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I've been driving my Dad's 1997 Toyota Camry LE for the past 15 years. It has held up well, and only has 85,000 miles on it. I only drive 1-2,000 miles per year for the last 10 years.
I have kept up on the oil changes/service. The tires are getting old but don't have many miles on them (about 10k). No major problems currently, and the body is in good shape other than the small scrapes on bumpers that you would expect for a 20 year old car. The interior is perfect. But the AC doesn't work, and would likely be pricey to fix (did diagnostics and they quoted me $800 or so). The struts might also be needing work in the near future. But it's running fine and I just had an oil change, tire rotation, "20 point check up" etc...
A family member is moving out of state and is going to sell his 10 year old Toyota Prius to me. So I will be passing on the Toyota Camry. It seems crazy that a car that still works so well is worth very little, but I am probably going to sell it in the next couple weeks.
What has surprised me over the years is multiple people have walked up to me and asked me if I am interested in selling my car. A valet.... a construction worker across the alley from where I park that saw it.... and recently, the guy who manages the place where I do my oil changes told me "it will last forever.... let me know if you are interested in selling"
So I am thinking of calling the the car service place and asking them if they are interested. Do you think guys who work at a car place are more likely to offer a reasonable price since they know how to fix anything that might come up (it is a service/tire place)? Or perhaps the opposite...
And how much do you think the value drops by not having a working AC?
I know it isn't worth much .... maybe a couple thousand if I'm lucky?.... but I'm trying to figure out what to ask for and have never bought/sold a used car before.
The funny thing is that I drove my brother's Prius and it kind of feels like a cheap piece of plastic! I actually feel a bit safer in my old Camry.... which seems solid and safe.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Yes, tops is about $2,500 but I wouldn’t expect a mechanic to offer more. The lack of working AC will make a big difference in a warm climate. I’d bet the “offers” you have gotten, when price is discussed would be well below the actual value, probably $1,000-1,500, looking for a deal. Before the tax law changes I would have suggested donating it, but now I think your best bet is a sign in the window, and if you have oatience to deal with scammers, Craigslist.
Autotrader is probably the best place to list it, but you won’t lose anything by trying some of the used car lots that don’t sell new cars, the kind that buy at auction. Less headaches.
Yes, tops is about $2,500 but I wouldn’t expect a mechanic to offer more. The lack of working AC will make a big difference in a warm climate. I’d bet the “offers” you have gotten, when price is discussed would be well below the actual value, probably $1,000-1,500, looking for a deal. Before the tax law changes I would have suggested donating it, but now I think your best bet is a sign in the window, and if you have oatience to deal with scammers, Craigslist.
Autotrader is probably the best place to list it, but you won’t lose anything by trying some of the used car lots that don’t sell new cars, the kind that buy at auction. Less headaches.
Thank you for your thoughts. They are very helpful.
You know, it's one of those ironic moments in life. My '95 Camry now has 332,000 miles on her. And I could still sell her for $1200-1400. Camrys are one of the most reliable cars ever built. By anybody. In spite of the age of your car, it's quite possible you are trying to sell a "young" car - not an old one. I'm beginning to have excessive issues with my Camry, but for the past 10 years we've been living in the NE, and RUST is a big problem. Rust affects more than the body - it affects mechanical parts as well. AMOF, my issues are because things like the oil pan rusted through, or the suspension parts are rusted and thus suffer much greater stress and wear.
If you live where the roads are salted in winter, or within 20 miles of an ocean, you should have a mechanic look for rust. If you don't live in such a place, you may well be selling a diamond in the rough. That is why people walk up to you and want to buy it. A lot of people know how well built these cars are.
Now, you also have another consideration. At only 80-90k miles, this car has maintenance issues. The AC doesn't work. The tires are old. Overall, those things are minor to someone who is looking at this Camry as a vehicle that can go for another 200k miles with few problems. (BTW, replacing the A/C components completely at about $800-1,000 sounds about right. And if it hasn't worked for a couple of years, you probably need to replace them completely.)
Frankly, financially speaking, you would be better off selling the Prius, fixing the A/C and struts on the Camry, and driving the Camry. Unless you want to sell the Camry to someone else and let them get that value. Mind you, all this changes if you live in Cambridge MA, and the car has rust underneath. How much it changes is REAL hard to say - you'd have to have a detailed examination of the car to know.
If this Camry doesn't have rust, then you are selling a 7-8,000 dollar car for 2-3k, and there are people out there who know that. By 7-8k $$ value, I mean if the age of the car was recent, that is what you would be asking (or more). And a 20 year old Camry that doesn't have any rust is no different than a newer car of the same mileage. Meaning it has a TON of miles left in it.
As far as selling goes. Be patient. List it HIGHER than blue book values - that mileage is LOW. Wait for weeks. Do NOT go through any kind of dealer - you won't get your value from them. Craigslist or Autotrader or Sign-In-The-Window-in-the-parking-lot-by-the-street method. And be patient. If you know where to find one of those people who asked before - go talk to them and ask if they are still interested - and what they would be willing to pay.
