Toyota Camry

[tolbs17]

This is a nice 2007 Toyota Camry XLE. Even though it's a little beat up, it has over 180k miles. It's only like $6.6k grand. I don't have a car yet but i have my license, I would like to have this one as my first car!





(There's no exterior pictures but it's a silver car)

What do you think of this car? Is it a great first car even with that high mileage?

[jakeroot]

$6600 seems a little high for that many miles. Toyotas, so we're told, "go forever", but that's still a lot of miles.

[tolbs17]

$6600 seems a little high for that many miles. Toyotas, so we're told, "go forever", but that's still a lot of miles.

It's also the top of the line trim with push start, v6 engine, and leather seats, so that's probably why too. If it was a base model and a four cylinder, it wouldn't be that expensive i'm sure.

[Max Rockatansky]

V6 or not the asking price is way too high for the mileage.  At 150k plus you need to get a low of a price as you can to account for maintenance items you won't anticipate. 

On a side note, it just struck me that I probably qualify as old since a V8 is what I considered aspirational around the same age. 

[jakeroot]

It's also the top of the line trim with push start, v6 engine, and leather seats, so that's probably why too. If it was a base model and a four cylinder, it wouldn't be that expensive i'm sure.

I'd pay big money for one of those 4-cylinder Camrys with a manual transmission. That body style was the last for the 5-speed.

On a side note, it just struck me that I probably qualify as old since a V8 is what I considered aspirational around the same age. 

Respectfully...can confirm. No desire for a V8 myself. Twin turbo V6? Hot mama!!

[Brandon]

Blah.  An appliance for people who hate to actually drive. 

[1995hoo]

$6,600 is too high for that Camry given the mileage. If it were something collectible that'd obviously be a different story. But the Camry is sort of the anti-collectible car. It, and the Toyota Prius, fall into the category of what Car and Driver once called "transportation appliances." They're reliable and utterly unexciting and are ideal for people who are not interested in a vehicle beyond having a reliable means to get from Point A to Point B–they don't care about things like "fun to drive" and styling and the like.

If the price were lower by about $4,000, and if a trusted mechanic checked out the car and gave it his OK, I'd say it might not be a terrible buy, but at 180,000 miles I'd be concerned that there's going to be some sort of maintenance that, although routine, is going to represent a significant expense in the near future. That one obviously doesn't have a clutch to replace, but I might be concerned about the power steering rack or the like unless a mechanic could tell me there was unlikely to be a problem.

[J N Winkler]

It's also the top of the line trim with push start, V6 engine, and leather seats, so that's probably why too. If it was a base model and a four cylinder, it wouldn't be that expensive I'm sure.

I drive a fifth-generation Toyota Camry XLE V6 and those go for silly money in good condition, with $10,000 not being unheard of.  This said, I'd double-check with KBB; you can get a spot check on price online for free.  Though this is sixth generation, 180,000 is a lot of miles and thus a lot of uncertainty about maintenance, so I'm inclined to agree with others about $6,000 being too much.  For this vintage of Camry, I don't like either the 2AZ-FE (four-cylinder:  eventually starts burning oil) or the 2GR-FE (V6:  has an external oil supply hose for the variable valve timing system that tends to break and run the engine dry of oil).  I prefer the 1MZ-FE (older 3.0 L V6, VVT oil supply is all internal), but it does require timing belt replacements every 90,000 miles and for the Camry it was retired at the end of the fifth generation.

I'd advise not getting your heart set on this vehicle and being open to other possibilities.

As for the Camry being "appliance motoring"--pfui.  There is something to be said for reliability.

[bugo]

The "Toyota=reliable" meme is outdated. Except for some Fiat products, virtually every car on the market in the US is reliable. Toyota still rides that wave but it is getting smaller every day as motorists realize that Toyota is nothing special. They make mediocre cars for those who hate to drive. I would stay far away from this car.

[tolbs17]

The "Toyota=reliable" meme is outdated. Except for some Fiat products, virtually every car on the market in the US is reliable. Toyota still rides that wave but it is getting smaller every day as motorists realize that Toyota is nothing special. They make mediocre cars for those who hate to drive. I would stay far away from this car.

Well it's your opinion. I like them. Toyotas and Hondas are my favorite!

