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Comments
Pete
Otherwise this is one fantastic car. Love everything about it.
Doug
The "Search this discussion" function is helpful ... but just because a topic has been discussed before doesn't mean all questions have been answered or something new can't be added.
So my question remains: Has anyone actually purchased a new Avalon, and subsequently bought a Toyota extended warranty from another dealer on the basis of a better price?
Even if you feel the topic has been fully covered, "redundancy" can be reassuring for those like me who feel they need clarification, more details or new info. Ads and commercials are based on repetitive messaging. If you note some specific messages that I might have missed, post the message number. Thanks for any help. Impartial
Yesterday was my lucky day. I just happened to check a local San Diego area dealer and they had just gotten in a Limited Phantom Gray Pearl/Graphite (LB16) Leather with 5 miles on the odometer. It was equipped with optional equipment:
Dynamic Laser Cruise Control (CL)
Navigation (NV)
Vehicle Stability Control (VD), with TRAC and Brake Assist
Carpet Floor Mats/Trunk Mat (CF).
The MSRP sticker on the window was $37,429. After negotiations, the cash price I paid was $34,739—nearly $2700 below MSRP. I am very happy with the car and the price.
I checked havalongavalong’s very helpful list and found the tires were overinflated to 36 pounds, the fog lights seemed very secure...no rattles or wobbles, and the exhaust pipes were very slightly uneven (the dealer is going to adjust). No other problems noted and it goes like a rocket, is VERY quiet, and is FUN to drive. Thanks to all the posters here for being so informative and helpful.
________ item ___________ problem _________origin or suggested solution ___ see posts #
1. dual exhaust pipes___vertical misalignment__bend support arm up__3817, 3851, 3852, 4302
2. dual exhaust pipes___horizontal misalignment___should not bend tailpipe ___ 4302
3. dual exhaust pipes___length misalignment___waiting for Toyota to reply__ 3817, 4299, 4302
4. passenger seat belt__rattles when not in use___twist belt, re-orient buckle__3011, 3016, 3017
5. passenger seat belt__rattles when not in use___raise pillar anchor to top___3028, 3693, 3694
6. tire pressure________too high upon delivery____set at 32 psi cold___ 3281, 3426, 3829, 4602
7. rear view mirror______too high or too low_______adjust support arm angle---4769, 4778
8. steering (Touring) ____pulls to the right________contact Dealer___ 3960, 4002, 4874, 4886
9. fog lights and trim____slightly loose; may rattle___don't know yet___ 4981
10. tuner & deck covers__don't lift at same rate______have them fixed___4981, 4982
11. tuner or deck cover__doesn't latch if slammed___ just press below release button___5009
12. document folio_____cheap plastic from Dealer___insist on getting a nicer one___ 4852, 4904
13. R side near wheel___faint sound after engine starts__evaporator pump starts (normal)__4231
14. dash & door trim__pwood may seem misaligned__optical illusion (recline seat to view)__4778
15. rear window roof liner__only glued; not tucked in__don’t let children reach up & detach___5013
16. rear sunshade (Limited)___ squeaks or binds ______contact Dealer_____5029
Feel free to continue to update or add new items and re-post this list as needed.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes my one-time contribution as first honorary chair of the Avalon Owners Delivery Checklist. I will now pass this honor to someone else who is willing to update this list as new findings are brought forward. I suggest that the next honorary chair may be a US Avalon Limited owner, aware of specific limitations limited to the Limited.
Best wishes to all,
havalongavalon
“Why are you up at 3:49 AM? Do you work the night shift?” chipmunk47 post #5026
Well, chip, the answer is that I was up late last night, but not THAT late. I post from the Canadian Southwest, which is many miles, km, and time zones away from you in the US Northeast. All postings are time-stamped as per Eastern time zone.
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“16. Rear Window__Always Seems A Little Fuzzy__Turn Down The Bass!!” agent post #5027
Thanks, agent. I think this entry better belongs in the soon-to-be-compiled list of “useful tips”.
Or, perhaps in another new list called “Compendium of 2005 Avalon LOL posts”, for which a shoe-in as chair might be Groza?
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“LOL. Means, laugh out loud” just me post #5028
AHA! Thanks very much, just me. I had guessed “lots of laughs”. I'm glad it’s not something else that had also come to mind.
***********************************
“lots of luck...that's what it means to me...tongue in cheek” justgreat47 post #5036
Thanks, that’s great, justgreat47. NOPE that was not it.
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OK, folks, gotta go take a first drive into the Pacific. I’m starting today on my dream trip to Bermuda. Good opportunity to check the water seals around the Avalon doors – I’ll let you know!
havalongavalon
“Check the paint - mine had a slight pinhead imperfection. Not enough for me to hassle the dealer about. Rear sunshade squeaks or binds. I recall this item from a previous post. You may also want to include the previous big items such as engine hesitation and transmission lag.”
