Ahh the good old avalon. I used to own these car for about a year, it was a gift from my dad and I was bored to sleep driving it to work but I could never bring myself to calling it a bad car. Yeah it's the most un-sporty car imaginable but there's so much things to like about it too. The back seat are so roomy that I can take a nap on it during my lunch break, the A/C blow a truckload into your face, and the car barely broke down despite being 21 years old and having 23k miles on it. It's such a good car that our family own 4 avalon (3 now since I sold mine) and would just use it as benchmark for future car buying endeavors.
Just saw one of those for sale at a small used car lot a few months ago, 2000 white XLE with 100k miles and a check engine light showing. Got sold before they could even get that checked out.
In Central Maine, we have a lot of French Canadian older folks back in the late 90’s. My Toyota salesman said that they sold “A LOT” of Bench seat models. That they loved them and was their biggest sellers. Who da thought that such a retro design would be so popular…well, to that demographic anyway. I inquired about buying one and thought quite seriously about it till I was shown the resale/trade-in values compared to the Camry. Needless to say, we bought the Camry.
Toyota did a great job identifying its target customer with the Avalon, IMO. Clearly targeted a mature audience that loved the "big car" ride, FWD, and bulletproof reliability. Speed and slalom performance didn't matter in the least. I had a retired couple that lived next to me that fit this criteria; they were staunch GM buyers (prior cars were an Olds 98 Regency and Buick LeSabre), but became disillusioned in what was increasingly horrible quality and cheap interiors, particularly in their last LeSabre. They went on to buy a 2003 Avalon and still owned and loved it 11 years later when I moved away.
I'm still trying to figure out if this new Crown (it has standard AWD) is based on a RWD platform or a FWD platform. If the later, it's a huge mistake. We don't need another stretched Camry.
Avalon customers have been dying off rapidly in recent years. Customers tend to keep these cars until it either is ready for the scrap yard or the owners go to the graveyard. Plus, these cars tend to last for 300k miles, negating the need for frequent replacement, which are the reasons it started selling slower in later years.
I have the best of both worlds a 97 Corolla generic but bulletproof and my 99 Bonneville as my weekend car for the styling and old excitement. It is truly the best of both worlds for the bucks long live the late 90' cars.
Great show ! I was in the market for a full-sized car in 2000 and I ended up buying a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan which I owned for many years without having issues . I certainly loved my Grand Marquis for it's durability.
Fun with a set of coilovers. Mine has a Whiteline rear sway bar. Woke it up. With how some people feel mid about how they look, mine has gotten very positive attention from people. I think they may even be getting better looking with time with how ugly some of these newer cars look. They really stand out when you put some tlc into them unlike most drivers of this gen.
Well, to be honest I don't know why Toyota ever decided to build the US-spec only Avalon having both Mark II and Crown as domestic cars. By early 90's both became pretty modern outside, but stayed RWD. That is what "highway сruisers" fans wanted IMO.
We should have gotten the earlier Crowns. Even though they would have only had V6 engines, they would have sold well as upscale cars. The Avalon was nothing more than a stretched Camry. That's not good enough for me.
I have had more Buicks bought new through the years including two LaCrosses and I would choose the Avalon over the later model Buicks any day. I would struggle too with this one. It would be redundant to say how good these cars were/are. Just about every time I am out, I will see all generations (1 thru 5) of Avalons being driven. I have a 2008 Avalon Limited that is my favorite car out of all the many brands I've had. It is about as perfect a car as one could hope for. Well engineered and built and supremely comfortable- much more so than my 2022 Avalon Limited! And yes, many of the generations 1 and 2 had bench seats.
I've spent a lot of time in avalons over the years. The 04 with nicely worn in back seats is still the most comfortable car I've ever spent any time in, sat plenty in the more modern ones as well as the SUVs that mostly replaced them sales wise RDX,MDX RX300. if it wasn't for the fact at like 225k miles the car needed like 40 sensors done I'm pretty sure I'd be driving it now.
I share that frustration. I remember seeing them new and thinking; why don't I like it more, I should but I don't, I can't for some reason, LOL. I settled on the thought, Toyota made it more dowdy so it didn't complete with Lexus. They did get it right though in the last gen which it died. So I get it Jon!
I *should* love it... but I don't. And I think you nailed it, when looking for something like my old Buicks, they had style. The Avalon just really doesn't.
