Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => The Catholic Bunker => Topic started by: SimpleMan on February 23, 2021, 10:01:03 PM
-
(I put this under The Catholic Bunker, in that it at least remotely touches on disaster and urban preparedness. You always want a reliable car that doesn't spend half its time in the shop, a fortiori for if/when the SHTF.)
Those who read CI regularly may have heard of my car woes. It is back in the shop for the umpteenth time, and the mechanic tells me that they can't keep replacing the rack and pinion with remanufactured units, which is what the warranty covers. He told me that a new R&P would be about $800, and would have to be specially made (2009 Buick Lacrosse, piece of s*** car, lemon from day one, 126K miles). Purchasing and installing a new R&P would not come under warranty. If this is the case, I'm just going to park it in the short run --- I can drive my father's car, he no longer drives --- and get a good used car in the longer term. I'll probably just give it to Goodwill or a similar charity, as I don't want to sell it to an individual and have them on my doorstep when yet another thing goes wrong with it. I couldn't get pocket change out of a trade-in, no use even to think about it. The tax deduction would be more advantageous than that.
I am looking at Toyota Camrys, which are supposed to be an excellent car if you just maintain them as you should. I could get a 2018 Camry from Carmax for just shy of $20K. I am not in a position to spend any more than that on a car. Is the 2018 good? Any problems anyone knows of with that year of Camrys? Is there a preferred year (2016+) when the Camrys were especially good? Any years where the Camry had issues? (2009 was such a year for Buicks.)
Any ideas, I'd appreciate it. Either here on CI or PM is fine. Thanks in advance.
-
2000 ~ 2006, 4-banger
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.aL3nyfgVJlhrxDCZSHJkYgHaEK%26pid%3DApi&f=1)
Good for 300K miles, original drive train
-
My first car was a 2001 Toyota Camry. Great car. Too bad I got rear ended on the highway and they ended up totaling the vehicle.
I can’t tell you which year is the best, but I definitely recommend Toyota. I have had 2 Honda Accords as well. I will only buy Japanese makes.
-
Simple Man....
I have owned both accords and Camry’s. They are both good cars but in my opinion the Honda Accord handles better on the road. Between my wife and five children we have 5 Accords and 1 Honda minivan which has 350,000 miles on it. The Camry has a blown transmission which blew at 200,000 miles.
Depending on what Camry you are looking at; 20k for the 2018 LE is overpriced. If it is they sport edition or xl depending on mileage it might be a deal.
Do your research on Edmunds.com. I have found this site gives the most accurate vehicle value.
Go test drive a new accord and camry to determine which one you prefer to drive as I mentioned they handle differently. Both cars should last well over 200,000 if you stay up with oil changes.
-
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/used-toyota-camry-years-to-avoid-at-all-costs/
.
The 2007, 2008, and 2009 models of the Toyota Camry are inexpensive to purchase, but they can be a real maintenance nightmare (https://www.motorbiscuit.com/land-rover-suvs-are-a-maintenance-nightmare/). The big issue that owners have had with these years of the Toyota Camry has been with one of the most expensive components that can fail in a car: the engine. The engine for these model years burns so much oil (https://www.motorbiscuit.com/30-new-cars-that-burn-way-too-much-oil/) so quickly that it can actually cause the motor to cease.
.
Personally, i've had great luck with Nissan Altimas. I owned a '96 for 10 yrs and still own an '06. Bought both a few years old with around 40-50k miles for around 10k. Very reliable.
-
Simple Man....
I have owned both accords and Camry’s. They are both good cars but in my opinion the Honda Accord handles better on the road. Between my wife and five children we have 5 Accords and 1 Honda minivan which has 350,000 miles on it. The Camry has a blown transmission which blew at 200,000 miles.
Depending on what Camry you are looking at; 20k for the 2018 LE is overpriced. If it is they sport edition or xl depending on mileage it might be a deal.
Do your research on Edmunds.com. I have found this site gives the most accurate vehicle value.
Go test drive a new accord and camry to determine which one you prefer to drive as I mentioned they handle differently. Both cars should last well over 200,000 if you stay up with oil changes.
