I feel like I’ve been a little domestic-heavy on my choices recently, so this week and next, I’m going to even the score a little bit. We’re going to stick with imports, increasing in price as we go. We’ll start off with a pair of old faithful nameplates: the Camry, and the Accord. (Though it now occurs to me that these were both actually built in the US.)
We finished up on Friday with a four-way battle between terrible choices, and I figured I knew which car was going to win. I was right; the Buick Century was cheap, and the worst thing anyone could really say about it was that it was boring. It cruised to an easy win.
That’s probably the right call. I would consider the Mirage as well, even though you all put it in dead-last place, but I think I would go look at the Buick first. It’s reliable, and you could rebuild it out of any auto parts store in the country if you had to.
This is a short week; we’re off Thursday and Friday (I think? I’d better check), so we’ll start with a price cap of $2,000, and add $2,000 every day from now until next Friday, when we’ll top out at $14,000. Big money for our little virtual used car lot here, but it gives us a chance to look at some different stuff.
Let me just preface today’s choices by saying it is getting really damn hard to find Japanese cars worth owning for under two grand. And I’m not saying there are no good choices; there are almost no choices. Sign of the times, I guess; everything is getting more expensive. Sure, you can stumble into a dirt-cheap deal here and there, if you’re in the right place at the right time, but they’re the exception rather than the rule. I don’t like the fact that $2,000 is the new $500 any more than you do, but it’s what we’ve got to work with. Let’s check them out.
1996 Toyota Camry LE Wagon – $1,850
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter DOHC V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Portland, OR
Odometer reading: 168,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Imagine a car so reliable, so well-engineered, that it gets lampooned for it. A car that everyone knows, nobody really lusts after, but anyone in their right mind would choose over almost anything else if they just needed cheap wheels. A car that hasn’t really been improved upon in subsequent generations except in minor details. That car is this car, the XV10 Toyota Camry. And this one is special, because it’s the rare wagon version.
This generation of Camry was available with two engines: a 2.2-liter inline four, or a 3.0-liter V6. This one has the V6, like nearly every wagon I’ve seen. It also has an automatic transmission, which is also typical. I’m sure somewhere there exists a V6 Camry wagon with a manual, but its owner bought it new, has put 400,000 miles on it, and is never, ever going to sell it. This one is actually pretty low mileage, and the seller says it runs and drives great.
Part of the reason for the Camry’s success is that not only is it reliable and durable, but it’s also a really nice car. It’s nothing special, just comfortable and well thought-out. This one looks nice inside, and the seller says the heat and air conditioning work great, so you’ll stay comfy no matter the weather.
I’ll be honest: I’m not much of a fan of the styling of these wagons. I know some people love them, but I think that rear window shape looks awkward. It is instantly recognizable, though. The wagon’s big trick is extra seating capacity, in the form of a rearward-facing third seat, which we used to call a “way-back seat” when I was a kid. They were common in American station wagons for years, but I think this might be the only Japanese wagon that has one.
2004 Honda Accord LX – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Buena Park, CA
Odometer reading: 293,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Honda’s Accord has been around longer than the Toyota Camry, and it has just as much of a reputation for durability and reliability, except for one thing – rust. Honda’s rustproofing back in the 1980s and ’90s wasn’t what you’d call effective, and a lot of excellent-running Accords, including one I owned, went to an early grave because their structure just rotted out from under them. This seventh-generation Accord doesn’t have the propensity to rust that the earlier ones did, and it’s a Southern California car, so it has had the opportunity to reach a prodigious mileage: nearly three hundred thousand.
One reason it wears such a heroic number on its odometer is that it has the drivetrain to do it: Honda’s celebrated K-series four-cylinder and a five-speed manual gearbox. This combination makes the Accord both more reliable and more fun to drive. We don’t get any useful information about its condition, only that it has a salvage title for some reason. It could be nothing; California hands out salvage titles like candy. But it’s worth asking, or checking the VIN, to see if you can find out what happened.
It shows some wear and tear inside, but that’s to be expected at this mileage. A steering wheel cover would help a lot, and maybe a new shift knob too. It has a big aftermarket stereo with a touchscreen; I’ll leave that up to you to decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
Outside, it’s missing its hubcaps and a piece of trim on one back door. But the paint looks good, and as mentioned, it shouldn’t have any rust to worry about underneath. The headlights could use a polish, or maybe replacement if they’re cheap enough, but aside from that, it looks ready to roll.
So there you go: two nice, reliable cars for two grand or less each. One is more fun to drive but has a ton of miles, and the other is more practical and lower in mileage, but it’s kinda dull. I know which one I would choose, and I have a feeling it’s not the one you all will, but we’ll see.
I want to want the Accord, but I just can’t get over the mileage. Even for a reliable drivetrain, that’s a LOT of miles.
While I agree that the Camry wagon’s style is awkward, the Accord is from by far the ugliest generation of Accord. Personal taste aside, the Camry has lower miles, looks much more presentable, and it is a wagon, and a V-6 vs. a 4 (though I am guessing the Honda keeps up or even wins a drag race, automatics made cars slower back then). Anyway Honda’s only plus is the stick, easy win for the Toyota.