Is the paint defect issue serious enough to enter in the checklist? If so, next Chair please do.
I entered the Rear sunshade as item #16.
OK, about the engine hesitation/transmission observations: were these not ANTICIPATED problems and concerns raised by recent Lexus and Camry model owners who, PRIOR to release of the 2005 Avalon, feared that such problems could also show up in the Avalon?
Is hesitation a real problem for new Avalon owners? If so, this really needs to be put on the list. I haven't done a recent search for hesitation (my apologies), so if anyone feels this issue needs to be brought forward please say so!
Thanks,
havalongavalon
Your question has in fact been previously answered. See post #2640 by Hutch34. He's the only non-local buyer I am aware of on this forum who has actually purchased the extended warranty from Toyota of Greenfield, MA (see Business Manager). I have also been in personal communication with them to verify the price and will be purchasing my warranty from them when I get my Avalon. Basically, they need a signed copy of the paperwork showing the VIN number of your Avalon and a signed statement from you as to the current mileage, along with payment. Others have used their price of $985 for 7 yr 100 K 0 deductible Platinum Toyota warranty to negotiate matching prices from their local dealer (see post #2642). I made the original post on this forum about them after reading a post on another bulletin board by a different guy who had also made a warranty purchase from them over the phone, and wanted to recommend them.
You have done a great service to all of us owners and soon to be owners. I would gladly post tips and tricks but most information can be obtained from the Toyota Avalon owner's manual or online as you suggested at www.mynewavalon.com. My car is a Canadian issue XLS with VSC,TRAC, brake assist, and premium sound system. The Limited model is not available in Canada, so I don't feel qualified to give out any tips or tricks for U.S. models.
I have been out of commission for a few weeks following surgery and am home recovering nicely, but can't drive our new car for another week or two. My wife is having fun chauffeuring me around. Can't wait to get back behind the wheel!!!
Take care!!!
gladiator99
vrooom vrooom
Avalon side shot
Avalon rear/side
Avalon front/side
Actually, you can control that in your Preferences settings - you define the offset to Eastern Time so that you see the time correctly for your location.
Of course that won't prevent someone who is in a time zone five hours ahead of you from still thinking you are up too late.
I'm sure he will appreciate your pointing him to the information he was seeking. Meanwhile, others can chime in if anything is different since those posts and he can ask any further questions he may have.
One thing about a vibrant message board (which this one certainly is) - the information is always flowing, changing and being updated. And that's exactly what we're looking for and why we are all here.
All best wishes,
havalongavalon
havalongavalon
The graphite interior is a medium(not dark) gray. I had the same color in my Lexus and did not find it hot. I think it will look better longer than a lighter color. Also preferred the color of wood trim that went with it. I live in North Florida.
mmg1
I would love to post a pic ,but I am not computor savvy enough to get it to this forum.
mmg1
I purchased the extended warranty last month from Toyota of Greenfield even though I live in Georgia (a long ways from Massachusetts). My dealer said the best they could do was $1200 even though I told them about Greenfield's offer. I paid $985.
This Avalon iteration is a collection of disparate design cues and not a unified theme. Take the console for example, unlike Version 2.0 that aroused the visceral senses, this model is bland with a bread box cover to hide the controls. To put it mildly, this is a hideous monstrosity that only a senior citizen could love.
Sorry Toyota, but I will be shopping Infiniti M35/45. For a few extra grand I will be driving a genuine luxury car, not a lump of protoplasm.
Thx.
Dean
Hi,
Can you please mention which dealer that was?
TIA
Dean
I don't like the diamond cut wheels compared to what is in the after market so much. But that is just opinion. I like some BBS wheels.
Dean
by the M's nameplate and target audience. I own 4 cars, three are 2005 including a new Avalon Limited (loaded) and money is not an issue. I have test driven a dozen cars including the new M35AWD as well as the top 50-60k cars. The M35/45 a nice car. But if you really have any clue about the balance of quality, seating size, comfort and cost / value ratio then you might be able to understand why people like the new Avalon. Seriously, this car is not intended to compete with a M35 audience. Don't spoil everyone else's enthusiasm
mikeS,
Assuming you are referring to the SmartKey system, you can lock and arm the car by just pressing the black button on the door handle, as long as the SmartKey is in your pocket. The arming button on the fob is an option, but the other method is easier. This is described in the owner's manual. I hope this is helpful.
sward"
Way cool! I'll have to check this out. Thanks for the info.
MikeS.
