Kilometres travelled
More than 100,000 km
Did you buy this car new or used?
Used
If used, what year did you buy it used?
2018
How much did you pay? (including all on-road costs)
12000
What were your needs when you bought this car? Has it fulfilled those needs?
Our previous car was a 1996 Nissan Sunny sedan. After having two children we had been thinking about getting a larger, safer car and we were forced into action after being rear-ended by a driver that subsequently did a runner. The Avensis has been good in terms of meeting the cargo needs of a family and it feels safe, but it has also come with a lot of issues.
What were your initial thoughts about the car? Tell us why it appealed to you.
Initially we were very happy. The car was a good size and drove well. It looked pretty good in black with a bodykit, had electric leather seats and even an entertainment console that would play DVDs. Being a Japanese import meant that the radio was near-unusable, but this was a minor annoyance.
What have you discovered since owning the car?
The car was relatively old when we bought it, but we had a limited budget and so the Avensis felt like a good option based on what we could afford. In the five or so years since we've owned the car we have had a large number of issues to deal with.
What do you like/dislike about the car?
We like the size and we've heard the safety is good. It is comfortable and the leather seats are nice. Cruise control is good, but rarely used. Unfortunately Avensis' have a number of known issues, which we didn't discover until after our purchase. Burning through oil is one of them - the car has a number of oil leaks which means we constantly have to check and top-up the oil. It also has issues with the automatic transmission - this is particularly apparent when the car enters high revs at speed as the gearbox struggles to find and maintain the correct gear. Steep, 100km roads like Transmission Gully are a nightmare. The car's electrics have been a constant problem - nearly all the interior lights have stopped working (new bulbs have been tried). The upholstery is all coming loose. The body-kit looks nice, but is a constant issue with curbs and one corner of the front bumper is continually coming loose. The handle on the boot has also had a connecting latch break, which means the handle threatens to pull right off every time you go to open the boot. We did end up having to replace the stereo as one day, out of the blue, the speakers just began emitting a high-pitched whine. It is not very fuel efficient. Finally, simple things like replacing a brake light are an absolute nightmare. We tried ourselves and could not change a rear brake light due to the difficult access. Our mechanics managed it, but it took over an hour - for one bulb.
Any other comments on the car?
One comment from a mechanic was 'Toyotas are generally pretty good, but for some reason they dropped the ball with the Avensis.'
Reliability
3
Features/technology
4
Performance/economy
2
Value for money
2
Overall rating
3
Lastly, would you buy this vehicle again?
No
Why would/wouldn't you buy it again?
Mainly for the performance issues. But just so many little things have gone wrong that have meant we always have something to worry about.