Good to know, thanks. It sounds kind of twisted, but one selling point the Toyota Camry has --- and this may be entirely apocryphal --- is that they are preferred by ISIS and other Middle Eastern terrorist groups. For obvious reasons, they want cars that are reliable each and every time. I suppose you can't very well have your car hose up on you in circuмstances like that. (I can see it now --- "Camry, built terrorist tough!" --- wonder if the Pax Christi types would organize a boycott! :jester: )
I have heard that if you get a Camry and take care of it, it will last you forever. That's the big selling point with me. I've also heard good things about Lexus. The Lexus is huge among black people where I live. That would be neither here nor there with me --- it's their money, they can buy whatever car they like --- just noting the fact. (Just so long as they don't rear-end or T-bone me while they're driving along and doing that incessant jabbering on their cell phones! I'm old school and believe that driving requires at least a minimal amount of situational awareness.)
-
I have heard that if you get a Camry and take care of it, it will last you forever. That's the big selling point with me. I've also heard good things about Lexus.
Yeah, Lexus is the luxury model of Toyota, so same manufacturing. My brother got a used Lexus 4x4 and people say it will regularly go for 300k miles.
.
Nissan and Infinity are same company. Honda and Acura are same. Volkswagen and Audi.
-
I am looking at Toyota Camrys, which are supposed to be an excellent car if you just maintain them as you should. I could get a 2018 Camry from Carmax for just shy of $20K. I am not in a position to spend any more than that on a car.
.
Yikes, no. It sounds like you just want something to get you there, and you don't want to spend more than you have to. If that is the case, you definitely do not want a car that is only two or three years old.
.
Get yourself a car that is about 15-20 years old, and get something made by Honda or Toyota. An Accord, Civic, Camry or Corolla from that time period (the 2000s decade) is new enough to have the technology and quality engineering to last basically forever, and old enough to have depreciated almost all of its value. A Camry or Corolla from the 2000s will run you a few grand at the most, and as long as it hasn't really been trashed, will last longer than you are able to drive it.
.
Car manufacturers improved design and manufacturing methods of their cars every year until they finally reached a point where the car is made so well that it will last so long that it is more likely to reach the end of its life through an accident than through mechanical failure. I'd say Honda and Toyota crossed that line around the turn of the century. At this point, once you buy a car made then or after, it will likely last longer than you will, as long as you perform the maintenance in the manual and change the fluids at the appropriate time.
-
Honda and Toyota make the best engines in the world.
-
I know how to repair anything on a car, but knowing that, I might take the car to the dealer to do some work that I can't handle easily. That said the best car in my experience is the Camry with a non-interference engine. Now they make some interference engines with steel chains that they say last a lifetime, and do not require changing, but I would still prefer a non-nterference engine. That said, I do not have any non-interference engines on my two cars because they didn't make my models in non-interference.
I had a 2001 Camry for 14 years, it was a non-inference, and the belt broke at 120,000 miles. It broke like 3 miles from the Toyota dealer. They towed it for $50 and did the complete timing belt for like $700. If the engine had been a non-inference, it would have been toast.
Here's my notes copy and pasted here from when I( was looking for a 2000 and up Camry for a cousin who only had $2000 to spend:
2002 Toyota Camry 2.4 VVTi 16 valve (4cyl) 2AZ-FE
The Camry with 2AZ-FE, 2.4l, has a timing chain that does not need replacement.
The 1MZ-FE, 3.0L, and the 3MZ-FE, 3.3L, have timing belts that do need to be replaced. This is more important on the 3MZ-FE because it's an interference engine meaning the pistons will hit the valves if the belt breaks.
The 2GR-FE has a timing chain also that does not need replacement.
8/17/2017 – in looking for Vibes for Ale I kept coming up with “transmission rebuilt” and some were automatics, so I researched and found this:
Pontiac Vibe (made by Toyota for Pontiac, same as Toyote Matrix) transmission problems
http://forums.genvibe.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=35119 (http://forums.genvibe.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=35119)
The only widespread transmission problem is with the 2003 and 2004 5 speed manuals. They are the ones with the bad bearings.I haven't heard anything bad about the autos or 6 speed manuals.
