Tips shopping for a used recent vintage Camry?

[kdkrone]

I am looking for a reliable, safe used vehicle for my college-age daughter and I have no problem allowinig someone else taking a financial hit for the pleasure of having chosen the color of the car.

I have read the sticky thread of the history of Camrys. My thought is to look for a recent model with 10-20,000 miles. I would appreciate comments about the two 6's that have been used in the past few years (whether the newer one is a significant improvement over the older one), whether there is a significant need for the 6 over the 4, and any comments about particular points to consider looking at in a used Camry. My present thoughts are to purchase an extended warranty policy to cover her for the next number of years.

Thanks in advance.

Ken K

[Ruffrydasean]

Lol, why call it vintage?

Nothing really special to look for that you wouldn't look for in any other car to my knowledge. If your looking for something with 10-20k miles, means your looking for a Gen 5. Not really a big need for the V6 other than wanting more get up and go power (I do hear a few 4cyl owners wishing they had gotten the V6 option),

Just skim through the camry section to get an idea of what you'd be dealing with. Or maybe a few Gen 5 owners can come in here and tell you a bit more

[BlueCam]

well...i'm 18...just about to get out of high school and my parents got me a 4 cyl 98 camry le

the 4 cyl does have enough power to get me out of most emergency situations, and overall, the car holds up well. I do wish that it had a bit more power, but that may be because i learned to drive in my dads 98 max, and am a guy lol

for day to day driving though, its a good car, and it also holds up very well, and gets good gas milage

[islandboy57]

You're in Cali..there's a thread on FatWallet about getting new '06 Camry I4 LEs for ~$16,500 + TTL. That's not much more than I paid for my used '05 - except that in Hawaii, demand is high and they have to ship it here so prices aren't nearly as good. But yeah, I would usually say go for 1-2 years old..that way, it's depreciated a good amount AND you're still covered by the bumper2bumper warranty.

As far as the I4 vs. V6 - go for the I4. It'll be cheaper for repairs and get better gas mileage. Having driven a V6 Camry since I started driving, and now owning an I4 Camy..there is definitely a difference in power but the I4 is perfectly capable. Not quite as smooth/quiet as the V6 but far better than any domestic. The I4 has enough passing power and I'm confident it'd be able to get me out of sticky situations if need be. 4 cylinders nowadays are pretty decent while having good gas mileage. They're not like those from the last decade where you have to plan far ahead when merging onto the freeway (either that or I'm just used to seeing an opening, stepping on it and having no problem)

[Cyorke]

as for your questins about the difference in the two V6's. There is anot ahuge difference as far as appearnace adn thigs of taht nature are concerned. One of them the engine code is 1MZ and the other is 3MZ. BAsically the 1 is the first generation of the MZ engine family. The 3 is the third generation. IF you are looking at 1-2 year old cars they will both have VVT the 3 will have slightly more horsepower due to the fact that as the 3rd gen of taht family it has increased in displacement. From 3.0 liters to 3.3 liters. You will only find the 3MZ in the SE trim level and only for a coup[le of years.

if it is for your daughter I would probably go with the 2AZ 4cyl engine. It will get better gas mileage and the maintenance on it will be lower. this is due to the fact taht the V6 uses a timing belt which has to be replaced every 90k miles. The 4cyl uses a timing chain which does not ahve any service schedule. It jsut goes until it breaks or the guides break and it starts making noise.

As for teh extended warranty. That is up to you. On a car that new you may not need it. If you are sending her off to college and she is going to be away from home then it may be nice because normally they offer roadside assistance, like towing, key lock out service and flat tire change service. You can purchase one that covers theentire car or jsut power train items. The powertrain on the car is covered until 60k miles anyway so you need to decide how long you plan on keeping the car or how long you think she will keep the car. You may also want to consider purchasing one that is certified. This will give you an extended warranty through Toyota on the powertrain for sure. Then if you want to cover the rest of the car you can buy what is sometimes reffered to as a wrap warranty, it will cover everythingelse onteh car up to a certain maileage. This will most likely increase the cost of teh car but lower the price of the warranty.