Jon, from what you're talking about I think what you're struggling with is what I struggle with it. My problem with it is expectation versus reality. For years, we hear the claim of this being a Toyota's Buick. After years of hearing this, you develop expectations that it will be such. Then when you ride in them, my reaction is this is exactly as similar to a Buick LeSabre as it is to a BMW 3 series. If all you have driven is BMWs, you might think this is roughly what a Buick feels like. If all you have ever driven are Buick LeSabres, you might think this is what a BMW is like. This is not a Buick. A Buick focused on excesses of comfort, space, enormous trunks, overpowered engines, over styling, overstuffed seats. This car is more closely sized to a Chevy Malibu from that era than it is to any Buick of that era. I think the more accurate comparison is that this is Toyota's Chevy Lumina. The Luminas were the largest sedan in Chevy's line up. It's not particularly luxurious or particularly sporty. It's just a big appliance And it's not nearly as big as many other competitors sedans. When I look at it like that, then I see it as a really good offering and definitely better than a Chevy lumina was. If the lumina was more like the Avalon, GM wouldn't have continued to lose the market as the interior is way better than any lumina was, The build quality is above and beyond a lumina, The gauges and many other things are definitely superior. As for the offering during the time, the three liter engine was the norm for larger midsize vehicles which is what I've always classified the Avalon as as it's nowhere near as big as the true full size vehicles. Just look at the Ford Taurus which was bigger which had in the year 2000 two choices between a push rod Vulcan and overhead cam 24 valve duratec engine only as an option. As far as reliability is concerned, my primary concern would be that this generation of the three liter engine from Toyota had oil sludge problems from around 97 through 01 or '02. For the price, I would rather spin it on a loaded Chrysler Concorde and have a much bigger trunk and back seat and more comfortable seats. If memory serves correctly, I think this is slightly cheaper than a LeSabre but if I could find a deal on a LeSabre instead of an Avalon I would definitely get it over an Avalon. If I wanted a mid-size car, I would just get a Taurus has my experience with Tauruses have been very positive with numerous family members reaching past 250,000 to 300,000 miles on original engine and transmission so long as you take care of it and a friend that did have an Avalon had to replace a transmission at 175,000. While I'm sure that the transmission used in the Toyota is usually going to be more reliable, the point is even the best designs will fail now and then so it's kind of a gamble regardless. Within the last 10 years, I would say it's a much safer bet to buy an Avalon then anything GM has made in this class as the high feature V6 engines are nowhere near as durable as the 3800. I'm not as sure if it's a slam dunk between an Avalon versus a Taurus or an Avalon versus an LX car as each has its weakness with the engine. If you watch the car care nut channel, you become more aware that Toyota isn't as perfect as sometimes they're famed as being. Still great, just not as bulletproof as we may think sometimes. As for your last comment about feeling like the big three tried harder and didn't get credit versus Toyota just made a competent product in one praise, I credit that too the reality that the automotive media is bias and tends to pick only a certain type of car enthusiast to judge cars. They want every car to handle as tightly as possible, firmer seats, have his low a profile of tire as possible, want sedan smaller, and judge harshly against anything that resembles traditional American car attributes. It tends to be focused on what people who are either youthful or still have a body that will permit youthful activities. If a person becomes injured and can no longer enjoy such vehicles, the things the automotive media doesn't like is exactly what you need. In the video on the New Yorker 5th avenue, they're snide comment about the car being for soft people pretty much displays their bias. There's a place in the market for soft cars and people shouldn't be shamed for liking them as some roads in this country are absolutely horrible and even if we're not even 40 yet, injuries can happen which will ruin your back to where riding in a car trying to be a BMW is incredibly painful just on the way to the store.
Yes agree totally. I was going to remark on the interior looking an awful lot like my friend’s new at the time 2000 Buick Regal. Black exterior, gray leather interior. It was plush and sporty and friends promptly made fun of him saying “love your granny car”. 😅 He didn’t keep it long after that and bought a BMW three series sedan.
If you put an avalon an, ES and a camry next to one another and removed all badging you have the same car. Of course the interiors are different but that's due to pricing at the time. Unless you absolutely have to have the car for the interior you can save a few dollars and pick up a camry.
They drove and rode differently. I spent many miles in both. Camry had a sporty ride, Avalon was quiet and serene. Both were extremely reliable though.
Facelifted 2nd gen looks a little nicer and it got the 3.3L. I also like the 3rd gen with the improved 3.5L but by then they did away with bench seats.
