Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

rutger3

I know timing is everything which is why I am not sure how long to keep my 99 LE before trading it in. I am the original owner and it just hit 90k. It is in good condition and I always follow the service schedule. The problem is I drive 100 mi per day,so the miles go on fast. I have one more year on my loan. The payoff is about $5500. Whats the deal with used car values and high mileage. Is there anything to going over 100k when I try to sell it? I know the 'net' value of the car will always be higher until I pay it off because the depreciation monthly is less than the monthly reduction in the payoff which is $475. I am happy with the car,but a bit concerned about the right time to sell. Any thoughts?

jbollt

You might try posting this in the Real World Trade-in Value forum, located in Smart Shopper. The guys thre are real helpful, and know what they are talking about.

cliffy1

I hate to tell you this, but you're going to get killed no matter what you do. 90K miles is just too many for a 3 year old car. Your best bet is to sell it privately, rather than trading it in. The longer you keep it, the more it will depreciate. Since you have a year left on the loan, you may find it in your best interest to keep it until you have no balance due. Yes, the car will continue to depreciate, but I don't think it would be at a faster rate from here on out.

raybear

Why get rid of it? Isn't reliability the reason you bought the Camry in the first place? The car's good for another 90K if you take care of it.

tccmn1

I second the motion to keep that vehicle.
Especially if it's a 4 banger. They'll go forever with normal maintenance....especially if you still owe on it. At least get to the point where you own it...then make a decision. I've had a couple Camry's that easily have gone to 140K miles with durable results. It's always nice to drive a new car, but I think it would be prudent in this case to wait....but that's me.:))
PS: I got good money for my Camry's when I sold them on my own..even with high mileage. Their in demand in my area of MN..
In fact, older Camry's are the highest percentage stolen vehicles in the Twin Cities!! Especially the 87-91 vintages. I sold my 88 LE V6 with 145K miles on it for $5500 cash in 1997. (That's a 9 yr.old car!)

armtdm

With my company car the trigger point is 60,000 miles. Under that fine, after 60,000 the value drops considerably and much harder to sell privately or via a trade. Based on having done this with several cars we now sell them just before the 60,000 marker. I would keep it. Only way to truly save money on car ownership is to run them until they drop. Way to expensive to do otherwise.

tclemons

If you don't mind a little input from a "lurker", I recommend you keep the car if it has been reliable for you. I drive a 1991 Geo Prism (same as Corolla) with a 4-banger and driving in to work this morning, I turned 220K. I bought this car from a neighbor 4 years ago for $800 (her husband died), and I have put a little over 100K on it (80 mile r/t). It gets 38 mpg and burns about a 1/2 quart between oil changes (3000-3500). I changed the timing belt, bought tires and a battery in 4 years. I hope to pass the 300K mark.

BTW, I had the pleasure of meeting cliffy1 at a Pentagon Federal Credit Union Car Tent Sale about 3 years ago and he was just as helpful in person as he is on this site. I was interested in an Avalon for my wife, but she "moved up" to an ES-300. At the time I met him, I did not know he was "cliffy1" and I think he was working for Springfield Toyota. I know cliffy1 would not remember me.

cliffy1

Actually, I do remember you. Strangely, I remember cars more than I do names and faces but when you mentioned the Avalon, it all came back to me. I recall talking to you about your research and noted that you mentioned a few things I had seen here at which point we discovered that we "knew" each other from the boards.

sam_beaver

Thanks for the advice about the extended warranty. I'll see if I can bargain him down. If not, do you think I could find some other dealer who WOULD sell it to me at something around $690 later on, even if I wasn't buying a car from them?

I suppose the other question is whether an extended warranty is necessary on a Camry at all, but I am a little nervous about how many electronic systems could go wrong on today's newfangled cars.

cliffy1

It should be easy to find a dealer willing to do that. I do it about three times a month myself, so I know it can be done.

