New or Used Camry? Comments and Experiences?

[BobF]

In an earlier thread I received some excellent advice on selecting a Camry with a $12,000 budget:

http://toyotanation.com/forum/t132292.html

Based on that advice and my own driving needs I've decided to look for a Camry with a 4 cylinder engine and a 5 speed manual transmission. Alloy wheels would be a plus.

But there just aren't too many Camrys with this combination on the market. As I looked at hundreds of car listings I found that the used Camrys that I really like seem to run closer to $16,000. So that had me reconsidering my budget.

But once I started looking in the $16,000 price range I began to wonder if I should just bite the bullet and shell out the additional money for a brand new Camry.

On the plus side, I wouldn't have any concerns about how the car was treated and maintained and I would get the full manufacturer's warranty. On the downside, I'd be spending thousands more.

So now I'm trying to balance the pros and cons of a new Camry versus a new one. Again, I'd be looking for a 4 cylinder model with a manual transmission.

I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts and comments on this. (I searched the forum for this topic but I couldn't find anything. But that might just be my inexperience with the forum's search engine.)

Bob

[ghettosled]

personally, i like buying used cars because of the savings. a new car that sells for 20 grand in a couple of years and 30k miles later will sell for around 13 grand. if you plan to keep the car for a while and dont mind having to do routine maintenance sooner, whats an extra 30k miles on the clock - theres 7 grand in your bank account to smile at.

as long as you know what to look for on used cars, you should be able to avoid the cars that have issues. then again new cars arent guaranteed to work perfectly right out of the box - my wifes new car has had more issues than any of my used cars.

just my 2 cents.

[Bluesabre]

Bob - I think you would get more value with a late-model used Camry, if you can find what you're looking for. You're competing with other smart buyers who recognize the same value and Camrys don't tend to stay on the market long. Private sellers would be less costly than a dealer, but could involve more risk.

I went this route back in 2000, when I bought my 98 Camry LE from a Volvo dealer. It had about 17K miles on it and was thousands less than a new one. I now have 118K miles and (after upgrading the suspension), I love it, even though I could not find a V6. It's a solid car, nothing major has gone wrong with it.

You should get a used car inspected before buying (if you don't like to do that yourself) by an independent mechanic. Carfax.com is a useful history check of the VIN when you get down to considering a serious offer to buy.

Good luck.

[netherland24]

yeah GO used BIG PLUS

last year november after my wreck i was looking for cars,and i was gona snatch up a 99 audio A4, but realized that to maintain the car would be another problem, so i found a 01 camry I4 really good condition, with 100K i know alot of miles BUT i picked it up for 6K which i was really excited and now i havent any problems i love it!!! but look around cars.com yahoo classifieds ur local newpaper. and dont spend ALL ur money on it 12K is alot u can prob get a nice 03. but remember having some money in ur pocket extra is nice.get a carfax report too

[chris_gen]

I tend to try to look for a car with relatively low miles or brand new from the dealer. With the purchase of my 05 xle 4 cylinder, I found the right dealer at the right time. I went in august and they were discounting the 05 model heavly because of the introduction of the 06. I was able to get a 25,000 xle for 22k out the door( tax incl). It really depends on when you go.

Truely you may beable to get an 05 or 06 LE for about 15,000 if the dealer is desperate to get them off the lot. Dont forget dealers have to clear inventory fairly quickly of the 06 models since there main bread and butter will be the new 07.

I just reciently got rid of my dodge intrepid for an 07 camry LE which I got for 18,800 before the trade. You just have to look and see which dealer is running the sale and get in there at the right time.

you will be fine with an 05 or 06

my two cents

[islandboy57]

My first instinct is used, only because cars depreciate soooo quickly.

Like others have suggested, take a look and see if a dealer in your area is willing to go rock bottom on an '06. If you're not into anything fancy, I'm sure you could get a '06 Camry Standard I4 5spd at a good price. If not - just keep your eye out for a used Camry in the papers. Check everyday and call when you see something good. Before I bought my car, I was looking at a '96 Accord I4 LX and I didn't look through the paper till late afternoon so when I called, she said somebody else was already coming down to look at it - and he ended up buying it.

Funny, I was trying to find the Camry thread on FW cuz people were saying they got it for $16,xxx at Hayward Toyota..and you had posted in the thread!

Anyway..good luck!

[Tom 2000]

I considered buying new in 2002, but ended up buying a 2000 LE with 14K miles for $14K.

You just have to look hard to find what you want. I wanted a 2000-2001 model. I checked the newspaper, drove around town, car ads, etc.. By the time I made my decision, I must have looked at 30 Camrys. The one I found was in the best condition with the lowest miles. It was even in the color I wanted and had most of the options I wanted. I wanted alloy wheels also, but I simply bought the alloy wheels later.

I have 64k miles on the car now and still very happy with it. And the money I saved was great.

What I typically do is to buy the a car that's in the 3rd or 4th year after intro. Usually, all the bugs are worked out by then and the car has more advanced features than the intro year model.

Good luck.

[BobF]

First I want to thank everyone for all the super helpful replies. this is a great forum.

ghettosled,

Yes, the thought of saving a lot of money up front with a used car is a big plus.

And that's a good point about new cars not always being trouble-free!

I'm somewhat conflict over the 2007 models I like the stying better than the previous generation but I really don't like buying the first year of anything.

Bob

Originally Posted by ghettosled

personally, i like buying used cars because of the savings. a new car that sells for 20 grand in a couple of years and 30k miles later will sell for around 13 grand. if you plan to keep the car for a while and dont mind having to do routine maintenance sooner, whats an extra 30k miles on the clock - theres 7 grand in your bank account to smile at.

as long as you know what to look for on used cars, you should be able to avoid the cars that have issues. then again new cars arent guaranteed to work perfectly right out of the box - my wifes new car has had more issues than any of my used cars.

just my 2 cents.