My father bought a 2000 Avalon, kept it for a few years and then sold it to my brother. He kept it for about ten years and he sold it to me. My ex wife drove it until she crashed it. Dependable car but very boring to drive.
2 of my favorite cars I have no clue why they just appealed to me. The 86 maxima and any 280zx. Not 240 or 300 but specifically 280z wish I could find either for a decent price
These were excellent cars. They accommodated tall drivers with comfortable, large seats. The 3.0 v6 was smooth, quiet, and responsive for the era.
3rd gen Avalon with the 3.5 2GR were really quick for their size. 0-60 in less than 6 seconds is wild for a grandpa car.
This gen is my favorite avalon
Back then Toyota's were boring cars, but were popular due to their legendary reliability. Toyota is a conservative company
Just turned my 2000 avalon over to 200000 miles only been in the shop once. Couldnt recomend this car any higher its the best car ive ever drove
Ahh the good old avalon. I used to own these car for about a year, it was a gift from my dad and I was bored to sleep driving it to work but I could never bring myself to calling it a bad car. Yeah it's the most un-sporty car imaginable but there's so much things to like about it too. The back seat are so roomy that I can take a nap on it during my lunch break, the A/C blow a truckload into your face, and the car barely broke down despite being 21 years old and having 23k miles on it. It's such a good car that our family own 4 avalon (3 now since I sold mine) and would just use it as benchmark for future car buying endeavors.
That's right...👍🏼
Jon, "You're not going to be autocrrossing this thing." Challenge accepted.
Lol!!!
Not a challenge! Not a challenge!!! :)
I like how you could get those Avalon's with a front split bench and column shifter like you could with a Buick LeSabre
Just saw one of those for sale at a small used car lot a few months ago, 2000 white XLE with 100k miles and a check engine light showing. Got sold before they could even get that checked out.
What was the asking price?
6999@@frankiemarchese2978
Im guessing about 6000$@@frankiemarchese2978
In Central Maine, we have a lot of French Canadian older folks back in the late 90’s. My Toyota salesman said that they sold “A LOT” of Bench seat models. That they loved them and was their biggest sellers. Who da thought that such a retro design would be so popular…well, to that demographic anyway. I inquired about buying one and thought quite seriously about it till I was shown the resale/trade-in values compared to the Camry. Needless to say, we bought the Camry.
I feel the same way about the styling of this vehicle
Toyota did a great job identifying its target customer with the Avalon, IMO. Clearly targeted a mature audience that loved the "big car" ride, FWD, and bulletproof reliability. Speed and slalom performance didn't matter in the least. I had a retired couple that lived next to me that fit this criteria; they were staunch GM buyers (prior cars were an Olds 98 Regency and Buick LeSabre), but became disillusioned in what was increasingly horrible quality and cheap interiors, particularly in their last LeSabre. They went on to buy a 2003 Avalon and still owned and loved it 11 years later when I moved away.
Still drive one. It’s my daily! Also got a 21 4Runner! Love Toyota forever
Toyota just discontinued the Avalon due to slow sales and replaced it with the new Crown crossover sedan
Which they should have done when when the Cressida discontinued. Should have the Crown.
I'm still trying to figure out if this new Crown (it has standard AWD) is based on a RWD platform or a FWD platform. If the later, it's a huge mistake. We don't need another stretched Camry.
@@johnnymason3265 I think the Regular Crown is RWD as standard.
@@1985toyotacamry I certainly hope so. This is what we should have gotten back in 1995 when the Cressida was dropped.
Avalon customers have been dying off rapidly in recent years. Customers tend to keep these cars until it either is ready for the scrap yard or the owners go to the graveyard. Plus, these cars tend to last for 300k miles, negating the need for frequent replacement, which are the reasons it started selling slower in later years.
I have the best of both worlds a 97 Corolla generic but bulletproof and my 99 Bonneville as my weekend car for the styling and old excitement. It is truly the best of both worlds for the bucks long live the late 90' cars.
I had a Dark Green 4 door Pontiac Bonneville I call my “Nuclear Batmobile” Best looking car I owned.
I would get one with the front bench seats!
