Cheap Avensis Estate ?

I currently have a VW Passat B5 diesel estate which is great. 120k miles , FSH, 12 Months MOT etc ( only paid £1500 ! ) BUT as we are now only going to do about 4k miles a year I want to switch to a petrol and I've always loved the avensis ( however boring people think it is ).

Do you think I could get a good petrol avensis estate for less than £3k ?

Peter (Cheshire)

No, because in this value, you will find an old one or something after a lot of mills on it, or something that no one never took care with, and you will get 1/10 L on a good day.

To find something good its hard, but if you have a lot of pationt maybe you will find like a old man with non-driving car that did all the maintanence in toyota as he should by the book who knows.

Good luck.

15 hours ago, CelicaZoo said:

Do you think I could get a good petrol avensis estate for less than £3k ?

Definitely, but more likely a T25 in that price range. There are bargains that crop up occasionally and you may have to wait for a suitable one to appear in the classifieds.

I'm finding this hatchback very tempting ATM - high miles but seems well maintained: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404058340669

But Passat estate it’s a classic motor and probably one if not the best in class. Yours likely to be 1.9tdi pd engine, these can run for ever with regular maintenance. Even if you drive not much or not so often if the area you live in allow diesel cars of older age if me I will keep the Passat for as long as I can. 

I have mixed views on this; like Tony eludes to above, the older Passat's are great cars. I had a 1.9Tdi (51 plate) 130 Passat estate many years ago and it had the best build quality of any car I have ever owned. It was on 170k miles when I sold and it was like a Swiss watch. Wish I hadn't sold it to be honest. I have, for the last 3 years or so, a T27 1.8 petrol Avensis estate. Excellent car, no real issues, well maintained and bulletproof.  Does near 50mpg on a run, ULEZ compliant etc, great car. Toss a coin LOL.

7 hours ago, NeilAvensisT said:

I have mixed views on this; like Tony eludes to above, the older Passat's are great cars. I had a 1.9Tdi (51 plate) 130 Passat estate many years ago and it had the best build quality of any car I have ever owned. It was on 170k miles when I sold and it was like a Swiss watch. Wish I hadn't sold it to be honest. I have, for the last 3 years or so, a T27 1.8 petrol Avensis estate. Excellent car, no real issues, well maintained and bulletproof.  Does near 50mpg on a run, ULEZ compliant etc, great car. Toss a coin LOL.

I know what you mean. I had two avensis saloons over 15 years ago and yes there were a bit boring to look at but I knew when I turned the key it would start and if I needed to drive 500 miles it would get me there. I never spent a penny on either other than consumables..BUT I guess like any car if I buy a bad one it will be as bad as any car !

Is the v-matic a good auto gearbox or is it best manual.. I've always had a manual

3k lol no chance especially a toyota no chance in hell maybe you better looking at a peugeot for 3k  as everyone knows older toyotas they are great and well anything before this so called environment sht thats on them now a days to kill them early .

I don't see the reasoning of "only 4k miles per year" and "want a petrol".

I have two diesels, one does 2k and the other does maybe 3k per year. I have owned one (Smart) for 8 years and the Citroen for about 5. It is the fourth C3 I have had, all diesel and all doing the same mileage approximately. No significant problems with any of them.

I'd keep the Passat.

The associated issues with modern diesels have nothing to do with the B5 or B5.5.

I took a 130 PD estate from 90k to almost 300k with very little going wrong, great cars if you skint.

The Passat did have age issues around suspension, etc., like most cars, but it is nothing unusual; my current T27 petrol is even more bulletproof, but as others here said, check what you get. If you find a 1.8 Petrol, put aside some cash for potential issues with EPB and stick to manual, this gearbox is terrific and very similar in smoothness to the B5.

Do all the checks, especially for rust underneath cars that spent time in areas of heavily slated roads.

Like others said here, up your budget by 1k to find a semi-decent one.

16 hours ago, CelicaZoo said:

Is the v-matic a good auto gearbox or is it best manual.. I've always had a manual

Not sure about the V Matic, but not seen many issues cropping up here about them either. I have the manual 6 speed and I must say its the sweetest changing box I have ever come across. The T27 1.8 petrol isn't very 'torquey' when you are used to a diesel (as I was), took me a while to get used to it. But, exactly as you said earlier, a bit bland to drive, but, I know that if I want to drive from one end of the country to another tomorrow my Avensis will get me there and back, no issues. The estate I have has good load space, but, get one with air-con (usually works) and cruise control.

On 5/16/2024 at 4:37 PM, CelicaZoo said:

Is the v-matic a good auto gearbox or is it best manual.. I've always had a manual

'V-Matic' refers to the engine, not the gearbox. Also known as Valvematic, it means the valve lift is variable in addition to having variable valve timing. 

