So I have been taking a taxi to and from a conference in Toronto ( 2X daily) since Saturday. I noticed they were all Toyota Camrys and when I asked how many kilometers it was always a really big number like 250,00, 350,000 or 400,000. FYI for anyone in the carr market.

Oh my goodness, you have brought up the subject that I can go on and on about, I LOVE to discuss all things automotive... I will resist the irresistible and overwhelming urge to go on and on about it. For ONCE I will be brief and to the point (OH HELL NO!!), I will be succinct....

I concur with your opinion about the Toyota Camry, they are pretty good cars. There are a few really good, durable and reliable cars out there, and there are a LOT of "lemons" out there that people buy and regret owning.

Arab Nights has identified one of the better buys in the automotive world, that is the Camry. I would like to offer a little bit of my own unique knowledge of the OTHER end of the spectrum, that is, identifying a really bad buy... I could name many vehicles that I have personally tested but I will do my best to be brief and just offer a warning, to anyone who is thinking about buying a top end (luxury) full size SUV, stay away from the Jeep Wagoneer, as well as the Toyota Land Cruiser, and the Grand Cherokee. They are overpriced and you will ultimately be much happier buying an old restored Dodge Power Wagon or if you must buy new, then Chevrolet Suburban or Yukon or Denali or something like that.

Depending or so many variables, who the driver/user is, what they really need the vehicle to do ("will it haul hay? Well hell no, if you do not haul hay you don't need or want a pick-up), so what might be a great car for some is a nightmare for others. When it comes to the best all around car category, I think the Camry hits the "sweet spot" for most people, it is NOT nearly as fast as Dodge Demon or Charger with a "Hellcat" (6.2 ltr supercharged) engine, but on the other hand, the Camry can go a long way on one tank of gas, the Charger can go about 50 miles on a full tank of gas at it's top speed or 202 mph. It does not surprise me at all the see that there are no Dodge Chargers used as taxis.

Uhhh, I was not very succint, I went on and on and.... OK I will shut up now.

So when you need to get to the airport or that hottie's apartment right now(!), look for a taxi driver with a Hellcat?

Scotty Kilmer on YouTube is a big Toyota fan. He's a semi-retired mechanic. Toyotas can run for a long time. There is one year of Camry that had engine issues, though. You'll have to look that up. It's for burning/leaking oil.

Paolo wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 7:37 am Scotty Kilmer on YouTube is a big Toyota fan. He's a semi-retired mechanic. Toyotas can run for a long time. There is one year of Camry that had engine issues, though. You'll have to look that up. It's for burning/leaking oil.

One car I shouldn't have gotten rid of was my 2007 Hyundai Sonata 6cylinder. I see those on the road all over the place to this day. It's a 17 year-old car and they're still everywhere.

I got rid of it when I bought a 2013 Ford Cmax Energi - main reason was to get single occupant car pool lane access on highways in California, 3 years after I bought it, I relocated and drove it across the US to Virginia where I lived in a Navy town. It was amazing for it's plug-in electric ability, where I'd sometimes go 1700 miles between visits to the gas station, and it would pull off a light quicker than those Dodge's mentioned above. It wouldn't win a drag race, but the instant torque from the electric motor allowed me to surprise a lot of the 19 year-old navy boys who were buying Chargers, Camaros, and Mustangs when I'd beat them across the intersection when the light turned green. I got rid of that because it was due to have a transmission failure at around 70K-80K miles and it would have cost more than the car was worth to replace it.

About that time I inherited a bit of cash, and my grandparents stipulated I had to spend a certain amount on something ostentatious so I'd know how quickly money disappears. So I put a down payment on a Mercedes. I got rid of it recently because it's known by everyone, including the manufacturer, that the engine they put in it is prone to taking the piston in the #1 cylinder and turning it into a grenade, thereby destroying the engine. Cost to replace? $12,000. The manufacturer refuses to do anything about it. So... Out it went, while it still had some value.

Tiring of cars that are prone to catastrophic failure under 100K miles, I replaced it with a Toyota RAV4 Prime. It's a plug-in hybrid, and I've not been to the gas station since around New Years Day since it has a 42 mile electric range, and most of my driving is under that. My electric bill has gone up a bit, but an amount where the difference is far lower than what I'd spend to put gas in it. I run the gas engine about once a week to keep the internals lubricated, unless I've driven it far enough that week to have the engine come on when the battery is depleted.

I'm enjoying this plug-in just as much as the previous one I had. It's the most powerful car I've owned (302HP, 0-60 in 5.4 seconds). When I see people crying at the fuel pumps when fuel prices spike, I just coast on by with dry eyes, as the majority of my fuel cost is relatively fixed compared. This particular make holds its resale value well, I see 3 year old versions of this vehicle selling slightly under what they cost new, with 40K miles or more on them.

I had a bad accident w/ my adapted van a few weeks ago - Equipment failure, the hand control 'Spinner Knob' pulled apart on me in the middle of a turn - about like having the steering wheel fall off... The CEO of the company that made the knob is being VERY nice to me, probably in a desperate effort to keep me from 'lawyering up' and has promised to pay my insurance deductible, and a rental... I couldn't get a replacement van, but right now I'm in a Nissan Maxima, which sucks for getting in and out of w/ my manual chair, but does drive nicely...

My GF had a Nissan Cube before she lost her sight, and I drove it w/ a set of cheapy 'universal' hand controls for a while... I really liked that car, and think that Nissan made a mistake when they discontinued it... (I sold it to a wheeler friend, who needed a car for his 16yo daughter, and she loves it) It had an incredibly huge amount of interior space for the size of the car, the front seat area some ways felt roomier than my minivans.... It was a LOT easier to get in and out of, and load the manual chair. It was no sports car, but it was peppy for an econobox... I'm sort of surprised it never seemed to get 'cult car' status.

I have also had very good luck w/ the OEM part of my adapted vans - all Dodge / Chrysler (MOPAR) Grand Caravans w/ side entry wheelchair conversions... I've had a lot of problems with the conversion parts and equipment, but other than routine maintenance and one alternator failure (at a mileage that wasn't unreasonable) I have had no issues with the MOPAR bits.... The shop where I get a lot of the non-adpapted part maintenance done has said that the MOPAR minivans have been among the more reliable, good for lots of miles vehicles they see....

WheelyFixed

While not for the disabled (or even those with an ounce of sense in their head) the best vehicle I ever had was a 93 Dodge Dakota Sport 2wd. It had the 3.9L and a 5-speed. It could cruise at 140mph without breaking a sweat (after a tiny little mod) and get 30 mpg highway if I set the cruise at 60. I drove it once to WI/MN and back at 178k miles and didn't think about it for a minute. Made the trip in 9 hours.

As for new cars today, you couldn't pay me to take one. No one makes anything I like, and they won't see me a truck without a drivetrain.

400,000 is really pushing it.

400,000 is really pushing it.

Note - the 400k was in Kilometers.... That's equal to 248,548 miles, which is definitely very good, but not outstandingly pushing it, as I've heard more than a few folks

claim that if properly maintained, a modern vehicle should easily be able to do 200k miles....

WheelyFixed

On a related note, I am probably going to buy a Honda ATV soon, probably within the next two or three days. I am really NOT to sort of person to have an ATV, honestly, I do not like them, I am buying it as a toy for my "probation officer" (i.e. wife) in perhaps unrealistic hope that she will spend more time away and outside so I can do my crossword puzzles in peace.

Anyone here have any knowledge about ATVs? Want to tell me that my choice of a Honda was all wrong and I should have bought a Polaris? CanAm?