I am looking for a used car for my daughter. I have a chance to buy a 97 Camry 4cyl with only 33k miles for $6,500.00. Is that a good deal? Is the 4cyl engine a good engine. Any other problems with this model year I should be aware of? Thanks for any help.

Bill

 

1997 is the first 4th Generation year.. as with anything else- its the learning stage of a model. So 1997 ... i wouldn't buy for 6.5. Even though its only got 33K; its still nonetheless.. 11 years old now.

For 6.5- you can find a 96 Camry V-6 which is really a lot better than a gen4 4cyl because they actually went cheap on 97-01 model years. Just have to be a little patient to find one in good condition.

 

If I had that much to spend, I honestly wouldnt buy a camry. but thats just me, although I love my camry

 

^^ yeah you would! LOL.

 

Well my freind has this nice bmw for 5 and I bet it's faster than that 4cyl. but that's just me and I don't really think your looking for fast anyway

 

Thanks for the info! I really appreciate the help. My daughter has between 5K and 6k to spend. She's still in school and has a baby on the way. She really has to be practical and make a real smart buying decision. She would love a BMW. But she needs a reliable car that hopefully will last a few years without many repair bills. I was thinking along the lines of a used Camry, Corolla, Maxima, Altima, Sentra, Civic or Accord. Ideally with fewer than 60k miles.Would you lean towards a 2000/01 Corolla/Sentra or a 96-99 Camry/Maxima/Altima/Accord? Any other ideas or suggestions.

 

I like Camry’s. but only if there newer than like 93. They seem to start getting more rounder at those times instead of the 1991 boxy look. Civics’ are pretty nice as well.... I think Toyota’s are very reliable too tho. To me it seems if you take care of Toyotas with regular "checkups" then they last a long *** time. im at 180,000 mile on mine and still runs amazing. I have also heard of someone having one until 470,000 so definitely a long lasting car if taken care of.

 

For 6000

Corolla/Civic : Great cars; decent power output; and reliability is great. Downside; way too light and the engine is small. You'd have more wear and tear in an i4 1.6L @ 60K miles than a v6 3.0 @ 80K miles.

Maximas: Good cars; be careful tho- these engines are interference engines. And there was a generation (idk exactly what years ) but when they were crash tested; the entire front axle gets shoved into the front seats by the knee area.

Altima/Sentra: Not ur best bet unless its the 2002 and newer line up. Because Nissan didn't re-invent itself as a competitive automaker. And the interior was made of cheap hard plastic.

Accords: Skip the 98-02 accords. Transmission problems/Ford components/ EGR damage/alternator burnouts/etc. (we have one) BUT the power is SOLID on a V6 vtec.

If you can find a 94-97 Honda accord V6; that would be asswhoopin.

My reasoning (could be wrong/could be right;idk) for the importance of a V6 in a used car because the wear and tear on a 4Cyl. @ 60K is 15K ea. cyl. opposed to 10K ea. cyl on a v6. If the gasoline consumption is a point of concern; i can assure you the difference in the 4cyl and the v6 camry is a mere 6mpg in the real world. I would sacrifice 6mpg for Higher horsepower/longer life/ability of the car. I made a mistake buying a 4cyl. - is what im actually getting at.
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My best bets for you:
94-97 Accord V6
93-96 Camry V6
97-99 Camry V6
Avalon V6

Here's a couple good bets i saw on my local craigslist; i tried looking for accords but only 98-02 accord v6s came out.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/524363766.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/527539555.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/car/527185856.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/car/526833784.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/525208898.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/526218932.html

 

Wow. Thanks for taking the time. I really appreciate it!

 

I used to think that a V6 wore more slowly and thus lasted longer than an I4, but it's not actually true. The V6 is normally under less load in proportion to its maximum output, but that does not necessarily mean that it's being worn less.

The design of an inline engine is inherently more reliable than a V-type engine not only because of fewer parts, but also because the crankshaft is supported by an extra bearing. This makes the inline engine structurally superior and normally run "smoother" than a V-type. The old Lexus I6 was about as good as an engine can get as far as quietness.

Sometimes, the repair costs are much higher for a V6 engine because it takes up more room in the engine compartment and thus takes much longer to complete the same job.

There is nothing wrong with the Camry's V6, it's not measurably less reliable than the I4. But for the OP, it doesn't add any benefits for the extra costs (gas and repairs).

Also, I agree that $6500 for a 1997 Camry is too high. That's how much I paid for a 2000 Camry recently (although with about 4X the mileage).