SECOND- HAND SENSE: Your heart can truly sink when, hailing a taxi in Dublin, you see the unmistakable profile of a gunmetal grey Toyota Carina of circa '95 vintage approaching. Having escaped the motoring equivalent of a stake through the heart, these cars continue to roam our streets as testament to just how well Toyota build their cars.
The Carina was the car that established Toyota in the medium segment. Taxi drivers, farmers, sales reps and anyone else who needed a workhorse swore by it, and it is fair to say the car became something of a motoring legend in Ireland. When Toyota decided to replace it with the Avensis in 1998 there was general nervousness among dealers that the car might not be able to replicate the older car's reputation for absolute reliability. Might the Avensis be too dramatic a leap, they also wondered ? They need not have worried. Within weeks the Avensis began appearing on taxi ranks - the ultimate acceptance.
The Avensis is now in its second incarnation and, although launched last year, supply of the car was patchy. There seem to be plenty on dealer forecourts nowadays. The older model is also in plentiful supply on the second-hand market and it is actually hard to think of a better buy in this segment. Sold with 1.6 and 1.8 petrol engines and also with a choice of 2.0 litre petrol and diesel engines, the early Avensis cars suffered as a result of having inherited their engines for the Carina. Later models came with the very clever VVTi and much more efficient petrol engines and Toyota's own diesel engine.
The older Avensis is not an exciting car, it has to be said, but the competition in the segment (VW Passat, Mondeo, Renault Laguna and so on) has been cuttingly referred to as the "battle of the blands".
The car drives reasonably well and has adequate ride and drive qualities, although it can roll a bit in the bends with a heavy foot on the accelerator. Compared with the new model it seems smaller, more anonymous and dated but if carefully looked after it will make a perfectly acceptable option.
Apart from a general blandness of design the car has some quite exceptional qualities. It runs and runs. It starts every time, has no major mechanical or technical flaws. In fact it is one of the few cars on the road that is virtually flawless. There have, of course, been problems but they have been small and Toyota has a very good record of customer care in terms of dealing with complaints.
The car comes in four-door saloon, hatchback and estate versions. All are very good cars. The Avensis has front and side airbags, and was best in class for side impact protection in the European crash tests and has an overall score of three out of a possible five stars.
Asking prices (which can of course be negotiated) average about €14,500 for a year 2000 base model with 31,000 on the clock, to 16,500 for a 2002 model with 52,000 on the clock. The Avensis stands out as a fantastically reliable car that, if well looked after, will continue to cast a long shadow at the taxi ranks for some years to come. For private motoring you can't go far wrong. ... - DONAL BYRNE