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Sedans Toyota Avalon Toyota Avalon 2005-
14782 messages, Last post on Dec 08, 2009 at 8:00 PM
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Replying to: deanie (May 01, 2005 4:51 pm) Also, the Audi's potential for electrical problems has troubled me as well. Yes, it's definitely beautiful. If there were an Audi that had sufficient horsepower (around 250 HP), more space inside, and a level of reliability that I could trust: I'd definitely be considering it. And yes, I am going to do my best at negotiating a better offer. I will actually be buying the car between mid October and mid November (which is when I will have a sufficient down payment saved up), so I will have more than enough time to play my cards right. And thanks for the advice on the 401K/IRA. Even after I have begun monthly payments on the Avalon Limited, I'll be in decent enough shape to begin investments. Thanks a bunch, Ryan |
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Replying to: just__me (May 01, 2005 4:20 pm) Ah, ok thanks then. I must admit though, that I really do wish the European cars were more reliable, because they really do look nice. But, it is apparent that both Toyota and Lexus are starting to make their cars look more visually appealing. The new Avalon is a testament to that.
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Replying to: ryandse (May 01, 2005 6:35 pm) With Toyota quality/reliability as its second biggest asset (280hp is first), the Avalon is almost a no-brainer. Some might argue, "Hey, I owned a BMW or Audi and never had a problem", but so what. Its all about probability. The odds of getting a reliable (extremely minor if any problems) european car are substantially less than if you buy Totoyta/Honda/etc. That's a fact, and smarter consumers have, over time, voted with their checkbooks. The Europeans are going to have to repond to their well-publicized quality/reliability problems as Lexus is setting up shop in Europe. If Daimler-Chrysler, Volks/Audi, BMW, etc think that they'll be "okay" when Lexus invades, they've got another thing coming. Companies such as Lexus, Acura and Infinity grew and developed into what they are today here in the U.S. almost completely at the expense of the European brands. They may turn a blind eye now, but it'll only get poked out later. What Europe needs to do is extend their respective current offerings one additional model year than originally planned, and invest most of the freed up financial resources in R&D, Tearing down Hondas/Toyotas/etc to see why they are more reliable (and preferred by wiser consumers here in the U.S.), and then have their engineers adapt or change such systems (probably electrical wiring harnesses, computer hardware, and software) to accommodate the superior and more reliable Japanese branded products. End of rant. Regards, Deanie
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Has anyone seen a 2005 Avalon XL with the JBL stereo option? My wife and I have contracted to buy a model that supposedly has this, but both the Avalon brochure and Toyota website indicate that it is not possible to order the JBL option on the XL model. Thanks in advance, - Paul
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Replying to: deanie (May 01, 2005 4:33 pm) I appreciate your comments on the potential wear and damage to the automatic transmission that the "neutral coasting method" could cause. That does it -- I won't use the NCM any more! I'm really glad that we had this discussion earlier today and want to thank again tunin, dmarcus48, joedbob, and now Deanie for taking the time to raise your concerns. You may have saved me from an expensive transmission repair someday and, more immediately, you probably saved me from getting a speeding ticket this afternoon! Right after our forum exchanges earlier today, I was starting to come down a long hill. This time I was in Drive (not Neutral) and about to test the D+/D- mode, when a BMW coming up the hill seemed to flash his/her headlights at me. At first I thought it was his/her self-leveling headlights, but soon after, I saw two police cruisers off the road to the right, an officer holding a speed gun and another officer by a stopped yellow two-seater convertible (that I recall having left in the dust on another occasion...). Naturally, they were hiding at the steepest part, where the road also turns and you couldn't see them until you were pretty much next to them. Had this happened yesterday, when I was still testing the "neutral coasting method" I would have been going way too fast to reduce my speed discreetly at that point. But today I was testing the "manual" option and was coming down the hill in 3rd gear, not that fast, so I bumped it to 2nd which allowed me to quickly reduce my speed to something acceptable without even touching the brakes. I was able to politely nod at the officer as I drove serenely by her. I saw in the mirror that she turned to look at me/my car; I was a bit worried to be mistaken for a 7-series BMW, but nothing happened. Whew... So you see, Deanie, you have helped a lot. And I agree, who cares if this method uses up a bit more gas! Take care, havalongavalon
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Replying to: paul_p (May 01, 2005 7:49 pm) 
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Replying to: deanie (May 01, 2005 7:20 pm) Personally, I would rank them in reverse order. But, other than that, no disagreement here. Some might argue, "Hey, I owned a BMW or Audi and never had a problem", but so what. Its all about probability. The odds of getting a reliable (extremely minor if any problems) european car are substantially less than if you buy Toyota/Honda/etc. Right, these folks are often falling a victim to taking these successful instances as "false positives". And I just love how people will defend these European cars euphemistically by saying they are "expensive to maintain". Such folks will never admit that all this "maintenance" wouldn't have to happen if they were probably engineered in the first place. What Europe needs to do is extend their respective current offerings one additional model year than originally planned, and invest most of the freed up financial resources in R&D Interesting, that's good thinking. Honestly, I think they are in the best position to do this: given that they seem to have relatively extensive product lines. I'd like to see them get past their egos and actually do this, but that remains to be seen. Tearing down Hondas/Toyotas/etc to see why they are more reliable (and preferred by wiser consumers here in the U.S.) Yes, I think this would help. But, in order to do this, as you basically mentioned: they need to invest more in Quality Assurance. This includes expanding their testing into countries that are importing their vehicles. Why is this important? Well, Audi's A6 Wagon had to be recalled due to the fuel gauges malfunctioning because of the large amount of sulfur that is often present in US gasoline. ... electrical wiring harnesses, computer hardware, and software ... Actually, one thing that concerns me (a little) is that the Toyota Avalon Limited has perhaps the most sophisticated collection of electronics than their other vehicles, thus increasing the chances of electrical failure. Granted, such is a lot better than having the transmission blow itself out of its misery, while traveling on the freeway (yes, I've been in a Mercury Sable that did this), but it is still something to think about. So, yes, I have faith in Toyota's reliability: but with the level of complexity in the Avalon Limited and the fact that I am a believer in extended service plans, I will probably get Toyota's "Platinum" plan with mine. |
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Replying to: deanie (May 01, 2005 4:51 pm) Hi its a 05 right? what kind of faults? is it big or minor faults? coz im planning to buy 1  but I wish we can get the option list that u guys have in north america!! we have it here in Bahrain (Persian Gulf) in 2 trims XL & limited they cost $ 27G & 33G respcitivly we dont have the DVD navigation , Dyanmaic laser cruise control nor VSC  but we can have the XL trim with the JBL sound system & HID lights as standard option
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Replying to: ryandse (May 01, 2005 12:38 am) MikeS. |
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