Anyone drive a camry? How many miles do they typically last? (with Pics)

[Kroze]

That's one hell of a deal for $3100. The car is in mint condition.

 

[Kelemvor]

They provided me a bunch of documents about what was done and when so I have to go through all that and figure out what's due and when. They even had the original manual so I can see when Toyota recommends doing everything.

And I didn't even make them an offer when they came down to $3100. Kind of caught me off guard but I didn't complain. Probably taking it to my normal mechanic place to have them give it the "once over" and just make sure nothing jumps out at them.

 

[CraigRT]

I would not hesitate.
I would rather have a Honda myself but the Camry is a reliable car no doubt.

 

[CrackRabbit]

My roommate's 98 Camry had at least 175k on it when he traded it in, he had some suspension issues (strut mounts wearing out and rattling) and the windshield washer bottle crack.

 

[T2urtle]

the 94 we had made 150k with almost no maintence done it do.

the 96 we still have is at 125k, couple parts replaced. Still going, both were 4 cylinders.

oddly enough i wouldnt mind owning a ES300 and have been looking to replace the 96 with. I know its the same car but i just like it a little better.

 

[DVad3r]

Dads 1992 camry station wagon inline 4 engine has 520,000 ish km on it and still going...

 

[Miramonti]

Dads 1992 camry station wagon inline 4 engine has 520,000 ish km on it and still going...

holy cr@p, that's 27k miles each year, 2280 every month, and 76 miles every day...for the last 19 years!

I take it he has a long commute...

 

[Eli]

holy cr@p, that's 27k miles each year, 2280 every month, and 76 miles every day...for the last 19 years!

I take it he has a long commute...

520,000 km 323,000 miles.

Insight #2 has 446,000 miles now, or an average of 44.6k/year 122 miles a day for the last 10 years..

 

[Miramonti]

520,000 km 323,000 miles.

Insight #2 has 446,000 miles now, or an average of 44.6k/year 122 miles a day for the last 10 years..

now that's a real holy cr@p! That's a helluvalotta time behind the wheel each day. I'm stunned your insight has given you so many miles...must be a great car, and a great owner taking care of it. Way to go. :thumbsup:

 

[BoomerD]

I spoke too soon about my neighbor's Camry. His car "got a ride home" Monday on a car-hauler. 386,000+ miles...It threw a rod on his drive home...punched a hole in the block big enough for me to stick both fists in...Turns out it's a 97, not an early 2000's model like I thought.
He's going to price a new/rebuilt engine, but since the rest of the car also has 386K+, I advised him not to spend TOO much...because the transmission could go next, or any number of other things...It's just not worth dumping a lot of money into. Time to look at a replacement "hoopty" for his commute.

 

[BUTCH1]

Toyota makes good transmissions. Honda, not so much. I've been saying for years that Honda needs to fire their entire transmission team and hire some engineers from Toyota or GM. Some of the problems modern Hondas have with their transmissions are just completely unacceptable, both automatics and manuals.

Unfortunately even the spectacularly robust Insight isn't even immune to Honda's transmission woes. It's not acceptable to have a manual transmission die or wear out before 200,000 miles. The transmission in Insight #1 ate it's input shaft bearing at almost exactly 100k miles; the transmission in #2 had worn synchros at 190k and the transmssion in #3 is worn at 226k miles. Fortunately, I like double clutching.

The last two, 190K, 226K miles really not too bad IMO, could be considered "life of the vehicle" mileage.

 

[zoiks]

The gen3 and gen4 camrys are toyota's best car. This is a gen4 ('97-01'.) They are rock solid and could easily go another 200k if maintained properly. Transmissions are excellent and motors are built to last (not so much for power, lol.) If you have issues, they will probably be from typical oil leaks, ie aging oil pan or oil pump gaskets, or issues will be from sensors and respective CEL's. You would want to change ALL the fluids at this point (except windshield washer), but they are not difficult to work on. You would also want to check the timing belt if you don't know when it was replaced.

If you bought it and did work on it yourself, hit up toyotanation.com for a ton of DIY's and excellent advice and assistance. You're on a budget, but you still should get any car you buy up to speed with it's maintenance schedule/needs.

I would probably be all over this at $4k.

If I remember correctly, Toyota transmissions are not made by Toyota by by Aisin Seiko (U25E in the Camry). Aisin provides over 35 auto manufacturers with transmissions so calling them rock solid simply because they are in a Toyota doesn't mean anything.

 

[Miramonti]

If I remember correctly, Toyota transmissions are not made by Toyota by by Aisin Seiko (U25E in the Camry). Aisin provides over 35 auto manufacturers with transmissions so calling them rock solid simply because they are in a Toyota doesn't mean anything.

I'd worry less about what you recall and more about wtf your point is. The transmissions in these camrys are excellent imo.

 

[Eli]

now that's a real holy cr@p! That's a helluvalotta time behind the wheel each day. I'm stunned your insight has given you so many miles...must be a great car, and a great owner taking care of it. Way to go. :thumbsup:

Ah, well unfortunately(or fortunately?) I can't take credit for all those miles.

We bought her at 440k.

They're great cars though, and I fully expect to snap a picture at 999,999 miles and post it in ATG. :awe:

 

[DVad3r]

holy cr@p, that's 27k miles each year, 2280 every month, and 76 miles every day...for the last 19 years!