Overall I dont think you can go wrong with giving her a Camry. They are not the flashiest car in teh world but are built rock solid and are readily available due to their sales numbers in the past several years.

[kdkrone]

Cyorke,

Thanks for your advice. My main concerns are reliability and safety. My daughter is not a flashy kid. I call her every man's dream, as she is beautiful, intelligent (dean's list), a great cook, and she hates to shop...! She will be astounded that we have purchased a car for her because she is already concerned about how much her education costs. She is a good kid.

Sounds like the 4 with an extended warranty will be the way to go. I have the feeling that she will keep the car for quite a while, but who knows? She certainly won't be putting many miles on it per year.

Thanks
KK

[granth77]

I'm a manager for a Toyota dealership in Illinois. If you're going to buy a pre-owned, late model Camry, buy one from a Toyota dealership that has them as Certified Used Cars. With the certified used, you get a 7 yr./100K mile warranty on the powertrain. That also includes roadside assistance. What we normally do is then sell the certified "wrap" warranty in addition to that. It basically makes the car's warranty bumper to bumper for the 7 yrs./100K miles. These types of warranties are typically cheaper than most regular extended warranties out there. The only thing I'm not sure of is if that is just through our warranty company (GMPP, because we're corporately owned) or if it's a nation wide thing. Be sure to ask your dealer first about that and see what programs they have to work with the certified vehicles.

First off, check to see what you can get a new one for (see if there are any "standard" grade models available (model number 2514; no power driver's seat, compact spare tire, and black outside mirrors)). Typically they sticker out for under $20,000. The new body style Camry is scheduled to be shipped to dealers on Monday, March 7th, making dealers eager to get rid of the 06's. If you decide on a used one, go with the Toyota Certified Used program. It's a great program and would fit your daughter's needs perfectly.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Grant

[granth77]

One more thing, go with the 4 cylinder. There is really no need for the V6, especially since she doesn't really mind what engine is in it. Better gas mileage, good power, cheaper costs, it's a great engine.

Grant

[JMSinMD]

You can't go wrong with a Toyota. I would recommend running a CarFax report on any used car you're looking at to make sure it was never in an accident, make sure it was never a rental car (I would never buy a rental car the way people treat them), etc. It might be $7 per report. Ask to see it (the Carfax report). Most dealers have them already printed up. Also look at kbb.com, edmunds.com and a new site I found which is autos.msn.com. I used to sell Toyota's and today I actually went and got my wife a Highlander. With those prices I found I walked out knowing I got the best deal. I would say stick to a 4 cylinder. I personally have a V6 with a supercharger running about twice the power of a 4 cylinder, but filling up with premium and get 20-25mpg gets old fast. We have owned a 1992, 1996, 2000 Camry, 2001 Solara, 1984 Tercel, 1995 Avalon and now a 2006 Highlander. I always give Honda a shot to impress but Toyota always wins out. I'm actually looking to sell my wife's 2000 Honda Civic, 5 speed manual with 45,000 miles on it. Always remember, prices are negotiable, for both the vehicle as well as any warranty. On my 2001 Solara the local dealership wanted I think 1100 for the extended warranty. After making a few calls I found a dealership maybe 45 minutes away that sold it to me for $500. If you want her to have a car for a long time Toyota is the way to go. We sold the 84 Tercel with 110,000 miles on it and the woman we sold it to is still driving it, The 1992 Camry was sold with 125,000 and I still see the guy driving it. They last a stupid amount of time, if you maintain it it will last her longer than she'll want it. You might also look into a Corolla. The newer Corolla's are like mini Camry to me. Any other questions please ask if you aren't asleep by my 'speech.' Jon.