My 03 Base Vibe 5 speed began making minor noise at about 115K miles. It was clutch time so I replaced that hoping it would solve my issues. Unfortunately it didn't. At 120K miles my transmission failed. When I bought my car 6 years ago I researched it to death. The transmission issue wasn't known at that time. Or if it was I didn't find it. If I would've known then what I know now the Vibe might not have stayed on my list.
I would be very cautious about the 5 speed 1st generation Vibes. Be informed, do your research, save some money and headaches!
Toyota Matrix transmission problems
https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/15706/toyota/matrix/matrix-transmission-problems/p18 (https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/15706/toyota/matrix/matrix-transmission-problems/p18)
I posted here back in 2007, after my 2003 Matrix 5-speed transmission died at 65,000 miles. At the time, I thought it might be faulty bearings or something else, so I had it rebuilt for $1800. Well, it lasted a little longer this time. It starting failing a year ago, and now the grinding is really bad again, at 142,000 miles. So, I ordered a 6-speed from a wrecking yard and it is going in hopefully this weekend. But if I have any other major problems, I am basically through with this car. See the list of repairs below.
Catalytic converter $600
Starter $400
Brake rotors warped at 70,000 miles ($300)
AC Relay stopped working $10
Transmission $1800
Transmission 2 $1600 hopefully with new clutch
I've always been a Toyota person, but after dropping $7,000 on a 2003 Toyota Matrix with 100,000 miles on it, and only getting 2 years and 15,000 miles of use before the transmission and clutch went out, I will not buy Toyota again!
it is a very bad idea leaving the original fluid in the transmission (automatic) to the mileage outlined in the owner's manual. Many transmissions, to include Toyota's, are indeed failing around that point because owners don't believe they need to exchange the fluid until sometime around the 100,000 mile mark and beyond. I had the same thing happen to me in a Hyundai. Fact is, leaving the second most important fluid in your car "forever" will ensure a premature transmission failure. Exchange the fluid at 60,000, not at 100,000 or even worse, leaving it in "forever."
I had two hondas that's both made it to 200,000 miles and I never changed the trans oil. I also never changed the clutch as they both lasted until I sold them. I also put 50k miles on a Subaru 5 speed in two years and no problem there either. Would it make it to 65k I don't know but no problems after 50k. I bought my 03 matrix with 65k miles and it already had a weird sound when I bought it. The shop said it was a clutch so I negotiated $950 off the price. Upon further diagnosis it turned out to be the transmission. I had it completely rebuilt and it lasted another 65000 miles. The fluid was new when it was rebuilt. I changed it 30k miles later. Still, the exact same problem came back 30k miles later. So blaming it on the lack of trans fluid changes is BS. I did answer your question about whether fluid changes affect it. As others have stated it is a bearing lubrication failure. You can change the fluid every day and it won't make a difference. It won't help.
I've had over a dozen vehicles with manual transmissions, but have never had a transmission problem until I bought my 2005 Matrix. Next week I will be replacing the transmission for the second time in 2 1/2 years. This is ridiculous and the LAST time I buy a Toyota.
My advice is DON'T go for the AWD in a Toyota. I just bought a used one, only 7 years old, and the transmission failed almost immediately. It was an internal problem that no amount of inspection could have uncovered. Then the rear differential failed completely. I have had the car less than 2 months and it has cost me over $4,000 in repairs and I have been without it many days while it is in the shop or transmission place.
The 2003 and 2004 5-speeds did have a real problem. I just like to tweak the people saying "Toyota is junk".
You can get a 6-speed transmission for $2,000 and have it installed:
·
-
Honda girl here.
-
Don't worry about the year. Buy the value of the car.
You are after something that has depreciated but is going to give you 5 years of trouble free motoring at minimal cost.
Anything Japanese or Korean tends to be reliable. Honda, Toyota, Lexus.
