Scotty.
I'm a single woman in my late 50's I'm disabled on a fixed income. I did receive some $ in my divorce settlement. I have been driving a 2003 Dodge Neon that my stepdad bought me in 2004. It had 26,000 miles when I got it, it has 122,700 miles now (that shows how little I drive but I do hope to drive more in the future) it still runs but is falling apart and needs to be put down. My Ex promised to buy me my dream vehicle (Honda Odyssey), but he never did. I have decided that since it is just me that the Odyssey would be a waste. I have been thinking of SUVs. I have saved the $ so I could buy new, but I'm scared of what I have been reading about the CVT transmissions that are being put into new cars/suvs.
I guess my question is if you were advising a family member on which relatively new most reliable suv to buy what would it be? I don't have much family to help me with the car/suv buying process so any tips you could give would be greatly appreciated. One last thing I'm from Tennessee but live in Virginia.
Thank you in advance for your help,
Cindy barnes
All right, the first thing I would tell you was why don't you look at sedans instead. Everyone wants an SUV so the prices are insanely high. For example, you could get a Toyota Camry a great sedan for about $15,000 less than a Toyota RAV4, which is an SUV based on the same platform with the same exact engine and transmission. But that's sad if you must go SUV Toyota makes the absolute best ones that lasts the longest
I hate to bother you again, but I really don't know much about buying a vehicle. If I go the Toyota Camry route, which is the newest used year model you would recommend?
Scotty does not generally return to topics he has already visited. There are some Camry models to avoid, some older ones with oil-burning 2.4L engines, some newer ones with transmission problems. An internet search will reveal details as will sites such as carcomplaints.com. If you don't know much about buying cars there are plenty of youtube videos you can use to educate yourself. The most important thing when buying a used car is to have it inspected by a good mechanic before purchase - afterwards is too late.
As far as CVTs, they generally will not last as long as a good conventional transmission but per Scotty late model Toyota and Honda CVTs are OK. The key with those is to avoid heavy uses such as towing, and to ignore manufacturer claims about "lifetime fluid" - service them regularly.
Thank you, Scotty,
I hate to bother you again, but I really don't know much about buying a vehicle. If I go the Toyota Camry route, which is the newest used year model you would recommend? If I have my heart set on the Rav4 which newest used year model, do you recommend? Can you give me a ballpark number on what I should pay for the models that you recommend I'm I right to want to stay away from the CVT transmissions? I think I have seen in your videos that you aren't a big fan, do you think they have improved enough that they are reliable?
Scotty has done some videos on Toyotas to avoid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGfGKfdb8jE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaJ6ZlNkkkA
Here's one from a Toyota specialist talking about a transmission problem common in some years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtGIUIPE6ik
Doesn't 2025 Camry only available in Hybrid and comes with eCVT transmission which is better than regular CVT?
I would say a 2004 Toyota Camry with the 2.4L engine is impossible to beat. If the interior is acceptable to you, then you cant go wrong, so long it has been maintained properly.