mimi919

I just thought I would give you my opionion on selling your Camry.
Until recently I have been in the used car business for over 20 years as the owner of several used car lots and have bought and sold thousands of used cars in that period.
In your situation the majority of your depreciation is behind you and being you said you owed $5500.00 dollars on your car your approx. equity would be around $5000.00 dollars or so and depending on what state you live in your tax savings may be another $800.00 or so if you traded your car in now but in reality you will have the same equity even if you keep your car for another 5 years or so(based on having it paid off}
Normally when a late model vehicle has high mileage most new car dealers have little interest on putting it on their front line and general either auction or wholesale the unit.
As a used car dealer I always had a fantastic demand for older Toyota's regardless of the mileage and with out any doubt I would say that in 5 years from now if you put an add in your local paper selling a one owner Camry that was dealer serviced since new (as you said your was)I would say that without any problem at all you would get the same $5,000 dollars equity that you have now.
Naturally this is based on your car being in good condition at this point and you feeling comfortable with your car and keeping it for years to come.
The math is simple...if you buy a new car now and with the amount you drive 3 years from now you will loose another $12,000-$15,000 dollars in equity.
On the other hand some people like owning a new vehicle every few years with an extended warranty for the peace of mind it gives them and are willing to pay the much higher cost of having that.

sahara1

How long does it take to get delivery of an ordered Camry? One dealer yesterday told us it would take 6-8 months to get a 4 cyl Camry Le with the ABS and side airbag package and it would have to come from Japan. Then he told us he could get us a similarly equipped V6 in about 2 weeks and quoted us MSRP for that. We walked away from the dealership. He drew us in with a price on the 4 cylinder slightly less than Edmunds TMV.

wain

they will think you REALLY WANT IT and will jack you around on the price

cliffy1

An order like that doesn't need to come from Japan. That means the order process is much easier and faster for the dealer. It should only take 4 to 8 weeks, not months. I strongly suggest finding a new dealer.

mimi919

In my situation I ordered a 4 cyl. Camry XLE with package #8 (leather,slider,alloy wheels,and 6 disc changer}and was told by the selling dealer it would take around 8 weeks for shipment and it ended up taking only 5 weeks for the dealer to receive the car and he is holding it for me for another few weeks for my lease to end with my car.
It's always easier to negotiate a better price when you are taking a unit from inventory on the spot but many dealer will also negotiate a fair price on a preference requested Camry

sam_beaver

Ditto. My special request car came in to the dealership this past Friday. Start to finish from the time I actually placed the order was 7 weeks. The dealer had told me 1 to 3 months (4-12 weeks) depending on exactly what I wanted to special-order; then, about a week after I placed the order (with a deposit) they called to say Toyota had agreed to build the car and that I'd have it by the end of April. So they were probably giving themselves a bit of leeway both times just to make me feel good when it came in earlier.

I didn't get the best possible price, but it seemed like a reasonable price and I didn't want to spend another day or two dealer-hopping to save another couple of hundred dollars.

verybluesky

Purchased a 93 Camry LE, V6 a year ago. Recently discovered the following problems:
(i) When the engine starts after long parking, blue smoke emits in the first 1-2 seconds;
(ii) Engine hood shakes from time to time when car stops at lights. Shaking stops once it starts to move;
(iii) Strong smell of mold when air conditioner is activated.
Are these big problems? Anyone can help me in shedding some light in how to deal with these problems, especially the third one? The smell is a bit overwhelming, and I have to run the air conditioner in the summer. Many thanks.

vcheng

1. Blue smoke at startup means worn out valve stem seals.

2. Check the engine mounts.

3. Try an airconditioning disinfectant from any good auto parts store, and also check the evaporator drain tube for blockage.

hawks1

Recently special ordered a 4-cylinder XLE - quoted five weeks delivery by the dealer. Also, I negotiated the final price as if the car was on the lot. Made the deal at about 3.2% over invoice with no hidden fees such as advertising, etc.

andrelaplume

A few notes up it seemed to be implied that you can shop around for a Toyota extended warranty, ie you need not necesarily purchase it where you bought the car. You felt a good price for the platnum 6/75 would be $690. Is there a 7/100 platinum and what would I pay for it?

If I understtod all this correctly, and that would be a first, and I can not stike a deal when I purchase the car here in PA, could I be one of those 3 you sell like this each month...?

jrct9454

The rules of the Edmunds board make it difficult for Cliffy to respond directly to your request. Go to his profile [click on his id from any post above that he has made] and communicate with him by e-mail.

In general, extended warranties are commodities that can be sold by any authorized dealership to any customer at any price that is mutually agreeable to both parties. It should have nothing to do with where the car was originally purchased, but of course there are time and mileage limits within which the warranty extension has to be made to be valid.

