Camry vs Corolla

[supton]

Wife has been doing some window shopping. Her car just passed 9 years and isn't new anymore. No plans to get rid of, but, as we all know: you can be the world's best driver, and that won't stop someone else from destroying your car. Or from having a repair that just isn't economically feasible.

So she's been looking at Camry as that has served her well. She found out that the LE Hybrid comes with the preferred 16" wheels; all other models come with larger & more expensive tires. [I looked it up and the 17's actually weren't that bad, but are still $20 more per tire for the RT43's that we run.] Looking at a Corolla apparently the manual transmission model has 18" wheels which is a no-go. She wants a manual transmission, but if she can't have one, then she might as well go with whatever will have the cheapest 10 year cost. Tires only last 40k for us, which can be a set per year, so... you go argue with her about it.

My thinking is, a Corolla may cost more on insurance and be worse on the highway. But I'm not sure if that is true or not? That was true in the past, but the future keeps changing on us. Quick look shows it's almost the same size as my Camry, maybe even larger now.

Again, we're not buying, and during this time we're not about to go out and test drive for the heck of it. Just straight discussion. Not sure if I can sway her towards much else, we're kinda soured on Honda, iffy on Kia/Hyundai, unsure on German (I'd be allowed to have one but she saw the amount of work my last VW required). It's kinda these two or none at all in her mind.

FWIW I've been pushing for a 90's Miata for her but haven't gotten anywhere on that one... she's fixated on having four doors. I keep pointing out that if we go used & old, we'd have plenty of money to fix it up--and there's the flaw, she is not interested in that.

 

[KCJeep]

Not everything can be captured by dollars alone. If you are putting 40k a year on vehicles, that is a lot of TIME in the vehicle. Get the Camry. A nice one.

 

[jstert]

it’s always best to shop around when you don’t need to do so. i’m hoping for car shows and carmax to fully reopen asap.

i very happily owned a 2004 corolla le with a.t. but the corolla with cvt that i rented a couple of years ago was underwhelming. (o.p.’s preference for manual transmission duly noted.) i was pleasantly surprised when test driving a subaru legacy a year or so ago. since the subaru suv lineup gets all the glory its sedans might be attractive deals, and useful since o.p. is in n.h. same suv vs. sedan issue for acura , tlx sedans are nice, my younger son happily leased two between deployments, but entry price will be higher. my experience with a vw passat has been fine. i prefer purchasing cpo, with its longer warranty and fewer pricing games. good luck and keep us posted, supton.

 

[Leo99]

If you're looking at an LE Camry without all the goodies which drive up the price, it's probably the best vehicle for the money you can buy today. You might be able to get one new for just over $20k. Hard to beat that.

 

[zzyzzx]

Wouldn't a Camry with a 4 cylinder engine give you more working room in the engine bay, or doesn't it work that way in the newer Camry's?

 

[AutoMechanic]

Plenty of options out there. I’m not sure on the insurance part. And yes I agree Toyota having all those different sized tires is a little annoying especially when I had to lift all of those and put them back on the car. I personally enjoy manual transmissions and generally nowadays they are all about the same price from what I have seen. I know the insurance on my sisters 2007 Corolla is very cheap but it also has nearly 400,000 miles on it too and 15 inch tires.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

The Corolla hatchback is awesome because the hatchback is more practical and has lots of space inside. You can always downsize the wheels later. The new Corolla can take 16, possibly even 15" wheels

 

[ecotourist]

I test drove a Camry vs Honda Accord Sport (2.0 with 6 speed manual). The Honda was the winner hands down for drivability. It was light on its feet and quite responsive. And if your wife likes a manual transmission, what more is there to say.

I've heard rumours that the manual transmission is being dropped for the '21 model year.

The smaller engine (1.5) gets better fuel economy if that's a consideration. The Sport comes with large diameter wheels but I assume they could be traded straight across (at least) for the nice looking and more usual size ones on a lower model.

 

[pbm]

I test drove a Camry vs Honda Accord Sport (2.0 with 6 speed manual). The Honda was the winner hands down for drivability. It was light on its feet and quite responsive. And if your wife likes a manual transmission, what more is there to say.

I've heard rumours that the manual transmission is being dropped for the '21 model year.

The smaller engine (1.5) gets better fuel economy if that's a consideration. The Sport comes with large diameter wheels but I assume they could be traded straight across (at least) for the nice looking and more usual size ones on a lower model.

While the Accord may have better driving dynamics and slightly better MPG's (maybe)....I'd get a base Camry with a 2.5 over a 1.5T Accord.....I just don't trust the long term durability of a small turbo pulling a big car like the Accord.

 

[georgemiller]

I was in same situation last year. I opted for the Camry due to Corolla's CVT.

 

[Nick1994]

That Camry has been ridiculously reliable, I think you should just get another, rinse and repeat. More room for kids and passengers in the back seat.

