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What would the oil have to do with noise...ironically I am do for a 3000K oil change too but have not checked it?
Original not for those who do not want to scroll up:
Question to all long time Toyota/Camry owners. We are having some real frigid weather here in PA. It's been between zero and 10 degrees of late. My Camry sits in a driveway but not a garage. I have noticed over the last few days that when I start the car the first time in the morning or after work that it starts right up but just as I turn and let go of the key I hear a brief grinding noise...sort of sound like gears rubbing or something. I can not say weather it does it once the car is warmed up because it's been too cold to run out and try it after it is parked for a half hour or so. Does anyone think this is a problem or simply due to the cold weather?
: )
Mackabee
- Rob.
One good thing about the extreme weather....my B-Pillar rattles are gone!
That said, I think the more std. equipment the better, and I think deletion of pwr moonroof is silly- Honda EX models, even Civics, have had this standard for years. I dont think there will be a price increase for the new V6. Refer to post #5060 on this thread. Looks like the line will be held on pricing.
Finally, I would believe that an LX V6 Accord is cross shopped against an LE V6 Camry, and the EX V6s would square off against the SE and XLE V6 Camrys.
happy motoring
alpha
http://www.toyota.co.th/eng/showroom/camry/360_int.asp
Go here and take a look at the 360degree view of inside the camry and look at the back window.
: )
Mackabee
I was not previously interested in an SE, precisely because of the moonroof -- being 6'5" tall I can't spare the headroom. If SE's start showing up without moonroofs that would be a plus for me.
Regarding Accord LX-V6, on paper it is a better deal than Camry LE-V6, has IMHO a classier looking interior, and normal-sized people should definitely consider it. But it isn't nearly as roomy in the driver's seat as the Camry. The Accord cockpit has a much more claustrophobic feeling, and my head brushes against the headliner even with no sunroof. Also, the Accord's center console intrudes much more into the driver's leg area. My knee was hitting the console and I knew if I bought it I would regret it. I didn't have either of these problems in the non-moonroof Camry. This is what us big guys deal with -- it really limits our options.
Also, for the comment about the Toyota website and the comment about the LE vs. the XLE power seats, they are different. The LE and SE power SEAT is only the driver's seat. The power SEATS for the XLE are for the driver and front passenger. I agree with Mack that the toyota website is your best resource for pricing and options. They may be a day or two behind their official announcements, but are quicker to update than any other site I've found.
Hope this helps.
Ken
Ken
: )
Mackabee
: )
Mackabee
Ken
I sure hope Toyota does another round of 0%APR financing, so I can get me a VVT-i!
Thanks.
Tom
Anyone who cares to comment on other tires and whether or not it makes a difference...let me know!
As for your questions about tires in the snow, there has been a pretty extensive discussion on one of the other boards about snow tires. However, in a nutshell, "all-season" tires are not really all season. They are warm, dry and wet surface tires. They are not designed for any significant amount of snow or cold. Colder temperatures cause the rubber compounds in almost all all-season tires to get too hard to provide a decent level of traction. Add to that they are not designed to give adequate traction on snow or ice and you have the problem you have now. The two best snow-specific tires out there right now, it seems, are Blizzaks and Nokians.
Hope this helps.
Ken
The problem is our trade-in - A MINT '97 Accord with very low miles, Blue Book Trade-In value of about $9700. We have babied this car, and it is surely worth even more. However, the dealers have offered us only $5000-7500! When I point out the current Blue Book quote, they claim the Blue Book is only a "guide". A couple of dealers told us that they NEVER pay Blue Book for the trades. I thought that the Blue Book represented what dealers were actually paying in the area (So. Calif.)
What's the story? Their lo-ball offers are insulting while they are selling the same car on their used car lots for $13-15K. What can we do to get a FAIR price on our trade? All we want is low Blue Book. Do we have to hold it over their heads as a deal-breaker?
I will mention that the Mazda dealer guaranteed us Low Book as a trade for a new Mazda 6 - sight unseen!
Thanks!
Now remember, you are not OBLIGATED to trade your vehicle in. You can always sell it on your own as well. I know that isn't a great alternative, but from what it seems you're saying, most of the dealers in the area are in the same neighborhood on the value they are willing to put on your car, so it is likely that that is pretty accurate.
Hope this helps even if it isn't necessarily what you wanted to hear.
Ken
Ken
Now, I don't know enough about the value of a '97 Accord to give exact figures but let's say the real world retail is $10,000. The used car manager looks and says, "By the time I get bullied by a customer with a copy of Consumer Reports, I'll have to take the price down to $10,000 if I replace the tires and my shop doesn't find a surprise that kills the value. I've got to pay my salesman and make a profit. I can get the same car at the auction next week for $7500 but that one has a buy back garuntee. Its worth $7000 to me."
That's really about the thought process. It has nothing to do with KBB.
