Funny enough, I’ve just placed a bid on one. A 2010 1.8 petrol Estate
For pitties sake, you can do better than that.
Drove exactly that car in 2010 and it was dreadful then in comparison to other cars we drove (we bought a kia Ceed 1.6 CRDi estate). Hate to think how it would compare to the cars we have had since the Ceed which in truth have made the Ceed appear somewhat uncouth.
The worst feature on what was a poor car was the electric handbrake which was placed in a daft place and worked illogically, was nearly enough to put me off such devices forever.
Lifes too short for buying 8 year old mediocrity.
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I find them bland but comfortable and perfectly acceptable to drive Skidpan. I agree they don’t measure up compared to the lastest models but I’m tired of losing money on cars and want to go back to my old low cost motoring with near zero depreciation which is ultimately the biggest cost we all pay especially as my annual mileage has collapsed to less than 7,500 miles a year, if even.
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I find them bland but comfortable and perfectly acceptable to drive Skidpan. I agree they don’t measure up compared to the lastest models but I’m tired of losing money on cars and want to go back to my old low cost motoring with near zero depreciation which is ultimately the biggest cost we all pay especially as my annual mileage has collapsed to less than 7,500 miles a year, if even.
I agree with your point about having a reliable car for low money. Cars are a money-pit and most folk are too weak-willed to see past the glamorous adverts.
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Funny enough, I’ve just placed a bid on one. A 2010 1.8 petrol Estate which is pretty much the perfect big used family car in my view. Solid, reliable, long lasting and cheap to buy. No more monthly payments for me I hope.
A good car and I hope it serves you well. Don't fall for the silly SUV trap, it's all marketing d*****.
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Funny enough, I’ve just placed a bid on one. A 2010 1.8 petrol Estate which is pretty much the perfect big used family car in my view. Solid, reliable, long lasting and cheap to buy. No more monthly payments for me I hope.
A good car and I hope it serves you well. Don't fall for the silly SUV trap, it's all marketing d*****.
The higher seating position and getting in and out easier is certainly nothing to do with marketing just good old fashioned reality,
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I bought a 65 reg petrol, auto estate in February, now with an additional 7k miles on the clock. Mine is a business edition plus so has a few creature comforts. I find it a quiet, comfortable and relaxing car to drive but with more than adequate acceleration if required.
I have the opportunity to engage with many different vehicles as I am a regular at BCA sourcing cars for a friend in the trade. Despite, or perhaps because of, this experience we largely stick with Toyota despite occasional flips to Volvo and Mercedes amongst others. My criteria are comfort, safety, reliability and economy and I find this a very satisfactory car, especially as I have a superb dealer just down the road. So it’s a once a year service and then fill and forget.
I appreciate the Avensis, and indeed Toyotas generally, are not leading edge in any particular aspect such as design or performance, but considered as a whole I think they add up to a very good even if not ultimately best choice. Overall I think SLO has made a sound choice.r
Edited by MGspannerman on 04/09/2018 at 14:31
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I'm not suprised if the saloon goes, the estate as well as being a much more versatile car also looks a lot neater than the saloon, which Toyota knocked about with their ugly stick at the back end, it's just wrong to look at, and i will not spend my hard earned on something that hurts your eyes.
Lovely car the Avensis, decent engines, the only reason there isn't one our drive is that stupid EPB, i will not have a car with one, despite Toyota's version being as expected more reliable than most despite the manual switch working back to front and being in a stupid spot.
I suspect the new Camry...which has some odd front end treatment it must be said, will have a standard hybrid style foot operated parking brake, at least i hope so.
If Camry has no estate option that is a grave error once again from the maker, a lesson which Hyundai Kia appear to have learned from Sonata/Magentis, both of which would have made fine estates and would have sold well here.
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I'm not suprised if the saloon goes, the estate as well as being a much more versatile car also looks a lot neater than the saloon, which Toyota knocked about with their ugly stick at the back end, it's just wrong to look at, and i will not spend my hard earned on something that hurts your eyes.
gb, that's why I'll be pleased to see the back of it, or is that the front!