[1995hoo]

Nowhere did I criticize reliability. My wife and I currently have three Honda vehicles (Acuras) that have been extremely reliable. That's one reason why we bought them. The RSX, in particular, doesn't fall within the "transportation appliance" category by any means. But the point I was making had nothing to do with reliability and everything to do with the asking price the OP mentioned: $6,600 for a vehicle with 180,000 miles is simply a very high price for something that doesn't fall into what would be considered a "collectible" car. That is to say, we all know there are cars that became more valuable as they aged due to scarcity, styling, particular unique features, whatever. A Camry just isn't the sort of vehicle that normally falls into that category, that's all, and as I said before, at 180,000 miles even a reliable vehicle is likely to have a number of routine maintenance items coming up that will pose an expense. A timing belt, if the vehicle has one, is a great example of that sort of thing–it's a "wear item" that has to be replaced every so often, but on a lot of vehicles it's one of the more expensive "routine maintenance" items and it stings a bit when that expense hits (thankfully, it only hits every few years).

A couple of years ago, my brother sold his 2006 Civic to Carmax because it had 197,500 miles and it needed a clutch, brakes, and something else (I forget what) and he said he didn't think it made sense to spend that amount of money on a car with 197,500 miles when our father had offered to give him a 2004 Acura TSX my parents no longer needed. That's the sort of situation that I think of when I see "180,000 miles" and "$6,600"–what other costs are going to hit after that purchase price?

(I've been thinking of selling my RX-7, but I doubt I'd be inclined to sell it to someone 17 years old because I don't think it's the right car. Someone that age should have something newer, less esoteric, and more reliable.)

[nexus73]

$6600 could get you a S197 Mustang GT with high miles.  Might as well be Joe Cool...LOL!

Watch the Craigslist ads for areas you would drive to in order to buy a vehicle.  Do this daily.  Once you know the market for those areas, you will recognize a bargain when you see it as well as knowing when a vehicle is overpriced.  For the best price, save your shekels until December.  Used car sales slow down then.  People want money for Xmas.  Cash is king.  Your patience will likely be rewarded.

Good luck finding the rig you want.  By the way, did you make it to Raising Cane's?

Rick

[jakeroot]

As for the Camry being "appliance motoring"--pfui.  There is something to be said for reliability.

I think this stereotype has been further cemented over the last ten years, as other automakers (such as BMW or Audi) have caught up in terms of reliability, but which also produce cars that are fun to drive. It's remarkable to me that Toyota simply cannot make their cheap cars fun. The Corolla hatch is the closest I've seen them get, but it still doesn't quite line up to my diesel Golf. Four years later.

Toyota is also digging themselves a hole with their warranties. 3/36?? I don't get it. My sister opted for a Jetta for her most recent car purchase, for two reasons: overall reliability is perfectly acceptable (to insist Toyota is the only reliable option is false), and it offered a bumper-to-bumper warranty twice that of the Corolla. For about $3k less. Total no brainer.

[ozarkman417]

I'm looking at the Autolist app and I applied filters to just about match the specs of this car (XLE, V6, 7 grand, 175k mileage, etc; as close as I could with the given filters) and I am finding vehicles around the same price point but the mileage is quite a bit less on almost all of them. I'm looking at an average of 140-150 thousand miles per car.

I did not look at a CARFAX on any of them, but CARFAX reports can have a large impact on the price of a car as it can tell buyers how reliable their car can be given information like crashes and maintenance.

[tolbs17]

For my first car this is what dad is thinking about getting me. It's somewhere between 2008 and 2012 and no higher than 125k miles. Corolla is too small, so I would do Camry or Accord.

I will have pics when I get the car.

i'm sure 6 cylinders are FUN to drive!!

[Max Rockatansky]

For my first car this is what dad is thinking about getting me. It's somewhere between 2008 and 2012 and no higher than 125k miles. Corolla is too small, so I would do Camry or Accord.

I will have pics when I get the car.

i'm sure 6 cylinders are FUN to drive!!

Just out curiosity what makes a Corolla too small?  My wife put 210,000 on her 09 Corolla she bought from new.  That thing is economical as all hell. 

[ozarkman417]

V6 or not the asking price is way too high for the mileage.  At 150k plus you need to get a low of a price as you can to account for maintenance items you won't anticipate. 

On a side note, it just struck me that I probably qualify as old since a V8 is what I considered aspirational around the same age.

I suppose that is another example showing how car manufacturers are making their engines smaller left and right. I'm quite young and I have noticed in my lifetime there have been many cars that have been losing their V8/V6 options, in favor for four cylinders. I found an audi q7 with a 4.5L or so engine but now that same car in 2019 has a 3.0 Liter engine, and Acura has recently cut the V6 in their RDX (but HP numbers didn't change much at all). At least they are more efficient, I guess.

[Max Rockatansky]

V6 or not the asking price is way too high for the mileage.  At 150k plus you need to get a low of a price as you can to account for maintenance items you won't anticipate. 

On a side note, it just struck me that I probably qualify as old since a V8 is what I considered aspirational around the same age.