Great way to buy cars is take out a wanted add in the local paper. Someone who has a good car and just does not use it much any more is pleased to have someone take the car off them give them some cash and not have the hassles of dealing with the public.
I have picked up some great cars like this. Well looked after by people in their 60s and early 70s who have maintained them well.
Contact the classifieds and say, Cash offered for Japanese Car, Truck, Station Wagon etc. Give your number and let them call you.
-
I know how to repair anything on a car, but knowing that, I might take the car to the dealer to do some work that I can't handle easily. That said the best car in my experience is the Camry with a non-interference engine. Now they make some interference engines with steel chains that they say last a lifetime, and do not require changing, but I would still prefer a non-interference engine. That said, I do not have any non-interference engines on my two cars because they didn't make my models in non-interference.
One is a truck and it was only made with an interference engine, the other is made with an interference engines with steel chain that they say lasts a lifetime.
-
Toyota Camry Station Wagon, 2003. My sister had one, was a real workhorse.
As for me, give me the basic model Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Buick, Pontiac, standard transmission, no power anything, a great heat/defrost system. Oh yes, a car I can do the maintenance on myself, oil and lube, change tires,
-
Great way to buy cars is take out a wanted add in the local paper.
Contact the classifieds and say, Cash offered for Japanese Car, Truck, Station Wagon etc. Give your number and let them call you.
You have just dated yourself. I now know you're not a young man. hahaha
-
I agree that car expense should be a "necessary evil" and therefore as low as possible. Also keep in mind that a car is a depreciating asset. So the less of your wealth you have wasting away every year, the better!
Once you get down to the $500 - $2000 range, it doesn't depreciate *at all* and that is how you improve your financial position immensely. At that price point, the car can't go any lower in value, as long as it *runs* and is roadworthy.
I've made money on cars this old. I bought a 1994 Saturn in 2004 for $1200 (got a $200 "extended family discount") and later sold it for $1800. So even without the family discount, I would have made money. After driving it for 2 years. It wasn't close family either -- the boyfriend of a cousin of mine (who I'm not close to) worked at a Saturn dealership and he rebuilt the engine on said car. It got great gas mileage too, about 35 MPG. The car body was mostly plastic.
I used it to move all my stuff from Illinois to Texas. I was pretty spartan when I first got out of the seminary! hahaha
And you know it's more impressive to use a compact car as a moving van *cross country* as opposed to across the city. When the trip is 1200 miles, you can't make multiple trips!
-
.
Yikes, no. It sounds like you just want something to get you there, and you don't want to spend more than you have to. If that is the case, you definitely do not want a car that is only two or three years old.
.
Get yourself a car that is about 15-20 years old, and get something made by Honda or Toyota. An Accord, Civic, Camry or Corolla from that time period (the 2000s decade) is new enough to have the technology and quality engineering to last basically forever, and old enough to have depreciated almost all of its value. A Camry or Corolla from the 2000s will run you a few grand at the most, and as long as it hasn't really been trashed, will last longer than you are able to drive it.
.
Car manufacturers improved design and manufacturing methods of their cars every year until they finally reached a point where the car is made so well that it will last so long that it is more likely to reach the end of its life through an accident than through mechanical failure. I'd say Honda and Toyota crossed that line around the turn of the century. At this point, once you buy a car made then or after, it will likely last longer than you will, as long as you perform the maintenance in the manual and change the fluids at the appropriate time.