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“only reason there isn't one our drive is that stupid EPB, i will not have a car with one, despite Toyota's version being as expected more reliable than most”
Agree totally. It’s an idiotic thing, a solution to a problem that never existed in the first place. This particular one has had issues with it in the past which have (hopefully) been rectified plus it’s had a recent exhaust and rear calippers along with a service at a reputable local dealer. If I could buy one with nothing other than power steering, central locking and air con I’d be delighted but new car buyers want gadgets. Quality shines through though and at 8yrs old and 70,000 miles it drives no differently from when it was new yet it’s a fraction of the cost... assuming my final offer is accepted. Today’s the day.
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8yrs old and 70,000 miles it drives no differently from when it was new yet it’s a fraction of the cost... assuming my final offer is accepted. Today’s the day.
I hope you get it, i used to load out of Burnaston and these were lovely cars to drive with silky smooth auto boxes if that's your thing, QC is something else there, the very rare time i ever found anything to query about one, seconds later a chap in a white smock from QC would be there wanting to know whjat had happened and the car immediately taken away for rectification work, my colleagues experiences at Honda factory were much the same, if it aint perfect it doesn't leave, you probably know that was not always the case at other makes and i've picked up quite badly damaged brand new cars from one factory (now gone) and they would be rectified by the selling dealer maybe hundreds of miles away, most odd state of affairs.
Those new calipers and exhaust were pricey stuff, hopefully thats those all sorted for the next 10 years.
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I did get it. For all of £4,150 a 2010 Estate with 70k full history, recent exhaust, serviced and MOT’d last month, recent tyres all round and new rear callipers. Near perfect condition inside and out drives without fault. The perfect used family car? No complex gearbox or engine to worry about, a simple chain driven petrol motor and manual box. It’s at least £1,000 less than equivalent dealer cars locally but a bit dearer than some other private sales I could’ve had. Always worth paying a bit more for the better car up front though. I’m happy to be away from valuable cars I worry about leaving on the street and which cost me several hundred quid a month and back to stress free motoring my way. Fingers crossed that it lasts as well as the 2009 169,000 mile example a friend of mine owns.
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I did get it. For all of £4,150 a 2010 Estate with 70k full history, recent exhaust, serviced and MOT’d last month, recent tyres all round and new rear callipers. Near perfect condition inside and out drives without fault. The perfect used family car? No complex gearbox or engine to worry about, a simple chain driven petrol motor and manual box. It’s at least £1,000 less than equivalent dealer cars locally but a bit dearer than some other private sales I could’ve had. Always worth paying a bit more for the better car up front though. I’m happy to be away from valuable cars I worry about leaving on the street and which cost me several hundred quid a month and back to stress free motoring my way. Fingers crossed that it lasts as well as the 2009 169,000 mile example a friend of mine owns.
Can you do me a favour SLO and see if the front passenger seat goes all the way forward for longer loads, whether it flips or goes all the way on the ratchet lever?
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“Can you do me a favour SLO and see if the front passenger seat goes all the way forward for longer loads, whether it flips or goes all the way on the ratchet lever?”
Will when I get hold of it, I agreed to let her use it for two weeks while she finds a replacement which suits me also as CRV doesn’t go back until then.
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I did get it. For all of £4,150 a 2010 Estate with 70k full history, recent exhaust, serviced and MOT’d last month, recent tyres all round and new rear callipers. Near perfect condition inside and out drives without fault. The perfect used family car? No complex gearbox or engine to worry about, a simple chain driven petrol motor and manual box. It’s at least £1,000 less than equivalent dealer cars locally but a bit dearer than some other private sales I could’ve had. Always worth paying a bit more for the better car up front though. I’m happy to be away from valuable cars I worry about leaving on the street and which cost me several hundred quid a month and back to stress free motoring my way. Fingers crossed that it lasts as well as the 2009 169,000 mile example a friend of mine owns.
Well done for stepping off the must-have consumerist bandwagon designed to keep you a pay packet from poverty just to keep up with the other pot-less Joneses. Hope the car serves you well.
A (n ex?) friend of mine ran his family round in a perfectly good Peugeot they saved up and paid for, it never gave them any trouble, then all of a sudden they turned up in a Audi Qsomething. Their paraphrased excuse was “we lost five grand (or whatever) in three years depreciation – for only £450 a month we get a brand new Audi” (can’t remember the exact figures now) I pointed out that they are going to hand over a good five-figure sum in three years, to pay off someone elses' depreciation, basically renting a car with nothing to show for it at the other end - and should he lose his job - he is locked into paying this bill which could easily bankrupt him, putting his home at risk, as he hasn’t any savings to speak of (he had recently borrowed two grand off me to buy a new boiler), whereas in his previous situation he could have flogged his Peugeot cheap to raise a few months’ worth of mortgage repayments while he finds a new job – of course this led to a steaming row and he hasn’t talked to me since. A fool and his money…
Anyway - well done again!
