I've been seriously thinking about a used Avalon as an alternative to a more expensive Lexus E300 or an Acura TL of about the same vintage. Two issues: major--the suspension and minor-is premium fuel necessary?
Consumer Reports, based on its recent reader survey, reports conerns about the suspension system in these late 90s Avalons. A couple of dealers have quoted me around $1,300 to install new struts. How common is this problem? Is this an issue that would have shown up early in the cars' lives and probably have been fixed by now, or is it one that happens with, say, 60,000 to 80,000 miles of use?
I like the small additional bit of room in the Avalon (I'm moving from a fairly roomy Buick LeSabre) and would like to retain the Buick amenties I enjoy now, e.g., leathers seats, etc., so I'd probably pop for the XLS if this suspension problem can be addressed satisfactorily (the 2000 Avalon is a huge leap in price and out of my budget); otherwise a Camry XLE of similar vintage and mileage is my fallback (there are many more of them, of course).
While Consumer Guide (Consumer Reports is silent on the fuel issue) advises premium fuel for the Toyota V6, used car salemen all say that regular unleaded is fine (naturally).
Thoughts from experienced 1997-99 Avalon owners out there?