Aron9000

Basically I'm considering dropping about $800 to $1k into a 2000 Toyota Avalon with 233k. It needs a timing belt service, plus the rear valve cover is leaking oil onto the manifold, creating a potential fire hazard and an occasional obnoxious odor in the cabin. It has the same 1mz-fe with vvt-i as in any other 1999-2002ish ES300.

So post up your mileage on your ES300, repairs, if you think its worth investing the $$$$ into this car. I must say this 2000 Avalon looks damn nice on the inside, the cloth seats are mint, carpets are clean, not a single piece of broken trim, no cracks on the dash, the exterior has a few dings, scrapes, but from about 5 feet she looks really damn nice, its been a garaged kept car until 2012. Only place we have some sort of paint failure is on the tops of the mirrors, otherwise the clearcoat is holding damn strong all over this car.

speedkar9

As long as its not sludged, $800 seems fair for a car in good condition. Post up some pictures, lets have a look.

Other things to look out for are suspension and exhaust components giving out.

Why not consider an ES300?

hypervish

I'd fix it, given that the rest of the car is in good shape.

If it runs another 3 months after the repair, assuming a new car payment is around $300 per month, you've gotten your money back!

My ES300 has nearly 200k miles on it (at 198k now), and I've done no repairs to it aside from the front valve cover gasket. Funny enough the rear valve cover gasket was in good shape, i'll replace it this summer when the weather is warm! Should make a "fun" project, I did it on the RX two years ago! What a "joy"!

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...en-thread.html

OceanView

Belt replacement is maintenance item, but the rear valve cover leaking is a common issue on this engine.
If you fix them, the car can last a while.
How much are you paying for the car?

PDXLex

My first ES was a '97 that I picked up in 2009 with 180k. I drove it up until 2013 and sold it with 223k. Other than brakes and tires and replacing a seatbelt buckle and radio LCD, I never had to do any maintenance to it. It ran flawlessly when I sold it. I just picked up another ES (2000 model year) with 165k and I hope it treats me just as well! These cars are built great, just change the oil every 3000 miles!

Aron9000

See that's the kicker. Its been paid for since 2004.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

If you're not putting thousands into it yearly, it should be qualified under 'maintenance'... Didn't stop me from dropping 2k the last two years in mine... but hey, live and learn.

Otherwise, scrapyard or shady used car dealer it is!