Looks like a standard Camry runs around $22,500 and a Hybrid is $25,000 so a $2,500 premium. Probably 36 mpg in a standard one and 50 mpg in a hybrid. At 20k miles per year the hybrid saves about $350 a year in gas, so 7 years to break even. I’d just get a regular one, less electronic stuff to go wrong.

Then get rid of the 99’ and you’ve got a fancy newer ride!

 

[rob1715]

If you're spending that much time in the car, I'd go for the Camry. If you can, get the 6 sp auto.

 

[ecotourist]

While the Accord may have better driving dynamics and slightly better MPG's (maybe)....I'd get a base Camry with a 2.5 over a 1.5T Accord.....I just don't trust the long term durability of a small turbo pulling a big car like the Accord.

That's why I'd get the 2.0 in the Accord. I agree with you about Camry reliability, but the Accord is much more fun to drive. And that's important to me.

My '07 Accord V6 6MT bought new has been very reliable (after getting the original transmission replaced - in the first month). And that's what a warranty is for.

 

[Leo99]

That's why I'd get the 2.0 in the Accord. I agree with you about Camry reliability, but the Accord is much more fun to drive. And that's important to me.

My '07 Accord V6 6MT bought new has been very reliable (after getting the original transmission replaced - in the first month). And that's what a warranty is for.

The 2.0t has been getting some bad press about reliability. I'd research that before buying it. I was a passenger in an Accord with MT. The driver was shifting really early so couldn't really say what it was capable of but just seemed so unique and out of place to see a MT in a sedan like that in the USA.

 

[Blinker]

I’m more of a Corolla fan myself.

 

[supton]

I should clarify--wife doesn't drive 40k/year, more like 25k, but I do (or was?) over 30k, so very often we buy a set of tires every year (sometimes two in one year!). Of course, if my wife gets a full time job any time soon, it could tip past 30k pretty easily.

In 9 years and 216k the Camry has needed a set of brakes and a battery (well they were proactively replaced). But all cars go 200k today so we'd expect nothing less on the next car. [Well I did spark plugs and serpentine, but those are on the maintenance schedule, so not a repair.]

Both our Camry's are doing ok right now. I killed the rear defroster in mine several years ago (darn window tint) and that's about the only thing not work now for either. Mine has needed a lot of work but still goes ok, and actually has a higher towing capacity, so it has that going for it. Plus it will never have to pass emissions again. But we both wish we had heated mirrors, sometimes I miss my heated seats, often I wish I could see at night (I think the headlights on hers are still ok though).

 

[PimTac]

That is still a chunk of miles and time spent in a car. Her comfort should be a big priority here.

 

[supton]

That is still a chunk of miles and time spent in a car. Her comfort should be a big priority here.

Of course! We're not about to buy sight-unseen. If the need arose, we'd test drive everything that came up as possibilities. It being her car, it'd be whatever she wanted.

Let's be clear, we're in our 40's, in reasonable shape. We're not quite ready a the couch on wheels. Our fleet is getting it done for the time being--the seats do get a bit uncomfortable after a few hours, but that's all the more reason to get up and stretch once in a while. Otherwise they are just fine for the point A to point B driving we do.

 

[ecotourist]

The 2.0t has been getting some bad press about reliability. I'd research that before buying it. I was a passenger in an Accord with MT. The driver was shifting really early so couldn't really say what it was capable of but just seemed so unique and out of place to see a MT in a sedan like that in the USA.

I've heard about problems with the 1.5T engines in Civics a couple of years ago (gas accumulating in oil), but not problems with the 2.0. But I'm interested. Do you have a reference?

Speaking of (some might think) looking out of place, I have a manual transmission in my BMW 5 series. And having a manual transmission more than doubles its current value!

 

[Nick1994]

I should clarify--wife doesn't drive 40k/year, more like 25k, but I do (or was?) over 30k, so very often we buy a set of tires every year (sometimes two in one year!). Of course, if my wife gets a full time job any time soon, it could tip past 30k pretty easily.

In 9 years and 216k the Camry has needed a set of brakes and a battery (well they were proactively replaced). But all cars go 200k today so we'd expect nothing less on the next car. [Well I did spark plugs and serpentine, but those are on the maintenance schedule, so not a repair.]

Both our Camry's are doing ok right now. I killed the rear defroster in mine several years ago (darn window tint) and that's about the only thing not work now for either. Mine has needed a lot of work but still goes ok, and actually has a higher towing capacity, so it has that going for it. Plus it will never have to pass emissions again. But we both wish we had heated mirrors, sometimes I miss my heated seats, often I wish I could see at night (I think the headlights on hers are still ok though).

All cars will do 200k, but to do it trouble free? Nah, that’s a Camry thing. I just had a water pump and all 8 front control arms replaced on my Genesis at 66k miles for $5,400 (extended warranty).