Should I buy a Toyota Camry with 240,000 miles?

mcSeth71

I'm pretty sure it's been taking care of well because I know the guy who's selling it. do you it would be smart to get? I'm 17 so I'm just looking for something that will last another 5 or 6 years















It's a 1999. at this point I know very little about it. All I know is that it has a minor oil leak

Maindrian Pace

240k is a hell of a lot, even for a Toyota. either way, i doubt it would last you 5-6 years. but honestly, there's way too many factors you're not listing here.































1. how old is the car?















2. does the owner have maintenance records?















3. does it still have the original engine and transmission? if either were replaced, how long ago and what was the mileage on the replacement part?















4. what is your budget?















































either way, i guarantee you that there's a car in your pricerange with a much longer lifespan than this one. most cars don't even reach 240k before they die, this thing could be on its last leg. how much is he even charging for it? my best advice would be to find a late 90's Honda Civic, you can get a good one for less than $3000 with about half the mileage of this Camry. the old Civics are damn good cars, just ask any Honda forum. they're cheap to own, cheap to maintain, cheap to insure, get damn good mpg, and they have extremely long lifespans.

Terrence B

240,000 miles is a lot for any car but if you had to own a car with those kind of miles, you couldn't have picked a better car than a Camry. I don't agree with the Honda thing. I really like Hondas but at 120,000 miles you start needing things replaced outside of maintenance. Also, break a timing belt on a Honda and your engine is shot; break it on a Camry, just replace the belt and go. That should be a non-issue if the belt was replaced according to the maintenance schedule. Still, depending on how you drive and how well that car has been maintained, 5 or 6 years is not unrealistic. I've seen a lot of Camrys with over 300,000 miles on the original engines and transmissions that still ran exceptionally well. You will need things like new struts and little things that wear out due to age but the engine and transmission should be fine if it was cared for and you continue to take care of it. Personally, I would consider a Corolla at your age. They are just as reliable and get much better gas mileage.

Md nasimul Haq

I suspect that it may have something to do with the fuel injector, only

dvskv

Just because you know someone does not make them a good reliable supply source unless he/she is a mechanic that stands behind the product they are selling and will resolve problems & headaches down the road. If they aren't mechanical, basically you are doing them the favor instead because that 1999 Toyota Camry with 240,000 miles is on its last leg and RISKs are above average something major will be happening.































An older vehicle even a reliable Toyota or Honda with 240,000 miles is NOT practical or prudent unless you have cash or savings in the bank because when engine warning signals pop up or car doesn't start, it means you need to have a trusted mechanic who knows what to repair & replace and that normally is not cheap. Many times young drivers ignor warnings and preventive maintenance and simply worry about gasoline and insurance payments, then something major goes wrong and the next thing you know you are without wheels, and now have the headache of figuring out how many paychecks you will need to get old Betsy repaired & running again....so months go by and the car is fixed but now something different goes wrong.































After too many fixes, finally you realize it's time to minimize your losses and start looking for something used that is only 5 years old with less mileage in the range of 75,000 to 100,000 miles.































Hopefully you are Iistening -- and if I were in your shoes, I would keep looking and continue putting more away so that that the used auto you purchase will meet your 5 year target - in fact a good place truthfully would be Estate Sales when elderly passed away and now family is selling their assets because the last thing retired people want is an unreliable vehicle.































Best of Luck!

zipper

Have a 96 V6 Touring and has 234,000 kms on the clock - reg maintenance - have replaced the Radiator, spark plug leads, and computer ( breakdown is very rare). Vehicle is still going strong and I have no plans to sell it - planning to replace original shocks in a couple of weeks

Alan

I once had a Camry that had 978,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles and never had an oil change. Same tires too. Had to change the battery once tho. And the left side blinker bulb needed replacing about half way through. I expect it to last for maybe another 500,000,000,000 or maybe even 600,000,000,000. But I hear the new Toyotas are cheap, so I just might keep this one till it dies.

John

No, honestly Camrys are the worst Toyota they make. I swear, but that isn't saying it's a bad car in general, since most Toyotas last forever, this one just doesn't seem to last the longest, haha. Although, some are good and last a long time, others want to fall apart as soon as they can. I'll never forget this one Camry we had in the shop, and it had so many leaks and issues it was crazy.































Radiator was cracked















Radiator hoses were collapsed















Valve cover gasket was leaking















Camshaft seal was leaking















Rack and pinion was leaking















Front Passenger side caliper bolts seized















and more...































Ended up being more than 3,000 dollars in parts!

MAD DOG

Simple answer: No. Find yourself a car with less mileage if you can.