The "Search this discussion" function is helpful ... but just because a topic has been discussed before doesn't mean all questions have been answered or something new can't be added.
So my question remains: Has anyone actually purchased a new Avalon, and subsequently bought a Toyota extended warranty from another dealer on the basis of a better price?
Even if you feel the topic has been fully covered, "redundancy" can be reassuring for those like me who feel they need clarification, more details or new info. Ads and commercials are based on repetitive messaging. If you note some specific messages that I might have missed, post the message number. Thanks for any help. Impartial "
YES, I have. From Greenfield Toyota in Mass.
MikeS.
MikeS.
Covered 3,500 km (2,200 mi) to date, 80% on urban/suburban hilly roads, < 10% on highways.
Had generally very nice spring weather, 5 to 20 degrees C (40-70 F) with occasional rain.
During the first month I tried to accelerate moderately. In the second month I regained my natural position at the head of the pack and first off stop lights. Mostly I drove alone or with 1 or 2 passengers.
Over 6 weeks, I got fair but not impressive gas mileage, averaging at 13.2 liters/100 km (or 17.8 mpg) [conversion formulas: mpg = 235/(liters/100 km) and liters/100 km = 235/mpg]
To date my best average, on a stretch of level highway driving, was 6.5 liters/100 km (or 36.1 mpg) but unfortunately this does not represent my typical daily driving.
If traffic permits and until a light turns red on me, I tend to accelerate quickly and then maintain a fairly constant cruising speed. I watch the traffic flow, change lanes when I see openings, but I don't race to a red light if I'll have to slam on the brakes; I just speed up to pass dark yellow lights.
For a few weeks I paid some attention to using the D+/D- "manual shifting" option, but decided that it did not seem to make much difference because the automatic shifting is very responsive and can be controlled predictably with the accelerator pedal. Some reviewers have already commented on this.
In the past week I changed my driving style to see how much the fuel economy could improve without reducing my average speed or total travel time. What I discovered (or re-discovered, since my early driving days with manual transmissions) is that what really can improve fuel economy is to shift from Drive to Neutral in level or downhill stretches and let the car coast. In this free-wheeling mode, the Avalon can go forever with little speed loss on level, and can pick up a lot of speed down hills! Of course, all cars will do this to some extent; but the Avalon has very low wind resistance and apparently rolling resistance too.
A couple thousand posts ago or so, I think it was agent that commented on the engine seeming to "fight the brakes," and I replied that having the engine engaged actually assists braking. It does so, but at a cost: when I step on the brakes and the car is slowing down, my Avalon's transmission seems to down-shift, because the RPM often go up while I am braking. The added engine torque assists the brakes, but there seems to be a cost in extra fuel use.
What I did this past week is to accelerate as usual off a stop light and while traveling up a hill, but then put the car in Neutral to de-couple the engine along level or downhill stretches and let it free-wheel, with the engine simply idling at 800 RPM under zero load. I could just watch the average fuel use get better and better. The result of this test over the past week, driving along similar routes, is impressive: 11.2 liters/100 km (or 21.0 mpg) which is a 15% improvement.
Of course, while driving in N, I had to remain aware of two things: first, that the brakes need to make a greater effort when the engine is not assisting [this could be dangerous and may also contribute to shorter lifetime of brake pads and eventually rotors], and I had to remember to shift back into Drive when it was time to accelerate again.
Again, I should caution anyone reading this, that there are some risks when you shift back and forth between D and N during hilly city driving: the load on the brakes is greater, brakes will wear faster, and you'll need to be alert and shift back into D when it's time to accelerate again, every time.
And don't EVER think of turning the engine Off while driving down a hill -- with Power Off, your brakes and steering would rapidly become dangerously heavy!!
For those who enjoy "manual" shifting, I suggest that shifting between D and N is a more productive entertainment than shifting between "virtual" 1-2-3-4-5 speeds using the D+ and D- options, because you can really do better than the automatic transmission can and save quite a bit of gas when the car can coast with the engine disengaged. I was also very impressed by the smoothness with which the engine picks up again when I shifted from N back into D while moving at any speed between 0 and 120 km/h (75 mph).
Has anyone else tried this? Any comments?
OK, I see it's pretty late in the night again... time to sign off.
havalongavalon
The first one being that I have been keeping my eye on this forum for at least a month, as I have been doing some extensive research on various sedans on the market.
Secondly, being someone who has managed to narrow my choices almost exclusively
down to the new 2005 release of Toyota's flagship sedan: I bear absolutely no
resemblance to Toyota's projected demographic for Avalon owners. Not only am I a
single 24 year old software engineer, but if I decide on the Toyota Avalon Limited, it will
be my first car.
