Hello All ,
I have something to throw out here for discussion and want to get some feedback
Daily Driver 2006 Avalon about 120.000 Miles , bought with 60,000 6 years ago , replaced tires all around , all brake pads ,Alternater around 100.000 ,rides no where near the LS but still nice just changed out the battery was over 5 years old still started that about it besides oil changes and general Maintience , no problems with lock Actuators ,window motors , Amps . nothing all original even the headlamps and tail lights are original

Lexus ,2005 125,000 Miles driven about 2-3 per week - 2 door actuators ,2 power windows motors, timing belt,DVD player in trunk for GPS, Brakes all around, Steering wheel clock cable (lost all wheel button controls) CD player does not work ,no problem with Avalon cd, 2 batterys in 3 years
It seems the Avalon is more dependable these cars are pretty similar in parts as well , Any Feedback ?

 

Your particular Avalon might very well had less issues and/or had less costs to maintain....but you also mentioned it does not drive anywhere like the LS430. In your case, there is your trade off. I'm sure they are both equally dependable cars.

 

I believe the Avalon is more reliable and cheaper to operate. Our 07 Avalon Touring just crossed over 190K and has been mostly trouble free, only recently it needed a new radiator, fans and an alternator. Other than that just maintenance or lack of it. I just replaced the original spark plugs, front valve cover gasket and all the fluids. Only thing that doesn't work is the keyless remote, needs a wireless receiver which is 80 bucks from the junkyard. I think it rides well, almost as good as the LS but not as quiet. One advantage is MPG, the Avalon is around 27 combined vs. 21 combined in the LS.

 

Toyota Avalon likely will have similar reliability on very similar parts but also a little bit less complexity and a few less things to go wrong. Avalon parts and associated labor will also be less expensive than same on the LS430.

As an example door actuators can fail on lots of Toyota and Lexus products - the actual part that fails is almost always a small electric motor ($5 part on ebay) inside the door actuator that is common to almost every Toyota door actuator. My friend's 2003 LandCruiser has had 3 out of 5 doors with failed actuators. Other than that and blown foam on all his speakers it has been bullet proof.


The V6 Toyota uses in many models including the Avalon is about as indestructible and an engine can be. Another friend of mine bought a used 1996 ES330 with 90k on it and then drove it for the next 10 years until he sold it with 410k on it (still running just fine) and it had had zero engine work, only TB and WP changes.

 

I consider timing belt, brakes, batteries as consumables, just like gas, tires, struts, radiator hose, etc. 2 batteries in 3 years, that sounds like you bought a bad battery, and that has nothing to do with the car reliability. Hope you have a warranty with those batteries.

The other stuffs, yeah that sucks to hear you have to replace those, but 14 year old car with 125K miles, you will need to replace some parts. Nothing last forever, even on a Lexus.

If we are discussing operating cost, then Avalon with v6 is cheaper to operate but you are comparing apples vs oranges. Each has its own strength and weakness. Reliability wise, on average, I think both are equally reliable. If you search, I am sure you will find LS owner that has no problem, and Avalon owner that has nothing but headache.

Also, just curious, which parts do you think that are pretty similar between Avalon and LS?