Ex-Taxi Avensis.

[Belker]

Maybe it's just cos I drive an Avensis that I notice, but recently I'm seeing a lot of 06, 07 and 08 Avensis private cars on the road and almost all Silver, fer many years down here you would never see an Avensis private car, they were all Taxies. I reckon someone is snapping up all the out of date Avensis Taxies and putting them back on the road as private cars.

[mercenary for hire]

If it wasn't for the ten year rule they'd still be working as taxis.

[Belker]

My point exactly, the Mark 1 and 2 Avensis were indeed the best built cars in the world, my auld Avensis Joe is now 11 years old with half a million km on the clock, but I keep it spotlessly clean and reguarly serviced and she Purrs like a Combine Harvester !

My annual depreciation cost is Zero because the car is worth only scrap today and in Three years time when I trade up, it will still be only worth scrap !  As the once great FDS always said; "The meter moves at the same rate regardless of what your driving !".

[mercenary for hire]

Also many ex taxis are good value.My current yoke will probably be worth a grand at most when I'm finished with it but it still gets great mileage and should last a few more years as a runaround.It falls into the higher tax band but they're a lot of car for the money.

[Cool Boola]

I had a different experience with my 06......new model D4D.....Massive injector problems ...1and 3 injectors were replaced and then 2and 4.lighting relay and wiring replaced Leaking back lights replaced.Wing mirror led light relpa
ced Car will not start in wet or cold weather..Nobody has solved the problm over the years.Have had batteries starting motor fuel lines tank and lots of other things tried.Told to replace injectors again and only install new ones but no guarantee that it will solve this common D4D problem.It has wrecked my head over the years with belts breaking at start of NCT and most were failures.I wil not be keeping it for long when I tax it privately in July. The tax is 710 euro py...Most insurance wobbers will not insure it privately and old 2lt.diesels are high risk ...Just telling my experience of the very ordinary and ugly Avensis with lots more problems ....to give a balance to the views.... 

[mercenary for hire]

I suppose it depends on what mileage yer doing.My Prius has done 100000 miles in nearly 6 years so it doesn't really get worked too hard.The suspension is bollixed but it passes the NCT so I keep putting it off fixing it.

Personally I'm not a big diesel fan and after seeing the trouble me brother went to to get the alternator replaced in his 2010 avensis I wouldn't want one myself.

Ya can't beat the simplicity of a petrol engine even though it might cost a few quid a week on juice.

[Belker]

I've had my share of problems too with my Avensis, she is on her Second engine and Second clutch and the head lamp bulbs are a night mare to change, but overall she is a Work-horse of a car.

[Cool Boola]

It was a very popular taxi and it's plain interior was good .

[silverbullet]

I had a different experience with my 06......new model D4D.....Massive injector problems ...1and 3 injectors were replaced and then 2and 4.lighting relay and wiring replaced Leaking back lights replaced.Wing mirror led light relpa
ced Car will not start in wet or cold weather..Nobody has solved the problm over the years.Have had batteries starting motor fuel lines tank and lots of other things tried.Told to replace injectors again and only install new ones but no guarantee that it will solve this common D4D problem.It has wrecked my head over the years with belts breaking at start of NCT and most were failures.I wil not be keeping it for long when I tax it privately in July. The tax is 710 euro py...Most insurance wobbers will not insure it privately and old 2lt.diesels are high risk ...Just telling my experience of the very ordinary and ugly Avensis with lots more problems ....to give a balance to the views....

+1
I called my old yoke the Avensis Abortion.

[C5]

@BELKER the best built cars in the world mehole, that was a Irish marketing thing, every car has there ups and down, my last taxi and still have it on school runs and drawing turf and wood a 2003 Citroen C5 2 litre hdi with 638,000  miles had it for the full 15 years as a taxi and a year private driving. The one I've now 2017 Citroen C5 2 litre hdi 85,000 miles. No breakdowns and just servicing and wear a tear parts.

[Lizzzy]

Like when Opel sponsored the irish soccer team every other person had one, but they were dung.

[mercenary for hire]

There's a common theme in these threads of shitty cars and it usually comes back to poor maintenance.

There are things in my car I know I'm neglecting right now.Like the coolant in the inverter that keeps the hybrid electrical parts cool and the engine coolant which is on a separate loop, both should be changed for new fluids.Also the brake fluid could do with changing too but because it drives I don't bother replacing the fluids as recommended by Toyota.

So if any of these components fail prematurely it will be my fault but the taxi driver will always blame the car.

I remember a load of Avensis automatic petrols having gearbox issues a few years ago but as it turned out they have fluid that needed changing every 50k so its hard to know whether they were getting looked after properly.

If yis had a look in your owners manual you'd be surprised how much stuff gets skipped at a basic service.