I vote for answer choice “C”–None of the Above. These two cars are grossly overpriced for what they are. And if I was going to buy something with nearly 165,000 miles, it would have to be old enough to cost less than $3k. For a $10k used car, I need less than 100,000 miles.
Since the 2014 with 165,000 miles obviously has no warranty, why not go older and better…for a lot less money? I’d look for a 1997-2001 Camry. I can think of no other car which offers as much bang for the buck.
Yes, sorry if I was unclear, I thought people would knew I got that info from the carfax. I got to at least look at the cars and neither one looked wrecked or banged up or anything. I did worry about the older car, since I’ve heard moderate damage on a carfax report is a red flag.
If you can swing $25000 for a 3 year old car, why are you not looking at new ones? New car prices are coming down as are used car prices. A lot of new cars around here are being sold below list price and you can get cheaper financing rates on new cars than on used ones.
Of course it is a Red Flag and Carfax is a guide , not something to take as accurate information.
Still would like to know where you are that calls a damaged vehicle certified .
Do you have solid records on how the older car was maintained? A car that’s been properly service and not abused might give good service past 200,000mi., but it also could be consuming oil and on the cusp of falling apart. Either way it’s over priced. Also, if it has a timing belt, insist on solid documentation of replacement within both specified mileage and time.
The newer car has had less time to be abused, but the miles seem to be on the low side - is there evidence the oil was changed at least yearly (6mo. recommended), that it wasn’t driven mostly on short trips, and that it wasn’t parked non-operative for months at a time? It’s also priced in new car territory. Carmy’s MSRP is ~ $25,000 and local dealers (San Francisco Bay Area) are advertising 2023 Camry LEs for a little over $27,000.
If it must be a used car, best to wait for a private sale by the original owner with complete service records and no repaired damage (if damaged, better to see and assess it before it’s fixed).
With any used car (private sale or dealer) always first get a thorough pre-purchase inspection from a reputable independent mechanic.
The ad on tv was a Mitsubishi starting at $16,000. Don’t think much of them but they have a warranty.
3-5 year old used cars are selling for new prices around here these days. I guess the appeal to a used car is you can have it today if you want to pay the price or you can order a new car and wait months for it to arrive.
Decent beater cars for $3000 are a thing of the past, at least around here.
Also keep in mind there was a range of 4 cylinder Camrys with lots of problems like oil burning and engine failures. One of my buddies had something like a 2007, give or take a year, and it was not a good car. Toyota overall has a great reputation though so finding a good used one NOT from a bad year range isn’t a bad idea. Another buddy currently owns a 1998 with like 300,000+ on it. It uses a little oil between changes but seems to still be a very solid reliable car for him. He was planning to replace it but then this used car mess happened with the supply chain issues so he is just going to keep driving it and save money until he is ready or some major failure pushes the issue.
This is definetly true as I have been researching Camrys as a car for my daughter . for less than $25K you can find a good undamaged Camry . There are many available for less than $25K with less than 40000 miles … Use sites like cars dot com or autotrader dot com .
What’s wrong with a 1996 Camry? It has the same engine and transmission.
I’d never buy a 1997 for a daily driver. Now. Maybe in 1998.
That being said, I’d go with a newer car.
I would prefer the 2020 Toyota Camry
Why would you even consider a vehicle that had body damage repair at that price .
A 2023 Camry LE with all new factory parts starts at $26k, a 2020 with cosmetic damage should be several grand lower
Well that’s you. I daily-drive a 21-year old Daewoo, and it gets me to work, takes me grocery shopping, etc. just fine. A 1997-2001 Toyota Camry is probably one of the highest-quality, most reliable cars that money can buy, and many of them go for 250,000 miles or more–with just normal maintenance. If in good physical and mechanical condition, I’d take a 1997-2001 Camry today in 2023 compared to any new or late-model used vehicle on the market, and be laughing all the way to the bank.
A 1997 car is cheaper than a new car? Newsflash.