my husband and I are in the market for a new car. We each currently have a car and will get rid of one. He thinks we should sell 2007 Pnotiac Vibe (55000mi) because we’ll get more for it and therefore have a lower car payment with the new car. I think we should sell his 1996 Camry (175000mi) because it’s not going to last that much longer anyway.
Opinions?
Sell the Vibe. Since you are buying a new car…a 1996 Camry is perfectly acceptable as a second car. I owned a 2005 Vibe once but never again.
It all depends on what you plan on buying for a new car and how much money you have to spend. It’s not all about economics short term either. The Vibe will have a lower operating cost over time if you are going to use it much. Tons of factors to consider that we here don’t have a clue of.
If he’s willing to drive the Camry, then fine. If he wants the new car, you get to pick.
You can make arguments either way. How reliable does the second car need to be for the next few years? I think that’s an important factor here.
You didn’t ask my opinion on this, but I feel that you probably shouldn’t be buying a new car if you have to finance it. A car that’s two or three years old is a better value.
Is rust due to salted roads in winter an issue? If not, then what’s wrong with the Camry?
19 years old is pretty old.
Assuming you like the cars equally, I’d suggest getting rid of the Camry. The Vibe probably has a lot more life left than the ol’ Camry. Oh, and their actually both Toyotas. Toyota made the Vibe for Pontiac.
Most, but not all parts in the Vibe are shared with Toyota. I have a Matrix.
The only issues I’ve seen on the forums unique to the Vibe are related to the HVAC: air vents, recirculate etc.
I would feel more confident in a Toyota with 55k miles than 175k.
Have both cars been equally trouble free?
@texases Without know other factors, that would be my overriding concern. The later service on a 19 year old car vs one 11 years newer is a no brainer. I hear that some may have misgivings about a Vibe, but any 19 year old car would have more for me.
The Vibr has had issues with the HVAC and that’s it. The Camry hasn’t had any issues besides those that come with age. Thank so your input all!
If you use both cars to commute, I suggest selling the Camry. You will be faced with high maintenance costs soon. You will have to replace most suspension parts, all the hoses, the exhaust system, and any number of engine parts. Not because Toyotas are unreliable, but because the mileage is so high. At 100,000 miles, those items would be repairs. But at twice that, it becomes maintenance. It seems to me that selling the Vibe is a short term money saver, but is more costly in the long run.
The part about this that bothers me is the fact that the Vibe will let them have a lower payment. I think that maybe they should not be buying a new car or that they are looking at a more expensive car than they can afford.
@volvo 370 - my husband doesn’t want any car payment, but we can afford one. let’s not jump to conclusions based on limited info.
My sister’s '94 Camry with less miles has recently become somewhat of a money pit (AC compressor, brakes, exhaust). I’d keep the Vibe.
I’m leaning toward keeping the Camry for now, but in a couple of years it will be 20 years old. In 5 years or less you need to either replace the Camry or retire it and drop back to one car. Will this fit into your financial plan?
My Camry is only 4 years younger than yours and has 179k miles on it. It is still very reliable, comfortable, worth some spent on repairs which it never seems to need.
I agree with keeping the newer car. The other will soon enough need to be replaced if you drive a lot, anything you gained would be lost at that point. Be aware that older cars like that Camry tend to cost around $1000 a year maintenance and repairs.
OP thanks for making it clear why people who post should give all relevant information if they want optimum answers. You urged us to not jump to conclusions yet it was your decision to not give the information you felt we should have to properly answer your question.
I realize there are times when it is not appropriate to give private information. When that happens the helpful people here have to fill in the gaps with different guesses. This is normal on this type of board and indicates an attempt to be as helpful as possible.
Based on the information we have, I would suggest keeping the Vibe. If you do a lot of in town driving, the aVibe will get better mileage. The tires for the Vibe should be less expensive. You probably can’t get the money for the Vibe for the amount of service left in the car. On the other hand, the Camry doesn’t owe you anything. If you are selling the car yourself, you can sell the Camry for a lot less money which should attract more potential buyers.