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Comments
After numerous test drives and conversations with owners of both models, we bought a 2K XLS, and are not in the least dissappointed. The difference we paid over and above our trade in was exactly the same in either case, so price wasn't a factor, incidentally.
Why did we choose the Avalon over the LS?
1.Roominess and comfort was more to our liking.
2.Performance, ride, and handling was as good or better.
3.Build quality was, by far, much better with the Av. The LS had interior parts missing or loose in all 4 of the cars we tested.
4.Dealer service is much more of a pleasant experience--Our regional Lincoln dealer service is really not customer friendly (And this seems typical of most Ford Dealers we visited over the years).
5.Resale values for Toyota products are historically higher. Lincolns really get hit hard at trade in time for some strange reason.
5. IMHO, the Avalon delivers much more bang for the buck than the LS in every category. It's a Lexus quality car for less money--An excellent value all the way.
I would be interested in any feedback on the above. Thanks.
See ya'll when I get back on the 26th.
Love that car.
Check it out!
Our 2000 XLS has a real bad shimmy - especially after braking hard. Took it to a local dealer - had a 15K service done also. They said "yup it's got a shimmy and we have to call the district service manager." I asked if they looked at it, they said well it could be a # of things and we have to speak to him first.
Is this standard procedure? Can't the shop diagnose the problem themselves?
Also - anyone else have this shimmy problem?
Thanks for any help.
Pete
But it also sounds like your discs/rotors are involved also. And it could be a case of chicken/egg. Good luck with your problems...
Does anyone have a fix for the glare from the spedometer lens not being recessed enough to eliminate the glare on the windshield? It is almost to the point where it is dangerous and I hate to drive at night, especially if on dark roads. I either turn down (almost off) the dash lights and fumble for the controls to eliminate the glare at night. In the sunlight the glare off the plastic lens is not much better, but more tolerable .
The Toyota dealer won't fix it and I await some entrepreneur to develop a cheap piece of black plastic that can be velcro'd to the top of the cluster to block the glare.
I appreciate any constructive comments.
of pleasurable driving. It seems that we ran over
a chug hole that had been recently patched and the
right front tire picked up a portion of the tar/rocks used for the patch. It wasn't much but enough
to cause the shimmy.
For those with a shimmy I suggest that you have the
tires balanced while on the car. A good shop will
also be able to tell if the rim is out of round
and/or if the tire is out of round too.
As far as vibration when braking hard, get it checked. It's proly the rotor.
I have experienced both problems in two different cars years ago and both were solved by what I just wrote. Good luck!
now have a couple of paint chips down to the metal
- does anyone have any experience with using the
touch up paint available from Toyota for Avalons in
lunar mist - if so, how is it best applied and how
are the results?
ODI ID: 862170
Make: TOYOTA
Model: AVALON
Year: 2000
Date of Failure: Thursday, May 18, 2000
Incident: No
Fire: No
Number of Injuries:
Component: VISUAL SYSTEMS:GLASS:WINDSHIELD
Summary: DASHBOARD LIGHTING REFLECTS IN THE WINDSHEILD WHICH INTERFERS WITH VISION.
DEALER HAS TILTED THE SPEEDOMETER & RAISED THE GAUGES FORWARD TO CHANGE THE ANGLE
Two (2) other complaints also registered there. Web site can be located at the following;
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/compmmy5.cfm
Could this problem be fixed with a dashboard mat/cover? (If the dashboard mat extends out further than the lip of the dashboard, maybe it would block the light between the instrument cluster & with windshield.)
NHTSA Home Web Site is located at the following;
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Yukon14, I believe you should apply 1-2 coats of clearcoat before waxing.
We still have our 91 Cressida and use it as a daily driver. It is a great handling car (RWD)and the straight six provides ample power that makes it fun to drive. The Avalon certainly lacks when compared to the handling of the Cressida but so do all the other competitors in this price range. Just wish Toyota would have put mud flaps on it.
Can you verify that the following feature, which is listed on Kelly Blue Book's web site, is accurate?
Mirrors, Dual Heated Power & O/S & Inside Automatic Day/Night
Does this mean that either or both of the outside mirrors are electrochromic? Or is it just the inside mirror?
