Toyota Avensis 2.0 vvti T Spirit - My first shed
Discussion
Benjijames28 said:
I will just stock up on castrol gtx, usually can get 4 litres for under 20 quid. Few of those per year isn't going to kill me. It's not like the car is costing me any monthly payments, warranties, or even much in the way of depreciation.
Maintenance is really the only cost of this thing.
So far I'm planning on:
- Full service
- Few new tyres
- Front discs and pads
- Front lower suspension arms (possibly)
- Handbrake needs checking
- Replace O2 sensor that has flagged up a few times
Is it worth doing all these jobs? I can't think of anything else to get where I won't be doing similar jobs without drastically increasing my budget and opening the door to bigger depreciation costs etc...
Imho, it is an Avensis shed. Replace the tyres if they need doing, and replace the brakes if they no longer work effectively or start to grind, but unless you can do the work yourself for the cost of the parts I would only fix the other things if (i) it is needed to keep the car on the road or (ii) it is needed to get it through an MOT. Maintenance is really the only cost of this thing.
So far I'm planning on:
- Full service
- Few new tyres
- Front discs and pads
- Front lower suspension arms (possibly)
- Handbrake needs checking
- Replace O2 sensor that has flagged up a few times
Is it worth doing all these jobs? I can't think of anything else to get where I won't be doing similar jobs without drastically increasing my budget and opening the door to bigger depreciation costs etc...
Personally I would, give it a good refresh and it'll comfortably soak up another 10k plus. O2 sensor definitely worth doing, as you don't want to trigger limp mode - a decent Bluetooth obd adapter to read off fault codes is an excellent investment
At this price range you'll be constantly on the hunt for small niggles, or worrying about it chucking a major bill, or needing major work from the get go and becoming a money pit. From experience the Avensis is easily repaired, and stock at breaker's yards is plentiful, so parts are cheap - the fact most donor cars have 200k+ on then is always a good sign!
I've got a small stock of spare parts I've bought as things have gone cheaply on eBay - power folding wing mirrors, an extra front grill, misc engine parts, door locks - not spent more than £20 on a single item!
At this price range you'll be constantly on the hunt for small niggles, or worrying about it chucking a major bill, or needing major work from the get go and becoming a money pit. From experience the Avensis is easily repaired, and stock at breaker's yards is plentiful, so parts are cheap - the fact most donor cars have 200k+ on then is always a good sign!
I've got a small stock of spare parts I've bought as things have gone cheaply on eBay - power folding wing mirrors, an extra front grill, misc engine parts, door locks - not spent more than £20 on a single item!
Benjijames28 said:
I will just stock up on castrol gtx, usually can get 4 litres for under 20 quid. Few of those per year isn't going to kill me. It's not like the car is costing me any monthly payments, warranties, or even much in the way of depreciation.
Maintenance is really the only cost of this thing.
So far I'm planning on:
- Full service
- Few new tyres
- Front discs and pads
- Front lower suspension arms (possibly)
- Handbrake needs checking
- Replace O2 sensor that has flagged up a few times
Is it worth doing all these jobs? I can't think of anything else to get where I won't be doing similar jobs without drastically increasing my budget and opening the door to bigger depreciation costs etc...
Yes, it is worth doing. Keeping this car in good shape is cheap AND you have a good car which runs well. Remember, it did cost you only one grand or so but it is still a grand. Buying a grand shed is always a big risk but you did find good one so keep it. O2 sensor is crucial one, although i would do all those jobs in that list. And yes, Avensis is a great winter car. i did have diesel one few years and it was perfect for cold and snowy finnish winters. So it should do well in uk winters too.Maintenance is really the only cost of this thing.
So far I'm planning on:
- Full service
- Few new tyres
- Front discs and pads
- Front lower suspension arms (possibly)
- Handbrake needs checking
- Replace O2 sensor that has flagged up a few times
Is it worth doing all these jobs? I can't think of anything else to get where I won't be doing similar jobs without drastically increasing my budget and opening the door to bigger depreciation costs etc...
It a tough call.
On one hand, it's a shed, bought for shed money and should be treated like one - spend as little on it as possible, bodge it, then throw it away if something major (code:expensive) goes on it.
But on the other hand, there is the potential for it to be a reliable, cheap car that you can get at least a couple of years out of. Spending some money doing the essentials and a couple of improvements could be worthwhile and prolong the life of the car.
I've just bought a sub £1k shed and I'm doing the latter. Hopefully I'm not making a mistake. I should really start a thread on it.
On one hand, it's a shed, bought for shed money and should be treated like one - spend as little on it as possible, bodge it, then throw it away if something major (code:expensive) goes on it.