Plenty of cars with 1.8 1zz-fe engines on Autotrader for £2k or less. Just watch out for the rust. 

Just bought a mk 3 tourer petrol T4 spec for well under 3k. 155k miles, but well serviced. Needs air-con fixing (hole in a tube apparently). Took a punt........

Absolutely loving it 

On 6/1/2024 at 4:40 PM, hapsmile said:

Just bought a mk 3 tourer petrol T4 spec for well under 3k. 155k miles, but well serviced. Needs air-con fixing (hole in a tube apparently). Took a punt........

Absolutely loving it 

Still undecided lol

My passat has 120k and pulls really well but will definitely need two wings in the next few months ( a common problem with the older passats ) and a few other things so talking about £500-750 at least. I've always like toyota and yes they are boring but after my corolla I really do trust in the brand if its been well looked after

Yes the B5 is the older diesel so no dpf issues ie happy with 3k a year but I still fancy a petrol estate.

I had heard that before 07 the 1.8 petrol avensis suffered from issues so look at 07/08 ?

cheers

Peter ( Cheshire )

On 6/5/2024 at 12:05 PM, CelicaZoo said:

Still undecided lol

My passat has 120k and pulls really well but will definitely need two wings in the next few months ( a common problem with the older passats ) and a few other things so talking about £500-750 at least. I've always like toyota and yes they are boring but after my corolla I really do trust in the brand if its been well looked after

 

Yes the B5 is the older diesel so no dpf issues ie happy with 3k a year but I still fancy a petrol estate.

I had heard that before 07 the 1.8 petrol avensis suffered from issues so look at 07/08 ?

 

cheers

 

Peter ( Cheshire )

 

I don't think the 1.8 motor in the T25 was problematic; these are getting a bit old now, so if I were in your place, I would opt for a T27.

The Passat B5 and 5.5 suffered rust due to faulty insulation between the panels and wheel arches. I remember seeing it developed in 2009 and getting it sorted by a local body shop. You had to clean up all the insulation there; otherwise, the rot would start again.

It seems the prices for the T27 are softening on AutoTrader/Facebook mp. I wouldn't worry about getting an early T4, TR, or T-Spirit auto with the 2.0 or 1.8 petrol motor and over 100k; just do all the checks.

Make sure the AC blows cold, the clutch is working as it should, and the service record is okay (these cars can take a lot of neglect, so a less-than-perfect history wouldn't be a die-in-a-ditch issue for me personally). Change the fluid in the CVT as soon as you get it as it's not an expensive procedure with this rig.

Thanks a lot

so T27 is from what year ?.. how do identify one

As you had a passat how do you rate the T27 against it ?

So many people say a good avensis is incredibly reliable but mind numbingly boring. I just want reliability 

cheers

The 1.9 PD 130 in our old 2003 Passat had very good torque at take off.

the 1.8 in the Avensis is not the same, but it is good for quick overtaking once you build up your speed. T27 was introduced in 2008 (from MY 58) and was available up to 2019, more or less unchanged. TheT27 came in either an Estate or saloon. The saloon is something of a bargain as they are more common and cheaper.

I rate the Avensis's build quality higher than the Passat B5's, although the Passat has this clutch that somehow never needed a change, not even after 300k. I sold the Passat, and surprisingly, according to the MOT site, it is still in use by someone, albeit on an advisory list as long as my arm, now showing 349k.

2 hours ago, CelicaZoo said:

so T27 is from what year ?.. how do identify one

They look like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Avensis#T270

Note that some people call them T27s (on this site for example) but the official Toyota model appears to be T270 (as used by Wikipedia for example). They mean the same thing: the third generation Avensis.

2 hours ago, Shavestick said:

The 1.9 PD 130 in our old 2003 Passat had very good torque at take off.

the 1.8 in the Avensis is not the same, but it is good for quick overtaking once you build up your speed. T27 was introduced in 2008 (from MY 58) and was available up to 2019, more or less unchanged. TheT27 came in either an Estate or saloon. The saloon is something of a bargain as they are more common and cheaper.

I rate the Avensis's build quality higher than the Passat B5's, although the Passat has this clutch that somehow never needed a change, not even after 300k. I sold the Passat, and surprisingly, according to the MOT site, it is still in use by someone, albeit on an advisory list as long as my arm, now showing 349k.

 

Thanks.. yes thats the slight conundrum. Thats what I have heard is that they will go on forever but it would be nice to drive in something less tatty !

I did a quick search for Petrol Avensis estate under £3k from 2009 omwards and there is 1 ! and thats an auto

I might have to put the budget up a bit maybe

Whats the auto like or is it best to stick to manual