Considering replacement vehicle. Help.

I co-developed the Long-Term Quality Index, buy a heaping load of late model vehicles at 48 Hours And A Used Car, and when I get really bored... I buy a Y2K beater and make it whole again.

You already have all the right answers. The XV70 Camry is an exceptional vehicle. The four-cylinder has all the power you will ever need.

The VW is great with a stick. The automatic is a bit meh. I loved the 1.4 Liter and the 1.5 is really just a very mild update. Excellent torquey engine.

I'm not enamored with the current crop of Honda Accords. A Honda Insight would be a much better value. But I have to weigh in the fact that you're already trying to get rid of a Honda Accord with low miles. A new solid paint job would definitely cost less than $1000. I get them done for $450 but as a dealer in the Southern USA, I tend to paint anything that has clearcoat fade and paint burn.

My top off the beaten path choice for you? Mazda 6. More fun to drive than any of the others I mentioned, and one with a leather interior is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. Mazda really has become the better Toyota if you look at their product line. A sportier car with comparable quality. You have to buy it used but the 6 is definitely a class leader.

Good luck!
Paint Jobs absolutely do not cost less than $1000. Not here, probably not anywhere. You would be lucky to get a single panel painted for $1000.
 
I'd recommend whatever trim level this Accord is.

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The Camry should be a solid car. But you'll need to sit in one and press all the buttons. The tech in them is so lame.

I'll consider one with it's next gen perhaps.
Lame tech is a selling point for some of us. Less to go wrong.

$5K to paint a car? Whatever happened to Earl Scheib?
 
Lame tech is a selling point for some of us. Less to go wrong.

$5K to paint a car? Whatever happened to Earl Scheib?
Eh, I disagree. A touch screen is a touch screen. I'd rather have a Hyundai or Honda with a capacitive touchscreen (like a smartphone) than a 10 year old resistive touch screen (like one of those Garmin GPS from 2012). I'd say over a 10+ year ownership the odds of the Honda or Hyundai having a screen failure is pretty darn near 0.

The Toyota almost has more screen bezel around the edges than screen itself...
 
Not so sure I’d even worry about trade in, since it is going to tank very soon anyways . I’m thinking a little along the lines of Dave Hess, but with more money banked in savings than an IRA.

I wouldn’t touch a new car for quite a while. Interest rates are ridiculous, and the dealerships are still going try What they can to keep prices high. There is a reason I bought my leases out. Not buying a car for a while! On top of the fact the economy is going to tank hardcore.

While I feel your pain, I would hold on to what you have for now……..
 
The whole "no shop will paint my car for under $5,000 thing" is because they don't want the job. They already have loads of insurance jobs that are guaranteed income, so they'll throw out a huge price to you to politely tell you to get lost, or, maybe you do agree to pay the insane price, to which they will grit their teeth and take your money.
 
Our Toyota only has 35,000 miles but with 0W-16 it doesn't use one drop yet. They must have figured it out.
Seems like Toyota has a few engines that are known to make 100k then consumption goes up. One of the Prius generations comes to mind, which is a shame, as that is one of the mostly lightly loaded engines… not sure if it’s rings gumming up or walls going out of round (guessing former). That said, it was never across the board a problem, much like all other OEM’s, what with having several engine families, some problems are shared and some aren’t across their portfolio.

Our 0W16 vehicle hasn’t crossed 50k yet but I’m waiting to see what it’s like at 150k+ before calling it a good motor. At 200k I’ll know if it’s a good motor or not (by which time I doubt I could buy it new again, that’s 6 years into the future and I’m sure drivetrains will have evolved since then).
 
Paint Jobs absolutely do not cost less than $1000. Not here, probably not anywhere. You would be lucky to get a single panel painted for $1000.
I own a dealership near Atlanta for about 20 years now. When I started painting these vehicles it was only $190 for a 'scuff and shoot'. These days I pay $450 for a car and $600 for a truck/SUV.

There are specials available to the public as well. Just find an independent body and paint shop that has their own paint booth and you should be able to get a solid paint job that will eventually outlast the car.
 
Be wild. Be crazy. Be daring. You're there already. Drive a RAV4 also. Be sure the seat is pumped up as high as it will go first. See how much better the visibility is. And easier ingress/egress. Then go lower yourself way back down into the car and compare, although there is none. Go on. It's a FREE adventure ride. What have you to lose other than a few minutes? :)
 
Ok guys at the Toyota dealer. Looking at a new Camry. After driving the exact one I want (in the color I prefer also) it does feel like a more solid option than the Accord.
What trim and color? A new generation should be arriving towards the end of the year. Probably more reason to get one now. Rumors are they will be all hybrid, resemble the Crown, price hike etc.
 
Ok guys I did it. Here it is! More pictures to follow. Hope it serves us well!
 

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That's nice car; congratulations; it will last you forever!

i'was wondering how much you got for your trade in car, if like to disclose it?
 
If it makes you feel any better, and it should, I have bought my mom nothing but Camrys for the last 20 years.

And before then, I owned a 1994 Camry which is still on the road with around 400,000 miles on it.

A super congrats to you and your family!
 
If it makes you feel any better, and it should, I have bought my mom nothing but Camrys for the last 20 years.

And before then, I owned a 1994 Camry which is still on the road with around 400,000 miles on it.

A super congrats to you and your family!
Thank you! Like it so far.
 
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