Also, on the 2000 model, I noticed that only the driver's window is auto up/down. Is that still the case for the 2001s?
Thanks for your input!
Has this commentator even rode in a new Avalon?
Before buying my 2000 Avalon, I thoroughly tested a 2000 LeSabre. After being cramped into that 'luxury Buick' I welcomed the space, visual openness, performance and ride of the Avalon. Let us not forget - THE AVALON IS THE ONLY AUTO 100% MADE IN AND EXCLUSIVELY SOLD IN AMERICA. That Buick is about 40% made in Mexico, with 87 cents/hour labor!
The 2001 like the 2000 only has the auto dimming feature on the rearview mirror. Neither out side mirror has this feature.
The 01, again like the 00 does not have and auto down passenger window. From what I can tell, I haven't seen any difference in features from the 2000 to the 2001.
The dealer will replace the axle (hopefully this week). They determined this is the cause of the shimmy problem all of a sudden. When I get more details I'll let you all know.
But what I thought was interesting is that my car was NOT one of those included in the recall campaign.
Thanks for all the suggestions though.....
I would advise anyone who wants the glare problem on their Avalon fixed to do the same. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/compmmy5.cfm
I have no regrets in my AVA purchase and, while it is not perfect -- what is? -- its behavior on poor road surfaces is exemplary. Everyone that has been my passenger has also commented in amazement at this car's quiet & comfortable ride. Hope this helps.
I read some of the posts on the traction and stability control. I would love to have it, but unfortunately it is not available in the XL. Do you think it is that important? I live in southern Missouri and we have occasional snow any more and some ice but not a lot. I almost considered buying the XLS just to get this feature, but I really can't justify spending an extra several thousand dollarson an XLS just for that. I like the bells and whistles on the XLS but like I said need to keep my cost down.
I am curious about color selections. I saw the constellation blue Avalon on the road one time and it looked quite beautiful, yet the color has been discontinued and I have been told there were few made and it wasn't real popular. There are a few 2000 XL's in constellation blue left at various dealerships in a couple of states I have checked out. Any opinions on this color or on reasons for choosing any other colors? Another color I thought I liked a lot from the brochure was silver spruce. When I saw it, it looked gray and I was told it changes depending on the light. What color does the silver spruce look to you who have it? A silver with a green tint is what I expected. Does it look different in different types of light? I want a color that will not get real hot in the summer and that will not look faddish in a few years and that will not show dirt real bad.
I also wonder if it would be worth it not to narrow down my options too much and see what I can find that is left in the 2000's, but that would only make sense to me if the 2000's were significantly reduced to make it worth buying a car that is a year old already. I am wondering if anyone would know whether the Avalon 2000's will probably be reduced drastically in the near futures when there are fewer of them. Will the dealers just keep them until they sell above invoice or will there be a point when they will reduce them below invoice to get rid of them? Perhaps they sell fast enough that a sharp reduction is not even necessary. I also want to know the best way to find a super good deal on a 2000 Avalon. If I could get a low enough price, I might even consider an XLS. Am I being unrealistic in hoping to get a super price on the last of the 2000's? How would I go about getting the best price? Perhaps just cold calling some of the largest dealers in Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri would make sense? I have not had any luck in these states on internet pricing. The direct sales sites do not seem to work much with the dealers in those states.
As for your attempts at saving money, consider this: I bought a Toy cargo net for $25, Toy wheel locks for $25,color keyed mud guards for $56, and made my own cargo mat for $20 from Home Depot indoor/outdoor carpet. Even with shipping to Hawaii that is well under the dealer price, much less the retail price, for these options when buying a new car. The salesman threw in the "Avalon" floor mats for free, even though i am now using rubber mats because the velour fabric holds sand.
Because I wanted a bench seat and the flexibility it affords, I had to accept the aluminum wheels and keyless entry as a package.
There are many posts (see Maint. & Repair) on waxes and interior products that will be far less than the "toyoguard" package (you're paying for their labor to apply it , plus markup or profit). Even if you buy the premium stuff.
There was also a previous post on installing the Toy security system yourself.
It really boils down to how much you can/want to do yourself, how much you are willing to pay for, and what is important to you. Also then how much is already on the car as a Port installed option(PIO) or as part of a factory package. I declined the toyoguard package but as noted in prev posts my AV came with factory and PIO undercoating.
