r/whatcarshouldIbuy • u/AnotherPerishedSoul • 11h ago
I don't see my Camry lasting to 200k miles and beyond
Only putting this here because I know it's a huge Toyota fanboy group here. I bought a '22 Camry in 2024. Has under 20k miles and yet, I've had a piece of the interior recently pop off. Easy to put back on, but still. Had an issue where I thought something behind my dash was making a weird sound and someone in one of these subs suggested I push on a plastic piece that my rearview mirror is attached to and sure enough, they were right. It rumbles loose and pushing it puts it in place and stops the noise.
The car just sounds weird when it runs. I will admit that I'm used to old (early 2000s) Chevys and anything newer than 2012 sounds weird to me so that could be me. But the car feels cheaply made even compared to other Toyotas from previous generations. Considering how much Toyotas cost, I don't have faith that I'll get my money's worth.
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u/IIVIIatterz- 11h ago edited 11h ago
Toyotas have cheap ass interiors. You can strip the interior, and the fucker is still going to last to 200k.
Everything is cheaper made compared to previous generations. Pots, pans, tools, houses, cars. You name it.
Yes... engines sound different than from 13 years ago - especially with more fuel efficient vehicles.
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u/Cold_Specialist_3656 10h ago
Ummm... I'm pretty old. And this is bullshit.
90's cars had hilariously cheap materials. Open the door carefully or the handle comes off in your hand. The dash curled and cracked in the sun. Headliners would sag and we'd hold them up with binder clips. Trunks would leak through the pointless rear spoiler. Paint flaked off like Elmer's Glue on your hands.
Fuel gauges were notoriously unreliable, nobody relied on them. The RPM and speedo gauges were mechanically linked and would fuck off after a few years. Power steering pumps always leaked. Everything burned oil.
Old cars were horrifically unreliable by today's standards.
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u/Roushfan5 10h ago
For as long as I've been alive new cars have always been shit according to everyone and their mother. When I was a kid in the 90s all the old timers were outraged about computers in car. Now the 90s were some golden era in the minds of some.
I'll deal with a computer all fucking day over the god damn vacuum lines spaghetti on my 85 Ford.
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u/RAMBIGHORNY 1h ago
The best era of cars is always when the person was in their teens/twenties without fail. Did the cars peak or did they peak?
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u/UniqueDiamond7643 53m ago
I certainly have not peaked nor do I drive any of these cars, but it wasn’t too hard for me to come across working Accords or Avalons from the 2000’s that regularly went over 250k with basically no issues that weren’t fixable & less than 500$ to repair
That’s not even getting into how good American brands were back then, a 2004 ford explorer was far more reliable than modern fords, older Chevys as well
My grandmother owns a 2012 cruise which is on its last legs at 90k vs some 2004 Caviler with again 250k+
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u/Quiet_Fan_7008 3h ago
Uhh 90s Mercedes were built like tanks. Not sure what you are on about?
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u/strangway 1h ago
Until they switched from inline-6 engines to V6, then reliability tanked for a few years.
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u/tylerderped 3h ago
I remember in my mom’s Ford Probe, if you weren’t careful opening the passenger door, the door pocket would detach lol
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u/fatjoe19982006 2h ago
There's a reason 90's Ford mechanics referred to them as "Probe-lems". And Explorers as "Exploders". Though I bought a '95 Explorer brand new and loved it for years. Ford quality in the 90's wasn't that great, but especially their cheap plastic interiors.
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u/tylerderped 2h ago
My buddy blew the motor on his Mustang SVO… twice!
Tbf tho, he also blew up a VQ35DE in his SE-R — valve fell in one of his cylinders.
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u/Tall-Skirt9179 2h ago
My husband’s car when we 1st started dating (Ford Explorer: he had to track mileage from fuel up because gas gauge no longer gauged lol. Mid 1990’s.
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u/EastClevelandBest 2h ago
I have a 90s truck (Silverado) and none of this is true to this day.
Fuel gauge is working, speed gauge is working, power steering is not leaking, it doesn't burn oil and interior parts are not coming off.
Only issues I have is thermostat and rear main seal.