Now, the Mazda store is telling you exactly what you want to hear. Ever think why the Mazda store would do that over the phone when three stores you were actually at wouldn't? It is because they are "low balling" you. When you arrive, they may in fact offer you the KBB number. They will also put an ACV (actual cash value) at what it is really worth. If the ACV is less than the trade allowance, they will have to make it up on the price of the new car.
Basically, what you are telling me is that Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds "Trade-In" value has nothing to do with the real world. This jives with what the dealers tell us.
SO - why do KBB and Edmunds even offer this? It seems to be meaningless information. It is supposed to reflect what the dealers are actually paying - not some mythical figure. Please excuse my venting - this is very frustrating.
You are right, we are not FORCED to take the offer, but selling privately is not as easy as it used to be, or as safe. My lady just doesn't want to hassle it. However, it is very discouraging to turn over a MINT '97 EX, loaded, with only 40K miles for a small fraction of the original selling price. The $9700 I quoted was the KBB trade in value for our location, model, equipment and condition.
By the way, the Mazda dealer quoted us the low book offer during a test drive visit, but we were in my Solara, not the Accord. You are correct that such an offer over the phone would be useless to consider.
Thanks again for your sage advice!
As far as tires go, you made me laugh! I live in PA not Alaska. We get a few inches of snow at a time and have not needed snow tires since the days of my rear-drive '75 Firebird...which also required a few 50 lb bags of sand in the trunk. I can see issues here in deep messy snow or ice but my tires spin all the time in as little as a dusting, and this was not common on the other cars I owned. Cliffy made some good points on tires and the fact that wider is not always better and it is true that these tires are wider than my prior vehicles. Still I keep thinking that the Camry was made lighter for better fuel economy...if not then by God I don't know how the 4 cylider gets as better milage than my old six and is just as quicker and powerfull! Whether the issue is in the car weight, design or tires it's a shame.
I really do like the car but I guess after years of driving doemestics my expectations were a bit too high and likely based too much on slightly exagerated experiences of other drivers.
My guess is if your car is in good condition, they will come in about 1-2K (8-9K) and will turn around and sell it for 11-12K.
www.kbb.com
www.intellichoice.com
www.edmunds.com
www.nadaguides.com
www.galves.com
www.autoweb.com
www.cars.com
The values ranges from a high of $14,300 at nadaguides to a low of $10,200 at galves.com. Averaged out - it came to 12,000. We got $11,500 on the trade from the dealer.
The values for used cars has taken a huge drop over the past couple years. The combination of new cars declining in price, low interest rates and new safety features result in low demand for used cars.
It's supply and demand, pure and simple.
I'm seeing the same things on other, for the most part, domestic vehicles. Explorers, Malibus, etc. The owners are not any more happy than we are as we aren't able to put the money into the trade that they would like because we can get these cars from the auctions for so little now.
Trust me, the sales staff doesn't want to turn a customer away over the value of the trade, and neither does that dealership, but they need to make good business decisions as well.
Ken
The bottom line is to use the web to determine what a fair value is if you sell the car yourself and then factor in the 'convenience amount' of what you are willing to 'spend' for the convenience of having the dealer sell it. If the dealer offers you your price, take it. Otherwise look elsewhere or sell it yourself. You will likely do no worse selling it yourself and its not worth the stress of agruing or feeling ripped off.
Interesting I learned this lesson the hard way recently. I have another Toyota purchased used that we have serviced at a local Toyota dealer for years. Excellent service. The service guy introduced us to a salesman when it came time to buy the Camry. You'd think for such 'good' customers they'd make a quick deal / trade. No Way. It took 2 hours just to get them to agree to a purchase price on the Camry quoted to me by another local dealer over the net. Then after bickeing for some time more they offered me what I wanted for my trade. Of course then the sales guys boss comes in and blows the deal by stating 'we can't give you that much for your trade'. Many hours were wasted and I was stressed out I emailed the net dealer and set up an appt to have my trade evaluated. We went to the net dealership who offered me more than I had initially been offered at the first dealer. I thought for sure up until I signed the paperwork that some other fee would be slipped in. We signed the papers and were out of there in 35 minutes--no extra charges.
My lesson, when the bickering starts I move to the next dealer. If I run out of dealers I can always go back and purchase the new car from one of the dealers and sell my old car myself.
Also consider selling your car on Ebay! And never negotiate your trade until an out the door price for the new car is established. Personally do not even tempt fate by bringing your trade or mentioning it until you have a contract on the new car. Finally, once you have done the deal, do not look at any car pricing for 6 moths...you'll need this amount of time to recuperate.
Finally, if you are asking a dealer to buy your car, don't be surprised if they want to get a good deal on it.
Does anyone know if the SE 4 or 6 is now available with side air bags and ABS, or are we going to have to look at an XLE (or an Accord)?