Advice on buying please!

[MacleodT]

Hi everyone,

 

My first post and looking for advice from the experts.

 

I’ve been thinking for a while about an Alphard Hybrid, and a few have finally popped up online that are making me get serious about that thinking.

 

What scares me is possibly not knowing much about the time of import, reliability and longevity, and there being reliable servicing here in Edinburgh if needed! And making sure what I’m looking at would suit our needs….

 

On that final point, here are a few reasons I think the Alphard would suit us. Please disagree if you think it doesn’t tick these boxes for me!

 

- high MPG for around town a few times per week, shopping and short trips with kids (does it have Isofix?)

- the ability to do a 1-2 longer road trips in Scotland each year

- under £10k to buy

 

So here are the two I’ve found and am considering:

 

https://www.theaa.com/used-cars/cardetails/73-806337#tooltip-imported

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309141982671

 

any advice would be so appreciated and thoughts on the two Alphard’s would be too!

 

many thanks

[MacleodT]

This could also fit the bill?

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306258926385?sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_cars&aggregatedTrim=&body-type=MPV&colour=&fuel-type=Petrol Hybrid&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Alphard&page=3&postcode=EH15 2QD&transmission=&year-to=2023&fromsra

[Rojie]

14 minutes ago, MacleodT said:

Hi everyone,

 

My first post and looking for advice from the experts.

 

I’ve been thinking for a while about an Alphard Hybrid, and a few have finally popped up online that are making me get serious about that thinking.

 

What scares me is possibly not knowing much about the time of import, reliability and longevity, and there being reliable servicing here in Edinburgh if needed! And making sure what I’m looking at would suit our needs….

 

On that final point, here are a few reasons I think the Alphard would suit us. Please disagree if you think it doesn’t tick these boxes for me!

 

- high MPG for around town a few times per week, shopping and short trips with kids (does it have Isofix?)

- the ability to do a 1-2 longer road trips in Scotland each year

- under £10k to buy

 

So here are the two I’ve found and am considering:

 

https://www.theaa.com/used-cars/cardetails/73-806337#tooltip-imported

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309141982671

 

any advice would be so appreciated and thoughts on the two Alphard’s would be too!

 

many thanks

 

Hi Tom,

 

It is NOT a 2023, as advertised. So why say so !

Starting off with such an untruth throws the integrity of the seller out the window for me.

It is a 2005. I quit reading at that point. Imported this year probably, but not the same thing at all.

85K, if that is the true mileage, is not low. Do you have a copy of the Auction Certificate when the vehicle was exported?

Clocking is rare in Japan, but can be achieved on importation by converting the speedo chip to MPH.

The Auction certificate will declare the KM ay auction, i.e export from Japan.

 

The second vehicle is ULEZ compliant.

You can check yourself om the TfL website.

 

Whatever vehicle you buy, having a reliable servicing company is important, especially with a Hybrid.

 

Good Luck.

 

[Picasso]

If you really want a hybrid stay away from hybrids early than 2007 they known for battery problems 

[PaulE]

From my own experience with a series 1 Hybrid- in retrospect I would buy the series 1 petrol 2.4 as the hybrid only gives a marginal increase in fuel economy ( if the HV battery is on top line) and it would avoid any issues with the hybrid system which is expensive to fix and difficult to find anyone who will touch it. I had my HV battery rebuilt this year and was lucky to get a professional who knew the vehicle but it was off the road for 3 months (so far is working very well). The petrol only versions I believe are usually very reliable- I have had no issues with the petrol engine so far in 2 years. I don't know if the series 2 hybrids are more reliable. Try finding a reputable dealer- forum members have given recommendations if you look for them on the forum. I bought mine from Dave at Vine Place Motors in Durham and the vehicle was ( and still is) in top condition despite the issue I had with the hybrid which was 2 years down the line. It would be worth contacting a few dealers to see what is on offer and how they speak to you. Avoid any vehicles which have had jiggery-pokery done to the mileage- you don't have to have it converted- I have a HUD in mph on my windscreen and I never look at the speedometer and you just tell the garage the ODO is in km at MOT time.

[MacleodT]

Thanks all for such informative replies, hugely helpful! Will keep you posted as to my journey.

[PaulE]

The acknowledgement is much appreciated- good luck. Any more questions- please ask.

[Lanciaman]

Personally I'd avoid the hybrid. Great of new and under warranty but you are highly likely to be up the creek with no paddle if it goes wrong. A few pounds more on fuel will be far cheaper in the long run. 

 

As for where to buy, do your research. The supplier is as important as the vehicle. I got mine from down south - I'm in Aberdeenshire. 

[Rojie]

2 hours ago, Lanciaman said:

Personally I'd avoid the hybrid. Great of new and under warranty but you are highly likely to be up the creek with no paddle if it goes wrong. A few pounds more on fuel will be far cheaper in the long run. 

 

As for where to buy, do your research. The supplier is as important as the vehicle. I got mine from down south - I'm in Aberdeenshire. 

 

Yes it is important to locate a good supplier; preferably one with on site facilities for maintenance and repairs.

 

If you study this Forum you will notice that some owners find it very difficult to identify mechanics that are willing, and able, to work on Hybrids.

[PaulE]

We spent 2 years deciding what to buy and we found a lot of info looking at Jap car Finder Bradford as he puts his vehicles on Youtube. We haven't dealt with him so can't guarantee how good he is but he seems to have a good reputation and he imports a wide range of Jap vehicles. The main thing is you can learn a great deal from his in depth videos. Always check out a dealers reputation there are some bad ones.