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This particular one has had issues with it in the past which have (hopefully) been rectified plus it’s had a recent exhaust
That's odd, because exhausts seem to last forever. I have an old Car Mechanics mag buyers guide on the Mk2 Avensis, and the main dealer involved in the guide said that they had never sold a back box. Was it damaged?
CVT or manual?
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“That's odd, because exhausts seem to last forever. I have an old Car Mechanics mag buyers guide on the Mk2 Avensis, and the main dealer involved in the guide said that they had never sold a back box. Was it damaged?
CVT or manual?”
You forget where I live. The underside of any car up here on the west coast of Scotland takes a hammering in winter with sleet, snow and salt everywhere. It was just blowing (rusted through) and was replaced rather than patched or done in sections. Paranoid and well to do owner which is great for the next owner.
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Paranoid and well to do owner which is great for the next owner.
Spot on, and one of the reasons i shot 75 miles instantly after the obligatory phone call and bought my current Landcruiser the same morning it went online, it had been traded in for a new motorhome at a motorhome sales centre and my 'well heeled previous owner' alarm bells all sounded at once.
When the right vehicle crops up you have to be quick, same as when the right job presents itself, aint hungy enough to bother to land the job? they'll immediately start to wonder how much enthusiasm you'll have once you've been there several months or years.
Edited by gordonbennet on 04/09/2018 at 20:12
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For some an EPB is/could be a godsend. My mother no longer has the strength to pull on/release the handbrake in her car. Being a Saab she doesn't really need it.
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For some an EPB is/could be a godsend.
I don't understand why so many people dislike Electronic Parking Brakes. I think they're good and free up space in the centre console and as you said useful for less able bodied people. When at home parked up on my stoney driveway I always leave it disengaged and put the autobox in P as the car couldn't roll off anyway even if it was left in N. I've never had any issues with them even back in the 2004-2007 Renault Scenic.
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Absolutely fine, if people require or want an EPB by all means have one.
But the same goes the other way, there's lots of us don't want one, and for some of us, me, don't need or want one so aint having one, and that's fine too.
Edited by gordonbennet on 04/09/2018 at 20:54
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the only reason there isn't one our drive is that stupid EPB, i will not have a car with one, despite Toyota's version being as expected more reliable than most despite the manual switch working back to front and being in a stupid spot.
You are going to struggle in the future as pretty much all new designs have them.I agree that the EPB switch on the Avensis is in an awkward spot but there is a logic to the way that it operates - with pull to release you are less likely to release it by an inadvertent button push.
If Camry has no estate option that is a grave error once again from the maker
There is no market for "stationwagons" in the US which is by far the Camry's main market so not worth the cost of engineering/certification etc.
The Avensis is actually 1 of the better estates as so many of it's competitors no longer have totally flat loadbeds when the rear seat backs are folded down. From the photos the new Auris/Corolla estate continues this flat loadbed tradition.
Edited by Heidfirst on 05/09/2018 at 14:16
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The Avensis is actually 1 of the better estates as so many of it's competitors no longer have totally flat loadbeds when the rear seat backs are folded down. From the photos the new Auris/Corolla estate continues this flat loadbed tradition.
And if you have to pull up quickly and have a coffin/wardrobe/sofa in the back you wouldn't want to be sitting in the front. Another lazily designed estate for the lazy.
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Well, if carrying a coffin (how often do you do this? :P)/wardrobe/sofa in the back I would be aware & accordingly would drive even more circumspectly than normal. Without a flat loadbed you would struggle to get the aforementioned items in at all.
There are virtually no estates made these days afaik that protect the rear of the front seats (the T25 Avensis did). Iirc the Auris estate is one of the few that does (the tonneau stows across the way just behind iirc) so it will be interesting to see if that feature makes it to the new Corolla TS.
