The transmission is going out in my 16 year old daughter's car (2000 Acura 3.2 TL), which if I replaced it, would be the 3rd transmission in that car with 190k on the odometer. I was quoted anywhere from $2,800.00 - $3,500.00 for a replacement, so have been looking for another car instead.

Over the past two weeks I've watched Craiglist and the local classifieds like a hawk, hit every used car lot I came across, drove several hundred miles to look at crap and had several sellers outright lie to me, and then yesterday I spotted this beauty. It's a one owner 1995 Toyota Avalon with 66k original miles, V6, automatic, leather, sunroof, power everything, with a clean title. Has some clearcoat issues, mostly on the hood, and a few small dings and scrapes, but is in overall great shape for being 22 years old.

I'd never paid any attention to Avalons until I saw this one, basically a roomier Camry. I drove it two hours home and it cruises right along and rode fantastic. I paid $2,500.00!

That is a great score!!!

And I love the geezer gold it's the most inconspicuous color on the road.

Good grab.

She's already calling it her Grandpa car!...

They are great cars, my stepmom has one and it gets decent gas mileage

Very cool. Sounds like a great buy.

Quite the deal there,

Should be good for another 200K or so.

Where am I when these deals happen to come up?

Geno

Great deal.

You don't find deals like that often. Great score.

Basically (for those that pay attention), you'd be wrong.

What are the differences, oh wise one?

"The Avalon was a new model introduced in February 1994 at the Chicago International Auto Show and launched in late 1994 for the 1995 model year. Built in the same plant as the Camry, the Avalon was developed under the 299T program from 1990 to 1994 and based on a stretched XV10 Camry platform featuring a 3.0-liter 1MZ-FE V6 engine making 192 hp (140 kW) and 210 lb·ft (285 N·m) of torque.[5] With almost 121 cu ft (3,426 l) of interior space, the Avalon was the first six-passenger car, with the most room ever, from a Japanese manufacturer for sale in America."

If it's got a clean title, and Russians weren't involved, it sounds like you got a great deal.

Otherwise, you're probably the second person to steal it........

Power, handling, features, and ride.

Hey great find...

I found a great buy on a car up in Eugene this weekend also...

some times you trip across great deals here in Oregon...

ya just gotta look...

I looked at a 1999 back in 2012 when I was back east, for one of my wife's friends who moved back home back there...

it was a 1999 with 200K on it... did the brakes, tune up, oil change, trans change on it... car was in great shape.... we bought it for 2K... it was good enough, I was tempted to buy it instead if I didn't have to drive it 3000 miles back to Oregon....

Those Avalons are darn good vehicles...

I did read somewhere that this version was a close comparison to a Lexus ES 300, just not quite a refined and I think the Lexus had more power. I've looked at so many cars and read so much information the past couple of weeks that I can't recall everything.

I wanted to stay under $3,500.00 and it's a tough price range. Either stuff has a ton of miles, is beat to hell, or if it's a decent deal, they just don't last very long.

Yes, you stole it. Congrats!



Cars like that will mess with your head. The Corolla S we bought our daughters to learn on (2005 175k single owner no wrecks all records immaculate) was $4200 at the time and driving it back home from Tacoma I was thinking, so why would I ever pay more than $4000 for a car again.......? I mean it rode and drove perfect and looked great too (for one of those)! Still have it and all I've done is battery oil and brakes.

Great deal on a great car.

FWIW: I spent many sleepless nights and made several trips to Georgetown, KY over the extruded side moldings with chrome plated injection molded strips on the 299T cars. My first trip to Japan was a group effort to convince Toyota engineers that the original design for the chrome strips was not feasible. The next generation, 900T, changed to injection molded trim and pocketed extruded chrome strips which made my life much easier.

I realized while driving to work this morning that the 299T did not have chrome strips. The next model was 645T. A minor makeover which added chrome. Not that it really adds anything to the discussion. It just gives me flashbacks to a time in my life that I should have spent more time with family and less at work.

Good deal!

Those are very good cars and you got a heck of a deal.

For while, between pickups, I drove a '95 Olds Cutlass Ciera, in white. It was "grandmaflauged" pretty well. I could haul ass down the highway without a glance from the cops.

Nice score congrats

Got a trophy, not much different than hunting

Do your homework, know what you want

Glass, glass, glass scout, do a few stalks


There was more than luck involved in this find, as there most often is

Why is it the guys that work harder seem to be the luckiest


Great score! Congrats

Wow, that is a once in a lifetime score, IMO. My folks had one of those exactly like that, but white with tan interior. they put 260k on it before selling it.

Hope the daughter enjoys it.

Nice roomy back seat should come in handy for a 16 year old girl.













That wasn't very nice was it? As much as I enjoy poking you in the eye I was only kidding you, honest. Looks like you got a great deal on a fantastic car. That should serve her very well and give you some real piece of mind.

I had a 99 and gave it to my son when it had 175K on it. He had a minor fender bender that did not even deploy the airbags. The thief Body Shop wanted 3400 to fix it , So our insurance company totalled it . They gave us 5400 for it along with a damage mark on the title.

I spent 1k at the dealers getting it tuned up, timing belt and valve cover gasket(very problematic issue on that engine) . Our's had seeped oil for at least 100k miles. From the day it came home Mobil 1 was used on it and a factory filter every 3k, The mechanic at the dealer ship said it was the cleanest top end of a cylinder head(s) he had seen.

I sold it to my brother for 2500, he spent 1k fixing the bent hood and replacing the bumper skin. It now has 300k on it and doesn't burn a drop of oil.