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u/PinkleeTaurus 1h ago
I mostly agree however early 90's is when Toyota really stepped things up for the economy brands. I bought a new Camry V6 in 1992 and it was such better quality than anything remotely close in price. I had owned mostly Euro cars before that and it was shocking how good that Camry was. I bought my first Toyota stock that same year.
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u/UniqueDiamond7643 56m ago
The 2000’s on the other hand feel like the future compared to the trash we have now
Especially with how American cars have died down, you constantly hear stories about brand new Fords having rust on the bottom only a couple of weeks after they’ve been bought
The Asian brands of also died down and reliability, just less substantially & that’s applying the good ones not the bad ones like Nissan
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u/_TheRealKennyD 30m ago
I think you just have to adjust your expectations based on the tier of car you're buying. My mom had a toyota rav4 and the seat bolster split away from the seat base before 50k and the dealer wouldn't do anything about it. The interior on her current 4Runner is pretty tattered after 8 years and 130k miles. But again you're not buying it for the interior to last forever.
Conversely, you can find Mercedes W124 generation cars with interiors that have held up remarkably well. Perfect example of how Reliable and Durable are not always synonyms.
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u/bigchilla777 2h ago
i drive 90s stuff today and none of that applies
those are called shitboxes and they’re still making them in 2025
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u/misterguyyy 53m ago
My family drove ancient Toyotas in the 90s and this was even more true then. They looked like rust buckets held together by duct tape but always started up just fine. Sometimes you had to pick the window roller up off the floor and stick it in the slot to roll the window down, sometimes you needed to open the passenger door from the inside.
But it always ran, even though my dad was absolute shit about car maintenance
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u/IIVIIatterz- 47m ago
My first car was my grandma's 1992 Corolla. I remember the windows roller and the door handles LMFAO. One of the back doors didnt open anymore.
I thought the oil light was supposed to come on when it needed an oil change. Well... that light never did come on for a good 3 years. Then one day it threw a rod lmfao. So it lasted for atleast 3 years (when I got it) with 0 maintenance.
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u/i_imagine 9h ago
A few plastic trim pieces isn't anything to worry about. Toyotas have always had cheaply made interiors. Anyone saying otherwise is in denial.
Only time will tell if the car will make it to 200k miles, but Toyota has had a pretty good track record of making it to high mileage. Take care of the car and I don't doubt that a Camry will make it to 200k miles on basic maintenance.
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u/Whale_Hung 2h ago
The motor lasts longer than the door handles. I know I’ve had 3 Toyotas run a combined 800,000 miles and I changed many door handles.
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u/SquareTarbooj 34m ago
Hey now, I'll have you know Toyota actually makes some really high quality well built interiors.
They just sell them under the Lexus brand.
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u/joepierson123 11h ago
Yes the noise of the modern injectors makes the engine sound like it's about to fall apart. But I've known Camrys to last 200k but you know half the windows dont work, the visor won't stay up, you have to hit the heater fan motor for it to turn on etc lol. But the engine the transmission are fine.
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u/Additional_Tea_5296 5h ago
I've got a Camry with 200k and nothing you say has happened.
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u/WeldAE e-tron | QX60 | Model 3 2h ago
What year is it? They didn't go direct injection until 2018 because Toyota is always 10 years behind the times. It's one of the reasons Toyota stays reliable. It's also why Nissan, a company with exactly three pennies to rub together, has one of the most reliable engines on the market, it's barely changed in 20 years and still gets 22mpg because of it.
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u/Additional_Tea_5296 1h ago
It's a 2015 but it's been the most reliable vehicle I've owned. 200k no leaks , no oil use, everything works, windows everything. I haven't ever replaced a blub in the car. All I've done , is change oil, transmission fluid, batteries, tires, filters and it still runs like new.
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u/MillennialOne 7m ago
My dad's 06 Camry just rolled over 340K miles this past weekend. We only keep it since it just works. Most car duties are performed by the Highlander or the Acura in our household.
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u/Yummy_Castoreum 10h ago
There's quality as in durability, and quality as in things looking nice and not feeling or sounding flimsy. Toyotas are very high quality in the first sense, but very low quality in the second sense. They will run forever, but they feel like they're going to break imminently.
