Buying camry, gen 5.5? is head full of rocks

[malchor]

Some background:
I started driving on a manual '83 rolla station wagon. This thing was a rusted eyesore but I still fell in-love with this invincible car. I was then given a manual '88 Camry. Another immortal car, three years ago I was rear ended by a volvo V40, the volvo was totaled but I only suffered a dented trunk door with some bending of the rear structure (thanks to a forgiving inspector I passed inspection without $2k worth of repairs). I've put at least 70k miles on each car but the upholstery on my camry is on its last leg and am thinking an airbag would be a nice feature.

But I'll always miss being able to speed while being completely invisible to the cops. VA cops seems to give more speeding tickets than any other state but I guess they don't think a 4banger with 100hp can rip down a 35mph zone doing 70 . I have to tailgate Vets/Porches/BMWs every time I hit the road

I've spent a few months doing research (damn this forum is awesome) and after looking at an Accord, Mazda6, Legacy, Altima, and the Scions I realized I'm a Toyota Zombie and would not settle for anything but a Camry (I'm still on the fence about the Corolla, can it feel cramped inside those things?). So, I'm thinking something under 100k miles (gen 5...check), something without puke tan interior, non-grandma steering wheel and nice bucket seats (SE...check) and the most reliable ('05-06'...check).

My question, should I go for a gen 5.5 camry ($14-15k), gen5 ($10k) or kick it down to gen4? I was hoping to only spend maybe $9k but I guess this is unreasonable if I’m shooting for a nice gen5.

I have the money to buy a new car but I’m saving up to buy a house (also why lose $5-10k on depreciation when the car is almost as reliable post 80k miles). The big problem I have is that a used gen 5.5 camry is relatively close to the price of a new car IMHO.

This is what I've narrowed my search to and boy it was hard, I can count the number of manual SE camrys within 200 miles of my northern virginia house with two hands.
http://www.billbrittvw.com/VehicleDetails/937146234


Am I insane for getting a manual car in the second worst traffic zone in america (DC metro area) or for not really wanting to buy a new car. With the future of the economy getting darker I’m thinking maybe getting a beater would be the most prudent choice… but damn that 05 is nice.

Sorry for the long post, Thanks in adv!

[Tom 2000]

If you only want to spend around $9K, then forget about getting a gen5.5. Gen4s aren't bad cars (I own one), but it's back to the grandma steering wheel.

You might want to consider a 2003-2006 Corolla S. It gets excellent fuel economy, has a nice peppy engine and reasonably roomy. Cheaper to insure too.

[ONE_to_HATE]

for 9,000 - it'd be difficult to find a 5-5.5 camry and the gen4s are the fugliest camrys to ever come out and that 2.2L in our cars is piss poor and it barely breaks 100hp to the wheel.

Find an older (96-98ish) lexus es300, the standard v6 is the same as the camry and the overall quality of the vehicle is very pleasing. These did come in 5 spd. manual- but its rare as hell to come by. Plus- its really just a camry in nice clothes.

goodluck.

[ASG14]

Well, here's my 2 cents. Not sure if you've looked into it. The 9th Gen (03-08 style) Corolla XRS. It looks IDENTICLE to the Corolla S, except Standard 16" Alloys. Most people don;t even know what the XRS even is. It has the 2ZZ-GE Engine which puts out a decent bit more power then the stock CE/S/LE 1ZZ-FE engine. But here is the kicker, since you like a Manual tranny, it has a standard 6-speed manual. It won't get any attention since it looks like a normal Corolla, but it has a lot more power, and really nice interior. It's at the Top end of your price range, but I think you may be happy with it.

[marc780]

If i had your price range to work with i'd go with the most car for the least money. Almost all camrys right up to 2006 are good so i'd go with a car that has the lowest miles and best condition regardless of the model year.

Am I insane for getting a manual car in the second worst traffic zone in america (DC metro area) or for not really wanting to buy a new car.

I drove a 4 spd truck in LA traffic for years til i got another car with auto. I didnt care for that kind of driving much - if you are the patient type and just have to have a stick shift, and you like to change clutches too, then by all means get the manual. Otherwise stick with an auto (easier to find an auto used too as you must realize).

[malchor]

Thanks again for your replys. I've spent a good 20 hours on this forum and its turning me into a gear head!

I never thought about getting a lexus but looking at them now, yeah that es300/330 is damn nice. The price is maybe 5k+ more than a camry of the same year, but maybe i'll get lucky.

I"ll take your advice on the Rolla. I liked the roomyness of my camry and not having to crunch my friends in the back, but maybe I'll take one for a spin.

My neighbor's just saying to get a new car, since I can just sell it in a few years carefree, I'd probably end up spending the same amount of cash if I bought a used car.


Thanks again.

[ONE_to_HATE]

^^ LOL.

keep in mind- the DEPRECIATION when you sell it in a few years.

[BlueFusion6851]

You could get a 3 spoke steering wheel from a celica or corolla that is the same interior as your camry... I know that TonytheTiger did that with his turbocharged '94 camry.