kenratboy Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 1997 Toyota Camry CE V6 5-speed (yes, 5-speed) 71k miles for $6,000. This is the first time I have driven a stick, so I really suck. Actually, I can shift without looking, but I SUCK at starting from a stop, but after I get moving, I am fine. Kinda funny buying a car and not being able to drive it - but that will soon change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj993 Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Awesome!!! A Camry with a 5 speed!!! How did you ever find a manual Camry?? I did'nt think they even existed! hehe... Yeah I always wondered what it would be like to buy a car and not be able to drive it well. You'll bit it up pretty quickly. Manual's are tricky for a dead stop..just takes practice. Just don't fry the clutch in your learning experience! Nice price too with low miles! Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easylistener Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Try some starts from a stop then run the car with out shifting for awhile to let the clutch cool. I would hate to see you have to put a clutch in it when you just bought it. It is a fun car so have fun and don't get a ticket. By the way get some low pros on that thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Congrats,Toyota Camry...proven solid car.Good design and it should cost you very little over the years,just some care and you should be good to well over 300K.Even a Toyota Corola 4 piston is good to 300K in most cases. Good buy,wise purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggs Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 If you get on a hill with someone behind you and are scared you will hit them, pull up the emergency brake (not all the way, just a click) while using the clutch/gas to get started. Put brake down and drive off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 If the Camry is in good shape you have a real gem. I can't speak to auto prices in your area but 6K is likely reasonable in the USA for a low mileage '97 Camry. That version is very uncommon in NA but was/is? very popular in Europe because of its excellent performance and fuel economy Generally speaking US buyers - Particularly Camry buyers,( who tend to be older and inclined to want no muss no fuss automobiles) - demand an automatic and that is likely why you were able to score that car at what sounds like a great price. In any event you have bought a car that should serve you very well indeed ! Enjoy but fer Gawd's Sake don't get yourself into a Jaws of Life situation with that V6 and the 5 speed ! They really are peppy little bastards but the Camry's handling characteristics - while decent - are not necessarily sportscarish. In other words they go like hello and corner well ( to a degree) but are entirely capable of putting your *** in the grass at the least expected opportunity. Please be careful and avoid a crash. I would hate to lose the opportunity to rag at you regarding your spelling and punctuation ( You'll have noticed that I've been making nice lately ?? ) Don't relax too much Grasshopper ! I lay in wait ! Will it be a misspelled word ? An inappropriate hyphen. A syntax error ? I am always out there ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Diggs is right. Ive been driving manual transmission toyotas for the last 20 years. they are absolutely the way to get onto high speed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 ---------------- On 5/24/2003 5:31:40 PM kenratboy wrote: 1997 Toyota Camry CE V6 5-speed (yes, 5-speed) 71k miles for $6,000. This is the first time I have driven a stick, so I really suck. Actually, I can shift without looking, but I SUCK at starting from a stop, but after I get moving, I am fine. Kinda funny buying a car and not being able to drive it - but that will soon change. ---------------- Great find! That sounds like it'll be a good car that should serve you well provided you take good care of it. About the stick - with time and practice, you'll get better at it. When I first learned to drive a stick - I really sucked at it. The fact that I was living in northwestern PA did not help either (I don't think there was a single piece of flat road in the area - It seemed that nearly all starts and stops were on somekind of a hill). As lynmm indicated, most people generally like to get automatics now-a-days and want to get rid of thier manual tranny equipped vehicles. I picked up a 1999 Saturn SL-2 with only 1,500 miles on it a couple years ago for about 1/2 of brand-new cost. The only reason? The owners decided they did not like the 5-speed manual and wanted an auatomatic instead. Given the choice, I acutally prefer the manual transmissions now. They just seem to be a lot more fun to drive, plus it give me better control of my speed. Really handy in foul weather. For example, instead of hitting the breaks on a slick road - downshift to a lower gear to slow down - if done correctly, that will drastically reduce the chance of skidding out. It takes a little practice, but you'll eventually get the hang of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabulousfrankie Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Congrats on the new car. Camry's a good, solid, reliable cars. I need to learn to drive stick one of these days. Speaking of cars, check out my new avatar. I took a picture of myself with my new sprint picture phone while driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 ---------------- On 5/24/2003 9:54:44 PM fabulousfrankie wrote: I took a picture of myself with my new sprint picture phone while driving. ---------------- Hey, at least you are wearing your seatbelt . You know, that is actually not a bad looking shot. I was always skeptical of how good those cameras are in the new cellphones. Seems to take a decent enough shot to use for webpages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 "1997 Toyota Camry CE V6 5-speed (yes, 5-speed) 71k miles for $6,000." VERY nice deal. I buy used klipsch heritage for sound, and I buy used Toyota built vehicles for transportation. In either case, there's no better bang for the buck!! Do the maintenance on that ride, and you can drive it for many years. A friend of mine just purchased a '98 Camry, loaded with the leather package, sunroof, V6, the works - a dealer-serviced creampuff with only 50K miles, for 10K. He told me that he saw this car and was asking me what I thought of the deal - I told him to buy it, not today, but yesterday! He's got 75% of the miles remaining for 40% of the cost of a new Camry. That's bang for the buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabulousfrankie Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 ---------------- On 5/24/2003 10:52:28 PM skonopa wrote: ---------------- On 5/24/2003 9:54:44 PM fabulousfrankie wrote: I took a picture of myself with my new sprint picture phone while driving. ---------------- Hey, at least you are wearing your seatbelt . You know, that is actually not a bad looking shot. I was always skeptical of how good those cameras are in the new cellphones. Seems to take a decent enough shot to use for webpages. ---------------- The seatbelt saved my life once, I never drive without it(or drive with the friend that crashed the car). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 ---------------- On 5/24/2003 9:47:53 PM skonopa wrote: As lynmm indicated, most people generally like to get automatics now-a-days and want to get rid of thier manual tranny equipped vehicles. I picked up a 1999 Saturn SL-2 with only 1,500 miles on it a couple years ago for about 1/2 of brand-new cost. The only reason? The owners decided they did not like the 5-speed manual and wanted an auatomatic instead. Given the choice, I acutally prefer the manual transmissions now. They just seem to be a lot more fun to drive, plus it give me better control of my speed. Really handy in foul weather. For example, instead of hitting the breaks on a slick road - downshift to a lower gear to slow down - if done correctly, that will drastically reduce the chance of skidding out. It takes a little practice, but you'll eventually get the hang of it. ---------------- bizarre. I love my 5-speed (1982 Honda Prelude, 278K and counting) and can't stand driving automatics (except when I want to have lunch while driving...) People are just lazy, really. "I don't feel like having to work a clutch and a shifter when I can just stick it in drive and go" I work on my own vehicles - I hate automatics - there is no fixing an automatic tranny - no matter what the problem is, you're rebuilding it - and modern automatics that's to the tune of $4000. I'll take slapping a new clutch in any day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Oh, and Ken - don't sweat it, dude. It's all a matter of getting the timing down. Don't be afraid to ride the clutch half-cocked a bit to get it rolling. We all do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mca_bagom Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Good choice on the Camry. Some people might call it a dull car, but it has bulletproof reliability and it will last you a long time. My last Camry went 252,000 mile before getting hit. The Camry still comes in a 5 speed, but only in the 4 cylinder engines. My 2002 Camry already has 45,000 miles on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAiN64 Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Congrats! We have two cars, and one of them is a 2001 Toyota Land Cruiser 4.7 V8. We got it for the dunes. It's awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 I own 4 Toyotas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.