[Cyorke]

Just make sure that whatever warranty you get is going to meet her needs. You would hate to get one that will run out in 3 years and still have lots of mileage. SO make sure you try to guestimate the mileage she will be driving.

[islandboy57]

Originally Posted by JMSinMD

I would recommend running a CarFax report on any used car you're looking at to make sure it was never in an accident, make sure it was never a rental car (I would never buy a rental car the way people treat them)

My car is a former rental, as is my mom's. I don't think one dealership/person that sold 1 year old Camrys could tell me "Yep, here are the service records" showing oil changed at regular intervals and whatever else needed to be done. I bought my car from Hertz - and their cars were *extremely* clean, they detailed them before putting them in inventory and made sure to change the oil and rotate tires @ every 5k miles.

Some of the other cars at other dealerships I looked at were just plain gross - a "like new" 2005 Corolla that smelled like smoke and air freshner, with everything stained and sticky on the inside. No service records either. It's way too easy for someone to not maintain their car for a year and then trade it in.

Heck, on the day I went to pick up the car, I noticed a new ding on the door. The sales guy added it to the bill of sale and I went back to get it fixed in 3-4 days. I talked to the guy fixing it [he does this for many other dealerships as well] and he said that Hertz is the only one who takes such good care of their cars..which was pretty obvious!

Anyway, rentals are great and the price is good. My mom's '95 has not needed anything except regular maintenance and "old car stuff" - stuff that eventually wears out on any car with age. My '05 is still quite new but I'm sure it will last me a while.. I would definitely purchase another rental without a doubt. Naturally a test drive (or 2 or 3) is the best thing to get a feel for the car.

[I've had this discussion on rentals before, and it seems that the naysayers have NEVER owned a rental, let alone looked into buying one - no previous rental buyers were saying anything negative. Myself, along with several other people who had bought rentals had nothin but praise for the car itself and the great price]

[kdkrone]

Gramt, Jon, Cyorke, Islandboy and others,

Thanks so much for your insights. The only other questions I would ask about the generation 5 models is what tires tend to give decent wear without a lot of noise and are there any problems that one can anticipate happening with this generation, any "weak spots"?

Also, Grant, does the 7 year clock start ticking at birth or when one acquires the used vehicle?

Thanks again
Ken K

[granth77]

The 7 yr./100K mile warranty starts from the in-service date. For example, if a Camry was first retailed on 01/01/2005, the warranty would expire on 01/01/2012. If you look at a certified used Toyota, there should be a sticker in the window telling about the features of the certified program. At the bottom of that sticker, there should be a box that shows the warranty expiration date. If it's not written in, ask the dealer for the certification packet and it should be written on that. Also, ALL certified Toyotas are supposed to have a vehicle history report run on them (i.e. Carfax) The dealer should have it in the cert. packet also.

Any more questions, just ask.

Grant

[kdkrone]

Grant,

Yes I do have a question. I recall that when I purchased an extended warranty on my Infiniti Q45 I found that there were different prices from different dealerships. Are the Toyota warranty prices likely to vary from dealership, and, if so, is your dealership competitive?

Thanks
Ken

[JMSinMD]

Ken,
Yes they are negotiable as is everything else. Im not trying to take over the thread but I've got a couple questions for Grant. I just ordered a Highlander 4wd V6 yesterday. It's coming with EH (cold weather package), HE (preferred package), LF (front fog lights), SR (power sunroof), CF (carpet floor mats), AG (apperance package), JY (side and curtain airbags), RL (daytime running lights) and TO (towing package). I agreed to 28,000 + tax and tags. I think Im coming away with a great deal. I've been away from Toyota for awhile but used different websites listed above to come up with my bottom line figure. How'd I do? Also they are offering me GAP for the 3 year lease I'm taking out for $295 though I'm going to call my insurance agent to see how much they are offering it for. Do you think the dealer is giving me a good price on GAP? Jon.