't the $$$ HID lights. I peered along the body to see if everything aligned, too. It looked straight. (I made sure to get there before dark, so I could look the vehicle over. Never buy a car at night or in the rain!)

 

[cptbarkey]

i personally couldnt stomach paying 13.5k on any vehicle 7 years old.

 

[dareo]

At that age and price i see some quick devaluation. It will soon be too old for most buyers to want it. Not a big deal if you really like it and want to own it a long time. Being wrecked and 2006, i would really beat them up on price or walk. It was probably built in 2005 and has existed for over 8 years now, electronics aging, ect. The only plus i see, no TPMS for 2006 years.

Your close to a brand new 2014 car if they are firm on that price. 2014 Accord LX could be bought around 21k or less, and get you 7 more MPG city or highway to offset some of the payment increase. If you drive a lot, 7 mpg can make payments on 3,000 dollars or so. Often financing is cheaper for brand new, and the gap narrows further.

 

[raytseng]

Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
I did notice that the go-pedal took a fraction more effort to get the Avalon to take off than I'm used to with the Buick. With that car, I had trouble with the pedal until I bought a pedal adapter that clipped right on, and suddenly the pedal was exactly where I needed it to be. Maybe something like that would be needed here?

The wheel was quite smooth.

And as for boat-like, it didn't seem that way. Maybe a tad more so than the Buick with its touring suspension, but not wallowy or anything. I recall some years ago driving an '83 Cadillac sedan that belonged to a friend's mother. Now that seemed like a small yacht.


The 2005 avalon was the first year and model of toyota's redesign plan. This included switching over to a drive-by-wire system, meaning the throttle is controlled by a computer program. This is also the system where it's suspect for the unintended acceleration issues. There was a TSB for a software update, which should be done along with the rest of the recalls; but don't expect it to change the car responds drastically.

 

[Rolla07]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
if you like it buy it.

Here's what to watch out for test on this car.
1) Make sure you are OK with the way the throttle response goes. A main complaint is the computer algorithm disconnects you from the car.
Try a few stabbing motions at the gas pedal. This isn't a normal driving technique; but it will show you the delayed throttle response.

2) Make sure the steering wheel is smooth. this is correctable, but the grease on the intermediate shaft dries up, and without extra grease injected leads to a feeling there is a clunk in the wheel.

3) do a few slalom manuevers to ensure you are OK with the boat-like handling characteristics of this car.


He drives a Buick Park Avenue.. so I think he is quite aware of what boat like handling feels like! LOL

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: dareo
At that age and price i see some quick devaluation. It will soon be too old for most buyers to want it.


Yeah this and also bank financing usually gets usurious at around the eight year mark. So dealers like selling seven year old cars that they can then mark up the interest on.

 

[turboaccord1]

Ive always been a fan of the third generation avalon. Been looking an 05 or 06 xls or limited exactly how i want it for a while, I do not want the touring suspension. Edmunds has the trade in value listed at $9700 for the car you are looking at. meaning they probably paid somewhere around 9000 dollars for it, if not less. always aim for wholesale. Retail is just a made up number in my book that is just a start for negotiating. i would low ball them and if they dont like it, leave them your number, walk away and let it sink in for the salesman. walking away from a used car salesman is the best negotiating tool you can use in my opinion. 12-13 thousand is to much for an 8 year old car.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: dareo
At that age and price i see some quick devaluation. It will soon be too old for most buyers to want it. Not a big deal if you really like it and want to own it a long time. Being wrecked and 2006, i would really beat them up on price or walk. It was probably built in 2005 and has existed for over 8 years now, electronics aging, ect. The only plus i see, no TPMS for 2006 years.

Your close to a brand new 2014 car if they are firm on that price. 2014 Accord LX could be bought around 21k or less, and get you 7 more MPG city or highway to offset some of the payment increase. If you drive a lot, 7 mpg can make payments on 3,000 dollars or so. Often financing is cheaper for brand new, and the gap narrows further.


