Buying used Camry (2005-2007)

[Jelly]

We are currently thinking of buying a used Camry, 2005-2007, and our concern is to find a good one.

1) First, why would anyone want to sell a 2-3-year-old Camry?.. Buying a large car, using it for just a couple of years, losing some 10K of its price and selling it?.. Does that mean that probably there is something wrong with them? I just can't think of any good reason for selling almost a new car after just 2-3 years. Any ideas?..

2) What is the best option for buying: dealer or private?

3) Does it make sense to have a RACV inspection or anything else?

4) I would really love to hear from owners of 2005-2007 Camrys - is there any problem with your car? What should we look for and what should we beware of? We are not very good at telling if a car is in good condition or not, are there any tips for someone like us?..

Thanks!

[lateralus]

We are currently thinking of buying a used Camry, 2005-2007, and our concern is to find a good one.

1) First, why would anyone want to sell a 2-3-year-old Camry?.. Buying a large car, using it for just a couple of years, losing some 10K of its price and selling it?.. Does that mean that probably there is something wrong with them? I just can't think of any good reason for selling almost a new car after just 2-3 years. Any ideas?..

2) What is the best option for buying: dealer or private?

3) Does it make sense to have a RACV inspection or anything else?

4) I would really love to hear from owners of 2005-2007 Camrys - is there any problem with your car? What should we look for and what should we beware of? We are not very good at telling if a car is in good condition or not, are there any tips for someone like us?..

Thanks!

by saying 2005-2007 camry, you're covering 2 completely different generations of camrys. the main difference is that the 2005 model camrys came in both in-line 4 and v6 engines, whereas the new camrys only come with in-line 4 2az-fe engine with the v6 1mz-fe being replaced by the aurion with the 2gr-fe engine.

depending upon the level of trim you get (eg. altise, sportivo, ateva, grande) you will get pretty similar, but updated features with the 2007 model compared to the 2005. essentially, the only difference is the body shape. both generations have the same engine and output. however, you can opt to get more safety features, such as traction control and vsc which were not available on the previous generation. so i hope that gives you a breif outline of the main differences between the two.

if the car were going on private sale, i would be very cautious being so new. as the car was bought upwards of $28,000 when the car was new, the majority of people would put it on finance, and are obliged to let the financier take a security deposit on the car. they could be trying to get rid of the car because they cant afford payments. if you were to buy the car private, make ABSOLUTELY certain that there is no financial security on the vehicle, or if there is, getting a copy of the written balance owing on the car from the seller, with a written statement that the balance will be paid out upon sale of the car. if you don't do that (and some people have), the finance company is still legally entitled to repossess the car should the original owner stop making payments on the lease.

some cars from dealers already come with an racv inspection (always ask to see the assessment papers as the windscreen sticker just doesnt do it for me), but if it doesnt you can always organise one. this goes for private sales also. however, one let down with the sale being from a dealer is that you will not get the balance of the manufacturers insurance warranty or extended contract warranty as the administrator of the warranty in most cases will not allow the transfer. through a dealer, you will probably only get a statutory warranty. through a priviate sale, you will be entitled to the balance of all warranties on the vehicle. so ask the owner about that, as they will have to sign the papers to tranfer it.

as for typical problems, there aren't a great deal of problems you should look for. there aren't that many problems that could cause grief should it have been serviced as per the service schedule for the cars whole life. these really are fabulous cars, you wont regret your decision

p.s. if you get the 4 cylinder and you dont mind going at speeds only known to slugs, then youll love it! :P

hope that helps!

Edited October 20, 2008 by lateralus

[homer501]

even from a dealer you will get remainder of any factory warranty also check out fowles lots of ex gov cars camry 4 cyl 2005 were going for 10 to 12 grand and they had heaps

[homer501]

2004 2005 models that is

[Jelly]

by saying 2005-2007 camry, you're covering 2 completely different generations of camrys.

After looking at both "old" and "new" Camrys, we are more likely to buy a 2005-2006 Camry Altise 2.4L.

Thanks a lot for pointing out the finance issue! We'll keep it in mind.

By the way, how many regular services a year are there for a Camry? 1 or 2?

[quantum]

I just bought my camry about 4 months ago and I took it to a toyota dealer for servicing for the first time. The one I went to said that they offer servicing every 15000kms......in between you could do your own servicing like oil flush and stuff. Besides that, camrys are usually built tough

[Sweety]

p.s. if you get the 4 cylinder and you dont mind going at speeds only known to slugs, then youll love it! :P

Hmmm lateralus.....slug speed???....I had absolutely no idea slugs could go that fast. I had always thought they were really slow. Thanks for enlightning me. :P B)

[Aborchy]

Mate, I can say the 2007 Grande is a really nice car. After having Commodores for many years we finally left the world of the 6 for a 4 in our family car. The Grande has comfort, good looks, good economy and you do get used to the change in power but it has some poke when needed.

We bought factory runout ex demo. Saved lots doing it this way.

Good luck.

[akuma]

how mcuh you looking to spend?

[wishbone]

yeah get the v6...the gen 5 camry (2005), bottoms out at around 12gs i think...so it would cost u 12gs+ depending on the trim, Ks and condition....the latest gen camrys would most likely cost u around 20gs..most camry cars are bought by families, so theres hardly ne problems with them at all...like wat the other guys have mentioned before do a full check/inspection before purchasing...private sellers are generally cheaper, as for dealers rack up the prices!! id say ur best bet is to find a nice family/ elderly couple (they seem to be genuine sellers)! good luck with it!

[jps137]

We are currently thinking of buying a used Camry, 2005-2007, and our concern is to find a good one.

1) First, why would anyone want to sell a 2-3-year-old Camry?.. Buying a large car, using it for just a couple of years, losing some 10K of its price and selling it?.. Does that mean that probably there is something wrong with them? I just can't think of any good reason for selling almost a new car after just 2-3 years. Any ideas?..

Quite a few people have them on Novated Leases with a three year turnover so there is nothing wrong per say with the car the person has just updated because often the leasing arrangements do not give much encouragement to hold onto a car no matter how good it is.

We have a V6 MY06 (05 build) Altise Limited and we love it, I would have bought a V6 Sportivo or V6 Altise Sports as my work car except garage size dictated a Corolla or smaller. Have a good look around the V6 Altise Ltd was a good buy over the V6 Altise or the I4 Altise Ltd