And you wonder why everyone thinks you're a fugg'n dipschitt. Seems like just when I think you can't possibly post anything stupider than you already have, you take it as a challenge.

Paid $3500 for a 2000 model Avalon with 130K on it last fall, thought I got a decent deal......great cars.

And you wonder why I enjoy poking you in the eye.

No class. Good way to get your ass kicked.

He's earned it.

A fuggin fire fly could mess with your head.

Still haven't found your pine tree to hide under eh?

He can't help himself. Or maybe it wasn't him?

Same car as the Lexus ES 330/350. They're great cars. I drive the 350 because I found a deal on it, but I average about 29mpg combined driving. Supposedly one of the most reliable vehicles on the road. She'll look back and appreciate that grandpa car.

Great deal. Avalon is a very nice car. This is what it cost in 1995 dollars new


Style Original MSRP / Price


4dr Sedan XL w/Bucket Seats $22,988.00

4dr Sedan XL w/Bench Seat $23,788.00

4dr Sedan XLS w/Bench Seat $26,958.00

4dr Sedan XLS w/Bucket Seats $26,958.00

I don't know either of you (or what your beef with one another is), but that's the d-bag statement of the day.

Lord knows I'm guilty of saying stupid chit on occasion, but I generally recognize it and try to make amends. You should probably follow suit. Quit trying to justify it though, as it just makes you look like a horses' azz.

Did you read the rest of what I posted?

That wasn't very nice was it? grin As much as I enjoy poking you in the eye I was only kidding you, honest. Looks like you got a great deal on a fantastic car. That should serve her very well and give you some real piece of mind.

My wife and I bought a brand new Avalon Limited last August. It has all the bells and whistles and is the nicest car I have ever owned. Have read nothing but good reviews since the model was introduced.

That's a nice '95! It's the relatively rare 6 passenger with column shift. Most have a console and floor shifter.

Former coworker had an Avalon, same year +/-. Had over 300K miles on it before he finally traded it for a new one. You done good...

Wow--I'd like to find one like that with the bench seat. I've yet to figure out why they put in a console that does nothing but waste space, especially with an auto transmission.

The daughter is not nearly as excited about it as I am because it's not exactly a "cool" car for a 16 year old, but I'll bet that fades once she starts driving it. I went to the DMV today and got it licensed and just got off the phone from switching the insurance over from her other car, so she'll be riding in style tomorrow...

Kids driving a car Mom and Dad bought don't get to complain. 2 years untill this becomes an issue here. My Daughter already knows what her first car will be, the 1995 Subaru wagon I drive now, she hates it.

Good for you.

Our neighbor had one and said it was the best car they ever had.

Ten years ago I bought the same Avalon, same color with leather in a 1997 model with 52,000 miles on it for my daughter. Paid $4500. for it. She said it looked like an old persons car.

It now has 112,000 miles and she is still happily driving it. Only problems encountered was replacement of the front struts.
on't see here getting rid of it in the near future. GW

So you say a stupid ass, degrading statement about the guys 16 year old daughter but you follow it up with a compliment on a fugkin used car and that is supposed to make it right?

JFC you are a dumb sonofabitch!

I really wish the pine tree you picked didn't have fugkin wi fi

GW, have you had the timing belt and water pump replaced? If so, at what mileage and approximate cost?

wouldn't have gotten away with that on the west coast...

They'd have pulled you over like crazy out there, to see if you were a Mexican hauling drugs....no matter how slow or below the speed limit you were going...

Mexicanos like those Cutlasses...

pretty much same engine as in the Camrys....

those are non interference engines, so you can drive it until it breaks without hurting anything.....

I've replaced them on my Camrys every 90k.... its about $30 for the timing belt ( the parts) and about $40 for the water pump..

I've done them myself.... if you had to take it to a mechanic, the Alldata software program I think list it as a 4 hour job...

its not that complicated if you are mechanically inclined....

hardest part is pulling the harmonic balancer... I always get a tool loaned from Autozone for that...

I've gotten away with changing the water pump every other Belt change...( 180K)....

Well, made it just over three months before she wrecked it. The daughter was headed to work this afternoon and managed to run into the back of a car in a string of cars stopped for a light. Mangled the rear bumper and tow hitch on the other vehicle. Bent the [bleep] out of the hood, bumper, and broke the headlights on the Avalon. Starts and seems to run fine, but looks like hell. Luckily no one was hurt. No airbag deployment, etc.

As long as she is safe----everything else will work out----it's just sheet metal, plastic and glass. It all can be replaced, your daughter can't.

Metal is replaced. Kids aren't. Glad she was ok.

Glad she wasn't hurt. Gonna fix the car?

If you go shopping again, don't ignore the early 2000's Saab 9-3's. I picked up an extremely clean 2000 with only 70,000 on the clock and I'm wondering why I never paid them any attention before. 20+ mpg city/30+ hwy mpg- with a 2.0Liter twin cam turbo 200HP engine + 5-speed= very spirited driving experience with Saab legendary reliability. Got it for $1500, meant for an interim car while shopping for something else after the trans packed up in my GMC, but I stopped shopping for the moment I like it so much.

If it's safe, let her drive it. It'll be a nice visual reminder, and maybe a signal to others to stay out of the way.

Glad she's safe and okay.

What a bummer. Sorry for your trouble.

Glad your daughter is ok.

Glad she's OK. Hopefully she learned a lot from the experience.

Did she confess to the cell phone?