I suppose that is another example showing how car manufacturers are making their engines smaller left and right. I'm quite young and I have noticed in my lifetime there have been many cars that have been losing their V8/V6 options, in favor for four cylinders. I found an audi q7 with a 4.5L or so engine but now that same car in 2019 has a 3.0 Liter engine, and Acura has recently cut the V6 in their RDX (but HP numbers didn't change much at all). At least they are more efficient, I guess.

That's the thing, a lot of the change is being driven by efficiency concerns.  Don't forget CAFE laws are only mandating increases in Corporate Fuel economy over time.  At minimum unlike the Malaise Era the engineering technology is advancing so rapidly that cars still preform well with four and six cylinder variants.  300HP just two decades ago was a lot of out a V8, now we have some high end four bangers hitting that mark. 

[Brian556]

Just use Kelly blue book website to determine the value of a car. Also, shop around on one of the many car sales websites and you will see that the price is wayyy too high. People are always trying to take advantage of young people, but thankfully you can prevent this by using the internet. Don't be lazy. Shop around and do your research.

I have a 2004 Camry SE with 130,000 miles. It wasn't until this year that I had to start replacing parts. Alternator and engine mount.

[tolbs17]

For my first car this is what dad is thinking about getting me. It's somewhere between 2008 and 2012 and no higher than 125k miles. Corolla is too small, so I would do Camry or Accord.

I will have pics when I get the car.

i'm sure 6 cylinders are FUN to drive!!

Just out curiosity what makes a Corolla too small?  My wife put 210,000 on her 09 Corolla she bought from new.  That thing is economical as all hell.

I'm 6' 1'' or 6' 2''.

[Max Rockatansky]

For my first car this is what dad is thinking about getting me. It's somewhere between 2008 and 2012 and no higher than 125k miles. Corolla is too small, so I would do Camry or Accord.

I will have pics when I get the car.

i'm sure 6 cylinders are FUN to drive!!

Just out curiosity what makes a Corolla too small?  My wife put 210,000 on her 09 Corolla she bought from new.  That thing is economical as all hell.

I'm 6' 1'' or 6' 2''.

I'm 6'1 myself and I drove a Chevy Sonic in addition to a Ford Fiesta through the last 7 years as daily drivers.  That's a myth a lot of people try to perpetuate that sub-compact cars can't be operated comfortably by tall people. 

[tolbs17]

For my first car this is what dad is thinking about getting me. It's somewhere between 2008 and 2012 and no higher than 125k miles. Corolla is too small, so I would do Camry or Accord.

I will have pics when I get the car.

i'm sure 6 cylinders are FUN to drive!!

Just out curiosity what makes a Corolla too small?  My wife put 210,000 on her 09 Corolla she bought from new.  That thing is economical as all hell.

I'm 6' 1'' or 6' 2''.

I'm 6'1 myself and I drove a Chevy Sonic in addition to a Ford Fiesta through the last 7 years as daily drivers.  That's a myth a lot of people try to perpetuate that sub-compact cars can't be operated comfortably by tall people.

How about sitting in the back seat? If you have 3 tall people in the car, you will be uncomfortable. Unless you are by yourself

[tolbs17]

I tried to make an idea about a Toyota Avalon for me but everyone thinks that car is too big for me. Lol and the older design of them, I don't really like the ones from 2005-2010.

[jakeroot]

I'm 6'1 myself and I drove a Chevy Sonic in addition to a Ford Fiesta through the last 7 years as daily drivers.  That's a myth a lot of people try to perpetuate that sub-compact cars can't be operated comfortably by tall people.

How about sitting in the back seat? If you have 3 tall people in the car, you will be uncomfortable. Unless you are by yourself

Those small hatchbacks usually have tall roofs. Better for tall people than a similar sedan.

Have you considered something like a Toyota Matrix?

[J N Winkler]

That's the thing, a lot of the change is being driven by efficiency concerns.  Don't forget CAFE laws are only mandating increases in Corporate Fuel economy over time.  At minimum unlike the Malaise Era the engineering technology is advancing so rapidly that cars still preform well with four and six cylinder variants.  300HP just two decades ago was a lot of out a V8, now we have some high end four bangers hitting that mark.

The rapidly evolving tech concerns me.  I'd sooner have a last-generation Lexus LS with a normally-aspirated V8 than a current-generation one with the twin-turbo V6.  Turbos are very hard on motor oil, and GDI without a conventional (indirect) FI component is a recipe for intake valve clogging.  It also bugs me that although the problem of how to build engines with effectively zero oil consumption has been solved since the 1920's, the automakers still think it is optional to design to that target.

I am speaking of this vehicle as one from which reliability can be expected because it is a Toyota Camry, not because it is a Toyota; the company does make some unreliable models.  And in terms of the V6, fifth generation is better than sixth generation.