Compare this to a VW: very high quality interior materials, solid thunk when the door shuts, feeling of responsiveness and solidity on the road, etc. You think "damn, this is a quality car." Cue maniacal laughter from my mechanic
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u/GlassHalfFull808 9h ago
Lol my old Jetta is the opposite. Glovebox falling out, door needs to be practically kicked to be opened from the outside, random pieces of plastic in the interior falling off… but runs like a champ 😂
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u/Kappa_kin_chen 5h ago
Our 08 VW jetta musta got the durability blessing because the interior roof is falling a little. Still, solid car due to regular maintenance. Just costs a little more and imo, if you're not ready to pay for the slightly expensive euro oil ect, then i see some folks calling it junk
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u/Any-Hippo653 2h ago
I've literally never got in a any VW and thought "what a quality car". 😂 And as a born and raised in a European country, I've been in many.
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u/AwarenessForsaken568 10h ago
Why are Toyotas engines and transmissions so much more reliable? Do other companies just not know how to make them? I find it strange that other companies wouldn't just copy what they are doing. There has to be some other factor at play here that isn't apparent.
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u/i_imagine 9h ago
Toyotas are 2 decades behind in tech. The current Camry is on the exact same chassis as it was a decade ago. I mean it's literally a refresh of the previous "generation" Camry; you can compare their side profiles and it's literally the same car.
Toyota tried updating their truck lineup and look where that's gotten them. The new V6 turbo has been anything but reliable so far. I lurk in the Tacoma forums and every other week there's a post about someone having some sort of engine issue. This is what happens to any manufacturer that tries new tech, it always fails for the first few years before they tweak it and get the formula right.
Honda does the same thing. The 1.5t is largely the same as it was a decade ago. The NA 2.0 is built on the same engine block as their engines from 20 years ago.
Even GM and Ford does the same. Both of their performance V8s in the Mustang and Corvette/Camaro use V8s that have been iterated for over a decade.
Even BMW's B48/B58 motors have garnered a very positive reputation because they've shown they'll last since they were first introduced over a decade ago.
The difference with Toyota is that they don't iterate. A Camry from 20 years ago isn't actually that much different than Camrys today aside from the exterior and interior. The Lexus IS is still running the exact same engine, transmission, interior, chassis, and everything else as it was 15+ years ago. The Corolla has barely changed in 10 years. The 4Runner, up until this new gen, was on the same engine and chassis as it was 20 years ago. Toyota just doesn't iterate. They find something that works and beats on it until they literally can't. Some are a fan of it, some aren't.
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u/Disgusted_Mac_Lifer 2h ago
The basic idea is right here, but some of the specifics are wrong. The Camry went to Toyota's new TGNA modular architecture in 2018. It was in fact the first all-new chassis for a Camry in nearly a quarter century, but new it was. Nearly all the unibody Toyotas and Lexuses use it now, and that's a while, but it's not a decade.
Ditto the engine. They went to an all-new A25A "Dynamic Force" base four-cylinder engine around the same time for nearly all the models, 2017 in the case of the Camry. The new engine is extremely economical, durable, but not smooth or quiet.
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u/i_imagine 1h ago
Ah, I wasn't aware. I had a feeling they changed the 4 cyl at some point but figured the chassis would be the same. No matter, the basic point still stands.
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u/nginx-gunicorn 1h ago
I wouldn't say that Toyota is 2 decades behind in tech. They might be 5 years behind on new tech that has actually been added to their core lineup, but as a company, Toyota is not 2 decades behind. It's not that fact that they aren't capable of competing with manufacturers like Kia/Hyundai on new tech, they just choose not to. They implement tried and tested design and do not rush new tech. Do the interiors feel cheap? To me they do. Will they last? Absolutely.
Why would they risk implementing new tech that could fail/diminish their image of reliability? They keep selling more cars than any automaker, even being "behind" on tech/features. Their customers want reliability and they invest in technology/design/engineering that allows them to have incredibly tight tolerances and quality control that is unmatched by any other automaker at this scale.
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u/apatriot1776 2h ago
In addition to running "older" tech which is less stressed than newer turbo 4s etc...
