blackjac08

1997 Vienta Intrigue V6 This vehicle was my late father's car, he had it from new and it has travelled only 59,700km. He passed away four years ago and I only drive it to and from work a couple of days a week as I have my own car. I want to sell it because I simply don't need it. The oil and oil filter get changed once a year and the bearings and under-vehicle stuff get lubricated at the same time. It has not been serviced by the dealer since the first service (after the first 1,500km). The engine and mechanicals have not caused any problems but they have also not been serviced. Someone who knows these cars would probably need to spend $500 to flush the cooling system, brakes and oil and do some preventative maintenance and they would have a near new car. Paintwork = 9.5/10 Interior = 9/10 I want to sell it to a Toyota enthusiast who will appreciate the car and keep it for a long time. I need advice on how much to ask for and how best to sell it. I do not want to put it in the newspaper or online car sales websites, I don't want tyre-kickers coming around and wasting my time. Any comments will be appreciated.

Allways sad to hear a fathers passing, his car and service habits speak well of him... How fortunate you are to keep his memory so alive by tacking over care of his much loved car... Toyota is so advanced, there is not much to do to keep it in good order... power should be quite strong. Importantly, oil and filter were in good hands, change every 10K klm or less, say 12mnths.. Air filter is important, & very easy for u to change... get a genuine unit. Spark plugs probably don't 'need' changing... but why not freshen them up with newies... post a how to 4 good advise. Fuel filters... Again post for advice... I never changed on your model :) If these couple easy things don't help, post again, now they have been done we can move to having your O2 sensor checked, cheap and easy... it may be sluggish. And have your 'codes' read at the same time... will indicate some existing prob, not immediatly obvious. Both the above checks can be got for free by mechanics with the equipment, just by asking them. Nulon is a good internal component protection and anti friction measure and the different fuels will not make much diff to performance... but cars do need plenty of air, and good spark, and good engine management... After that we're looking at 'draging' disc pads, half flat tyres, or a boot full of bricks, ( unlikely) but weight is not wanted. Do what you can yourself, we will help you, learn your dads car... it's all pretty easy. Let us know how you go... cheers. Others that know more than me should chime in with advice... it's a good project. Grab a K&N high flow air filter for it they are a bit exy but it'll be the only one you will ever need to buy for that car as they are non disposable. Best thing to do for any car is clean out the intake to gain econemy and power. After that just normal service with good quality parts and product and the car should well last you for years to come. Also highoctane petrol will help to make the car have a bit more kick to it and aslo better econemy in my experience however the change will take a little while as the ecu has to adjust itself to do this. Hope this helps Just did an oil & filter change myself, used Nulon Oil Flush first, then Castrol GTX3 oil. Added a Nulon oil treatment, Nulon Octane Boost and a K&N air filter. It has had a dramatic effect on performance and smoothness. Many thanks for the advice on the K&N, well worth the extra money. Will only be using premium unleaded from now on. The mechanic my father used had put some sort of gel on the sump plug to protect it. It was easy to peel off with a screwdriver and has left the plug in pristine condition. I went to an AutoPro shop to see if they had something similar and they said it was the first time they had heard of someone doing that to a sump plug. I think it is a great idea but am not sure what the mechanic used (he has since retired). Any ideas?

Need some advice - have just inherited a 1997 Vienta v6 from my late father. He used to change the oil and filter every six months, car has only travelled 45,000kms. I drive the car to work two days a week and is not likely to travel more than 5,000km this year but I don't want to sell it. The car is very sluggish, I was told to use high octane petrol and Nulon additives to help. The car has not been serviced thoroughly for years, it is immaculate but I fear a thorough service will cost an arm and a leg. Any suggestions?