There is a lot of good information in this thread, and I deeply appreciate everyone taking the time and effort to help me. Right now I have the car back from the shop, and it seems to be running fine, but the car has been trouble from Day One and if it is fine today, that doesn't mean it will be fine tomorrow. 2009 Buick Lacrosse made in Oshawa, Ontario. Avoid this particular car like the plague. Remember that Simple Man cares :laugh1:
I'm replying to this particular post because you, Yeti, most closely reflect my concerns. It's not entirely true that I just want a "here to there" car. I am buying this as what I hope will either be my last car, or my next-to-last car, before I'm not around anymore. I just turned 60 (people guess 10-12 years younger unless I tell them). Perhaps $20K is overpaying, but I want to get Carmax's assurances and the "stand behind it" factor. This figure was for two identical 2018 Camrys with 20-25K miles on them. I figure that, at this point, the possibility of the car being a lemon from the factor is pretty much gotten out of the way --- if something serious were to go wrong with it, it would have happened by now. I also want the car to be in fairly good cosmetic shape on the inside. This may be picayune, but a USB port and other such connectivity is also something I want. Right now, if my son has his phone or other unit playing it while we're driving, we have to use one of those FM transmitters, the quality of which is dodgy at best. I don't care for Bluetooth, I'd prefer USB connectivity. Of the two 2018 cars from Carmax, one was a fleet vehicle, whereas the other one was one-owner. All other things being equal, I have to think a fleet car has been better taken care of --- there's more accountability.
Things like rear cameras, while very useful, are optional for me. I'm not that fancy. What I WOULD like is a rear backup alarm, to alert people on parking lots and such, that I'm backing up. I used to have one on my Ford Taurus, very easy to install on the rear brake lights. Putting one on the Buick, if it were even possible, would take an act of Congress --- the rear lights are that difficult to replace.
-
SimpleMan, I agree with you. There's nothing worse than car hunting or car repair. But if you want to save a little cash, you can get a car with 40k miles and it might be better value; might only be around $15,000. So instead of a 1-2 yr old car with 25k miles, get a 2-3 yr old car with 40k miles.
.
Also, you can install a new radio into any car, with USB ports, AUX ports, satellite, pandora, iphone hookups, CD, etc. Would cost you $125 and a few hours to install. Or you could probably pay your son to install. Once you figure out how to take apart the console, and unscrew some things, hooking up the radio is easy.
.
A car 2-3 yrs old still might have a rear alarm too. ...At the end of the day, with all the issues you've had fixing cars, I can see why you'd want to get one that will last. I'd choose a one-owner all day, everyday, over any rental or company owned car. My insurance friend says one-owner cars are the best. Usually taken care of. Good luck!
-
Also, you can install a new radio into any car, with USB ports, AUX ports, satellite, pandora, iphone hookups, CD, etc. Would cost you $125 and a few hours to install. Or you could probably pay your son to install. Once you figure out how to take apart the console, and unscrew some things, hooking up the radio is easy.
I second this. You can get any interfaces you want then.
Another option -- get a $30 bluetooth speaker and use that to blast music while you're in the car. It can be quite loud if you get a good one. The upside is that you don't have to worry about theft -- just take the bluetooth speaker with you. OR, keep it under the seat/glove box, and if your $30 speaker is stolen, just buy another! Then you can keep hundreds of MP3s on your smartphone and listen to them. That's how our family gets music in the car these days -- and we're a VERY musical family.
But I'd like to add: there are plenty of businesses, including Best Buy (where you might buy the car stereo to begin with) that offer installation for $150 or so. That's how I always did it back in the day.
But you can get a lot of stereos, professional installs, and bluetooth speakers when you're saving THOUSANDS of dollars on a vehicle --
-
I bought a fantastic device for my child's Yaris. A 16 dollar Bluetooth media player that takes either a USB connection or a micro SD card. I have 8GB of MP3 songs and audio books on there. You tune it to the FM Radio in the car. When you start the engine it plays from where you last were listening. Had it for a year and used it heavily. Change cars not a problem just plug it in any car with a 12V port or cigarette lighter.
-
SimpleMan, I agree with you. There's nothing worse than car hunting or car repair. But if you want to save a little cash, you can get a car with 40k miles and it might be better value; might only be around $15,000. So instead of a 1-2 yr old car with 25k miles, get a 2-3 yr old car with 40k miles.
.
Also, you can install a new radio into any car, with USB ports, AUX ports, satellite, pandora, iphone hookups, CD, etc. Would cost you $125 and a few hours to install. Or you could probably pay your son to install. Once you figure out how to take apart the console, and unscrew some things, hooking up the radio is easy.
.
