Allie? I hear some of you asking. Yep, I name my car. Sailors name ships because of their belief it is unsafe to sail on one not named...well, I spend SO MUCH TIME in my car (driving is my job) I will try to help fate by naming her: Allie the Avalon...I was going to go with Lonnie, but it just didn't fit her. I mean, "Lonnie" is a high-society name and "she is well taken care of," like I intend to take care of Allie, but I think my Avalon just didn't fit in with the idea of that name that I get every time I say it. I remember Lonnie from WKRP TV show and that character just didn't fit my Avalon. I think Allie, while being a high-class name, will also be "down to earth" as well. She has a glamorous exterior and interior...but the heart of a racer, more on that later.
So I came up with Allie one night last week and the name seems to fit...and I actually LIKE that name a lot so we have Allie the Avalon. Naming a vehicle might seems strange to some, but I can use all the Car-ma (HEH) I can get.
About getting Allie:
Our story starts where every other story these days seems to start. I was browsing the web minding my own business (window-car-browser shopping) when I came upon this big beautiful car way up in the hills/mountains of NC. She seemed to fit what I wanted in a "big girl" (heh, car)...and so I started to do some research. As I am a driver and spend a TON of time in my car and put quite a bit of miles on any car I would own, there are some things Allie would have to be in order for her to fit into my life.
1. Dependable: start first time every time for many years to come. This is extremely important in a business that does not forgive tardiness or excuses. One missed client and my reputation can lag...that is unforgivable to myself as a business owner and I buy good products for that very reason. I do pre-maintenance on my cars: I fix it before it is suppose to break. I reseach how long that water pump or timing belt will last and I change it early. I check fluids daily and weekly and I am "on it" to ensure my vehicle is safe and dependable always. But you can't take a chicken and make it into a Hawk. You really do have to buy a vehicle that is at the top of its game and then attempt through proper care to keep it there. That is why I avoid buying rentals, attempt to buy very low-mileage, low-use cars, and try to buy as new as possible. But not brand new, no one is going to get me to take the 10 to 15K "drive over the curb" trip ever again.
2. Luxurious looking AND feeling both inside and out.
A. This is not only for me but for my clients.
B. Big inside with tons of headroom and legroom is important.
3. Easy to work on.
4. Safe: 5 star for commercial work is a given. One reason I loved my old Crown Vic was her size made her more safe.
5. Dependable....heh, typed it twice but she really does need to start first time every time if possible.
6. Cost Effective: this is measured in a "cost of ownership" type of way. Depreciation over five years by the government verses actual depreciation at re-sale. Included in this is MPG, Insurance costs, upkeep costs (this includes keeping every single thing working on the car: amenities can really cost you a lot, that automatic sun shade that looks cool at the dealer can get expensive when it breaks and some low-level tint is perhaps cheaper and better looking anyways.) Included are parts costs. Does this vehicle type have exorbitant prices on replacement parts for brakes, tires, headlights (The Limited version Avalon has some crazy expensive headlights called HID's that I am SO glad is not on the XLS Avalon. I'd check if I had a Limited if the XLS lights would fit before I paid the crazy replacement on those HID's.)
7. Initial Value / Life of Car Value: Investment upfront costs must be repaid to me in less than a year or two (through depreciation/tax write-off to make it work for my company/profit margins the car needs to be absolutely paid off in two years at most and return 100% profit for three+ more minus wear/tear/parts/lube/etc.).
8. Resale Value (after many many miles, five+ years)
9. Parts readily available and easy to come by.
10. "EP:" what some call "earnings potential." If you have a ragged out car, you get certain clients. If you have a nice, clean, dependable, luxurious car, you ALSO get certain clients. And those clients pay better and come back to you and make you have more money. So any car I get has to impress and have that "x" factor of EP: it must make my clients enjoy their trip and want to have another trip just like it for repeat business.
About the Avalon:
The Avalon is Toyota's flag-ship car. You can not buy a bigger more luxurious Toyota. The Avalon is, in essence, a Lexus in Toyota clothing. The largest car Toyota sells with a 111 inch wheel base. (The number 111 follows me around in life and that was another sign, go figure.)
The interior room for the front AND REAR passengers is huge. The rear seats recline...yes, that is not a typo, the REAR seats recline. Then I get into the reviews. Toyota has taken some bad press in past couple years, but no other company would be so forceful in protecting its image through recalling and FIXING the problems. Toyota did the right thing and while still their reputation has lagged some in the public eye, they truly have great products that not only last but also retain their resale value unlike few do. While searching cars I saw an Avalon with 167,000 miles and the guy still wanted almost 9K for it!
The Avalon comes (in 2010 anyways) in three trim levels. Allie is the XLS model which is the middle model. The Limited is at the top and the XL at the low end. The Avalon has a 3.5L V6 engine that has VVT-i (variable valve timing with intelligence). She gets up to 268hp (under new way of measuring, 280hp on old way of measuring) and has been clocked doing zero to sixty in 6.9seconds, but some say a little over seven seconds. She is still one of the pettiest and fastest in her class and for a big car, really moves. I was stunned by the "get up and go" she actually has.