Hope I am not being presumptive, Cliff, in this reply...like everyone else, I value your participation in this forum a great deal [I am back in the Toyota family again - we just bought an '03 Corolla LE...great car so far at one month and 1300 miles].

scrdn

Just bought a 2002 Camry LE. Opened up the trunk, and there lies a bottle of Toyo Guard. How do I use this? Is it for the exterior or interior? Do I use it like a wax, or do I poor it in water and wash the car with it?

Thanks,
Scott

sbell4

It is a cleaner and can be used just as wax. Be sure to spread it out over the car in small areas because it dries quickly and is harder to take off.

Before you see the posts (that will follow) about what a mistake you did getting the car with the "Toyo Guard" and that you a sucker because it is overpriced, I get my cars and trucks with the Toyoguard because I like the etching in the glass, the paint sealant, fabric protectant,the insurance policy Southeast Toyota has on my vehicles against theft and the sound protectant sprayed on the under the car.

Congrats on your new Camry!

verybluesky

very much for your kind suggestion on the problems on my old Camry.

Sorry to other guys as my previous message was a little discordant among your hectic discussion on the new Camry.

mimi919

Several "02"Camry owners have posted about the drivers seat being uncomfortable as they claim it is too short....I was wondering if they were isolated cases or if this was a common complaint from "02" Camry owners?
I am schudeled to pick up my new Camry in 2 weeks and I am a little concerned about what I have been reading about the driver seat.

alpha01

Any of the 4 drivers in our family have never complained to me about uncomfortable seating, and I personally have had no problem, although I have never taken a multiple hour trek in our 02.
~alpha

sam_beaver

I'm 5'6". We have cloth seats. Just got the car yesterday. I'm still trying to find a comfortable position because the bump in the cloth where the flat part of the seat changes to the inclined part seems to be just about exactly where I want to sit. But I haven't noticed anything wrong with the overall size of the seat.

Worst comes to worst I'll get some sort of seat cover.

clhawkins01

Neither my wife or I have any complaints about the seating. We have an SE V6 with leather ... not that this should change the seating any ... I don't think. I've driven a few 3+ hour trips and everything's OK by me. I'm 6'4", 230lbs and my wife is 5'9" , ???lbs (it's never good to speak of this forbidden measurement).

pearlgirl

I am a former Camry owner ('88 sedan). I LOVED that car. After 11 years and over 183K - I was hit on the highway and the car was totalled. Anyway, my dad is on his fourth or fifth Camry - we love them - I totally believe in the durability of this car. Now to my question... My mother needs a new car - her '92 Tercel has had it. I need to help her find a new (used, but new to her) car. I am looking for advice as to whether or not I should look for an older (92-94) model with low miles, or a newer (96-97) with more miles (100K+). The most $$ I have to work with is about $6K. Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

mimi919

Thanks for your replies,I appreciate them.
After reading your posts I am a lot more comfortable knowing that overall the Camry seats are not a problem.
What originally gave me concern about the driver seat was a few earlier posts in here and then I clicked on another topic on Edmunds about the most uncomfortable seats in any car and out of the 10 posts in that topic 2 were about the "02"Camry seats and both seemed to have developed back problems or aggraveted existing back problems since they purchased their Camry's and I have to say that did may me wonder a little.
Well at least now I feel that it is not a concern for the majority of the Camry owners.
Thanks again.

pearlgirl

I am a former Camry owner ('88 sedan). I LOVED that car. After 11 years and over 183K - I was hit on the highway and the car was totalled. Anyway, my dad is on his fourth or fifth Camry - we love them - I totally believe in the durability of this car. Now to my question... My mother needs a new car - her '92 Tercel has had it. I need to help her find a new (used, but new to her) car. I am looking for advice as to whether or not I should look for an older (92-94) model with low miles, or a newer (96-97) with more miles (100K+). The most $$ I have to work with is about $6K. Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

coolguyky7

Take a look at the 95-96 Camry. Those were the "refreshed" 92 version. They still look good and are of the model that was made before the decontenting occurred in the new 1997 model. But, any Camry is a good Camry!

stalwar

Hi. I am leasing a Camry VE 6 cyl (2000) and am thinking of buying it at the end of the lease. The car is really smooth and has not given me any problems except for one problem The car shudders when it is driven between 35-40 mph. The steering wheel vibrates noticeably. But the Toyota dealer has refused to acknowledge it. I went through a set of tires within 18K miles but they still have not fond anything wrong with the tires. One of my other friends who has the same car also has noticed the same problem. Has any one else felt these vibrations?