But on the other hand, there is the potential for it to be a reliable, cheap car that you can get at least a couple of years out of. Spending some money doing the essentials and a couple of improvements could be worthwhile and prolong the life of the car.
I've just bought a sub £1k shed and I'm doing the latter. Hopefully I'm not making a mistake. I should really start a thread on it.
spaceship said:
It a tough call.
On one hand, it's a shed, bought for shed money and should be treated like one - spend as little on it as possible, bodge it, then throw it away if something major (code:expensive) goes on it.
But on the other hand, there is the potential for it to be a reliable, cheap car that you can get at least a couple of years out of. Spending some money doing the essentials and a couple of improvements could be worthwhile and prolong the life of the car.
I've just bought a sub £1k shed and I'm doing the latter. Hopefully I'm not making a mistake. I should really start a thread on it.
I think the latter is only worth doing if you're sure you're going to keep it long term. If you like to chop and change, it isn't. On one hand, it's a shed, bought for shed money and should be treated like one - spend as little on it as possible, bodge it, then throw it away if something major (code:expensive) goes on it.
But on the other hand, there is the potential for it to be a reliable, cheap car that you can get at least a couple of years out of. Spending some money doing the essentials and a couple of improvements could be worthwhile and prolong the life of the car.
I've just bought a sub £1k shed and I'm doing the latter. Hopefully I'm not making a mistake. I should really start a thread on it.
spaceship said:
It a tough call.
On one hand, it's a shed, bought for shed money and should be treated like one - spend as little on it as possible, bodge it, then throw it away if something major (code:expensive) goes on it.
But on the other hand, there is the potential for it to be a reliable, cheap car that you can get at least a couple of years out of. Spending some money doing the essentials and a couple of improvements could be worthwhile and prolong the life of the car.
I've just bought a sub £1k shed and I'm doing the latter. Hopefully I'm not making a mistake. I should really start a thread on it.
In the first half of your post Brit mentality...Second other parts of the world...Fair generalisation?On one hand, it's a shed, bought for shed money and should be treated like one - spend as little on it as possible, bodge it, then throw it away if something major (code:expensive) goes on it.
But on the other hand, there is the potential for it to be a reliable, cheap car that you can get at least a couple of years out of. Spending some money doing the essentials and a couple of improvements could be worthwhile and prolong the life of the car.
I've just bought a sub £1k shed and I'm doing the latter. Hopefully I'm not making a mistake. I should really start a thread on it.
Keep it. In the UK we think we are eco yet we buy shiny new things and are obsessed with new/gutting and refurbin etc etc
Benjijames28 said:
What would you class as expensive? Is it possible to set a general rule?
Say the car is worth a grand, would a 400 clutch be expensive?
I just can't see anything that cost more than a clutch going wrong.
It depends really, failed engine components can make it a £1k+ issue if you don't get a cheap second hand engines, times like that it's worth ditching. Say the car is worth a grand, would a 400 clutch be expensive?
I just can't see anything that cost more than a clutch going wrong.
Clutch is a good spend if you're keeping it as you get 100k miles of peace of mind..
Hmmm, good question.
Suppose it comes down to how much you paid for the car or how much you could pick up another for?
More expensive things could be gearbox goes completely, ecu throws in the towel, Cambelt/chain snaps, tensioner seizes. That sort of thing. It's the labour costs you need to factor in too. If you don't have the tools or know-how to do it yourself, it could get expensive quickly.
Still cheaper than a monthly payment though. At least that's how I'm hoping to look at it. I cancelled my new car order to buy a shed instead.
Suppose it comes down to how much you paid for the car or how much you could pick up another for?
More expensive things could be gearbox goes completely, ecu throws in the towel, Cambelt/chain snaps, tensioner seizes. That sort of thing. It's the labour costs you need to factor in too. If you don't have the tools or know-how to do it yourself, it could get expensive quickly.
Still cheaper than a monthly payment though. At least that's how I'm hoping to look at it. I cancelled my new car order to buy a shed instead.
Tbh with the cost of spare parts from breaker's being so low (and with so many about even getting replacement body panels/parts in the same colour is pretty simple too), unless you get bored of it, I'd keep fixing it up for anything bar an engine failure.