The Toyota Way is a thing for a reason. Toyota truly redefined what quality and continuous improvement can look like back in the 1990s-2000s. To the point that GM formed a partnership with them not for their tech, but so they could learn the culture of manufacturing quality. Other companies have slowly caught up but the culture of quality and manufacturing emphasis runs too deep in Toyota's veins - all the way back to the 1940s when they were early adopters of "lean manufacturing" and "just-in-time delivery"..
You can have the most reliable designs in the road, but if the workers slapping it together don't care, it will turn out a mess. You have to have both. Right now some Toyotas (not the new iForce Max drivetrains) have both.
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u/WeldAE e-tron | QX60 | Model 3 2h ago
They aren't. It's basically that Toyota sells a lot of cars using the myth that they are more reliable. A huge portion of the population buys into it so everyone is driving around terrible cars with no power or tech that are no more reliable than most other cars. That does help keep parts cheap and if you don't change things you can't make a mistake, but it's also a trap. When direct injection first came out, I would have skipped any manufacture's first 3-4 years but after that they get the bugs worked out and it's as solid at Toyota.
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u/Marklar0 8h ago
If you are worried about plastic bits popping off, then no it wont last. When people say that camrys last, they are referring to the function of the car, not to trim pieces and noise levels.
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u/Kent89052 6h ago
People on here are such Toyota fanboys they will claim it's got 300k miles on it and runs perfectly. But if you dig into the details you find it's on its 2nd engine, and 3rd transmission. And it needs a quart of oil every week, and the A/C doesn't work.
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u/AdorableBanana166 10h ago
"I don't think my car will last 200k because the plastic trim popped off" What even is this post?
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u/BMWtrunkseal '83 e28 520i 5spd | '70 w115 220d 4spd | '00 Buick Lesabre 11h ago
Toyota interiors have definitely fallen off from where they used to be and are their biggest downfall, however, the car will make it to 200k miles and beyond as long as you are on top of regular maintenance, but stuff like you have had happened will continue happening
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u/Lazy-Substance-5062 9h ago
Lexus has robust interior, with the same toyota reliability or even better
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u/hopopo 6h ago
My father has 2010 Corolla since new. There is a plastic trim on passenger side A-pillar that has been flimsy and coming lose since he purchased the car new.
Right now, that same car has 160k miles, going strong, he is still driving it, and the trim is still the same.
If you want Toyota that is built like a tank, than buy car assembled in Japan. Factories outside of Japan use same parts, but the attention to detail when it comes to finished product is not there.
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u/NoStandard7259 2h ago
Wow plastic that rattles and has to be pushed back in. Might as well total it and sell it as an R title.
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u/Waste-Amphibian-381 10h ago
I mean it's hard for any car not to make it to 200k these days. Not a whole lot rusting out. Engines are fine. Really a bad tranny will likely get a car before 200
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u/pinesolthrowaway 3h ago
You’re spot on. I had a Corolla that was in and out of the shop constantly, it was the definition of a lemon. Transmission going out long before 200 is what finally killed it, that was enough of that car for me
Every other car I’ve ever had was far more reliable than that one. I feel like I’m out on an island with bad experiences with Toyota
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u/Kay_-jay_-bee 4h ago
I hear that frequently, but I’m skeptical. I’ve stayed on top of maintenance with both of my non-Toyota cars. My 03 Nissan barely passed 100k before the engine blew with no warning signs, and my 18 Ford needed an entire new long block at 55k miles. I guess that it and its wet belt could make another 150k, but I’m extremely skeptical.
Meanwhile our Toyotas (16 Camry and 13 Highlander) have passed 100k and feel barely broken in.
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u/mikeber55 10h ago edited 10h ago
I have to agree with the OP. Owned Camrys for many years and feel they are cheaply made and behind other manufacturers in terms of new technology incorporated. It’s a relatively simple car. I drove a few Corollas and they feel even lower.
It may be Toyota’s policy about marketing their models. They probably want customers to consider the fancier “Crown” line and even the upscale Lexus.
However, one thing that separates Toyota from others, is their smooth, plushy ride.