We’re really burning rubber with these bad boys
There is nothing on the Accord that is better than the Camry, except the manual transmission. Give me the braggin Wagon
Long roof Camry for me. That’s a “just not seen anymore” car. Any sludge in that V6 has likely been long ago taken care of. Or the owner is dumping in three quarts every fillup. Which good old conventional 10w-30 will do just fine. If they don’t drive that much it’s probably fine.
Camry because it’s a wagon. Both are great cars.
Tragically, the Camry is under a non-fixable recall:
https://theonion.com/toyota-recalls-1993-camry-due-to-fact-that-owners-reall-1819577805/
Cute but not that cute
Normally I vote for the wagon, but I have hated the back end of this Camry since it was new. First of all, that half generation was pretty awful in general: the whole thing looks like somebody stuck a straw in and blew until the sheet metal bulged. Ugh.
And then came the wagon, with a rear end that was inexplicably sharp and flat, completely unrelated to the styling of the nose, with a side window shape that doesn’t make a lick of sense. “What if we made a car that was styled with the sense of motion of a filing cabinet?”
All that said, I’ll admit that the way-back seats are tempting. But not as tempting as a Honda 5-speed. Has anyone ever put a better stick in ordinary drivers?
That camry wagon (well, not that particular one) was my childhood. It was our family car for a very long time. It was Dad’s daily driver and our chariot for many road trip and camping trips. I learned to drive in it. As it aged we eventually used it as a winter beater and a truck for hauling. Regardless, that car is comfy. It somehow rides like a luxobarge while handling like an appliance. That’s a compliment, I swear. Handling like an appliance is a large step up from handling like a luxobarge.
It also is a wonderful truck. Put the back seats down and you can slide 4×8 sheet goods in. Barely. One edge has to go on top of the spare tire cover.
Change the ATF more frequently than suggested, because that’s the (relative) weak spot in this drivetrain. But it’s a tank that has no trouble running 300,000+ miles. I saw someone on youtube who put something like 500,000 miles on one of these. By then it was creaky and they were tired of it, so they entered it in a demolition derby. They won the demolition derby and drove away. Entered again the next year, won again. I think at this point they gave up and admitted they couldn’t destroy the car, much like Top Gear and their Hilux.
The Camry runs and the interior isn’t packed with dead rodents and cigarette butts? SOLD.
I had an ’04 accord with the 5spd in EX trim with leather. It was a really good car but my feet never liked the pedal feel or position, couldn’t heel/toe the thing to save my life.
5 wiper blades > 2 wiper blades. Also, huge odo diff. Plus, Oregon > California.
Is this really a question? The best ever Camry with both a v6 and a longroof? For the price, I can forgive the autotragic.
Plus I just don’t care for Hondas. I have always found them hugely overrated.
I almost bought one of these with a V6 in a manual transmission back in the late 90s. Didn’t really have the $. Still kicking myself. But I did get a 91 Corolla all track wagon with a stick later on when I had money. I bought it with 42,000 miles and then got in an unfortunate accident at 192,000 miles. Not my fault but totaled it. The car didn’t leak anything and was still ready for an inspection sticker next month.
A friend of mine had one of these V6 Camry wagons for a decade. It was a very nice, if very boring car. Useful for a family with three young kids.
Those All-Tracs were pretty cool. I had a Tercel 4×4 wagon and it was great in the snow.
I am a Honda fan, but this Camry is pretty irresistible. I have not seen many Camry wagons. I had a ’90 V6 Toyota pick-up and to be honest, I thought the engine was an underachiever. But probably would last a long time. Mine had a 5M and I was shocked how often I had to downshift into 4th to climb a grade. I’m not sure it’s the same engine. The under the hood shot did not ring any bells. I sold it with 60K on the clock to someone in the military, so I will never how long it lasted.
These old Toyota V6s did not make much power, but they were smoother than a baby’s ass. My mother had an ’01 so equipped, I think they are only 185hp (only!). I don’t believe it is much relation to the truck engine. Even if so, I assume the tuning would be rather different.
My Honda Accord’s V6 is surprisingly vibrational at idle at a stoplight when the A/C compressor kicks in. But once underway, it’s like a RR where you just waft away with adequate torque. And if you plant your foot on the skinny pedal, it just turns into a beast. By 2017 ICE standards. If it were totaled, I would probably end up replacing it with something even more boring. Maybe a PHEV RAV4.
I had to vote for the vehicle I’d be stuck with in real life for that imaginary required six months of financial hardship that I usually use as a standard for voting, and went with what I thought would be a more fuel efficient, reliable set of wheels in d’Accord.
But I really get the appeal of the wagon.
I guess if I were really pushing this imaginary scenario I’d have to deal with the reality of not being able to pay for deliveries and such and thus might make use of the cargo… naw. You can fit a lot of crap in a 2004 Accord, especially if the rear seat folds forward (I can’t tell from the nonexistent interior photos if it does).
This Camry over those piles you posted.
https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/d/portland-2000-toyota-camry-ce-very/7897852735.html
Though that is either a scam or a BHPH stealership advertising the down number and not disclosing the real price. Probably hoping they can smooth you over when you call.
100% a scam.