This is by no means an apologetic confession, as it is a source of wonderment for me.
Is it indeed a fluke for someone of my category to favor automobiles with a luxurious
interior, attractive -- yet tasteful styling, exceptional performance that will allow me to
safely navigate through Silicon Valley traffic, world-class reliability, and a voluminous
cabin that isolates it's occupants from the harshness and noise of the outside?
If so, then Toyota is to blame. Thanks to their decision to drop in a 280 HP demon, throw in enough cool electronic toys (albeit useful ones) to make a software geek like me go "Ga-Ga", and transplant a bloated version of the Lexus LS interior into their new Avalon, I simply see no point in continuing my original pursuit of interest: the 2006 Lexus GS.
Yes, the GS is a stunning sight (I've already seen several roaming about). And the
interior is a work of art. But is the extra "sportiness" truly worth the loss of cabin space, and the need to pay a king's random for the many options that are actually standard on the Avalon Limited? To give everyone an idea, the price-tag for adding Ventilated front seats, a rear-window sunshade and powered sun-roof (which are all standard on the Avalon Limited) to a base-line Lexus GS 300 is $1,410.
Once added with all the other options I want, we are talking about a final sticker-price at over $10k more than a comparably equipped Toyota Avalon. Granted, the Lexus badge is the culprit here. But, every other car that I have brought into consideration has their share of shortcomings:
1.) First we have the Infiniti G35, which looks attractive on the outside, and has a handsome feature-set. But, If it weren't for the bizarre retro/futuristic interior and its sub-par gas mileage, It would be a strong contender. :P
2.) Then there is the Acura TL. Inside it looks great, in many ways much like the Lexus GS, in fact. Yes it has the performance, but if the sportiness requires that I have to content with having my drink splashing all-over-the place when I pass over a road-bump and for road noise to penetrate from the outside, then I'm not interested. Besides, I never cared for the front-styling of Hondas/Acuras.
2.) How about the Audi A4? If it weren't for some reports I've found indicating that Audi, as a company, have been showing improvements in the reliability of their vehicles: I wouldn't even have gave them a thought. Well, after witnessing my legs being sandwiched between the front and rear seats: I wont be giving them a second thought. :P
So, here I am, finding myself almost exclusively interested in a car that is supposedly intended for folks three times my age. And having parents that own a 1997 Mercury Sable Wagon (which is actually wider and longer than the Avalon), I am baffled by the reviews that write-off the 2005 Avalon as an obese sedan with no spirit. When I took the Avalon for a spin: let me tell you, I was more than satisfied with the growl that the engine made as we darted out of the dealership.
For those of you that currently do, or will, own the new 2005 Avalon Limited, and fit the demographic: kudos on making a wise decision to select what appears to be a brilliant piece of engineering. As for someone who has been enslaved by Mass transit for four
years, I'm not about to wait another 40 years for the car that I truly want.
Tee
When I first started my new car search, the Avalon didn't even cross my mind!! I actually only found out about the new redesign when I went into the dealer to to test drive a Camry! As I sat in the Camry to see what it was like, I couldn't peal my eyes off the silver car next to me. Why is there a Lexus on the Toyota lot? What is that sexy car? I raced through the Camry test drive so I get to driving the new Avalon!
I have gotten looks and comments from every demographic out there. Yesterday a kid (18 or so) held up traffic behind him while he asked me about it. One of my clients won't meet me at properties anymore. He insists that I pick him up. :surprise: I bought the Avalon because I needed a certain wow factor for my clients. In the end, I couldn't be happier with my decision. To anyone who doesn't like the looks of the new Avalon, come check out my Phantom Grey Touring. If you still don't like it, seek therapy. :P
Thank,
Heated seats are nice but when your car payment is $536/mth (a $220 jump for me) my frugal self will again continue to live without.
Oh and one more thing. You can't lay down rubber with VSC. What good is 280hp if you can't peel out? :shades:
First you wrote that this will be your first car and next you make the statement that your car payments would increase $220. As a 2000 XLS Avalon owner, I thought the 2005 would be different in terms of evolutionary aesthetics. Not, this GM derivative behemoth.
Of course my wife doesn't understand all the fuss. After just owning an Infiniti G35 coupe and a BMW X5 just before that, the Avalon is just a Toyota? I'm with you guys, the satisfaction of passing chunks of rolling metal, plastic and electronics (ok and real wood!) with high-end name tags gives me a warm and fuzzy. Of couse it might just be that the $10K-$15K that I just save bought me some great new camera gear.
Anyway, check back, I promise some great Avalon shot in the near future. Here's another one from yesterday. To my trained eye this car's lines are all put toghether into a harmony of shapes and fluid movement.