If it snaps it's timing chain or blows a head gasket then you'll get it's value back in parts anyway
If it snaps it's timing chain or blows a head gasket then you'll get it's value back in parts anyway
Benjijames28 said:
Mpg has been shocking. I did 70 miles of short 1 to 2 mile journeys with lots of idling and warming up over course if 3 to 5 days, computer said 20mpg! Haha
Those kind of journeys would've knackered the egr and dpf on your old bm, probably be begging for a regen right now. If you get the itch again just start looking at the cheap weekend toys you can get with the savings, buy a £1k Mr2 right now when it's cheap, 6 months of fun and flog it on for £1.1k at the end of summer. Cheap to insure and average good mpg even when spanked.
l354uge said:
Those kind of journeys would've knackered the egr and dpf on your old bm, probably be begging for a regen right now.
If you get the itch again just start looking at the cheap weekend toys you can get with the savings, buy a £1k Mr2 right now when it's cheap, 6 months of fun and flog it on for £1.1k at the end of summer. Cheap to insure and average good mpg even when spanked.
Seconded! You can get a Celica for shed money these days too (both 6th and 7th gen) - mate of mine ran his Celica to almost 190k miles before somebody else wrote it off in a car park hit and run...If you get the itch again just start looking at the cheap weekend toys you can get with the savings, buy a £1k Mr2 right now when it's cheap, 6 months of fun and flog it on for £1.1k at the end of summer. Cheap to insure and average good mpg even when spanked.
tripleB said:
Seconded! You can get a Celica for shed money these days too (both 6th and 7th gen) - mate of mine ran his Celica to almost 190k miles before somebody else wrote it off in a car park hit and run...
I had a 7th gen celica t sport I took from 187k to 197k, apart from a maf sensor and seized caliper it was perfect, and I wasn't gentle on it!Fun, if not slightly dynamically flawed car..
l354uge said:
I had a 7th gen celica t sport I took from 187k to 197k, apart from a maf sensor and seized caliper it was perfect, and I wasn't gentle on it!
Fun, if not slightly dynamically flawed car..
Yeah I'm not sure who thought the 7th gen was a suitably attractive replacement for the gen 6 mind you!Fun, if not slightly dynamically flawed car..
An MR2 or Celica would definitely tick the fun box that the Avensis doesn't though - Avensis for sheddy practicality, Celica for sheddy fun? Both have an abundance of parts and shouldn't end up owing you anything!
Benjijames28 said:
Insurance is my biggest obstacle. Despite having 5 years driving and 5 years no claims at age 28, I was paying 1k to insure BMW, they gave me back 300 when I switched to Toyota, so probably 700 for Toyota.
Can't justify the insurance cost of a second car yet.
Ouch, ok that's pretty harsh, especially as the Avensis is a low desirability + low performance car! Can see why you'd not consider a 2nd car at that price...Can't justify the insurance cost of a second car yet.
I'm currently paying circa £350 fully comp, that's with all mods declared and penalty points too!
tripleB said:
Benjijames28 said:
Insurance is my biggest obstacle. Despite having 5 years driving and 5 years no claims at age 28, I was paying 1k to insure BMW, they gave me back 300 when I switched to Toyota, so probably 700 for Toyota.
Can't justify the insurance cost of a second car yet.
Ouch, ok that's pretty harsh, especially as the Avensis is a low desirability + low performance car! Can see why you'd not consider a 2nd car at that price...Can't justify the insurance cost of a second car yet.
I'm currently paying circa £350 fully comp, that's with all mods declared and penalty points too!
At 28, you are open to getting specialist low mileage policies though, if you go to one saying you're part of the mr2 club and only want to do 3k a year, they should give you something reasonable.
Insurance has killed the chances of a tasty shed for me for many years now, seems things are getting better now
Sorry to break it to you but no insurance company will help you. They take the easiest route out of a claim. Which is usually just paying out because its cheaper than a court case.
We had a couple of guys slam their brakes on for no reason at a green light. We bumped into them. We had everything on cctv, 2 independent witnesses and were prepared to go to court. Insurance wenrnt interested wanted to settle out of court as quickly as possible. They hung us out to dry gave us no option to fight the case. Said company have just rung us 18 months down the line and now want us to stand up in court and be witnesses against a fraudulent personal injury claim.
This is a well known insurance company from a well known comparison site.
Sorry for rant on your thread.
On a plus note I love the older generation of Toyota they just keep going with minimal fuss.
We had a couple of guys slam their brakes on for no reason at a green light. We bumped into them. We had everything on cctv, 2 independent witnesses and were prepared to go to court. Insurance wenrnt interested wanted to settle out of court as quickly as possible. They hung us out to dry gave us no option to fight the case. Said company have just rung us 18 months down the line and now want us to stand up in court and be witnesses against a fraudulent personal injury claim.
This is a well known insurance company from a well known comparison site.
Sorry for rant on your thread.
On a plus note I love the older generation of Toyota they just keep going with minimal fuss.
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