Toyota Avensis 2004 (54) - 2.0 VVT-i T Spirit Hatchback 5dr Petrol Manual (191 g/km, 147 bhp)

Absolutely Outstanding Service from Start to Finish From my first enquiry to driving away in my new car, the service from SM Specialist Cars has been exceptional. The showroom itself is a fantastic space—welcoming, clean, and full of stunning vehicles to browse with zero pressure from the team. The whole experience felt relaxed and enjoyable. Stefan handled the sale and was brilliant throughout—friendly, knowledgeable, and never pushy. Callum also went above and beyond, offering honest advice and even personally delivering the car after they’d carried out some final detailing work to ensure it was absolutely spotless. This was a huge help due to my work commitments, and it just shows the level of care and customer service they offer. Even their website stands out. The photos are professionally done and give you a really accurate idea of each car, unlike many other dealers. It made browsing a pleasure. From a very happy Mark and Sarah. I couldn’t recommend SM Specialist Cars enough. A top-tier experience from a genuinely passionate team. Thank you—I’ll definitely be back for my next car.

I contacted this dealership on Friday to enquire about buying one of their cars online and it was delivered to me on Monday. I was very anxious about doing this as I’d never done it before but Tan did everything he could to put my mind at rest. He was very patient in answering all my questions and was very honest about the condition of the car (only a few light scratches to the bodywork). The car was very well priced compared to others I had seen and delivered to me by the lovely Trevor who kept me updated regularly. Both Tan and Trevor were very professional and friendly and overall my experience has been outstanding. I recommend them extremely highly and I am absolutely in love with my new car!! You are in safe hands with this company and you won’t be disappointed

Let me preface this review by saying that the entire transaction, until delivery, was conducted remotely, i.e. through email, phone and WhatsApp. The main reason behind this approach was that my previous car had sold unexpectedly quickly, leaving me without a convenient way of getting to Bedford. There was no urgent need for me to actually drive the car pre-purchase as I’d previously owned a Jaguar 3.2S version of the XJ40 . Apart from the 4.0 engine and some extra sound proofing with the Daimler version there would be no appreciable difference in terms of driving experience, seating position, and road handling. Having communicated this to SM Specialist Cars they were happy to provide photos and videos that would assist me in assessing the car’s condition. The MoT and service history confirmed the low mileage (68K) and the extensive work that had been carried out over the last few years in order to maintain the vehicle. The service history folder was a large A4 ring binder which could have doubled as a door stop. Having spoken to James on the phone, I mentioned that there were a number of areas whose condition I was keen to ascertain, given the propensity for rust in the XJ40 and sent a list of areas to check for either existing rust or signs of incipient corrosion. I was contacted almost immediately by Stefan who said that once the car was on site (from its storage facility) he would personally examine the areas in question and send a detailed video. In the meantime I was sent a general walk-round video which confirmed the vehicle was in excellent condition for its 31 years. The following day I was sent a comprehensive video detailing the potential problem areas, e.g. sills, arches, sunroof drains (all prone to rusting enthusiastically) as well as further, closer examination of the bodywork, interior and engine bay. The MoT was relatively short (4 months), so a new one was done and apart from a minor advisory there were no issues. As the car was on a ramp, Stefan took the opportunity to film another video to provide further close-up details of the underbody, showing exhaust, suspension, running gear, etc. from below. Given the MoT pass and extensive history I went ahead with the purchase with sensible provisos for not accepting the car such as breakdown (i.e. the journey could not be completed), or major warning light such as engine or transmission showing. Having completed purchase via BACS we arranged a delivery date and two chaps came up from Bedford (and were treated to the joys of the M42) and were keen for me to make as thorough an examination as I wanted to before they departed. When I took the car out on a proper run, I noticed a slight pull to the left under braking (braking itself was unaffected) and flagged this up to Stefan. He asked me to let him know the outcome once it had been examined by my regular garage. They discovered that it needed wheel alignment and did this while I waited. I later sent an image of the worksheet back to Stefan who, without hesitation, refunded the cost of the alignment process. I cannot commend SM Specialist Cars highly enough for their diligent and thorough approach to distance-based selling. Every question that I asked was responded to via email or WhatsApp within an hour or so and the custom videos that I had asked for were filmed and sent in under 24 hours. The members of their team with whom I dealt were thoroughly professional in their replies to my Spanish Inquisition-style set of questions and nothing was ever rushed or dealt with off-handedly in order to expedite the sales process. The customer-centric sales approach and attitude from SM is both reassuring and presents a very refreshing change from some dealers who simply wish to sell a vehicle rather than liaise diligently with their buyer. This makes for a world of difference in terms of experience from the purchaser’s standpoint and makes them much more likely to recommend the company to others as well as to return to them in the future.