Hello all, please could you help me Decide which is the best model/year/ engine size Alfard around £8000, in other words, who’s the Alfard daddy! 

Edited April 12, 20223 yr by Devo

3 hours ago, Devo said:

Hello all, please could you help me Decide which is the best model/year/ engine size Alfard around £8000, in other words, who’s the Alfard daddy! 

 

Hello Devo,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

6 hours ago, Rojie said:

 

Hello Devo,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

Thank you very much Rajie

 

Do you intend to have it converted at a later date ?

 

Which model is a very difficult question as we all have our favourites for a variety of reasons.

 

With your budget, you will probably be looking at what is known as a Gen 1 facelift model. 2005 to mid 2008.

You may be able to get an Gen 2 model, but prices for all Alphard, and Vellfire, model are increasing as their popularity soars.

 

Location of a competent mechanic is key whatever model you decide on. IMHO, this is especially vital if you opt for a Hybrid.

Most Toyota Dealerships will not work on grey imports.

Some will, most won't.

 

If buying privately, I would recommend an AA or RAC type inspection for piece of mind.

 

If from a dealer, make sure you understand any limits within the warranty.

 

Good Luck, but you are not likely to need it as these are great vehicles.

 

 

 

 

Hi Devo,

We have a Gen 1 facelift, converted to a camper. We opted for a 3L rather than a 2.4L - I gather the 2.4L has 4-gear auto transmission 2005-07, whereas the 3L has a 5-gear box. Whilst the larger engine will inevitably be more thirsty for urban driving, 5th gear allows us to cruise on the motorway at 2300rpm, which saves fuel overall - most of our journeys are camping trips away. So, it all depends on the type of use. We also added an LPG fuel conversion - slightly lower mpg, but cheaper at the pump and I believe over time (I calculated break-even around 18000m for us, assuming LPG stays roughly 50% of petrol price, but do the sums to work out your break-even mileage.... ), and also less damaging for the environment than petrol.

Regards, pcous