I read one review that called the Avalon "Unisom on wheels." That is far from the truth. While her ride is smooth it does not wallow. She is responsive to quick hard turns with some slight body roll, tracks straight as an arrow, and her ability to slow down for a big car is VERY good. She also has the best safety features and even a driver's knee airbag.
Leather interior, all major "switching" functions located on the steering wheel (temperature, radio, cruise), and an unassuming interior lead you to love the trip getting there almost as much as the destination. She is also quiet on the road (much more-so than my old 2008 Crown Vic was). You still get some road and wind noise at a point (especially at 70mph) but it is muted and with the radio even more-so. Reviewers who say the cabin removes you from outside input are not telling the absolute truth. While the Avalon is well insulated it does not fully insulate you, you can hear what is going on around you and there is noticeable noise at highway speeds if you turn off the radio. It is not bad, it is muted, but it is there. Sound level is greatly dependent on road-type of course.
The Avalon has the best resale value in class, holds its value longer than any other car in its class and more of it, and has very good ratings on all the car sites about "longevity" and "ease of ownership." Needless to continue, buying an Avalon should lead to an unemotional car driving experience due to the luxury and good brakes, and (God forbid) you were in a wreck (AKA: an emotional experience) the Avalon has 5 Star crash ratings all around and even gets points for having full curtain airbags along the top for front and rear seat passengers as well as side airbags (in the driver/passenger seats).
It also does not hurt that the car is simply big, as in many accidents you have to take into account vehicle relationship in size. A Hummer hitting a Smart car, the Smart car loses. So having a larger vehicle with so many SUV's on the road is simply safer. Your vehicle matches the mass of the other vehicle in a closer relationship...there is actually an insurance term for this that is used but I can not remember it, but it is simply true that the bigger the vehicle the more-safe the passengers can be in any given wreck. It does not always save you, it does not always protect you from the most horrible wrecks, but it is always something to keep in mind when shopping for a new-to-you car. Everyone is so terribly hung up on MPG these days but when you compare the amount of money you would spend in a small car verses what you would spend in an Avalon, then think about safety...would you pay that extra amount (whatever it is it isn't more than a few thousand dollars) to be safer the entire time you are on the road? How many people die every single day on the highways of America? Think any of them could have been saved in a larger vehicle? My bet is some could. Do not let MPG be your lone concern as many people are trying and don't buy a F-ing Hybrid.
My Hybrid and E85/E10 rant:
(ignore if you wish)
To make a hybrid's battery they first mine the products that will go into it (which are some really deadly stuff). They ship it around the world to process it, then ship is back around the world to make the battery, then ship it to the car manufacturer to install it. WHEN YOU TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT: the costs of making/producing those F-ing batteries. A Hummer is a freaking better choice for the environment.
Want to be 'really' green? Buy a gasoline or diesel car with the lowest number of cylinders you can stand to buy. A V6 now-a-days is giving the performance of a v8. A turbo V4 is giving the performance of a natural V6. If you really want to be green, lower the number of cylinders you use and stay as far away from batteries as you can. They do not last very long (130K miles or so) and they are nothing more than marketing hype. To be truly green you need to look WAY WAY WAY beyond the initial costs and products of a vehicle. Way beyond the MPG and the "carbon footprint." The world needs to realize that E85 gasoline, E10 gasoline, and batteries are government subsidized nightmares for our environment and our peoples of the Earth and that getting away from these crazy pipe dreams and back to reality is what might actually save our world. NEVER put E85 or E10 in your car. You get less MPG, you are burning more gasoline for each mile you drive, and you are taking food out of someone's mouth. Corn is used in the USA to make E85. That is the most horrendous "green" lie ever attempted to put into our minds.
::END RANT::
On to our story:
Allie was up in the mountains owned (at that time) by a dealership. I knew the only way I could get her financially was if the dealership would give me a great deal. Well, I won't go so far as to claim that but they did give me a "good" deal which I could live with.
I also have/had a short blog about my 2008 Crown Victoria: Victor / Victoria, heh...sadly He/She has now gone to the dealer to help lower the cost of Allie as a trade in. At trade in Vic needed: brakes ($180), shocks($300+), water pump($$$), timing belt($$$). I figured that just not bring Vic up-to-par with his 140,000 mile refurb and trading him in at 137,000 miles would save me $1800 bucks, or around that, in not having to re-invest in an old car. The dealer gave me $6500.00 for Vic and in all honesty because I didn't have to invest in Him (Him being an older car) I consider that a win for price of trade-in. Now, Vic was a GREAT car. He had a new front fan and assembly, new alternator, two new-ish tires, I fixed his EATC module myself.
But trading him in meant I would not have had to invest about $1800 to keep him at the level I required. Trading him in was just the better bet. Had I sold him personally to someone I would have gotten more, but I also would have had the work done in order to be honest to the guy buying him. SO...all that said, me and "the wife(TM)" (registered trademark by the way) jumped in Vic and headed up there to "them hills y'all." And with some talking and signing and what not we came home in Allie.
Isn't she pretty:
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If something I said entertained or enlightened you and you want to give back, send a few bucks to McGyver777@gmail.com over paypal and thanks!
If you or your company have Avalon related products you wish me to try out and make a write up on, then contact me over email and thank you for your interest! I must warn you that I am honest to a fault, so you would be getting a true and factual report on your product.
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