My wife has a 2010 Toyota Camry XLE with 150,000 miles that is paid for. Within the last 2 years she has had the alternator, water pump, spark plugs, tires and all brakes replaced. The car currently has no real issues outside of needing it's intermittent cabin fan replaced and a tire sensor.
She has the SUV bug.
I already told her this is The Worst Time to buy a vehicle, plus you already put $2000 into this vehicle with (6 cylinder alternator Expensive) repairs. She wants to sell/trade this vehicle ($5000) because she saw a 2013 Hyundai Tucson she likes.
I would not make this move. I would keep the paid for Camry until the car market is more normal while saving up for a bigger down payment on a different brand.
Am I high? I need someone besides me to tell her to step on the brakes FAST!
Thanks for all the comments. You guys drove her off the Tucson! She looked at a Rav4, Sub Forrester and ended up buying a used Honda CRV. I'm ok with it, it's not the Camry. It doesn't have the ride or the luxury or the power of the Camry. Seems like a fairly basic no frills vehicle to me (more like the CIVIC it's based off of). Nothing to get super excited about but she likes it. I guess that's all that matters.
Congratulations on the new vehicle! Which model year CR-V is it?
Thanks for the update.
It's a 2014 CRV LX.
Just make sure there’s no rattle on cold start, the VVT systems on these were weak. And have a mechanic check it before purchase…
The CRV is a no-thrills car, it’s a Honda. For driving experience and a more luxury experience overall it’s best to get a Mazda CX-5 (although they aren’t as reliable, and don’t look “rugged”)
OK, thanks for the tip. She has it now. Seems ok to me but the tire pressure light came on (Dealership had her "button reset it" but I'm sure it will end up returning) and she did mention something about hesitation? Honestly, I haven't driven the thing- lol. I'm not sure if hesitation has to do with the VVT. If it does I suppose I could replace it, I'm mechanically inclined enough to replace a solenoid. I'm also a fan of past Mazdas, I own an old NA Miata. Perhaps I should run my scanner over the CRV.
It’s probably due for a complete tuneup, if it still has 8 yr old filters, etc..
Oh, you mean the 100 point thorough dealer inspection didn't locate those things? LOL. The dealer was apparently crying to her that they spent too much money fixing stuff. I looked at the paper and had a good laugh. They did an Oil Change, Brake Pads and turned some rotors. Wish I could write down $1000 every time I've done those things. Imagine what I could charge for replacing the spark plugs in a v6 Camry or the radiator.
CR-V is a great choice. Just seeing this now. At least you talked her out of the Tucson.
I will tell you this, since I drive a CR-V and a RAV4 of the generation you bought.
The CR-V feels more premium/luxurious than the RAV4 and even the forester. The RAV4 feels more sporty. And the Forester feels more utilitarian.
The CR-V I drive has 100K miles. It’s a 2015. Basically the same as yours. We keep it maintained, and have just done mostly basic maintenance.
The CVT does take getting some used to, in the way it shifts (or doesn’t shift). Lol.
The only three problems I have with it
1) The button for the rear hatch needed to be replaced. It wouldn’t engage.
2) The backlight for the shifter went out. Which really isn’t a big deal.
3) a problem you might be dealing with. One wheel had a slow constant leak. Slow enough to not be a problem. But there to be annoying. I don’t know if it was the rim itself, the tire, the tpms sensor. It was eerily like a leak I had on my BMW. Anyway eventually changed out the rims and tires and it went away. Annoying problem.
Humm, well. I looked at the inflation on all tires after this warning and all pressure looked normal to me. It was all around 34-36. My Element had this warning go off, but 1 tire really was low- 20 pounds. Had a screw in it I had to repair.
Tell your wife that trading any Toyota for any Hyundai is a class A felony. Then tell her to call Dr. Phil.
No, no, no.... the Tucson is coming up on 10 model years old, and it's only slightly newer than the Camry. The Tucson is a move backwards. One other thing to consider with gas prices the way they are, your Camry gets way better fuel economy than that Tucson.
Any car once it ages will need to be maintained, and the things you replaced the last 2 yrs. are all normal things to do on a car, even on a Toyota, and the things you've replaced won't need to be replaced for a LONG time. At least you know the condition of your Camry; however, the Tucson is an unknown and it's on the lot for a reason. So, you will be dishing out a lot more $$ getting it right if it ever can be.
If you don't HAVE to get a car, now is not the time for it. I would never-ever consider any Hyundai or Kia brand new let alone a 10yr old Hyundai/Kia. You've got an advantage by not having a car payment, so hang tight and don't be in a rush to buy anything if you don't have to and save up your $$ to get something better and newer in a few years' time.
Hyundai-Kia in the US are a scam,
Show her this: https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/postid/217090/
In the rest of the world you also need to know what you're buying to not get an absolute lemon, it's not like a Toyota where chances are it's going to be alright.
When driving a Toyota you have the ultimate peace of mind - you're not looking for faults or analyzing your car.
When you're driving a high milage, complex, old Hyundai crap just falls apart right, left and center.
Quite honestly? the 2013 isn't their worst, still no reason to buy one but unlike the newer ones it does usually go when you press the gas 🤣 - but you will spend thousands on repairs and it will never be quite right.
Want an SUV? the only good options are CX-5, RAV4, CH-R, CRV.
If you're shopping new, the Corolla Cross is also awesome.
Your wife has one of the best cars made to date, the Camrys after that had bad torque convertors, the smaller engines burned oil, new ones are just simpler and we do not know if they'll be able to also last over 200k miles - so giving up on what seems like the ultimate car sounds like a bad decision.
She talked about going over there TOMORROW to pick it up.
It’s time for you to confiscate the title and maybe discharge the battery overnight..
She talked about going over there TOMORROW to pick it up.
Well, good luck. Unfortunately it is very difficult to talk someone out of an emotional decision by showing them the facts.
I guess I'm in the minority. Outside of the 1985 BMW 5 series I bought 25 years ago, I'm not very emotional about buying cars. Last vehicle I bought was a used 2007 Honda Element Pre-pandemic and it took me 2 years to find the exact one I ended up buying. EX FWD 5 SPD. That one is hard to find.
Don't do it that Tucson will be a money magnet. You have already replaced most of the important engine parts and brakes. That car probably has another 100,000 trouble free miles in it.
Perhaps once she takes the Tucson for a test drive, she will change her mind. It has a harsh ride quality and either of the four cylinder motors have lack-luster performance compared to her Camry.
The Toyota has a buttery smooth ride and the velvety smooth and refined V-6 motor produces about 100 more horsepower than the Hyundai with about the same gas mileage but far superior acceleration.
But then, there is that issue with the bad tire pressure sensor. 😉
Thanks for the comments so far. I am emailing all these to her.....
She talked about going over there TOMORROW to pick it up.
Well, she might have to learn the hard way. I gather she isn’t even considering a Toyota or Honda compact SUV?
OMG, Toyota camry for hyundai :envy: ... It's like trading wagu A5 beef from restaurant for a Walmart porkchop... But yeah everybody have their own taste.