i_luv_toyota

You spoke the truth there my friend! I have a 91 Camry V6 LE with only 105,000 miles and not a single problem with it yet!

coolguyky7

The Camry has been the real testament of Toyota quality and continues to be with the 2002.

parnola

Does anyone know if the 4-cylinder engine in the '97 Camry is an interference engine? In other words, will damage occur if the timing belt breaks, or will the engine just quit running?

sam_beaver

Well, after a few days I am finding that it is actually difficult for me to get comfortable in the 2002 cloth seats. The back isn't an issue, but rather the seat bottom and the way I seem to sit on, rather than in, the seat, together with the position of the cushion groove in relation to how I sit. Maybe this will get better with time; the cushion is probably at its firmest, and I guess I'm used to "lived-in" seats. But for now....:

Anyone have a recommendation for a wonderful seat cushion that might help? I have plenty of room to move the seat up or down, forward or backward, to fit a cushion of almost any size. The issue is comfort, not position.

alpha01

You might want to look to a specialty/tech personal items store, such as the Sharper Image or Brookstone. Perhaps they have cushions suitable for you. Just a thought.
~alpha

subzero206

wow you have a very low mileage car. my aunt has an 86 and get this ... just under 100k. they only used the car to get to work and home never on road trips. 1 or 2 problems but no biggie. me on the other hand i got a 95 with 120k

george00

You might wish to look at the postings under Driver's Seat Comfort, which I started recently, including my experience (post #1) with a 2002 Camry LE4.

armtdm

If you have a well running engine and have no compaints stay away from all additives. Only as a last resort should you consider using "any" of them that is only if you are looking at spending big bucks to correct a problem like sludge, or just running poorly and no one can find a cause etc.

I have, unfortunately, tried too many of these products and if you have a well running engine, even if they did work, they would probably show you no resutls as you are fine to begin with.

You are wasting your money and for the most part these additives are Snake Oil.

cliffy1

All Toyotas are non-interference engines. The last interference engine we had was the old Tercel.

alpha01

Is anyone else wondering why its been 7 months since the introduction of the 2002 models and the NHTSA has yet to crash test popular cars like the new Camry and Altima? The IIHS is also rather behind, it seems... although they recently released crash info on the Mitsu Lancer and Kia Sedona, among others.... cause those are certainly hot sellers right now.... OR NOT.
~alpha

8u6hfd

Not always true

The ones with the "GE" head are interference.

bigzheng17

someone at another topic gave me this link

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/specialassignment/news-specialassignment-77916020010517-050557.html

I deleted my last post, because I don't want anyone to see it and go buy something actually will damage their car.

i_luv_toyota

Thanks for the compliment. I have had the car for about 3 years. When I bought it it only had about 70K miles on it, so the mileage is kind of misleading. No problems here so far, but I may have to replace the exhaust or muffler soon, though.
Good luck with your "high-mileage" 95 Camry, subzero! :-)

teyoung

I'm trying to get the XLE with the navigation system and heard different things about the CD player. Does anyone know if a 6 changer CD can be in the dash with the nav package or must it be in the trunk? Also, I can't seem to put a package together for the trunk CD AND the heated seats. Can only one of these be installed? Thanks in advance

joedbob

On Toyota's web site they list a "CD Autochanger" for $550.00 as an accessory. The local Toyota Parts Department had no literature or info on this. I called Toyota Customer Service. According to Toyota, the engineers originally intended for the 2002 Camry XLE with Navi to also include a six disk changer. They were unable to make it work so they had to resort to the single player. The changer would somehow interfere with the Navi and vice versa.

An independent sound store also told me an after market disc changer, in dash or trunk mounted, would not work either because of the way the Navi screen is also used for the radio, CD, and cassette sound controls.

So far I have been unable to find a way to add a six disk changer to my XLE w/Navigation. The dealer still says it is not possible.

Looks like I'll just have to wait for the next generation Camry to enjoy a changer.

teyoung

Thanks for the info. So many dealers were giving me mixed info. Just have to settle with the nav system since it looks like it rocks!

joedbob

Get the nav system! It's awesome. You will use it more than you think, even around your hometown. It's accurate, fast, and convenient. I still miss not having the CD changer, though, but I now think I'd rather have the nav system with single CD, rather than no nav and the changer. Too bad they can't fit both systems in there somehow.