A car 2-3 yrs old still might have a rear alarm too. ...At the end of the day, with all the issues you've had fixing cars, I can see why you'd want to get one that will last. I'd choose a one-owner all day, everyday, over any rental or company owned car. My insurance friend says one-owner cars are the best. Usually taken care of. Good luck!
Actually, I'm just as much, if not more so, concerned about lower mileage, as I am about age. Maybe it's being narcissistic, but I want to feel like I'm driving an almost-new car. I hear what you are saying about one-owner cars, but when anyone lets an enviable, fairly new car go, maybe I'm just being cynical here, but my first thought is "why did they want to get rid of such a nice car?". Maybe they just wanted a newer model. Maybe there were life circuмstances that forced a sale. Maybe they couldn't make the payments. No way to know, and I think in a case like this, having a prudent skepticism has to trump sentiments of fraternal charity and "assuming the best about people". I can't help but think that with a fleet car, it's more of a business decision, and has nothing to do with anything "wrong" with the car.
Needless to say, a lot of "maybes" there. This is nothing I have to do immediately.
-
I love my Honda Pilot, 2005. We have a relative in the family that sees to Honda dealerships in the United States. Yeah! He told me that my Honda is good for 300, 000 miles. He drives a Honda CRV. The only vehicle that was very nice and we owned was a Volvo wagon, straight from the factory. You must have mechanics with an ear for them and only vovlo parts. Oh, I have just under 90,000 on my 2005.
-
I love my Honda Pilot, 2005. We have a relative in the family that sees to Honda dealerships in the United States. Yeah! He told me that my Honda is good for 300, 000 miles. He drives a Honda CRV. The only vehicle that was very nice and we owned was a Volvo wagon, straight from the factory. You must have mechanics with an ear for them and only vovlo parts. Oh, I have just under 90,000 on my 2005.
I have thought about a Volvo, but they aren't the easiest to get worked on, nor, I would assume, is it as easy to get parts for them. But they are reputed to last forever.
-
People get rid of cars for the stupidest reasons. Sometimes a tax advantage. Sometimes a newer model comes out and they want to keep up with the Jones.
When I pay 10 percent of the cost of a new car, have zero debt and very little depreciation I can lavish new fluids, tyres, wiper blades, rainX, upgraded headlight bulbs, and make it as reliable as when it rolled out the factory.
At Fatima we were told to avoid luxury. Using a second hand car or minivan for a family seems to me, at least in my country, to be doing that. A 5000 dollar spend every 8 years rather than a 20000 dollar spend every 5 years. Over 30 years of bringing up a family that is 20,000 on cars versus 120 000
-
I have thought about a Volvo, but they aren't the easiest to get worked on, nor, I would assume, is it as easy to get parts for them. But they are reputed to last forever.
I know, answering one's own post, tacky, tacky, tacky...
I was actually looking at Volvos tonight on Carmax, and contrary to what I would have thought, they are not astronomically priced. The conventional wisdom is that mileage doesn't matter, as Volvos supposedly last forever.
My apprehension would be more getting them worked on, parts for them, and mechanics who are used to working with them. I live in an urban area large enough, that I am sure Volvo repair is readily available with no hassle, whereas if I were out in the sticks, that'd be a problem. I've never had occasion to look into it before. I know I saw a Volvo on the parking lot at Walmart that made me salivate, the old-school, kind of boxy design, as opposed to the more aerodynamic-looking bodies of more recent years.
Any Volvo fans here, or any wisdom, yea or nay, on the Volvo?
-
I am going to the dealership out in the county tomorrow to look at the 2021 Toyota Camry. $25K and change. I really do not want to get something used, the mileage is usually pretty high, and there is not all that much of a price break, moreover, I don't want the Damoclean sword of wondering just why the other guy traded it in, and what could be wrong with it, that doesn't show up on the Carfax report.
I have thought it over, and my son and I would never be going car camping enough, if at all, to justify the Toyota 4Runner, the reduced gas mileage, the higher price, the higher car insurance, and so on. I've found that Camrys hold their value, and the price of a 2017-2020 Camry isn't that much less than a new one. And with a new car, you're not buying someone else's problems, and you have the warranty on top of that.