Great show ! I was in the market for a full-sized car in 2000 and I ended up buying a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan which I owned for many years without having issues . I certainly loved my Grand Marquis for it's durability.
for me this is "just a car" - no shame, just like you said no wow but also no crap
Fun with a set of coilovers. Mine has a Whiteline rear sway bar. Woke it up. With how some people feel mid about how they look, mine has gotten very positive attention from people. I think they may even be getting better looking with time with how ugly some of these newer cars look. They really stand out when you put some tlc into them unlike most drivers of this gen.
Well, to be honest I don't know why Toyota ever decided to build the US-spec only Avalon having both Mark II and Crown as domestic cars. By early 90's both became pretty modern outside, but stayed RWD. That is what "highway сruisers" fans wanted IMO.
We should have gotten the earlier Crowns. Even though they would have only had V6 engines, they would have sold well as upscale cars. The Avalon was nothing more than a stretched Camry. That's not good enough for me.
@@johnnymason3265 I had a ride in a 1988 or 1989 Crown Comfort - such a great car. Very smooth yet dynamic.
The Japanese got this generation except it was called Toyota Pronard
I have had more Buicks bought new through the years including two LaCrosses and I would choose the Avalon over the later model Buicks any day. I would struggle too with this one. It would be redundant to say how good these cars were/are. Just about every time I am out, I will see all generations (1 thru 5) of Avalons being driven. I have a 2008 Avalon Limited that is my favorite car out of all the many brands I've had. It is about as perfect a car as one could hope for. Well engineered and built and supremely comfortable- much more so than my 2022 Avalon Limited!
And yes, many of the generations 1 and 2 had bench seats.
There are days I think if I ever bought one... I'd never have anything else.
I've spent a lot of time in avalons over the years. The 04 with nicely worn in back seats is still the most comfortable car I've ever spent any time in, sat plenty in the more modern ones as well as the SUVs that mostly replaced them sales wise RDX,MDX RX300.
if it wasn't for the fact at like 225k miles the car needed like 40 sensors done I'm pretty sure I'd be driving it now.
I share that frustration. I remember seeing them new and thinking; why don't I like it more, I should but I don't, I can't for some reason, LOL. I settled on the thought, Toyota made it more dowdy so it didn't complete with Lexus. They did get it right though in the last gen which it died. So I get it Jon!
I *should* love it... but I don't. And I think you nailed it, when looking for something like my old Buicks, they had style. The Avalon just really doesn't.
your friend should of kept the buick regal . That 3800 3.8 v6 was bullet proof. The bmw is an endless money pit !!!!@@AllCarswithJon
Could you do a motorweek reaction of the 2009 Hyundai Genesis sedan?
I could, and that would be interesting. I'll need to search one up.
Jon, from what you're talking about I think what you're struggling with is what I struggle with it.
My problem with it is expectation versus reality. For years, we hear the claim of this being a Toyota's Buick. After years of hearing this, you develop expectations that it will be such. Then when you ride in them, my reaction is this is exactly as similar to a Buick LeSabre as it is to a BMW 3 series. If all you have driven is BMWs, you might think this is roughly what a Buick feels like. If all you have ever driven are Buick LeSabres, you might think this is what a BMW is like.
This is not a Buick. A Buick focused on excesses of comfort, space, enormous trunks, overpowered engines, over styling, overstuffed seats. This car is more closely sized to a Chevy Malibu from that era than it is to any Buick of that era. I think the more accurate comparison is that this is Toyota's Chevy Lumina. The Luminas were the largest sedan in Chevy's line up. It's not particularly luxurious or particularly sporty. It's just a big appliance And it's not nearly as big as many other competitors sedans. When I look at it like that, then I see it as a really good offering and definitely better than a Chevy lumina was. If the lumina was more like the Avalon, GM wouldn't have continued to lose the market as the interior is way better than any lumina was, The build quality is above and beyond a lumina, The gauges and many other things are definitely superior.
As for the offering during the time, the three liter engine was the norm for larger midsize vehicles which is what I've always classified the Avalon as as it's nowhere near as big as the true full size vehicles. Just look at the Ford Taurus which was bigger which had in the year 2000 two choices between a push rod Vulcan and overhead cam 24 valve duratec engine only as an option.
As far as reliability is concerned, my primary concern would be that this generation of the three liter engine from Toyota had oil sludge problems from around 97 through 01 or '02.
