Hey blades, I know very little about cars so I'm looking for some advice. I just got back in college and I'm thinking of trading my current car for something cheaper. I've got an 08 suzuki forenza. 53k miles on it. I'm thinking of trading for a 99 toyota camry with 117k miles. The carfax for the toyota shows a good history of maintenance. Basically, I've heard good things about toyotas running forever and I'd like to get a car that's cheaper to maintain while I have lower income. Any feedback gets rep =)
Great move IMO. the toyota will cost way way way less to repair and maintain. The suzuki is a bitch to get parts for and they cost alot. Honda's rock too! Good luck P.s. I'm in the car repair business.
i'd stay with suzuki until about 100k, which in average driving should get you another four years with the car. once 99% of cars hit that 100k mile mark, they start to degrade (suspension and steering especially). unless that won't work financially, then i would just go honda.
Having owned both I would say it is a good idea to go with the Toyota. I hated our Suzuki. My wife drove it and it was nothing but trouble. I drive an '02 Honda Civic now and she drives a Toyota Carolla. We are very pleased with the reliability of the Toyota.
Thanks for all the advice. I was recently in a wreck with the suzuki, just some body damage. Nothing serious. But when I saw how much went into fixing it and heard how difficult it was to maintain it really made me think of the car as a huge liability. I still owe on it, but less than the cost of a toyota or honda in the 4 - 6k range. I'll definitely be checking both out. If I find something good I'll pry be trading in. Thanks again.
If you don't mind it, this is definitely a good trade economically... not to mention in gas mileage. I would do that trade. You should also look into some other Toyota's, like the 4runner (check out the 99 model,) not sure if that's your 'type,' but it's a good, reliable, and reasonably priced alternative to what you're thinking about. If you want a sedan than you have a pretty good plan. A Honda Civics might also be good for you. Depends on the availability/price in your area.(Even though you're using Carfax.) Anyways, good luck man! Enjoy the new car.
I concur with the Honda idea. Everyone in my family is a Honda head. Get a 96 - 00 civic. You can't go wrong.
i got a 96 accord right now its not really fast car but it is dependable and its practically invisible on the street
When My last vehicle was stolen and I needed an A-B car I bought a little 1991 Camry with around 200k miles on it, I ended up liking it so much that I kept it even when I got a new car. I can drive that thing all over and not use any gas, and I haven't had to spend a dime on maintenance other than oil changes. I think Toyota makes great cars and although I know Hondas are great too, I would definitely go with the Toyota.
My old man used to have a 99 Camry. Very reliable, roomy enough to be a family car, and a decent amount of power. I'd be looking at a manual example though (stick shift for you guys?) as I've driven an auto and found it to be lacking.
Honda and Toyota are long lastin 400 thousand miles cars if you do routine oil changes and tranny fluid changes my 93 accord has 226,000 and still gets 27-28 mpg and pulls strong yotas to avoid, early to mid 90's corolla (it's a chevy not a yota) and 4 runners, notorious electrical issues. hondas I dunno but I used to work on yota's and those were the ones with issues 98 camry's have the egr solenoid go out but that is not abnormal... subaru has very good reliability ratings (consumer reports) comparable to Toyota and honda
Toyota is having tough body. I don't understand why people are saying no to Toyota. Is there any specific reason for telling not to go for Toyota.
I personally am not a Toyo fan because I've worked on them. Honda's are so simple, ANYONE can do it, plus you stand a better chance of being able to interchange parts from other honda motors to fit your car. Toyo prices are higher too. Maybe not for their common motors, but once you get into the performance stuff like 3gste's and 2j's, holy god you better get read to spend. I guess that biases me against the whole Toyota line.
QFT Regular oil 4-5K highway miles, or every 3 months of city driving. Synthetic oil 7500-10000 mi. or once a year. Do the trans once a year. I always recommend that you set aside around $500 for initial maintenance (oil, trans, coolant, tires, brakes) Stay the fuck away from Fram filters!!!! Fucking Ruined Another Motor [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX0xrqvlsNI]YouTube - Are Fram Oil Filters The Best ?[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCBr4YfQNfk]YouTube - ( WARNING ) For You Fram Oil Filter Lover's[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJxuXoUNcZE]YouTube - Quaker State oil filter vs Fram Extra Guard oil filter[/ame]