Bracey

2005 2.4 Hybrid

I calculated these at fill up and I have found the trip computer to be accurate to within about 1mpg.

Last week 40.26 true mpg.

This weekend, 400 mile round trip to Scotland and back, 60mph most of way, 39.9mpg true mpg (computer says 14.5km/l, which is 40.96mpg).

Not bad at all. 

I'm sure you will have done, but have you checked the voltage of the 12v auxillary battery?

Mine kept needing to be jump started at the dealership and they nearly didn't sell the car to me.  I wasn't deterred.

I had the hybrid battery health checked by a hybrid specialist at the forecourt and it was given a clean bill of health.

When the engine was running there was about 14v (can't remember the exact figure) going into the 12v battery, so I knew it was putting charge in it. 

I checked the 12v battery after the car sat for a few days and it was down to 10v.  So I suspected the battery was goosed from lack of use through it's life.  

I changed the 12v battery with a genuine Toyota one last week and (touch wood) all seems good. 

12 hours ago, PaulE said:

My 2005 hybrid (December 55 plate) had 62 K miles on it when I bought it from a reputable dealer but required the HV battery to be repaired at 67k miles . HV batteries do need attention and can require this as little as 50k miles. I also needed the the inverter cooling pump replacing shortly after so was expensive but I have come to realise these vehicles will need money spending on them. There are many vehicles out there- don't buy the first one you see- do a lot of homework first. When I bought mine 4 years ago there wasn't as much info as there is now. Better buy a 2.4 petrol rather than the hybrid if you can unless it is a a very good price. Take your time and look around. Buy from a reputable dealer as there are a lot of scammers about. Good luck.

Paul, do you remember how much did it cost to get the HV battery and the inverter cooling pump repaired?

9 minutes ago, Rojie said:

 

If you photograph the rear light clusters, we should be able to tell you which variant you have.

The early vans have smaller light clusters.

 

My guess is yours is facelifted; and, if so, should be compliant.

 

Check your registration on TfL, Transport for London.

There are photos of the rear light cluster further up the thread.  

I've just checked and the Ulez charges and congestion charges apply to this one.  I live in the North West, so currently we don't get penalized for driving older cars round here.  I do have an EV if we needed to go somewhere that did charge.

5 minutes ago, Rojie said:

As Michael says, DLVA will help.

 

The Gen 1, non-facelift, is generally not compliant.

Whereas the Gen 1 facelift is.

 

Check on DVLA when the van was made; not when it was imported.

 

The general consensus of opinion is the change occurred about July / September 2005.

Thanks Rojie. 

I know the van was manufactured in September 2005 from the CarVX report and other checks.  

I have to admit that the compliance you're referring to is not something I've been considering but I don't think it will be compliant and I suspect we will have to pay clean air charges in the cities that enforce them - is that what you're referring to?

Michael, I appreciate you taking the time to comment.  It sounds like you had rotten luck with your own Alphard, but eventually got it sorted (at considerable expense!) and I am trying to digest all the comments on here to make an informed decision about the purchase. 

I've read that the reason for a lot of Jap cars being exported around the 65k mark is the Shaken Law and the super costly and rigorous inspections for older cars once they reach that kind of age and mileage.  According to the CarVX report, the one I'm looking at was auctioned at 65,548 in August 2023 and I can see evidence of inspections going back a few years with the mileage increasing by a small amount each time. It certainly tallies with a current indicated mileage (kilometerage?) of around 71k. 

I have also found evidence of 5 different Toyota recalls having been carried out on the car since 2009.  These were obtained via a link to Toyota Japan.  It includes two for the airbags, one for the inverter coolant pump, one for the braking computer and something else I've forgotten.        

I have a few questions if you have the time. 

• In your earlier reply, did you mean that although your van was showing 65,000km, the true mileage was actually 67k higher at around 132,000km?
• What first made you realise that there was an issue with the inverter?  
• What MPG are you getting now that it is all running well?

Cheers, 
Neil 

Hi.  I haven't bought mine yet (2005 2.4 Hybrid) but Adrian Flux quoted £812 online and £792 when I called them.  I assumed I'd have to go through a specialist like them, being an import car.    

But I've just been on Compare the Market and I've got quotes from £496 (cheapest) and £504 (Aviva Premium) for a policy with all of the available add-ons included.  

19 hours ago, Michael Brown said:

Nice looking Alphard Hybrid, mileage to good to be true. You could also get a BIMTA check (British Independant Motor Trades Assosiation ). They can do a mileage check dockside in Japan or a fulll check of the vehicle. I had a mileage check done on a Toyota Estima that had 65,000 miles on the ODO. I did not get the check done till I'd had it a few years and 67,000 miles had been removed. When I bought the Mk2 Estima in 2011, it was a 2000 model. All the imported Estima's at the time had around 65,000 miles on the ODO, definately worth getting a mileage checked at least.

 

You should look up Alfies reg no on DVLA to see if its compliant to take into cities and not have to pay any clean air charges.

 

Good luck in your quest 

Thanks for the advice.  

I've had the CarVX results back and it shows the mileage as being correct, looking at previous Inspection data.  It had the cleanest looking engine bay of any car I've seen, and not like someone has just jet washed it.   There's grease on earthing connections etc.  

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505011924596?sort=price-asc&searchId=90d94c64-1168-4192-bab9-802def02e416&advertising-location=at_cars&fuel-type=Petrol Hybrid&make=Toyota&model=Alphard&postcode=L392ef&fromsra

Hello, this is my first post on here.  I've been looking at 8 seater imports for a little while and settled on Alphards.  

I went to have a look at this car today.  Does anyone know this car?  

I believe it has only been in the UK since last year and was first registered in March.  Apparently [so I was told] the previous owner traded it in for something smaller because his wife found it too big to drive.  

I haven't done a CarVX check on it yet. 

Can any of you more experienced people please give your opinion on the vehicle based on the advert?

The mileage seems low - unusually low for a 20 year old car and one video I watched suggested that under-use can be detrimental to a hybrid battery.  I haven't had chance to scrutinize the Japanese paperwork that came with it using Google Translate.  

The body condition looked absolutely mint, without a blemish.  Underneath looked like new too.  

All the electrics seemed to work, with loads of parking cameras and both electric doors worked, although the offside door needed a slight nudge to get it started.  

I test drove it and it felt like a new car to drive.  Very smooth, the CVT did its thing and at slower speeds the electric motor seemed to take over.  

Is it a fair price from a dealer for the mileage?

Cheers, Neil