Used Toyota Camry/Honda Civic prices

[Oldswagon]

I am helping a friend look for a cheap small car to get around town. A neighbour down the street has two older cars that he'd like to get rid of, and I think they might be a good choice for my friend.

One is a 1989 Camry 4cyl Auto with 254K miles on it. The car is an American car so the body is very solid as is the undercarriage. Overall condition looks to be fair at best. Paint is faded, engine compartment dirty, interior is showing signs or age and wear. The engine had the top end rebuilt about 4 years ago due to excessive oil burning. The tranny fluid is heavily oxidized and very dark. The owner states the tranny does not slip. I haven't taken it for a drive, but I will as soon as the owner gets the battery charged (the car has been sitting in the garage for about 8 months).

The second is a 1990 Honda Civic wagon, 4cyl, auto, 136K miles. The body is fairly solid (this is an American car as well), but it does have a few small rust spots and dents. The interior is showing signs of wear and is in fair condition. The engine does have a fairly large oil leak, but doesn't burn any significant amount of oil.

Does anyone have any idea on what to offer on these cars? I usually don't deal with these type of cars, so I don't want to my friend to make an initial offer that is too high. I know both of these cars are pretty good for durability (usually rust kills these cars in this area), but what problem areas should I look for? I am worried about that tranny in the Toyota.

 

[tweeker43]

carpoint

kelly blue book

i'm having some problems with kbb (zip code thingy), so if it doesn't work for you that means it's not just me.

good luck. i'd have a mechanic look at either one of those cars...

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

The cost to maintain the cars will exceed the price. (3 or 4 hundred bucks). The tranny issues really would have me worried.

 

[Patman]

Check out the Ontario online version of Auto Trader, their site is www.trader.ca I visit there constantly, tracking the prices on C5 Corvettes.

 

[goodoleboy]

Id say $1000 for either one is a good ball park figure. The camry has tons of miles so it justifies the price.
The honda has low miles but the leak concerns me.

 

[Oldswagon]

Thanks for the advice on the car prices. After we went back to look at the cars, it seems my friend isn't really interested in the Honda, rather just the Camry. KBB estmated the Camry was worth $1400 USD which is way too much IMO. I checked autotrader and most high mileage 88-90 Camry's in Ontario were about $1200 CDN or less, typically around $1000. None had mileage nearly as high as this car though (highest was about 200K miles).

I took the Toyota for a little drive with my friend last night. The transmission seems to shift great, and the engine still runs great with no smoke, or knocks. The Toyota was just certified in the fall when the plates were switched to Ontario plates. The car has been parked since and so it shouldn't need much for a safety. So far everything I have checked out looks good on the car, but I am no tranny expert and I told my friend he should have it checked by an expert first.

I don't think the seller is going to go cheap enough anyway. I figure that $700 CDN or so would be an okay deal (if the tranny checks out), since the car doesn't look like it'd need anything for a safety. However. the way the seller is talking I think he wants more than that, and I don't think spending more is worth the risk due to the high of mileage.

 

[tec97]

Toyotas and Hondas hold value extremely well. I doubt you'll find one of either flavor in running condition for less than about $1200-$1500 US...