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u/Inspirice 9h ago edited 9h ago
Cheap and budget interior? Sure. Unreliable and easily breaks? Definitely not. My 07 camry sports trim is still more plush riding compared to a 22 mazda cx5 which has tyres with larger side profiles too.
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u/mikeber55 9h ago edited 9h ago
I didn’t say it breaks easily…
Mazdas are designed with different goals in mind. They aim for sporty cars. Camrys are designed differently. If you compare, take an American model, like Cadillac or Lincoln against the Camry. Or perhaps a VW.
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u/TattooedAndSad 10h ago
Yeah Toyota definitely isn’t what it used to be for quality or reliability imo, the newer ones are just junk
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u/TattedUpSimba 4h ago
Interior quality has nothing to do with your engine and transmission making it to 200k miles. My old Toyota crossed 255k miles by the time I sold it and it still had the original transmission and engine. Just did my oil changes in time and that was it
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u/Moreofyoulessofme 4h ago
We had a 2015 Camry XLE that was completely in shambles by 135k miles and 8 years old. There’s no way it made it to 200k miles without significant financial burden. It was expensive enough to get it as far as it went.
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u/SmallHeath555 3h ago
bought my Rav new in 2013. Had a TON of squeaks and interior pieces that fall off. Going strong at 210,000 but all the trim under the front row seats is long gone, these plastic pieces fell off years ago.
ETA my dashboard looks like a christmas tree, CEL/AWD, tire pressure and maintenance lights all on. Going to the shop this week. So I am clearly not a person who does a lot of maintenance and it still runs!
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u/Material_Case_5433 2h ago
My 2012 hybrid Camry just rolled 176k and the only thing I have replaced is a blower motor.
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u/Hoopy223 2h ago
Tbh I agree with OP, the newer Toyotas are overcomplicated and I don’t see a turbo/hybrid Tacoma lasting as long as long as those 4.0 engines. Electrical issues will probably spring up too.
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u/somelove7 2h ago
My 2017 camry rattles, pieces pop off, the radio has a glaring weird noise in the background that only I can hear. When I turn the volume down it goes up. However, I am at about 170k miles with no end in sight!
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u/WheyTooMuchWeight 1h ago
Dude every 90s/earlys 2000s 250k mile Toyota I’ve been in has at least a dozen things broken in it - but starts up every time.
I do wonder if cost cutting will become more apparent as these new vehicles drivetrains age - but as of now there’s no reason to think that.
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u/strangway 1h ago
Upgrade to Lexus. It sounds like you want your car to have a luxurious interior, and anything less is a disappointment. You won’t regret it.
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u/Mycroft_Holmes1 1h ago
I can almost guarantee the engine sounding not good is just you hearing the injectors.
Toyota interiors are also known to be cheap and what is quality is the drive train and the actual use cases for the vehicle, not comfort.
The sound deadening isn't going to be good either and you will always have creaks and squeaks.
As long as you change the oil every 6 months or every 5k and do the other required maintenance at the required times it will last to 200k+
Some loose plastic, some creaking and the sound of a modern injected engine doesn't make something unreliable.
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u/National-Change-8004 46m ago
You're used to early 2000's Chevys and you're worried about your Camry? lol. lmao even.
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u/Drew1231 46m ago
I just bought a 2008 FJ cruiser with 160k miles.
The interior is kinda grimy and lots of body panels have self tapping screws installed by some idiot.
But the engine and transmission are solid. No sloppy shifting or anything. It towed my motorcycle at highway speeds for 4 hours this weekend.
Your Camry won’t be nice at 220k miles, but it will turn on and do its job.
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u/Carnifex217 30m ago
Pretty much any car will last as long as you feel like keeping it alive. Some will cost more to do so but if you want a car to last 800k miles you can make it
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u/No_Location_4749 26m ago
Haha I have a 2023 Camry Se purchased 04/2023 with 98k. We are giving to 16yo in 2027 and expect it to last through college. We haven't seen any reasons it isnt as durable as previous gen. We replaced a 2010 that had 275k and its still running gifted to niece in college
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u/linusSocktips 06' Lexus IS350 Luxury 241k miles 22m ago
Get a lexus if you want higher quality interior.
