2001 Toyota Avensis review from Romania

Keep in mind ALL "mileage" is actually in Km!

Rear door seal started leaking 60,000km. Right after warranty expired.

Starter solenoid went at 80,000km. Made horrible grinding noise when starting - replaced (cheap) Euro 80.

Clutch and flywheel at 82400km. OK, clutch I can understand needing to be changed, but, the flywheel should "never" need replacing with normal wear. The flywheel ALONE was 900Euro. Mechanic insisted NOT to use Toyota part as (he claimed) it had a design flaw they were still manufacturing.

All lights and light-bulbs - rear brakes, turn signals, driving lights... seems like every three months one burns out... or the electrical contacts no longer work.

Driver door lock slips and door can only be opened (reliably) with the remote.

The "good" - excellent fuel (D4D) economy - less than I expected around 6.5L/100 in town and 4-4.2 on the highway. Comfortable ride. Decent acceleration.

The "bad" - comfortable ride means very soft and poor handling, almost downright unstable. Not on par with the Germans or even the Ford Mondeo.

And

The "ugly" - seems like more breakdown issues than any Toyota should have. More on par with a Volkswagen. Should never have to replace a flywheel! Also, body design has a sloped front hood and a short integrated bumper --- meaning anyone backing up in a parking lot and "bumping" your front end has a GOOD chance of denting the hood of the car -- similar problem with rear taillights (replaced BOTH as a result of 2mph parking lot "incidents")