1996 Toyota Avalon XLS review from North America
"Reliable, fast, comfortable, but all the fun of kissing your sister"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
There have been no repairs on the car. I brought it in for dealer service, which was a timing belt and was willing to go for some extra preventive maintenance. Only after the dealer played with it, it needed several gaskets changed for leaks. May have been a dishonest dealer, perhaps just my bad luck. Cost of stopping leaks about $1200. Dealer claimed my rack needed changing and that this was a typical problem in Toyota cars. I did not want to spend the $800 to change the steering and then surprise, no more leak. Caution Toyota dealers have deserved bad rep.
General comments?
In 40,000 miles plus the car has been a dream to own.
I drive to work in South Florida at speeds of 80MPH every day, the car rides smooth, feels safe, no rattles, and is extremely comfortable.
Car averages 26 miles per gallon for high speed highway travel, I use the 87 octane cheap fuel as recommended.
Everything still works in this nearly 8 year old car. Every switch, button, and lever has held up. Gone are the good old days of my Ford when random parts would be laying on the front seat. Build quality is great.
No sex appeal. The car is very comfortable, but not fun to drive and does not get looks. Coming from a rare sports car I feel like I am driving with a paper bag over my car.
Good speed. Car feels very fast, almost sporty. The engine, much like the Lexus version has plenty of power. In one of my idiot moments I punched it at a stop line racing an Eclipse to the merge lane. He never had a chance.
Big Big Big. There is plenty of room in the car, I can comfortably fit six if I have to, and I am always catching rear passengers looking around at the size. The car is not overly long, but very spacious.
Fair braking. The brakes squeak like mice, but since the windows are pretty well sealed I rarely hear it.
Durable sound system. After pounding music for three years the speakers have not blown, I usually trash speakers inside of six months.
Easy to ding. The side panels are not well protected, the car takes on dings very easily.
Recommended reviews
  | The 1998 Avalon is a luxury family car that is very reliable |
| Reliable, excellent MPG, low cost to operate |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 6 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 8/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 22000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 65000 miles |
| Previous car | Subaru SVX |
| Date of Entry | 21st April, 2003 |