Finally, as to 2000 vs. 2001, you have to ask yourself if you are planning to keep the car for a while. If not, then devaluation should be factored in for resale value. If you like it as I do and hope to keep it for 10 years+, then a 2000 model car made in July would not be much different in personal value as a 2001 model made in August.
IMHO
Good luck with your decisions!
For those who don't know, Edmunds provides dozens of cars for us to drive, as hard as we like. And, there are lots of friendly, knowledgeable people to answer questions, give advice, talk cars, etc.
Oooooooooh, it's wonderful. A local TV show called it "an amusement park for men".
Thank you Edmunds. Please do it again. (Only next time, include an Avalon.)
My five cents (price inflation you know)
The speakers in the doors were changed and upgraded and I added a 10" bandpass sub woofer and amp I had in another car and put that in the trunk that can be removed easily it I needed the space. The sound is fantastic and the cost was much lower than a factory upgrade.
Lastly I bought some premium sheepskins for the front seats which I prefer to the leather.
If your are trying to keep your costs down get the xl and do your own customizing.
Note to cjshriver: You can save money on the stereo as noted-but here the TOY dealer (we only have one) orders all AVA's with the upgraded stereo.
There is nothing worse than working with a dealership that you know is lying to you. You do all your homework and offer a good price and they jack you around. This happened to us. We looked on this website and found Miller's name and I wanted to confirm that they are great to work with.
Very professional and laid back. We worked with salesman, Rod Bentley. The managers are also great to work with, Barry and Walter. We negotiated over the phone and by fax and then made a trip there. It was worth the two hour trip to purchase from a honest dealership. Hope this helps someone.
A big plus about the sheepskins is when you put them on right away on your new car it will keep your seats in mint condition. When it comes to time sell, peel off your skins and your older car will look showroom fresh and will probally bring a much higher price.
The parts manager said the flaps are color coordinated but unfortunately there were no samples in stock since these were special order items.
Cost, $72 for the set plus an additional $68 for installation. He didn't reveal his supplier but he says their purchase price is $54 (a tidy profit margin). The service manager was not sure if additonal holes were needed to install them.
Has anyone seen them? And is this a good price?
Update
At 10,000 miles on my '00 XLS I had the air conditioning filter replaced. Man was this thing filthy. The original color is white but the dirty one had turned charcoal grey. Cost, filter $39.92 plus $68 installation. This is not a do-it-yourself job.
I thought this would be covered by the warranty but he said this is a routine maintenance item.
Apparently they will be selling a lot of AC filters because they kept mine to display how obstructive a dirty filter can be.
bob
For installation, see post #176. You decide if it is worth putting on yourself- I think so. I didn't drill the 3rd hole and they are still attached. An offset driver really helps.
Looks like you're being charged the min. 1 hour labor at $68. It will take you less than 30 min if you have the right tools.
than I expected considering a stronger head wind
returning than tail wind going. My thoughts on
getting good mpg:
o accelerate smoothly from a dead stop
o drive the speed limit or less
o keep the windows up
o use the cruise
SHOULD I REPLACE IT OR CAN I WAIT TILL THE 100K MILES TUNE UP AND DONE AT THAT TIME ? I HEARD PEOPLE SAY THAT IF THE TIMING BELT FAILED, THE ENGINE WILL BE RUINED. IS THIS CAR DESIGN IN THAT FASHION OR IT JUST DROP DEAD ONLY ??? ANYONE KNOWS PLS COMMENT.
ALSO IF CHANGING THE TIMING BELT, MINE AS WELL CHANGE ALL THE BELTS AT THE SAME. IS THIS A COMMENT PRATICE ?? EXISTING/PREVIOUS AVALON OWNER, PLS BE ADVICED.
I'm very pleased with it, but, would like to replace the HEADLIGHTS with something more powerful. Does anyone have any suggestions? I wouldn't want to stress the electrical system.Are the lights complicated to replace? Do I replace the entire lamp assembly or just the bulb?
Thanks.
Also someone told me that if you do not turn the ignition off when filling your tank that you mess up the Toyota computer settings. Any comments?