1993 Toyota Estima Lucida G-Spec 4x4 2.2 turbo diesel

Summary:

Best MPV in its class; a true all rounder

Faults:

At the first MOT it required an indicator relay fuse.

Two more mots down the line, it sailed through with not as much as a screw loose.

General Comments:

The looks of these MPV are the best. The are bullet shaped and futuristic compared to what's on offer even these days, bearing in mind she is over 15 years old.

Now most came factory fitted tint alloys, spoiler, double cd cassette radio, swivel seats, twin sun roofs, electric climate control (front and rear controlled), and electric folding wing mirrors, four wheel drive, ABS, park assist, hot cold box; this and more was factory fitted.

The interior all works; every switch and button works as it should. The carpet and seats are all intact; no worn patches or tears. It has arm rests on every chair, along with 360 captain chairs for the second row, and a real full size boot. These are a true adult sized MPV, referring to the rear seat and boot space, not like so many fake MPVs, which have only 5 seats, and the rest which have two seats that take all the boot space, only to seat kid's with no legs and a small box of matches in the boot.

The engine is still solid and I do drive her hard. She starts every time with the slightest turn of the key; these engines will run very happily on used vegetable oil with not a single modification done to the engine.

I always service her when the the little red service light pops up. Observing the coolant, I would recommend draining and re filling with fresh coolant yearly to maintain the coolant quality easily, checking so the coolant maintains its colour.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th December, 2007

1st May 2009, 13:41

Update from the original post two years on.

Things to replace worth mentioning; turbo exchanged due to oil seals, slight leak, pair of front shocks, maybe due to running lowered after market springs.

Center prop shaft bearing to cure slight vibration, and all the other small thing are front brake pads, one front bulb, and one side bulb.

Starter motor contacts replaced, full set of low profiles tyres, and the usual oil and coolant and filter changes.

Nothing has stopped working as of yet.

Also I decided to upgraded the cooling system to the double-core radiator to avoid any possibility of over heating.

Still walked through MOTs with nothing at all needed. The last MOT had an advisory on the front wheel bearings. Let's see how long they last, or if it would pass if I don't change them.