Edited by Heidfirst on 05/09/2018 at 17:21
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And if you have to pull up quickly and have a coffin/wardrobe/sofa in the back you wouldn't want to be sitting in the front. Another lazily designed estate for the lazy.
How many estates do you know have a solid bulkhead to protect the front seats? By your reckoning it means that virtually every estate ever designed is lazy. Many have securing rails in the floor anyway.
Edited by corax on 05/09/2018 at 18:29
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And if you have to pull up quickly and have a coffin/wardrobe/sofa in the back you wouldn't want to be sitting in the front. Another lazily designed estate for the lazy.
How many estates do you know have a solid bulkhead to protect the front seats? By your reckoning it means that virtually every estate ever designed is lazy. Many have securing rails in the floor anyway.
Corax, loads - DYOR. All these have had/do have proper folding seats in estate form - Alfa 156, BMW E30, Audi A4, Ford Focus MK1, 2 and 3, Ford Mondeo, Mercedes W123/124/211, other Mercedes, Kia Cee'd, Hyundai i30, Saab 9-3/9-5, Skoda Octavia/Superb, Peugeot 305, 306, 405, 406, 407, Hillman Hunter, Austin Allegro, Renault Megane MK2, Citroen C5, Vauxhall Astra, VW Golf/Passat, at one time all Volvo, Toyota Corolla, Fiat Tipo, Nissan X-trail Mk1 and 2, Chrysler Lacetti and there'll be more I can't immediately recall. Loads of hatches and estates from years gone by. Some will bleat it's about cost, well it isn't. If Fiat can fit the cheap and cheerful Tipo with a proper folding back seat everyone else can. www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/fiat/fiat-tipo-201.../
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but which current production estates do? Not the current Audi A4/A6, VW Passat, Ford Mondeo, Vx Insignia, Mazda 6, Skoda Superb, BMW 5 series, Mercedes E class , Volvo V60/V90...
Edited by Heidfirst on 05/09/2018 at 22:52
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The only common fault (if you can call it that) of 1.8 Toyota engines is some of them like a drop of oil, that may well be a historical thing as I haven’t kept up with the issue, anyhow, I don't mind that trait at all, it means the oil is being refreshed all the time as you top it up! I had a Mk1 Golf which was a heavy oil burner - it flew through 200K miles and when I stripped it down to race tune the engine I couldn't even detect a lip on the bores and the bore honing was still quite evident. I think the heavy oil consumption helped to lube the upper cylinder.
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“The only common fault (if you can call it that) of 1.8 Toyota engines is some of them like a drop of oil, that may well be a historical thing as I haven’t kept up with the issue,”
It was earlier generations which suffered from this but I’ll keep a wee eye on it and as you say it’s not a big worry if constantly topped up. The Mk I Avensis 1.8 SE I had many years ago never used a drop of oil and ran for years until the next owner eventually ruined it with her scrimping.
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but which current production estates do? Not the current Audi A4/A6, VW Passat, Ford Mondeo, Vx Insignia, Mazda 6, Skoda Superb, BMW 5 series, Mercedes E class , Volvo V60/V90...
Glad you've noticed some lazily designed cars for lazy people. All flat? Some sloping upwards? Some of both. Just brilliant design, especially for an estate!
Edited by Trilogy. on 06/09/2018 at 08:49
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Glad you've noticed some lazily designed cars for lazy people. All flat? Some sloping upwards? Some of both. Just brilliant design, especially for an estate!
The majority aren't flat but angled seat backs when dropped which to me would be worse (assuming that you could get your coffin/wardrobe/sofa in over them) in the event of an accident as aforesaid item if unrestrained (& they do all have restraint points) would be aimed at the upper half of the front seat.
The Germans & Swedes at least know how to design very good estates so I suspect that there is more to this trend than just pure cost. Possibly seat backs are now so strong it isn't an issue or customer research says that virtually nobody carries coffins/wardrobes/sofas in them. Sadly, I don't know any vehicle engineers to enquire of.
However, I do know that 1 of the criteria that I use to down select an estate car is whether or not the extended loadspace floor is flat.
p.s. I get the "lazily designed cars" bit but not the "for lazy people" - how are you lazy for wanting an estate with an useful loadspace?
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Seats that fold flat I would consider to be more useful than seats where the base folds and flips forward. You're gaining depth but losing load space length. If the front passenger seat has a fold forward facility to extend load space then that's even better.