It's worth a look on Used Toyota Alphard Cars For Sale In Bradford West Yorkshire At JAP Car Finder Ltd (website)

 

or (71) JAP CAR FINDER LTD - YouTube and you can see previous videos 

Edited October 23, 2023 by PaulE

[Michael Brown]

You have to expect a 16 year old Alphard to have some faults, they cannot all be perfect. There is a time limit how long major parts last. For instance my Inverter packed up and my mechanic could not source spare parts for it. He looked into importing one from Japan an they are available for £5,200. including VAT and delivery. I was not going to get rid of Alfie that cost me £9,500. last August, so I took out a bank loan to buy the Inverter and I have had 6 months trouble frree motoring. I expect it to last at least 10 years ( the Inverter )

[Lanciaman]

And therein lies the evidence why the hybrid is such a gamble.  Michael effectively says himself, you will get faults on a 16 year old car, no matter how good a condition it's in. Why heighten the odds of huge expense and inconvenience by adding the hybrid complexity?  

 

No offence to MB intended. It must have been heartbreaking to have to do that. 

[pipsyp]

Agreed, the Hybrid in full working order is quite a cool thing (and inherently 4 wheel drive) but there is alot more to go wrong with it Vs a regular 2.4, which if you get a good one it's a fairly bombproof motor.  Probably fair to say much of the economy gain is probably offset by the extra weight of the hybrid gear, likewise performance.

 

The 2.4 is actually a great thing, naturally the V6 offers more (and more effortless) performance, but it's a nice, torquey motor, doesn't mind revving and actually delivers quite a surprising turn of pace if you rev it out/use the gears and that's coming from someone who likes cars and has owned/driven a few half quick ones.  To bumble about in it's also quiet and pleasant - suits the relaxed gait of the vehicle perfectly (it handles tidily, but the steering is like a buses and it's certainly no performance car).  Urban MPG is a bit garbage but on a motorway run it'll achieve 30mpg which is impressive given its size.  They also run great on E10 fuel (from personal experience), so no worries there either.

 

As to some points to think about.......

 

Get a facelift Alphard it possible, particularly anything 2007 onwards as the 2.4 engine received some mods around then which make it more reliable (they can be known for burning oil).

 

If you cant find one privately, look to a specialist importer.  My vehicle came from Stuart Spencer Autos (SS Autos), whilst I bought mine privately the previous owners purchased the vehicle through them and had them camper convert it and had a very good experience so figure that's worth mentioning.  Most specialists will also fully service, Clean MOT and underseal the vehicle so you know you are getting as close to an A1 vehicle mechanically as you can get that way.

 

Anything you get, ensure the following:

 

That you do a CarVX report on it, so you can see its history prior to being imported, also the report will contain details of its import sheet identifying its spec, grade etc and will also serve to verify the mileage it came into the country with.  The better importers will convert the clocks to miles and MPH and perform mileage correction (which should come with a BIMTA certificate) but the export KM mileage and BIMTA mileage should largely marry up.  Mine retained the 180kmh clock, but reads in MPH, as does the mileage in the digital ODO.  Some don't do this and just change the dial face, so it techically reads MPH, but clocks mileage in KMs still.  Completely depends on importer.

 

The car may not come with any service history from Japan.  This isn't unusual and isn't reason to be deterred from buying.  The Japanese are all pretty fesidious with maintaining vehicles (and they need to for their vehicle inspections which I gather are far stricter than UK MOT's) and if it comes in as a high grade (3.5/4) you shouldn't be concerned.

 

Make sure everything on it works, particularly the Xenon headlamps, and power doors/tailgate if it has them.  Not a major drama but it can be a bit of a pain and expense to fix these if they don't work.  The level sensors can fail on the Xenons, and the door motors do eventually go (the motors go, or the cables snap one or other) but all fixable.

 

Ensure the Takada passenger airbag recall was carried out.  I'm not aware of an imported vehicle that hasn't had it done yet but it's a possibility.  There is a link to the Japan Toyota website on here somewhere where you can check this against the VIN.

 

Note these often come in with their factory Japanese spec CD/MD/Nav/TV double din head units.  The language on some of the buttons is in Japanese and I believe its not possible to change the user language on the unit either.  Also without an FM band expander it won't pick up much FM radio.  Most importers resort to fitting a double din touchscreen unit of some sort to get around this, and can be done so that things like the factory steering controls and reversing camera are retained.  Some functionality is no doubt lost (I believe the factory head unit can be used to alter some vehicle settings, trip computer perhaps).

 

If going down the conversion route I can tell you......

 

A decent van fresh imported will be 8.5/9.5k there or there abouts.

 

To then do a conversion (rear kitchen (sink, hob, fridge freezer) pop top, 12v electrics and mains hook up, you are looking about same again.

 

I know all this as I am fortunate enough to have all the purchase and conversion invoices from the previous owner (original importer).  When I see similar vehicles being sold well in excess of 20k it stings knowing this, so just be mindful of this if you end up buying a converted vehicle.

 

Alot to take in but hope it helps!!

 

 

[Michael Brown]

I get 33 - 40 mpg, if I eased off on the excellerator on trunk an M roads, I'd probably get more

[pipsyp]

On 12/5/2023 at 12:32 AM, Michael Brown said:

I get 33 - 40 mpg, if I eased off on the excellerator on trunk an M roads, I'd probably get more

That's decent, a regular non-hybrid 2.4 could only dream of 40mpg!  They aren't bad though given their relative size and weight.