The front tires on my father's Cadillac that we're now driving, are balder than I am, and I can't justify putting tires on it right now. So we are just going to park it for now, he'll never be driving it again. My son wheedled me into letting him drive it on a vacant parking lot the other day, and so far, driving comes naturally to him. His grandpa has told him "that is your car", and he is very protective of it. I reminded him that no teenager drives a Cadillac, but he doesn't care, that's what he's determined to learn to drive on. So be it.
-
3rd gen Prius - best overall car we have ever owned.
-
I bought the 2021 Toyota Camry LE this evening. Just got it home a little while ago. More electronics than the space shuttle, and I probably don't exaggerate by much. I managed to get it home in the driving rain while becoming accustomed to its features, and it is feature-rich, I'll give it that much.
This will be my car for at least the next 7 to 8 years. Totally maxed out my car budget and then some. Had to put down $3000 to get the payments down to where I wanted them. I was prepared to put down $2000, but that wasn't enough. I'll be paying it off in the next year or so anyway.
So my requests for car advice will now come to a close. Thanks to everyone for your good advice.
-
3rd gen Prius - best overall car we have ever owned.
I considered a Prius but didn't want to go that route. My gut instinct told me I should go for more traditional technology.
-
My parents, then sister, then nephew in turn had a 2003 Toyota Camry station wagon. My nephew sold it to someone while in college, 2019, and got $1200 for it. It had over 300,000 miles on it and still ran just fine. It had the original engine and transmission. While in the family, it was extremely well cared for, first by our father, then by my nephew. They did own routine maintenance.
-
I bought the 2021 Toyota Camry LE this evening. Just got it home a little while ago. More electronics than the space shuttle, and I probably don't exaggerate by much. I managed to get it home in the driving rain while becoming accustomed to its features, and it is feature-rich, I'll give it that much.
This will be my car for at least the next 7 to 8 years. Totally maxed out my car budget and then some. Had to put down $3000 to get the payments down to where I wanted them. I was prepared to put down $2000, but that wasn't enough. I'll be paying it off in the next year or so anyway.
So my requests for car advice will now come to a close. Thanks to everyone for your good advice.
Congratulations. Best of luck and may you and yours drive it in good health and without incident.
-
Congratulations. Best of luck and may you and yours drive it in good health and without incident.
Thank you so much.
I am trying to practice the detachment towards it that we should have where material things are involved, but I must confess, for $29K it is one sweet car, and every time I get in it, I am discovering yet another "ooh, ahh, I didn't know it had THIS!" feature.
My Buick is as dead as cold fried chicken and I needed a new ride in the worst way, a desperation I dared not reveal to the sales people.
-
Congrats! Toyota > Honda :-) . Do not forget to have it blessed!
-
I bought the 2021 Toyota Camry LE this evening. .... This will be my car for at least the next 7 to 8 years.
My Toyota is 17 years old and I plan on having it for another 10 years.
-
Can anyone recommend a good fingernail clipper?
There’s just so many to choose from, and I don’t want to make a bad investment.
::)
-
Can anyone recommend a good fingernail clipper?
There’s just so many to choose from, and I don’t want to make a bad investment.
::)
One should never make such a decision blindly, so maybe this will be of help to you:
https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-nail-clippers.html
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-nail-clippers/
Right now, the nail clipper I use is some store brand, they call it Beauty360 (oooh!), and it does what it is designed to do, viz. clip nails.
I had one around here somewhere, name is on the tip of my tongue, I got it at an airport newsstand, it was pretty good.
This is not the kind of thing I would spend a whole lot of money on. :confused:
-
Can anyone recommend a good fingernail clipper?
There’s just so many to choose from, and I don’t want to make a bad investment.
::)
Only heretics use fingernail clippers. Real Catholics bite their nails. Go back to fisheaters, heretic.
