Faults:

Brakes, suspension, bulbs, tyres (wear and tear).

Electric windows are a little sticky.

Rear hatch struts do not work - have to hold it open. Bit of a pain, but I rarely carry anything these days. It would be a quick, easy, cheap fix if I really wanted to.

Engine burns some oil, blue smoke blowing from exhaust.

General Comments:

Paid £750 for this car just a couple of years ago, and have loved every minute. Running an old "banger" has never been so freeing. Gone are the expensive bills from more modern cars I have had (from about 2005 onwards); this 1997 Toyota Avensis is the last of the great cars from a decade when reliability was in its sweet spot in my humble opinion. No complex electronics or major ££££'s on this car.

Sure it is over 20 years old and is starting to look its age, but so what? It's perfectly respectable on the roads and modern enough looking to blend in. The 1.8 petrol engine is not the fastest, but it can keep up with modern traffic while doing close to 40 MPG on average. Safe enough as this was the era most cars started getting strong side impact beams, and airbags.

Interior wise this mid range GS model has some electrics, but nothing fancy. The radio is OK and the seats are comfortable, and the ride is smooth enough for me. It's alright to drive as well. Outside it is good looking in red with original Toyota alloy wheels.

Never broke down once in the couple of years I have had it, and the previous owner appears to have looked after it (full history, timing belt done, receipts, the lot! What a rare find!) I suppose it won't last forever with over 160K mileage and the engine is starting to blow smoke, but I plan to keep it till it dies; if it blows up tomorrow it owes me nothing after almost 3 years trouble free motoring at less than a grand purchase price (and I'll get some of that back in its scrap value alone). Getting harder to run any car cheap these days, but a well looked after 1990s car is as good as it gets. Cheap to insure as well.

A much better car than my problematic 2008 Ford Focus that I bought when it was nearly new - thinking a modern car would be bullet proof - it was not. It easily cost me way more in repairs, but this car has never gave me any major trouble. Please start making 1990s cars again!

Faults:

Trim loose in interior.

Brake pads, calipers and discs replaced under warranty at 30000 miles.

Windscreen wipers wear out quickly.

Battery failed at 85000 miles.

Faulty bonnet release catch.

Rear shocks wearing out at 80000 miles.

Econo dashboard light failed at 50000 miles.

General Comments:

This is a very comfortable and economical motorway cruiser. It's cheap to run, insure and relatively cheap to fix.

The build quality leaves much to be desired however. It's just not very well screwed together, and the metal on the body panels is pretty thin too. If the build quality was up to the standard of the mechanicals, it'd be perfect.

The mechanical parts, such as the engine, gearbox and power steering are perfect. Smooth, easy to use and ultra reliable, you can run this engine for weeks with little oil (If you should so wish!) and it'll still go on and on.

The design of the car is OK. Not great and not awful either. The cabin is easy to live with for a few hours each day.

The handling is not so great. In a straight line it's fine, but push it into a corner, especially in the wet and you can force it to lose grip, slide and all manner of bad things. The body roll is quite a lot, the design could do with stiffer suspension. However, the softness makes it very comfortable.