Thinking of buying...need advice - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

focusyn · 02-09-2011, 11:55 AM

a 92 Camry wagon V6 with 123k on the clock. My parents had a 92 XLE V6 sedan when I was younger and I have good memories of that car (until it was stolen). These cars seem to be put together then any other vehicle I can think of and since I've seen a lot with over 150k on them, this car seems to have some life left in it.

This is a second car, but it will be a daily driver. What should I look for on this car in terms of problem areas? I know, no 20 year old car is perfect or anything like that, but for $3,000, I'd rather have a very good old car compared to a lesser newer car.

At a crossroads with cars. I could afford to spend more or use this money as a down payment on something new, but I haven't had a car payment for a year and would like to keep it that way. These seem like good, honest,dependable cars, not overly exciting. And you don't see many wagons either. I appreciate any thoughts. Thanks!

***TrailDust*** · 02-09-2011, 06:06 PM

to the nation!

I'm moving your introduction over to the Camry forum so the other owners there can offer you their perspective.

***Mister_Perkins*** · 02-09-2011, 06:25 PM

I would take it to a mechanic and have them check it out for any unseen issues.

These cars are very dependable as long as they are taken care of.

carsrus · 02-09-2011, 07:02 PM

They are good cars, but 3k for a 92 is wayyy out of proportion. Ive seen 97 Camrys for 3500 with 150k miles. They still look pretty modern, but 20 years is 20 years.

The max price its worth is probably around 2k or so. If your buying from the original seller or the 2nd owner that's a bonus. In 20 years if a cars only been through 2 homes that's good. When there are like 5 owners it can get shady.

If you have 3 grand you can get something a bit newer. Save up 4 or so and you can get a 98-99. Also if your pretty mechanically inclined there are alot of domestic cars that are built like tanks but might need something labor intensive but not expensive(Intake gaskets for example). Cars like this can be found cheap and fixed cheap.

Another thing you need to figure is that in order for this to pay off you need to do all the work yourself. Buying a used car for 3k and taking it for everything to the mechanic will not save you any money long term. A simple job such as a rad change might cost 150$ DIY but 300 at a mechanic. These cars are easy to work on, but mechanics need to eat as well.

SexieWASD · 02-09-2011, 08:05 PM

$3k is a lot for it. I just bought a 96 wagon v6 with 174k for $1500, and yea it's a great car so far, but 92 for 3K just doesn't add up for me, maybe if it was in one of the really dry states.

dlm503 · 02-09-2011, 09:14 PM

I agree that $3K is too much by far. I recently got a 2001 for $3200. 9 years newer for $200 more? I think you could find much better deals out there.

***fenixus*** · 02-09-2011, 11:01 PM

you could easily get a gen4 camry for that money, look around, check edmunds.com, ebay and craigslist to have a better idea how much those cars are worth when buying from private sellers.

I got my 2002 Solara SLE V6 @ 122k miles for $5,400 at ebay transaction. of course car had issues (all I noticed I used to beat the price down), in the end settled the deal at $4k and fixed it myself (around $1.2k in new OEM parts, my own labor).

www.KBB.com will give you also pretty decent estimates on dealer lot value (retail), private party and trade-in values.

gn2 · 02-09-2011, 11:18 PM

Way, way too much...my '92 LE, from the second owner was only $800. and didn't need anything to license. At 3k, you're just getting ripped. You should be able to find AT LEAST a really good '97 for that much, or a Sienna even...a good car is nice and all, but overpaying by at least double is just being a sucker, don't encourage greedy sellers, shop wisely...

But no, I wouldn't use the money as a down payment either, you won't end up with a waaaaayyyy better car by paying even MORE money...

pmesfun · 02-09-2011, 11:24 PM

Yeah, thats way to expensive for a 20 year old car, 1k sounds reasonable. We got my brother's Xterra 2 years ago for 6k with 2,700 miles.

bigbird · 02-10-2011, 05:04 PM

as the others have said...that is WAY over priced. Id think about half that. and yeah they are great cars.

Safari Wagon · 02-10-2011, 06:08 PM

Great car! (if that’s what you are looking for)
I'd argue with everyone's comments about it being way overpriced. First, you have to compare apples to apples. The closest to your apple from the comparisons was SexieWASD. However his apples has 50k miles more, and that could mean up to five years more life left. Wagons are becoming sort of rare. It’s one of only a few cheap cars that has a third row seat. If that one is in great condition and has no rust, then it may be worth it. I paid $2500 for my non-rust V6 wagon with 130k miles and I think I got a killer deal! Every time I have doubts about my wagon's ability to tow the boat and I post it on Craigslist for $3900, I get one or two interested parties that are looking specifically for a low miles wagon.
It’s no gas sipper though… expect to get 20 mpg or so.
(By the way, the seller of my car was asking $3200)

***zythr*** · 02-10-2011, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carsrus

They are good cars, but 3k for a 92 is wayyy out of proportion. Ive seen 97 Camrys for 3500 with 150k miles. They still look pretty modern, but 20 years is 20 years.

The max price its worth is probably around 2k or so. If your buying from the original seller or the 2nd owner that's a bonus. In 20 years if a cars only been through 2 homes that's good. When there are like 5 owners it can get shady.

If you have 3 grand you can get something a bit newer. Save up 4 or so and you can get a 98-99. Also if your pretty mechanically inclined there are alot of domestic cars that are built like tanks but might need something labor intensive but not expensive(Intake gaskets for example). Cars like this can be found cheap and fixed cheap.

Another thing you need to figure is that in order for this to pay off you need to do all the work yourself. Buying a used car for 3k and taking it for everything to the mechanic will not save you any money long term. A simple job such as a rad change might cost 150$ DIY but 300 at a mechanic. These cars are easy to work on, but mechanics need to eat as well.

Out of curiosity what domestic models were you referring to?

carsrus · 02-10-2011, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zythr

Out of curiosity what domestic models were you referring to?

Basically anything with the 3.1 or 3.8 GM V6. They are maintenance pigs but pretty tough. Tons of buicks, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs have these engine along with chevy.

They eat lower intake gaskets like its no ones business, but after doing almost half a dozen of them its definitely a job someone can do DIY.

Sure MPG wise they are shady, but ease of working on is arguable. I did rear plugs on a 3.8 Buick Lesabre today and it was a breeze compared to the camry v6.

But if someone is mechanically inclined and knows the in and outs of how and engine works, basically any car can be made reliable. Hyundai earned a shitty rep b/c people woudlent change the timing belt at 60k and then when the belt snapped at around 85-95k and destroyed the engine they would bitch and moan that hyundais are junk.

German cars on the other hand.... require someone who really loves their car or has endless pockets.