Trilogy - I don't understand the issue with a load going forward being dangerous. The front seats have an internal metal chassis which is bolted to the floor. Surely that will stop any load injuring the front passengers, and anything that heavy and prone to slide should be properly tethered anyway. The only thing that is going to improve on that is a van style metal bulkhead, or buying a pick up where the load is separate from the driver.
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For all it's flaws, the original Mercedes A class was a brilliant design and exercise in space utilisation. All the seats including the front passenger could be removed very quickly and easily (assuming you had somewhere to put them!) leaving a completely flat floor. Meaning that you could put much longer items in there than you'd ever imagine possible for such a short car!.
But i remember back when my wife and i first got together she had a 1999 Polo and the front passenger seat could be removed in about 30 seconds. It wasn't that it was designed 'to be removable', it was just the design, and i think most VW's of that era had a similar design. Slide the seat forward, using a screwdriver, pop off the trims at the rear of each side rail. Then slide the seat back, squeeze and pull out the sprung clip in the middle and then just slide the seat back out of the three rails, easy! (and the seat itself was pretty light). I used that a few times for trips to the recycling centre.
Our Ford Fusion had a folding front passenger seat (standard fitment on all models i think), very handy for trips to B&Q!.
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Peugeot 305 estate and Mercedes W124, naturally both brilliantly designed estates, very little touches the outstanding 305, gave the best of both worlds as the cushion can be taken out too. Keeps everyone happy.
Corax, Will post a fuller reply when I've nothing better to do.
Edited by Trilogy. on 06/09/2018 at 19:35
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Peugeot 305 estate and Mercedes W124, naturally both brilliantly designed estates, very little touches the outstanding 305, gave the best of both worlds as the cushion can be taken out too. Keeps everyone happy.
Corax, Will post a fuller reply when I've nothing better to do.
Don't forget the Citroen CX, possibly the king of estate cars?
1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mm3IVvTSXlw/U9SH3mue30I/AAAAAAA...g
Unless you are American, in which case maybe the Buick Roadmaster with its Corvette spec V8?
1-photos7.motorcar.com/used-1996-buick-roadmaster_...g
:-)
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Dead right bbd.
Corax, get yourself a lovely, badly designed A4 estate. Look at that superb flat loadspace.
Or Skoda Superb
www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1366&bih=654&t...g
www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1366&bih=654&t...M:
You want badly designed estate, buy one of these. I'll stick with my brilliantly designed MK1 Focus estate and Mercedes W124 estate.
Edited by Trilogy. on 07/09/2018 at 08:37
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Corax, get yourself a lovely, badly designed A4 estate. Look at that superb flat loadspace.
Or Skoda Superb
Neither the current production A4 or Superb have a flat loadspace with the seat back dropped.
Still waiting to find out why you are a lazy person if you want an estate.
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For most use, 'virtually flat' is good enough, and the ability simply to flop the backrests is less hassle than having to lift the cushions first.
What I don't want is a step up from boot floor to lowered backrest. I have to push a heavy full-size music keyboard into the back of my car.
Skoda estates are excellent for space, but make sure you get the variable boot floor, which is an option on some models. The new Karoq is a no-no: because of the ability (which I don't need) to move the back seats fore and aft, you can't have a variable boot floor.
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When I was working at a Saab dealership, I was most impressed by the fact that on the 'classic 900' (which was still a current model at the time), the seats folded to make a perfectly flat load area. And it was not just on the 3 and 5 door hatchback versions, the 2 and 4 door saloons also had this. There were sprung metal brackets underneath the rear seat base to hold the backrest in place and i seem to remember there also being other brackets for holding the rear headrests (if fitted), as they had to be removed before the backrest would drop right down.
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For most use, 'virtually flat' is good enough, and the ability simply to flop the backrests is less hassle than having to lift the cushions first.
The Avensis T27 manages to have a flat floor just by dropping the rear seat backs so it surprises me that so many of it's competitors no longer do.
What I don't want is a step up from boot floor to lowered backrest. I have to push a heavy full-size music keyboard into the back of my car.
Absolutely agree. Or a drop down from bumper level to loadspace level (i.e. a lip).
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Big Peugeot 508 main article in this weeks auto express, looks a nice vehicle.
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