-
In case anyone's interested, I'm nine days in on my new Camry, and so far, it does not disappoint. I've got over 500 miles on it already. We get out a lot and go places in the immediate area. Gas mileage is roughly 18 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and those are just estimates. My city driving is very stop-and-go, and we run the engine while we stop places to eat, for the air conditioning. I'd prefer open windows but my son needs the AC, and it is very warm here this time of year. The interface with the iPhone is quirky. We got 2 GB of free Wi-Fi and we blazed through that in a couple of days. I haven't looked into what plans cost yet. I was able to get Sirius XM through the rest of the year at nominal cost (about $6).
Word to the wise, when answering customer surveys, focus on the customer service, NOT the car itself. My father taught me, and I now teach my son, not to put anything in writing that could indicate satisfaction with a product you've bought, a fortiori a big-ticket item such as a new car. That way, it cannot be used against you, if something goes wrong and you have to seek recourse. I phrase it very carefully --- "so far as I can tell right now, it seems to be a fine car" --- to establish plausible deniability if, let's say, 6 months out, a crucial part would go bad, and they could come back and say "you told us the car was perfect in every way, and you didn't come in and report any problems".
My father has taught me a lot of shrewd strategies so as not to get screwed over in the marketplace, all legal, all ethical, just being careful, not shooting yourself in the foot (or, as my father would say, not putting your foot in s**t). I never ceased to be astonished at all the young people who have absolutely no business sense whatsoever.
-
Word to the wise, when answering customer surveys, focus on the customer service, NOT the car itself. My father taught me, and I now teach my son, not to put anything in writing that could indicate satisfaction with a product you've bought, a fortiori a big-ticket item such as a new car. That way, it cannot be used against you, if something goes wrong and you have to seek recourse. I phrase it very carefully --- "so far as I can tell right now, it seems to be a fine car" --- to establish plausible deniability if, let's say, 6 months out, a crucial part would go bad, and they could come back and say "you told us the car was perfect in every way, and you didn't come in and report any problems".
Good to know.
BTW, 30MPG hwy is a very good results, although from my experience it depends on the speeds. In any car, 55MPH is optimal and going faster, especially >70MPH sends the millage to the sink.
-
Good to know.
BTW, 30MPG hwy is a very good results, although from my experience it depends on the speeds. In any car, 55MPH is optimal and going faster, especially >70MPH sends the millage to the sink.
They claim up to 28 mpg city, 39 mpg highway, but those are under idealized conditions. When things get a little more stable in our lives, I hope to get out here on the interstate and drive 40-50 mile stretches without stopping, and cruise control where possible, and see if I can max out the gas mileage. At any rate, 25-30 mpg is not bad at all. My father's Cadillac was getting 10-11 mpg, and it was bankrupting me to keep it in gas. As I figure it, if I get the monthly "Biden bucks" in tax credit for my son (it's not clear whether his mother or I are going to get the checks this 2nd half of 2021, we alternate years taking him on our taxes, and she and her illicit consort are high-income put together, so if she gets it, it might be less than $250/mo), that and the money I'll save on gas will pay for the car. I'm not reliant upon the China debt coupons (aka FRNs) to make the payment, my point is, if I do get that cash, I won't even realize I have a car payment. Whatever.
For what it is, so far, it's an outstanding car. I do notice that the metal on the body of the car --- trunk and hood lids, roof, doors --- is lighter and thinner than on the 2009 Buick, indeed, if you close the door with the window open, it is so light, that you have to be careful not to close it too hard. And it does have cloth upholstery, vinyl would be something extra, and I was trying to keep costs down.
-
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/06/drive-all-new-toyota-paranoia-official-car-jan-6-ιnѕυrrєcтισn/
If I had even one shred of buyer's remorse after buying the new Camry --- I'm still of mixed feelings about cloth upholstery instead of vinyl, and I'm not crazy about how the Bluetooth is set up --- it evaporated into nothingness after I read this article.
I didn't share with my salesman what I'd heard about the Toyota Camry being the choice of ISIS terrorists. As deep in conservative gun-and-flag country as I was --- I went to a dealership out in the exurbs --- I didn't think that would be prudent to bring up.