Avensis

joinme

First time post on motoring forum. looking at an 06 Avensis, 1.6, low mileage. NCT until May'16. in the region of €3.8k. What are peoples thoughts on the Avensis as a car? any legacy issues with this model?
thanks

bazz26

Is it the pre facelifted model or facelifted model as both were sold in 2006? Facelifted model has redesigned front grill and exterior mirrors with built in indicators.

1.6 litre is grand for potting around town in but get it out on the open road and it runs out of steam. On the motorway it has to be revved hard which hits mpg too. The 1.8 litre is much better but they are less common.

joinme

thanks for the reply. I wouldn't be on the motorway much.

there is also the possibility of a 2007, 1.8 model for a similar price. 100k mileage.
what kind of motor tax on this? around the €750 mark is it?

Mister Jingles

636 per year for a 1.8 I think.

bazz26

Just be careful if the 1.8 litre is an automatic then there is a fair chance it was a rental car at some stage. Rental companies generally held onto automatic cars longer than manuals so they tend to get alot more battered and bruised the longer they are on their books.

colm_mcm

1.6 is a safe bet, and if you don't do much high speed driving it'll be fine.

I would seek out a facelift model as they have folding rear seats and more durable seats.

JohnBoy26

joinme wrote: »

First time post on motoring forum. looking at an 06 Avensis, 1.6, low mileage. NCT until May'16. in the region of €3.8k. What are peoples thoughts on the Avensis as a car? any legacy issues with this model?
thanks

They are a very good car. The 1.6 engine is good too but maybe a little underpowered. It's fine for most people's needs though. Make sure there is no noise from the gearbox. Gearbox bearing are the only major weak point on the mk2 avensis.

hell4leather

I know I'm a bit a late here but just thought I post anyway. We've had an 1.6 2005 avensis since 2007, haven't had any trouble yet . we are thinking of changing it this year for another avensis. Definitely recommend the car though. One thing I would agree with is that the 1.6 can be a little noisy on the motorway but its bearable and all in all its a sound little motor.

Leonard Hofstadter

The 1.8 is certainly no ball of fire while the 1.6 is anaemic, so I'd go for the 1.8, although these are undoubtedly harder to find. That said, a 1.6 will be grand if it's mostly town driving. The 1.6 is very noisy on the motorway and guzzles fuel at higher speeds as a result.

If you're buying a high mileage one, watch out for oil burning, on anything with more than 125,000 miles or 200,000 km I'd be checking the oil every 1,000 miles or thereabouts. The gearboxes can be soft on them also, but otherwise they're very reliable, there's a 1.8 in the family and aside from burning a small bit of oil over the past few years, the engine has never given the slightest bit of trouble (it's been in the family from new and is now on 179,000 miles).