Used Toyota Avalon for Sale in Oakland, CA

We purchased a 2015 Avalon in July. It was a nice vehicle but the more I drove it, the more I realized it did not meet my expectations. Due to it's reputation, I expected the "flotation" ride of a luxury car. I also had issues with wind noise and bumping my head getting in and out. (Not a vehicle for people who have any difficulty getting in and out of a car). To say I was extremely disappointed is an understatement. The dealership could do nothing about the wind noise....... we even tested one straight off the lot when I came to pick mine up from Service. It did the same thing. My aunt had purchased a 2015 Av Hybrid around the same time. When I spoke with her, she said that she had not realized now noisy her 2015 Avalon was until they went on a trip in a friend's Ford F150. Now that's sad that a pickup was quieter than a luxury car!!! I traded in a 2013 Kia Soul that I just loved other than the ride. It had zero wind noise!!!!!! Complained to Toyota's Houston division but since it is not a safety hazard, they deemed nothing was wrong with the car or it's design and offered no alternatives in terms of helping me purchase a different vehicle. My only recourse was to go back to the dealership and trade it in. I now own a 2016 4Runner and LOVE it. Yes, it is not sound proof, but it rides better and is more comfortable than my LAST purchase of a "luxury" vehicle. I use the term "luxury" loosely and sarcastically. BCS

After disappointment with the quality decline in Honda's interior trim I decided to go with Toyota and thought their flagship would be well worth it. I assumed I was getting a car commensurate in quality with its price, but boy was I wrong. First, the positive. The engine is well matched with this car and it has adequate pickup, particularly in sport mode. It makes a very subtle but noticeable difference in acceleration. Unfortunately, sport mode must be selected every time you drive as the car only retains normal or eco mode when you turn off the engine. Minor detail. The other positive is that the interior is very well laid out and looks great. As for quality, the wind and road noise is quite noticeable in this car. It's not a deal killer, but it is more than I would expect for something with a $40k+ MSRP. There are also some really stupid choices Toyota made with this car such as the Nav/phone system. I understand that certain things deactivate when you're moving, but using hands-free calling can be a hassle because if you need to call a number with an automated phone tree (for example, calling Toyota) and you must enter in a number prompt instead of speaking it, you have to pick up your phone and dial it from there. The number pad on the car's screen deactivates. So much for the "safety" aspect of hands-free. In terms of quality, Toyota must've gone on vacation. My analog speedometer is about 3 mph off from the digital one, an insignificant deal but an annoyance regardless. This is common to these cars, but Toyota will not fix it as 1-3 mph variance is "within tolerance." The seat heaters are nice, but the seat coolers are next to useless. I've had seat coolers that work, but these don't do much at all. There is also an annoying buzz/rattle coming from the door panels when the radio is on. After four fruitless attempts to get this fixed at the dealership and with no help from the corporate office I finally took the doors apart myself and added a ton of soundproofing material. It mitigated the issue, but I really don't think DIY is an acceptable solution to a manufacturing issue on a new, much less "flagship," vehicle. Then, there's the stereo itself. It sounds great... when it works. It randomly loses connectivity with my phone and has, on multiple occasion, gone into a sequence of rebooting itself. The problem is intermittent and cannot be replicated, so Toyota offers no assistance on fixing it. Lastly, the car has developed an intermittent hesitation when it starts. As best I could, I tracked it down to times when the car sat for an hour or two and the temperature was warm and humid. I even provided video proof of it occurring. Initially, Toyota stated that they cannot replicate the issue and ignored it, but I finally was able to get them to acknowledge it as an issue. However, their response was to blame me and state that "I was pushing the button wrong." I'm not sure how that could be the case, but I went several rounds with them before finally giving up in frustration. While the engine has yet to not start at all, I suspect it is a matter of time as issues with cars rarely get better on their own and often progress. I've purchased several cars over the years and must say that this is the most disappointing one I've owned. It's not the worst, but I expected much more based on Toyota's reputation and the fact that this is their flagship. The best decision I made with this car was to trade it in. Never again, Toyota.