Good morning. I’m Saul Reisman, here at Saul’s Automotive and today, we’re servicing a 1999 Toyota Avalon.
This vehicle is 17 years old, has 255,000 miles and is worth keeping on the road. We’re going to give you a few aspects as to why and how.
When Toyota built these vehicles, they put a V6 front-wheel-drive drivetrain into the center of the car.
As a result, they were pretty high-powered, made about 235 horsepower, and had very quick shift points, made great power and performance and were able to truly accelerate, drive, steer, brake, better than almost anything on the road that was comparable at the time. Now, when the vehicle came out, it was designed to be a slightly above baseline family sedan.
In the case of the owner of this Denver vehicle, who purchased it for $1,500 with 200,000 miles on it, we think they found a great purchase, and here’s a little bit about why. The vehicle, itself, even though it sees constant mountain surface, with the owners being up in Evergreen, commuting to Denver daily, has more than enough power to make the journey, has a great transmission system so that it can sufficiently cool itself while doing such and at the same time, came optioned from the factory with a little bit better and bigger brakes. This was one of the first years with the four-wheel disc brake setup.
Now, the owner wants the vehicle to last a long time, but he also knows it’s getting pretty hard use, getting almost 35,000 miles a year on it, and it is 17 years old. When we were able to get a look at the vehicle, the suspension was in pretty poor condition. The struts on all four corners of the vehicle were very soft, so it had a very spongy, floaty ride, and the brakes were almost completely worn out. Typical for Colorado mountain driving use and of 17 years of service. The owner opted to upgrade, and we put a KYB Performance strut on all four corners. Additionally, upgraded to a Power Stop drilled and slotted brake rotor setup on all four corners.
While this did increase the price to about 15 to 20 percent over the factory parts associated, we were able to put a lifetime guarantee, parts and labor, on every single part installed on this vehicle. That way, the owner knows he can truly drive this as hard as he wants to and every piece and automotive repair part which he put on it is covered. With the upgraded suspension components and the upgraded brakes, he knows he can confidently make it through the mountains with ease.
Due to the power that the vehicle makes, the four motor mounts that physically hold the engine into the vehicle have gotten very fatigued over time. Part of having that automatic transmission means every time the driver is sitting at a red light holding the brake pedal, the motor mounts are being held torqued tight, and you’re physically holding them in place. As a result, the reason the vehicle came in for service today is to get the motor mounts replaced. Once again, rather than replacing with just the factory rubber components, the owner’s up- …
Once again, rather than replacing with the factory rubbery components, the owner has opted to upgrade and go for a polyurethane bushing, as opposed to a rubber bushing. This will provide a stiffer, more responsive feel from the motor, give better throttle feedback to the owner and keep the mounts living for a tremendously longer amount of time compared to the originals. Who knows? Maybe they’ll last 30 years if the originals only lasted a mere 17.
Now, with 250-plus-000 miles, this vehicle has new suspension, new brakes, new mounts to keep everything intact, and a fully functional motor and transmission from the original factory, still performing flawlessly. The owner now knows that his small investment, compared to the purchase of a new vehicle, can be used as a new vehicle and will last him a decade-plus of service in Denver.
If you, like this Denver owner, would prefer to keep your vehicle on the road, keep it in good shape or better shape, in the long run, at a lower cost of maintenance than purchasing a new vehicle and making a major investment, please feel free to stop by and see us at Saul’s Automotive. We would be happy to take a look at your vehicle, provide a quality inspection free of charge so that we can both be on the same page and make a game plan for how to best keep your vehicle on the road. Thank you. Please give us a call.
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