December 2024. My father in law has given me his 2005 Camry. The inspection mentioned to have some body work done, including fixing a rust hole in the frame, changing the tires and the E Brake. We fixed these. On a re-inspection, they identified another rust hole in the sub frame in the rear and another minor hole below the rear wheel well. The car has 255K Kilometers ( Canadian) / 160k miles on the car. My F-i-Law is the original owner and has generally taken good care of the car. The service manager mentioned the rear brake drums and rotors may need to be replaced in the near future. Although the car is almost 20 years and looks in great shape we are unsure of other issues we may come across. We are not sure how much money we can put into the car and for how long. Our question is is it worth money to continue to fix the car or is it time to sell it as-is and not deal with the anticipated repair issues. Thank you for your time.
I would get a second opinion about the rust in the subframe. Is it at a location that will compromise safety?
The brake pads/rotors in the front and the shoes/drums in the rear are regular maintenance items, once done should be good for 30+thousand miles.
The decision must be yours.
If safety is not compromised by the rust in the subframe, I would keep it, or if the repair cost is not excessive.
Would be a shame to have spent all the money you have to this point on the car to then sell at a loss.
I concur w @Purebred above, the critical issue is the amount of subframe rust. The brakes are a doodle, relative to that . After a metal-repair, that location is often the first place rust starts to form. Another consideration, there are metal-repair methods and products that can be applied post-repair to help prevent that from happening, so ask your shop for guidance.
BTW, I’m a diy’er , not a Camry body repair expert.
Thank you @purebred.
Thank you @George_San_Jose1
A 20 year old car in Canadian winters… And there are a couple of rust holes…
Time to get rid of this car. If two rust holes were found, there are many more waiting to appear. Fixing rust properly gets very expensive very quickly.
Thank you @Mustangman
Thanks for reminding me about one of the many reasons I left Illinois in 2007 and never looked back. Cars there crumbled away from rust in about 10-12 years. Maybe you could get 15 years out of a vehicle if you were super-lucky. Here in Arizona, it’s common to see 30+ year old vehicles with NO rust or body damage. If you like to drive older vehicles, this is the place to live!
Thank you @Bcohen2010