[BobF]

Thanks for the advice.

Yes, I'll definitely try to get any used car checked out by a good mechanic. By the way how would a buyer normally arrange for that? I have a great mechanic that I've been going to for years. And he's willing to check out a car before I buy it. Would I ask the seller if he would mind dropping the car off at my mechanic's shop? I would imagine that some seller's wouldn't be comfortable with that.

Bob

Originally Posted by Bluesabre

Bob - I think you would get more value with a late-model used Camry, if you can find what you're looking for. You're competing with other smart buyers who recognize the same value and Camrys don't tend to stay on the market long. Private sellers would be less costly than a dealer, but could involve more risk.

I went this route back in 2000, when I bought my 98 Camry LE from a Volvo dealer. It had about 17K miles on it and was thousands less than a new one. I now have 118K miles and (after upgrading the suspension), I love it, even though I could not find a V6. It's a solid car, nothing major has gone wrong with it.

You should get a used car inspected before buying (if you don't like to do that yourself) by an independent mechanic. Carfax.com is a useful history check of the VIN when you get down to considering a serious offer to buy.

Good luck.

[BobF]

Yes, I saw a Volvo recently that looked to be a nice deal but the reliability and upkeep costs are big factors for me.

And wow! A 2001 Camry for $6,000! That's sounds a great deal, even with 100K.

I've tried cars.com but I didn't look at yahoo classifieds. I'll take a look at that. I've been looking mostly on craigslist.org and autotrader.com. Autotrader is nice because I can search for 5-speeds only.

And yes, I'll have to get the Carfax report.

Bob

Originally Posted by netherland24

yeah GO used BIG PLUS

last year november after my wreck i was looking for cars,and i was gona snatch up a 99 audio A4, but realized that to maintain the car would be another problem, so i found a 01 camry I4 really good condition, with 100K i know alot of miles BUT i picked it up for 6K which i was really excited and now i havent any problems i love it!!! but look around cars.com yahoo classifieds ur local newpaper. and dont spend ALL ur money on it 12K is alot u can prob get a nice 03. but remember having some money in ur pocket extra is nice.get a carfax report too

[BobF]

Thanks!

I think I might check some of the local dealers to see what kind of deals they might offer.

Bob

Originally Posted by chris_gen

I tend to try to look for a car with relatively low miles or brand new from the dealer. With the purchase of my 05 xle 4 cylinder, I found the right dealer at the right time. I went in august and they were discounting the 05 model heavly because of the introduction of the 06. I was able to get a 25,000 xle for 22k out the door( tax incl). It really depends on when you go.

Truely you may beable to get an 05 or 06 LE for about 15,000 if the dealer is desperate to get them off the lot. Dont forget dealers have to clear inventory fairly quickly of the 06 models since there main bread and butter will be the new 07.

I just reciently got rid of my dodge intrepid for an 07 camry LE which I got for 18,800 before the trade. You just have to look and see which dealer is running the sale and get in there at the right time.

you will be fine with an 05 or 06

my two cents

[BobF]

Thanks for the help.

And yes, that was my post over on the FW thread! :-)

And yes, I'll keep looking.

I actually have a friend that got one of those dealer "one at this price" sale cars. And hwe didn't even have to get in line the night before. Maybe I should look into that. ;-)

Bob

Originally Posted by islandboy57

My first instinct is used, only because cars depreciate soooo quickly.

Like others have suggested, take a look and see if a dealer in your area is willing to go rock bottom on an '06. If you're not into anything fancy, I'm sure you could get a '06 Camry Standard I4 5spd at a good price. If not - just keep your eye out for a used Camry in the papers. Check everyday and call when you see something good. Before I bought my car, I was looking at a '96 Accord I4 LX and I didn't look through the paper till late afternoon so when I called, she said somebody else was already coming down to look at it - and he ended up buying it.

Funny, I was trying to find the Camry thread on FW cuz people were saying they got it for $16,xxx at Hayward Toyota..and you had posted in the thread!

Anyway..good luck!

[BobF]

Wow, 30 cars! You probably got a great feel as to what was a good deal after looking at so many. And you got a great deal on a two year old Camry.

Thanks also for mentioning that you purchased the alloy wheels separately. That's something I'll keep in mind as an option.

Bob

Originally Posted by Tom 2000

I considered buying new in 2002, but ended up buying a 2000 LE with 14K miles for $14K.

You just have to look hard to find what you want. I wanted a 2000-2001 model. I checked the newspaper, drove around town, car ads, etc.. By the time I made my decision, I must have looked at 30 Camrys. The one I found was in the best condition with the lowest miles. It was even in the color I wanted and had most of the options I wanted. I wanted alloy wheels also, but I simply bought the alloy wheels later.

I have 64k miles on the car now and still very happy with it. And the money I saved was great.

What I typically do is to buy the a car that's in the 3rd or 4th year after intro. Usually, all the bugs are worked out by then and the car has more advanced features than the intro year model.

Good luck.

[mokiavelli]

This may be a moot point, but I bought a brand new 2006 Camry LE automatic for 16,488 3 months ago, right before the 2007's came in. Some delaers were selling used 2005 for the same price. In California, it is pretty difficult to find a manual Camry.

You may want to check with some of your local dealers to see if they have any leftover 2006 on their lots. With rebates and incentives, you may be able to get a new 2006 for cheaper than a used 2004 or 2005.

[islandboy57]

^ Cool. I wish we could get deals like that in Hawaii. Though - we do get almost exclusively Japan made Camrys. I often thought about if I could get a '06 LE for the same price as my '05 LE - whether or not it'd be worth it to get it..negotiating, waiting, filling out the paper work etc. Yeah, just a random thought