1997 Toyota Avalon XL review from North America

Nothing thus far.

I work at a Toyota dealership, and this car was traded in in May 03. The customer, an older lady, bought it new from us in 97 (before I worked there).

She traded it in for a new Avalon XLS.

The owner of the dealership drove the car since we got it, through the entire Summer... mind you, this fact speaks volumes, as he is very particular, and can drive any car he wants, including a new Avalon. So, when he decided that we could sell it in mid October, I drove it home and my wife absolutely fell in love with it. Having been driving our Infiniti G-20 since we bought new in 94, she was ecstatic with the power of the V-6. (the G-20, while adept during the first years of ownership, was getting pretty tired...) So, with 106k miles on it, we picked up this one owner, dealer maintained Avalon for a mere $6000. Oh, the benefits of working at a dealership!! Incidentally, the previous owner was a single lady, so the driver's seat was the only one with any significant wear... the passenger seat had minimal wear, and the rear seats... I kid you not, looked like they had rarely been sat in, if at all. My neighbor, two doors down, recently purchased a 2000 Lexus ES300 for $26000...now, I understand that it IS a Lexus, and is newer and so forth, but, she was completely beside herself with our Avalon. We are absolutely satisfied with this purchase. :)