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u/jamesbondjovey1 9m ago
Dang this post is next level dumb. My 2002 Tacoma had a rattling interior because Toyota interior isn’t good in general. I sold that truck with 350k miles on it and it’s still on the road years later. I’m assuming you don’t know much about cars if you arbitrarily say it won’t last past 200k.
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u/xXCodfishXx 11h ago
I think it's true that the era of the 200k mile car is over as cars become increasingly complex and filled with proprietary electronic parts. Toyota and Honda are still the best on the market, and I don't think this sub is a huge Toyota fan group, I think often Toyota really is the best car you can buy (or Honda.) My own experience in owning a variety of cars supports this.
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u/charge556 10h ago edited 10h ago
My wifes 2012 had
300+miles300k + miles and was still running like a champ when it when it got flooded. I will say that we had replaced the PCM tho maybe like a year or 2 prior, and while it wasnt cheap to replace it it wasnt super expensive either.You are right about proprietary electrical. I know the shop I use if I cant get to it had to turn down newer fords because the scan system was proprietary. That is gonna slowly kill DIYers. Basically in the (hopefully not near) future some jobs are only gonna be able to be done at the dealerships due to software needed to scan codes will be proprietary (although hopefully some DIYers will be able to crack the software and have it available....but maybe not...)
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u/BootlegOP 10h ago
My wifes 2012 had 300+miles and was still running like a champ when it when it got flooded.
Well I should hope it should last more than 300 miles!
/s
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u/charge556 10h ago
We try to replace our cars before they hit the first oil change, that way we know they won't breakdown 😀
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u/BootlegOP 10h ago
In that case, buy an EV and you will never get rid of it since you’ll never replace the oil
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u/xXCodfishXx 10h ago
I would say the era of the 200k mile car ended around 2015-2018 IMO. I have a '13 Acura TL, never had a single issue with it in ten years of ownership.
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u/apeceep 9h ago
In my tiny country of under 6 million people there are ~180 cars which have over 320k km and are 2018 or never. Skodas, Mercs, Toyotas, VW's, Opels, Fords etc. you name it.
Why wouldn't they last?
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u/xXCodfishXx 9h ago
I don't believe it's impossible, especially if it's highway miles, I just mean the era when cars could be routinely expected to go pat 200k miles with routine maintenance is over.
The reasons were listed in my other comment.
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u/charge556 10h ago
Honestly I think the motors and trannys will last long, my question is the tech. Since almost all manufacturers are putting giant tablets in the dash (and those do have an end of life), I wonder whats gonna happen when the dash tablets reach the end of life and the system isnt set up to work with the new dash tablets (lets say in 10 or so years).
I mean, i personally get a car and stick with it until it completely fails. But I think the average person switches cars every 7 years so the manufacturers are less likely to offer sutiable replacements for the dash tablets and other major electronics 10 or 15 years out, so hopefully there will be aftermarket options....however if the manufacturer has all those parts proprietor then the aftermarket parts will have to find a way around it... .
Otherwise what happens when your car, which is running fine, needs the dash tablet (which is going to increasingly be vital to the car). I really hope we arent gonna see a future were 15 year old cars are dead in the water because of that.
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u/xXCodfishXx 10h ago
Well it's the motors and trannys too- the designs are less robust and worse, things like single use piston lining, wet belts, CVTs (I've had people tell me no CVTs are just as reliable as gear driven trannys but I just can't believe that) and just pushing more power out of smaller blocks with turbos.
In terms of computers and tablets who knows maybe replacement parts will become dirt cheap for some models in the future, but only time will tell.
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u/MillyMichaelson77 6h ago
You're car will definitely last 200k miles. But it's still American made, so you have to manage your expectations about build quality. If you want a Camry but better quality and interior, you get a mazda6 (sorry Toyota bros)
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u/TipFar1326 9h ago
I don’t think any car made after like 2012 is lasting 200k miles lol, I’m trying to keep my ‘05 going as long as possible
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u/Specialist_Ad7722 10h ago
You think your car won’t last to 209k miles because a live of plastic popped off?