Camry Reliability

[arin]

Everyone talks about the 'import reliability', but would you feel comfortable buying a Toyota with say 150k on it? I'm looking for my first car and would like to get something reliable to last me a few years and most of the imports are all around 100-200k in my price range.

[Mike Gerber]

At that mileage there are going to be some things popping up that need repairs from time to time. No car is perfect and at that mileage some things will just wear out and will need to be replaced. Personally, I think you are a lot better off with a Toyota or even a Honda at that mileage, then most any other car, especially the American built cars. A lot of these things have to do with how well the car has been maintained.

That said, with that kind of mileage I would definitely take the car to a mechanic and pay him an hour's labor to look over the car. He can tell you exactly what the car needs and whether it's worth it to you to continue to pursue purchasing this car. If so, you can use what he finds to make the seller repair these items before the sale, or simply use them to negotiate the final price.

Mike

[InstallTech]

My 93 Camry just flipped over to 140000 miles yesterday and it's still running strong. I'd check any repair history, number of owners, and chuck out the 50 or so bucks to have a mechanic look it over realy quick. If the car's been well maintained....should last a good long time.

[RIP]

I own 2 Camrys. My 87 wagon has 270K. Biggest problem was the A/C at $600 three years ago. About a year ago I started seeing metal chips in the oil. I'm driving it till it dies but it hasn't died yet. My daughter has my 94 at college. I bought it with 95K miles on it. Should have about 160K miles by now. Changed the radiator and the A/C pressure valve.

I'd be leary about buying any car with 150K miles on it but, if I had to it would be a Toyota, Honda, or Subaru. Although they've improved, domestics just don't measure up. Priority one when you buy a car with that mileage is change the timing belt - unless there's proof it was recently changed. Should cost about $300. Ditto on taking it to a mechanic.

[rimfire,22]

Originally Posted by arin

Everyone talks about the 'import reliability', but would you feel comfortable buying a Toyota with say 150k on it? I'm looking for my first car and would like to get something reliable to last me a few years and most of the imports are all around 100-200k in my price range.

arin,

I'd have no problem buying a used Toyota anything because of it's reliability. This is assuming it's from the dealership OR from a private party that can back-up the maintenance and how well it was treated. My current Camary has well over 200,000 miles on it and it's still going strong. All it takes is money and we have loads of that huh? Again they're rocks solid cars.

rimfire,22

[ifidie2nite]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

At that mileage there are going to be some things popping up that need repairs from time to time. No car is perfect and at that mileage some things will just wear out and will need to be replaced. Personally, I think you are a lot better off with a Toyota or even a Honda at that mileage, then most any other car, especially the American built cars. A lot of these things have to do with how well the car has been maintained.

That said, with that kind of mileage I would definitely take the car to a mechanic and pay him an hour's labor to look over the car. He can tell you exactly what the car needs and whether it's worth it to you to continue to pursue purchasing this car. If so, you can use what he finds to make the seller repair these items before the sale, or simply use them to negotiate the final price.

Mike

Listen to this guy. Know what you can about the car and previous repairs before buying, this will save you from headaches later on. But yea, a lot of imports can go well beyond 200,000 miles and need very few repairs. It all depends on how well it was maintained.

[Soilent Green]

I bought a '98 Camry that had 244 000Kms on it. Of course I had it checked and paid a ridiculously cheap price for it but it's 262 000kms now, running like a charm and the only thing I changed is an ignition coil that failed and a brake job. That's it. Minor glitches but it's to be expected at that mileage.

It could use a good suspension job by now but it's not an emergency and it's not like the car feels like falling apart either. Solid cars.

Of course you never blindly buy a car regardless of what kind of car it is but if the mechanic says do it, strongly consider the car.

Also : Buy a repair manual, even if I wouldn't attempt half the stuff in there (mostly due to a lack of tools) I know my car from the first to the last bolt and I know when the mechanic is trying to sucker me up.

[rimfire,22]

Originally Posted by Soilent Green

I bought a '98 Camry that had 244 000Kms on it. Of course I had it checked and paid a ridiculously cheap price for it but it's 262 000kms now, running like a charm and the only thing I changed is an ignition coil that failed and a brake job. That's it. Minor glitches but it's to be expected at that mileage.

It could use a good suspension job by now but it's not an emergency and it's not like the car feels like falling apart either. Solid cars.

Of course you never blindly buy a car regardless of what kind of car it is but if the mechanic says do it, strongly consider the car.

Also : Buy a repair manual, even if I wouldn't attempt half the stuff in there (mostly due to a lack of tools) I know my car from the first to the last bolt and I know when the mechanic is trying to sucker me up.

Soilent Green,

I'm with ya on that!


rimfire,22

[Soilent Green]

The car was on Toyota Extra Attentive warranty program from the guy before and it was pretty well maintained in general. Nothing outstanding but it did the job well, though any Camry that has been well maintained will last very long.