I put a sign in the window (it is parked outside in the alley) and within an hour a construction worker across the alley walked over and was interested. "My brother is looking for a car for his daughter...." I asked him to make an offer, but he hedged ("I don't know anything about cars.... bluffing...." pushed me instead so I suggested $2k. The blue book value is $1850-2500 (but of course dealers sell the same car/mileage for more). He called me and offered $1300 cash, probably taking the broken AC into account. I thought that was too low for now.
My mechanic's place was interested initially and thought $2k was very reasonable for me to ask for, even with the broken AC (obviously, those guys can do all the maintenance themselves, and sell tires etc..), but in the end no one wanted it right now. One guy thought $1800 was a bit more fair considering the AC. You are right that the AC could be $800 or so to repair.
So I haven't parked it anywhere in public or advertised it yet. Was waiting on the mechanic.
No rust on the car. Driven very little in the past 10 years while in the Midwest, and before that it was in California. So the body is in great shape. I haven't specifically asked about rust in the undercarriage though.
If it wasn't for the situation with my brother's car, I would keep the Camry and get new tires in a year or two when Costco has a good sale, and maybe the struts. I probably wouldn't even bother to fix the AC, honestly.
I don't have a place to park two cars, and it will start to be a problem next week, so I need to do some thinking...
On local craigslist Camry 97 runs anywhere between $1500 through $6000. Median is around $3 000. You have very low miles for the year. Those cars are sought for. Folks do know very well their real value. Not working AC can turn out to be $150 fix at AC shop, one never knows.
On local craigslist Camry 97 runs anywhere between $1500 through $6000. Median is around $3 000. You have very low miles for the year. Those cars are sought for. Folks do know very well their real value. Not working AC can turn out to be $150 fix at AC shop, one never knows.
You do as you wish.
Even without the AC, I wouldn't be asking only $2k for it. I'd be asking $3k, at least. I wouldn't knock anything off for the non-working AC. You're not selling the car for the AC, that is an extra. And somebody looks and says it's too much, they can wait. Tell them you'll drop the price $200 in two weeks time. And take their number.
If you were asking $6k for the car, because of the low mileage, THEN I could see knocking off something for the A/C. But not when you are asking 3k or less.
Not everybody will realize what a value the car is, so you have to wait a bit for the right buyer. But if you got a $1300 offer without even putting out an ad? I'd say that was a good sign. Take the guy's number - and if you end up wanting to go lower than $1800 to make it go away, give him a call.
Let me present you with an example. Back after my son got his driver's license, he wanted to buy a car. We found a Corolla, about a '96, with 185k miles on it, but clean and in good condition. We payed $4000 and considered that a good deal. He's still driving that car.
The used car market around here seems to be a buyer's market at the moment, so you may not get high dollar, but I would be surprised if you had to go as low as $2,000.
As ukrkoz says, "do as you wish", but I'd hate to see you sell yourself short.
How much time do you have? If you want a quick no bs sale $2000 is a more than fair price.
Truthfully low miles means crap. In fact low miles can be more detrimental than high miles. If you drove 2000 miles a year you’re probably driving local only. Which means you really are not letting the motor warm up. And possibly not changing the oil enough. So you may have a sludge monster of a engine. It means a lot of city short distance driving. That means your transmission is shifting up and down a lot. Also you’re using your brakes a lot. So low miles sounds creat but sometimes it isn’t.
AC isn’t a extra. If it comes with AC and you want top dollar it better work. AC could be a $200 repair or it could be a $1800 repair.
I would want it checked out before purchase to see the costs of repairs.
Unless there is something wrong with your Camry I would just hang on to it.
The problem with a Prius is the eventual need of batteries, and you have two powertrain systems. A electric motor and a gas engine.. plus a whole slew of electronic crap that is gonna be a nightmare to work on.
You know, it's one of those ironic moments in life. My '95 Camry now has 332,000 miles on her. And I could still sell her for $1200-1400. Camrys are one of the most reliable cars ever built. By anybody. In spite of the age of your car, it's quite possible you are trying to sell a "young" car - not an old one. I'm beginning to have excessive issues with my Camry, but for the past 10 years we've been living in the NE, and RUST is a big problem. Rust affects more than the body - it affects mechanical parts as well. AMOF, my issues are because things like the oil pan rusted through, or the suspension parts are rusted and thus suffer much greater stress and wear.
You have the XV10, which is one of the most valued generation of Camrys - because it was designed and built before the cars were de-contented for materials cost. Such as having double seals on the doors and the interior materials.
a 10 year-old-Prius might have a depleted battery.
you KNOW what the Camry has and has not.
i wouldn't sell it for less than $4300.
yes, we have 2 Camries (?), one Corolla, and one Sienna.
ALL are road-worthy and the youngest is Eleven years old.
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