2007 Camry - Good car? Advice?

[henrycao8]

I am looking to upgrade from my 1999 Camry to something else and I have been eyeing the 2007 Camry for a while. I really like the space, quietness, and reliability of the 2007 model. My insurance is currently $268. If I change to a 2007 Camry, my insurance will be about $310, so not a significant increase.

A quick search on Autotrader.ca shows that a 2007 Camry can be bought for under $15,000 (before tax) and I think that is a pretty good deal considering a brand new camry at that time would cost about $30000 (so $5000 depreciation a year?) I looked at a few and the price and millage seem to be pretty attractive:

http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1960359&srcid=7872429&source=26&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=&r=ontario
http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1933214&srcid=5677252&source=27&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=ON20090420120816318&r=ontario
http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1952653&srcid=7790667&source=26&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=&r=ontario

Any advice I should look at when buying a used car? I understand I should contact the seller for the Vin number so I can check the history, and I need to bring the car to a mechanic I trust to get it inspected. I would appreciate some advice regarding the 2007 Camry and possibly some used-car buying tips. Thank you.

[Jucius Maximus]

My dad has that car and he told me that a technician at a dealership admitted to him that the transmission on the automatic 4cyl model had a design flaw where you can get an extreme rough shift in certain circumstances when coasting downhill, but Toyota won't fix it because a fix will cause an efficiency reduction of about 4mpg.

Other than that we haven't had any problems with it.

[randomdef]

I have an 09 v6 but it's been great, no problems.

I gotta admit though, I pay 74$ a month in insurance, so you paying 310 sounds crazy to me.


I am looking to upgrade from my 1999 Camry to something else and I have been eyeing the 2007 Camry for a while. I really like the space, quietness, and reliability of the 2007 model. My insurance is currently $268. If I change to a 2007 Camry, my insurance will be about $310, so not a significant increase.

A quick search on Autotrader.ca shows that a 2007 Camry can be bought for under $15,000 (before tax) and I think that is a pretty good deal considering a brand new camry at that time would cost about $30000 (so $5000 depreciation a year?) I looked at a few and the price and millage seem to be pretty attractive:

http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1960359&srcid=7872429&source=26&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=&r=ontario
http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1933214&srcid=5677252&source=27&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=ON20090420120816318&r=ontario
http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1952653&srcid=7790667&source=26&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=&r=ontario

Any advice I should look at when buying a used car? I understand I should contact the seller for the Vin number so I can check the history, and I need to bring the car to a mechanic I trust to get it inspected. I would appreciate some advice regarding the 2007 Camry and possibly some used-car buying tips. Thank you.

[501]

my dad has the 07 cam...it's been almost 3 years now..no problems with it... its a better car than i thought.

[Maxspeed]

I am looking to upgrade from my 1999 Camry to something else and I have been eyeing the 2007 Camry for a while. I really like the space, quietness, and reliability of the 2007 model. My insurance is currently $268. If I change to a 2007 Camry, my insurance will be about $310, so not a significant increase.

A quick search on Autotrader.ca shows that a 2007 Camry can be bought for under $15,000 (before tax) and I think that is a pretty good deal considering a brand new camry at that time would cost about $30000 (so $5000 depreciation a year?) I looked at a few and the price and millage seem to be pretty attractive:

http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1960359&srcid=7872429&source=26&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=&r=ontario
http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1933214&srcid=5677252&source=27&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=ON20090420120816318&r=ontario
http://autotrader.ca/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=1952653&srcid=7790667&source=26&pgno=1&srt=7&CompanyID=&r=ontario

Any advice I should look at when buying a used car? I understand I should contact the seller for the Vin number so I can check the history, and I need to bring the car to a mechanic I trust to get it inspected. I would appreciate some advice regarding the 2007 Camry and possibly some used-car buying tips. Thank you.

Most likely those cars are previous rentals...

[CaptSmethwick]

First of all, I doubt if any of these were originally $30k cars - they all appear to be base 4 cylinder LE models with steel wheels and were probably a lot closer to $25k when new. Plus two of the links have bare photos and scant information and have the whiff of a potential scam - if they're legit, though, they're amazingly good deals. They sound too good to be true and I would approach them with caution.

The one link with the number of pictures seems to be fairly priced - I would expected a clean 2007 LE with 100k kms to be ~$15k from a dealer. I personally think that it's too much to pay for a car that was only $25k 100k kms earlier but I am not the market.

A clean, base 2007 LE model with average mileage (i.e. ~60k kms) should be about $18k. You'll pay more if it's from a Toyota dealership, even more if it's a certified pre-owned Toyota.

[PMREdmonton]

The transmission problems were on the initial batch of 2007 V6's. The problem has since been fixed by Toyota.

[romsan04]

They are ok mechanically, but inside they feel so cheap, and so poor made that I wouldn't even want to drive one...
And features... what features.......

[Engi-Nir]

They are ok mechanically, but inside they feel so cheap, and so poor made that I wouldn't even want to drive one...
And features... what features.......

Actually, anything below the Sport model looks VERY CHEAP inside, I was totally disappointed. Well, corolla is also cheap inside, but Camry I expected better things from. 01 Camry XLE quality interior vs these new camrys are a joke, oh well, cost savings anyone.
BTW, the sport model is a ripoff, can get a Es350 lol

V6 transmission failures was on the 06 models, and corrected afterwards on 07 and above.

[romsan04]

Actually, anything below the Sport model looks VERY CHEAP inside, I was totally disappointed. Well, corolla is also cheap inside, but Camry I expected better things from. 01 Camry XLE quality interior vs these new camrys are a joke, oh well, cost savings anyone.
BTW, the sport model is a ripoff, can get a Es350 lol

V6 transmission failures was on the 06 models, and corrected afterwards on 07 and above.

It's funny that you mention 01 XLE since I own one :)) Well for general "lamb" this new quality is enough. No way I am going to get such a crappy interior as in new Camry in my next car.

[henrycao8]

There are scammers on autotrader.ca? how do they scam people?

any other comparable cars i should look at that are similar to camry?

[Jucius Maximus]

There are scammers on autotrader.ca? how do they scam people?

any other comparable cars i should look at that are similar to camry?

Auto trader is full of scams; Cars with undisclosed salvage / accident history, cars with leins, non-existent cars whose owners disappear after you pay. Every scam is there; Just observe the rules of caveat emptor don't lose your common sense.

Other cars I would look at include Subaru Legacy, Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata.

[henrycao8]

For more salvage cars/accident cars, I am pretty sure my mechanics will be able to see it when I bring it in for inspection? Beside inspection + Vin check, are there anything I can do?

Since I am driving a 1999 Camry right now, I really like the comfort and reliability of it, doesn't give me headache. The 2007 Camry does seem to cost much more than its competitors like Impala and Sonota. I am looking for a reliable car that is comfortable and has good resale-value after 3-4 years (when I decide to get ride of it), is Camry the one?

[Jucius Maximus]

If you have no problems with your old car, then why get a new car? The 1999 Camry is still pretty nice.

The mechanic is a good step. Also use CarProof, it is the best "vehicle history" service in Canada. Use CarFax if the car came from the USA.

In terms of resale, all cars drop like a rock in value.

[CaptSmethwick]

Insist on seeing the UVIP before you make an offer. If the seller seems legit but hasn't yet bought the UVIP, you could buy one yourself or give the seller time to buy/produce it. The limitation of UVIPs is that they don't show much if the history of the vehicle is outside of Ontario. As the previous poster suggest, CarProof is a good idea - although not foolproof.