Is 210,000 miles too much for a Toyota Avalon?

[annamaria]

I am going test drive a Toyota Avalon 2000 with 210,000 miles. It has been well maintained. Would It be a good choice to purchase with that much mileage ?

 

[ronlane]

Honestly, if you are asking about it here, I would take a mechanic that I knew and trusted. Well, I'd probably do that anyway with any vehicle with that many miles on it. Well maintained or not, the question is what is starting to wear out on it. It is 14 years old. I have a 2001 Jeep that only has about 55,000 on it and I have been spending money this last year a little at a time fixing pieces that are going out. (Of course I off-road mine too, so that is part of it.)

 

[hombredelmar]

I am going test drive a Toyota Avalon 2000 with 210,000 miles. It has been well maintained. Would It be a good choice to purchase with that much mileage ?

If you can afford less miles i would suggest to buy a less expensive card with les miles, 210, 000 is kind of a lot and you never know, only from the owners perspective, how good/bad the car was maintained talking about regular oil change and the meintanance of the car in general.

 

[Designer]

I know modern cars can go a long time, but I wouldn't purchase one with that many miles on it. My Mercury Villager had that many miles, and was running perfectly, but so many little things were wrong with it, I just decided I'd had enough. Things like small dents, light bulbs out in the dash, (very labor intensive) A/C stopped working (needed an expensive part) tires running thin, interior showing age, etc. To me the host of little things outweighed the general reliability.

 

[tirediron]

It depends: How do you know it's been well maintained; has the expensive maintenanc been done as well as the cheap stuff? Does the price reflect the mileage? What kind of driving has it spent most of it's life doing? If this car has spent most of its life driving on the highway, and has had timing belts, CV joints, shocks/struts/ wheel bearings, etc maintained in addition to the regular oil & filter, anti-freeze, etc, and it's <$1500 with a solid body and you don't plan to do any long trips (or are reasonably handy with tools), it might not be a bad choice. IMO once vehicles get into the 150K+ range, they're all suspect. Things such as timing belts, starters, power steering pumps and other fun and expensive stuff can crap out without any notice at all.

 

[runnah]

I'd pass. 2000 is when they switched manufacturing to Australia. It is never good to get the first run of cars from a new plant.

If you are deadset on it I wouldn't pay more than 3-5k for it.

 

[Braineack]

even if it's well manitained, that's past the age where things just age/faitgue/fail.

 

[runnah]

even if it's well manitained, that's past the age where things just age/faitgue/fail.

Yup, my wife's Subaru is at 240k. It's a 2006 but it's getting to the point where non-wear parts are starting to fail. Things like bushings, hangers, boots and anything rubber have a finite shelf life and will harden and crumble.

That is the point where you want to sell. Short of an engine swap, which I am considering, and a complete bushings/line replacement most cars of that age are just money pits.

 

[Braineack]

Hell my miata was well maintained. Then I let it sit for two years and it's mess...

 

[sonicbuffalo]

I've owned 3 Avalons and they are great cars. The only reason I traded the last one was because I found this one and it only had 15k on it. The one I had before was nearly 90,000 and I drove it coast to coast last year. I love Avalons. Can't beat them for what you pay. That being said, I would be careful of one with that many miles on it. There's a reason it's for sale.

 

[limr30 3]

Honestly, unless you are a mechanic yourself, or have access to one who can/will do work at your beck and call for free, then I'd pass too.

My Cobalt is almost 9 years old and has about 155K on it. I've been the only owner and I take very good care of her, but Lucille's starting to show her age. Over 200K and even a car that has been coddled will start causing problems that might be costly.

 

[Msteelio91]

Personally I wouldn't buy anything with over 160k on it and I'm uber-wary of anything 10+ years old. Maintained well or not, you have to consider wear and tear that happens regardless of how you drive and care for it. You need to really look at wire harnesses, hoses, frame/bodywork. If you don't know what you're looking at, higher a mechanic to take a gander.

If you're buying something with that many miles on it because it's your only option, go for it. If not, get something that's not as nice but is newer instead. It's not worth the extra flash or "bells and whistles".

The sub-$5,000 market is huge now... Do some digging!

 

[CoBilly]

Knowing the service history of the car and having a pre-purchase inspection done at a brand specific mechanic are the two most important things to have done before buying a car. If there are no major problems and the history is good you may just have to replace the rubber suspension bushings and get another 200k out of it.

 

[bribrius]

depends on condition and where you live. some places are harder on cars than others. for under grand maybe....
then if something breaks you don't fix it just junk it.