For the price, I would rather spin it on a loaded Chrysler Concorde and have a much bigger trunk and back seat and more comfortable seats. If memory serves correctly, I think this is slightly cheaper than a LeSabre but if I could find a deal on a LeSabre instead of an Avalon I would definitely get it over an Avalon. If I wanted a mid-size car, I would just get a Taurus has my experience with Tauruses have been very positive with numerous family members reaching past 250,000 to 300,000 miles on original engine and transmission so long as you take care of it and a friend that did have an Avalon had to replace a transmission at 175,000. While I'm sure that the transmission used in the Toyota is usually going to be more reliable, the point is even the best designs will fail now and then so it's kind of a gamble regardless.
Within the last 10 years, I would say it's a much safer bet to buy an Avalon then anything GM has made in this class as the high feature V6 engines are nowhere near as durable as the 3800. I'm not as sure if it's a slam dunk between an Avalon versus a Taurus or an Avalon versus an LX car as each has its weakness with the engine. If you watch the car care nut channel, you become more aware that Toyota isn't as perfect as sometimes they're famed as being. Still great, just not as bulletproof as we may think sometimes.
As for your last comment about feeling like the big three tried harder and didn't get credit versus Toyota just made a competent product in one praise, I credit that too the reality that the automotive media is bias and tends to pick only a certain type of car enthusiast to judge cars. They want every car to handle as tightly as possible, firmer seats, have his low a profile of tire as possible, want sedan smaller, and judge harshly against anything that resembles traditional American car attributes. It tends to be focused on what people who are either youthful or still have a body that will permit youthful activities. If a person becomes injured and can no longer enjoy such vehicles, the things the automotive media doesn't like is exactly what you need. In the video on the New Yorker 5th avenue, they're snide comment about the car being for soft people pretty much displays their bias. There's a place in the market for soft cars and people shouldn't be shamed for liking them as some roads in this country are absolutely horrible and even if we're not even 40 yet, injuries can happen which will ruin your back to where riding in a car trying to be a BMW is incredibly painful just on the way to the store.
great comment! Thanks!
Yes agree totally. I was going to remark on the interior looking an awful lot like my friend’s new at the time 2000 Buick Regal. Black exterior, gray leather interior. It was plush and sporty and friends promptly made fun of him saying “love your granny car”. 😅 He didn’t keep it long after that and bought a BMW three series sedan.
If you put an avalon an, ES and a camry next to one another and removed all badging you have the same car. Of course the interiors are different but that's due to pricing at the time. Unless you absolutely have to have the car for the interior you can save a few dollars and pick up a camry.
Camry was a lesser car. One can argue that Avalon not worth the cost. But there are more differences than you mention.
It doesn't share that much with the Camry. Even the engines were given VVTi which the Camry didn't get for more torque and HP.
They drove and rode differently. I spent many miles in both. Camry had a sporty ride, Avalon was quiet and serene. Both were extremely reliable though.
They are all essentially the same car. Same chassis for all 3. The suspension tuning etc may be different but they are all the same.
Facelifted 2nd gen looks a little nicer and it got the 3.3L. I also like the 3rd gen with the improved 3.5L but by then they did away with bench seats.
The second gen never got a 3.3. That was in the ES330. It went from 3.0 in the second gen to 3.5 in the third gen.
The Lexus ES300 is the luxury version of the Toyota Camry
Early versions of the ES were based on the Camry, later versions off the Avalon
@@AllCarswithJon The Avalon was basically a stretched Camry so the current Lexus ES is still based on the Camry.
My father bought a 2000 Avalon, kept it for a few years and then sold it to my brother. He kept it for about ten years and he sold it to me. My ex wife drove it until she crashed it.
Dependable car but very boring to drive.
Great boring cars I agree! But they ran forever if taken care of. Sadly they rusted out really quick in the rust belt
Toyota still makes the Avalon
Not in the US.
@@AllCarswithJon You are right. Looks like the Crown replaced the Avalon
They're still made in China and a few other foreign markets.
2006 looked much better snd had a 3.5
2 of my favorite cars I have no clue why they just appealed to me. The 86 maxima and any 280zx. Not 240 or 300 but specifically 280z wish I could find either for a decent price
I like the last generation Avalon, even with its big cowcatcher grille. These, not so much. The styling and proportions always looked off to me.
you do no like the 2000 to 2004 because they look boring but once you drive them they are basically premiun versions of camrys
Reaction videos about reviews of 20-year-old cars that were ho-hum when new? No thanks.
I get it, thanks for being here. That's why I do a variety - so I've still got histories like you've watched before!