I take it he has a long commute...

He didn't even buy it new, he bought it used with like 250,000 km on it...

He drives a lot, during season he commutes to the boat on weekends, that in itself is a 500 km round trip.

He said if they still made Camry wagon's he would buy a new one again, even if it was a 1992 production model lol...

The engine is bullet proof and the car is ridiculously easy to maintain, even if you want to do the work yourself.

 

[DVad3r]

OP:

I wouldn't buy that car, they are asking way too much. Hunt around online and you can find a better car/deal.

 

[Miramonti]

Ah, well unfortunately(or fortunately?) I can't take credit for all those miles.

We bought her at 440k.

They're great cars though, and I fully expect to snap a picture at 999,999 miles and post it in ATG. :awe:

I don't know what's more insane...to get that many miles out of it in 10 years, or to buy a hybrid car that's 10 years old and already has 440k miles on it. I'm instantly impressed with that car tho.

He didn't even buy it new, he bought it used with like 250,000 km on it...

He drives a lot, during season he commutes to the boat on weekends, that in itself is a 500 km round trip.

He said if they still made Camry wagon's he would buy a new one again, even if it was a 1992 production model lol...

The engine is bullet proof and the car is ridiculously easy to maintain, even if you want to do the work yourself.

Yeah, they are very easy to maintain, and very forgiving when gone without good maintenance for a while once you catch it up. A lot of camry lovers have a thing for the wagons, they really covet them. I don't think I've ever been in one, but there is like a little cult following. (along with the coupes.)

OP:

I wouldn't buy that car, they are asking way too much. Hunt around online and you can find a better car/deal.

He already bought it for $3100.

 

[DVad3r]

Oh nm just saw you got it for 3100, that's not a bad price, the car should last you a long time if you maintain it.

 

[Insomniator]

I have a 95 camry with 180k on it. Hasn't needed any major repairs since It was given to me with 120k. 100 mile commute per day, ~27 mpg.

The car won't die. I want it to so I can buy a new fancy one but this thing never needs to be fixed, has plenty of power (for going in a straight line for 50 miles each way) and gets mileage that is still great by todays standards.. My mechanic said that generation will go on forever if you take care of them. So in conclusion, they last a longggg time.

 

[Eli]

I don't know what's more insane...to get that many miles out of it in 10 years, or to buy a hybrid car that's 10 years old and already has 440k miles on it. I'm instantly impressed with that car tho.

I wasn't really worried. We drove 800 miles to look at it, I drove it around the block, bought it without hesitation and my fiancee drove it home following me. The really crazy thing is that it's only the 2nd highest milage Insight I know of - someone on the forums has over 500k.

They're very simple cars mechanically, and the hybrid system isn't daunting either if you know a few things about electronics.

When we move back to Portland early next year, I'm going to try and get a job doing the courier thing again - the reason I got an Insight in the first place. I plan on driving the 446k mile car just so I can rack up the miles on it. I used to drive 8,000 miles a month when I did it before. Would only take 6 years to get it to 1 million miles at that rate. :awe:

 

[DVad3r]

I dont get it, how come they still don't make the insight? Or new hybrids that get similar mileage?

 

[santuitman]

We had a "96 Camry that had over 200K on it. It was always maintained at dealer. The only issue we had is the exhaust was quite expensive when it finally let go. I'm not familiar with the newer ones but ours was about $1200 to fix at the dealer. I ended up fixing on my own much cheaper but something to keep in mind.

 

[Eli]

I dont get it, how come they still don't make the insight? Or new hybrids that get similar mileage?

Well.. the original Insight didn't sell well. It's a quirky two seater. It's all hand built, and Honda lost money on every one made - estimated at ~30k+ to build, they sold them for 20k because nobody would buy them at all otherwise. There were only 14,000 of them sold in North America during their 7 year run.

Most people can't get by with just a two seater. The only other two seater hybrid on the market is the CR-Z, and they didn't design and engineer it from the ground up to be as fuel efficient as possible like the Insight was.

I do wish they would create a CRZ HF and a CRZ Si. That would solve the problems that the CRZ currently has - namely that it's a hybrid, but doesn't get good fuel economy, and it's marketed as sporty but isn't fast.

It's not easy to make a car that can get 70-80MPG. It takes a lot of compromises, many of which aren't acceptable to most consumers.

 

[zoiks]

I'd worry less about what you recall and more about wtf your point is. The transmissions in these camrys are excellent imo.

The point is that Toyota doesn't always make their stuff and hence they do not automatically become magical cars which 'last forever'. Aisin makes trannys for other manufacturers as well which means that their components also are 'bulletproof'.
I'd worry more whether or not if I were an ahole if I were you.

 

[Miramonti]

The point is that Toyota doesn't always make their stuff and hence they do not automatically become magical cars which 'last forever'.

I don't think you even read the thread. The 'magically bulletproof because it's a toyota' fanboi stuff is a left field insertion that only you brought to the table. And the point of who makes the transmission or any other part is trivial and irrelevant to the point of discussion, that these cars are very solid. That includes the awesome transmissions, regardless of who makes them.

That said, I wish Honda would get their transmissions from a solid manufacturer too, and/or use their engineers to develop the specs. In that case, I WOULD think more of Honda's cars as a result.