Twenty-one K is quite a bit more than I want to pay. If I want to go for that much, I could maybe grab a used Buick LaCrosse -- except the dealers close by me aren't seeing many yet, not in a color combo I like. (Black interior? Pass.) As for quick devaluation, the same thing happened to the Buick. A good thing for a used-car buyer, as everyone agreed with me here, six years ago.

And who says the Avalon was wrecked? No evidence of that.

I'm caught: Cars of the kind I like, near-luxury, at an age where there's still some warranty, are still too pricey for me to pay the note off in two years, and then drive payment-free (as I did with the PA) for a few years. This one is what I truly like, and within the ballpark of what I am willing to pay. Plus it's young enough in mileage to be almost new. It apparently won't need much after some fluid and filter changes and a window tinting; my gas costs will be about the same, maybe even less; and my insurance will go up only $10 a month.

If, of course, we can reach a deal!

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07

He drives a Buick Park Avenue.. so I think he is quite aware of what boat like handling feels like! LOL

Not completely true. My PA is the mid-level model, with the touring suspension but not supercharged. It does feel a bit stiffer and handles more briskly than the regular PA model, which I've driven. It seems to me that my PA rides much the way my late W126 Mercedes sedan did. (Handling is another story, though.)

The Avalon seems a little less stiff, but only a little.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: turboaccord1
Ive always been a fan of the third generation avalon. Been looking an 05 or 06 xls or limited exactly how i want it for a while, I do not want the touring suspension. Edmunds has the trade in value listed at $9700 for the car you are looking at. meaning they probably paid somewhere around 9000 dollars for it, if not less.

Yes; maybe I can throw out $10.5K or $11K as my offer, and $4K for my car, and see what they say. Despite the low mileage and its fine condition, as you say, it is 8 years old. I'm sure they're motivated to move it.

But I won't sit there for hours waiting for the salesman to "see what my sales manager says" or any of that nonsense. If they'd examined my car on Thursday night, I'd have said, "Fax me your offer," and we might have gotten everything hammered out yesterday. Or not.

 

[dareo]

2GR-FE Avalon is a very nice car. If you could get it for around 10.5 or 11 and get what you want on the Buick it wouldn't be expensive.

What i meant by wrecked was the bumper scratches and how the headlight isn't aligned. Wrecked was probably too strong of a word. I'd rather have one that never got into any sort of accident, that i could talk to the owner of, and knew it had great care. That is more important to me than if it has 36k or even 72k miles. That low of miles indicates a short tripper car, much harder miles.

People always gravitate towards low miles, and you will pay a premium for that. New cars are quite a bit better, so if nothing is wrong with your Buick, you won't lose much money driving that for a few more years and saving.

Those are all the gripes i can think of. Just trying to find all the cons for your consideration.

 

[gman2304]

The Avalon has what I call,'self leveling headlamps'. They sweep up and then down every time they're turned on when left in the automatic position. There is a section in the owners manual that tells the owner how to adjust the headlamps as far as having the light beams projecting farther out in front of the car. Having said that I would get the dealer to adjust them before buying it. Get the dealer to give you the previous owners name to clear up any questions of accident history. Better than Carfax! My wifes car, an 06 limited, was bought new by a man who owns a Mobil oil distributorship in a neighboring town and he brought Mobil 1 to the dealer when they serviced the car...what fate!!! His wife is a realtor and the car was just 2 1/2 years old but had 45,000 miles on it by May of 08 when we bought it. Our son who works for the Lexus dealer in Greensboro, NC called me on a Saturday and said he had an 06 Avalon he wanted us to look at. We had a 2000 Avalon at the time and my wife wanted a newer one so we bought it that day. The couple had decided to buy a new Lexus ES350 and had traded the Avalon in. These cars are what they are...with two occupants they weigh over two tons! The Limited drives and handles well for a two ton car...it eats up miles all day long in a cabin thats quiet and a ride that's smooth as butta...all the while getting almost 30 mpg's, highway. If you can get a deal you're comfortable with it will be a great car. Keep us posted, Thanks