Cheap Cars With Long-Life Reputations: 1996 Toyota Camry vs 2004 Chevy Tahoe

Good morning! I know some of my recent choices have been of questionable use as actual transportation recently, so today we’re going to celebrate durability and look at two vehicles that are known for piling on the miles. That rabbit with the battery has got nothing on these two.

First, however, let’s look at yesterday’s results. I figured the Element was going to win, and by a lot, and I was right. Those things are way more popular now than when they were actually for sale new, it seems, especially with a manual. Just try to find a crossover SUV for sale with a stickshift these days. Sure, it has a lot of miles on it, but it’s a Honda.

The little Fox wagon had its fans, too, and I sure like it – it reminds me of the VW Golf I drove in college, same color and everything. But I can’t deny that the Element is a way better deal. A lot of you took the VW’s seller to task for replacing the Bosch fuel injection with a carburetor. I’m no big fan of Bosch CIS, but if you’re going to switch to a carb, at least do it right and slap a Weber DCOE (or two) on there so it looks cool.

When cars are new, it’s hard to tell which will go the distance and which will end up in neat rows at self-service junkyards within a decade. And of course, the old nature versus nurture discussion comes into play here as well; any car can be reliable if an owner fawns over it enough, and any car can be a lemon with enough neglect and abuse. But some cars have a knack for consistently achieving big numbers on their odometers. Today we’re looking at two such cars, one from Toyota and one from General Motors. Here they are.

1996 Toyota Camry LE – $2,500

Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Portland, OR

Odometer reading: 200,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

The Toyota Camry’s durability and reliability are well-known, even outside of gearhead circles. The XV10 generation, sold from 1992-96, was even famously lampooned in The Onion for being too reliable. These cars are practically perpetual-motion machines: Keep gas in them, change the oil once in a while, replace the timing belt once a decade, and they’ll just run and run.

That durability comes at the expense of excitement and driving dynamics; the Camry is a means of conveyance and not much more. And it’s no luxury car, either. But the seats are fairly comfy, the ride is all right, and the interior materials hold up nearly as well as the mechanicals. Put the photos of this car side-by-side with a ’96 Camry brochure, and you’d be hard-pressed to tell which is which.

I’m sure that’s partly due to the fact that this is a one-owner car. Someone obviously cared for this car ever since it was new, and it shows. A one-owner used car in this price range is rare, and definitely desirable, especially if they have all the service records. It eliminates the possibility of some nasty surprises.

It’s pretty clean on the outside too, and it’s the best color for this generation of Camry. The headlights are cloudy, but that’s to be expected at this age. You could try to polish them, but why bother, when replacements are cheap? The aftermarket wheels aren’t a terribly welcome sight, for me anyway; I’m generally a fan of original equipment wheels. But at least these look like the right size for the car.

2004 Chevrolet Tahoe – $2,500

Engine/drivetrain: 5.3-liter overhead valve V8, four-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Lacey, WA

Odometer reading: 203,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

In the beginning, SUVs had two doors. And they were good. But then, families started buying SUVs instead of minivans, and the SUVs grew an extra set of doors. But they were still pretty good. Chevy’s now-legendary Tahoe and its sister model the GMC Yukon came from the original full-size Blazer/Jimmy, which were put out to pasture after the 1994 model year. A two-door version of the Tahoe/Yukon limped along for a few years, but the four-doors were far more common. By the time this GMT800 Tahoe was built, the two-doors were only a memory.

The heart of the Tahoe, and a big part of its durability, is the LS-based “Vortec” V8, here displacing 5.3 liters and putting out a stout 285 horsepower. The only transmission available is GM’s ever-present 4L60E overdrive automatic, and in this case it drives the rear wheels only. A push-button part-time 4WD system was available, and probably more common than these 2WD versions. But I guess if you don’t need 4WD, not having it is one less thing to go wrong.

“Things going wrong” isn’t a common GMT800 occurrence anyway; with the exception of some annoying electrical gremlins, these are sturdy and reliable trucks. This one has surpassed 200,000 miles, and the seller says it runs well. The tires, battery, exhaust, and water pump are all new. The interior is a little rough; this is GM toy-quality plastic at its finest, and this one hasn’t been treated too kindly. The seller says the headliner is in rough shape too, but doesn’t include a photo.

Outside, it’s “honestly scruffy,” with a few dents to its name, but basically in good shape. SUVs are working vehicles, and no one expects them to win any beauty pageants. But it’s not going to embarrass you either. In fact, one of the upsides to a Tahoe or Yukon is that no one is likely to notice it at all.

There’s no guarantee that either of these cars won’t conk out tomorrow, of course, but the odds are in their favor. I’ve seen examples of both of these cars closing in on half a million miles. And for the price, both of them seem worth the gamble. Which one of them would you choose?

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)