Toyota discontinued their “top-of-the-line” Cressida after the 1992 model year and did something strange. They released a replacement in 1995 called the Avalon, that was front-drive V6 powered and built in America. It borrowed heavily from the Camry and Lexus ES platforms and was canceled after the 2022 model year to be superseded by the […]
This next car came into our tips email box with a note from tipper Rock On who called it a “Japanese Buick”. A what? Oh. Yes, the Toyota Avalon was the ultimate example of the guys from Toyota building a car that the older guy in middle American wanted to drive…which was a reliable Buick Regal — complete with column mounted shifter, boring looks, gushy suspension, and gobs of torque from a big V6. This might not have the vaunted Tri-Shield crest of David Dunbar Buick on the fender, but it will be much more reliable. Find this 1996 Toyota Avalon XL offered for $2400 in Henderson, NV via craigslist.
The third generation Lexus ES300 was yet another notch on the bedpost in Toyota’s march toward global domination. With a base price of $30k in 1997 the ES was positioned above the most expensive $27k Toyota Avalon, which also used the same Camry chassis. You might wonder why Toyota would sell two cars with such […]
The first generation Toyota MR2 was a lightweight 2-seater budget sports car built in Japan from 1984 to 1989. The faster version had a small Roots-type supercharger mated to an inline-4 cylinder and made 145 horsepower…not exactly a screamer by today’s standards. Stick a big V6 from a Toyota Avalon into the back and suddenly […]