Best and Worst Used Toyota's to buy and Toyota Buying Advice

hello and welcome to the caracara channel in today's video i'm going to share with you some notable or best toyotas to buy used ones and the worst used toyotas to buy this comes from my experience as a toyota master diagnostic technician currently working at a toyota dealerships i see all these cars and i see the ones that when they come in they have barely anything needed and the ones that come in and they need so much they're not even worthy of the name toyota but before we get started if you're new to the channel welcome consider subscribing to the channel check out some of my other videos if you are a returning subscriber well thank you so much for watching another one of my videos without further ado let's dig right into it let's start with the best toyotas to buy and we're going to break this into two categories the first one is the middle aged ones let's say that the cars that are out of warranty and i will include the whole generation of that model and then the second category is oldies the cars that are over 10 years old they're still very relevant and very good cars to buy today starting with the first category which is middle-aged toyotas toyotas are five years plus some of them will be generations so you'll see a year range starting with a car that is so good i'm going to call it the hidden gem but people yet don't buy it and toyota's actually discontinuing the model the toyota avalon i mean it is basically a stretch camry it is super reliable and one notable generation is 2013 to 2018 i mean you can buy these used for the price of a camry and they are so much more than a camry it's really a bargain basically they're super reliable as long as the maintenance is kept and really even when maintenance is questionable they still hold they have very little known problems especially in the later years first year or two they had a few common issues but nothing major you can easily take this car over two hundred thousand miles with really very basic maintenance the second notable car which i compared the avalon to 2015 to 2017 toyota camry now one thing about this model is maintenance is very important because the four cylinder engine loves to burn oil if it is not maintained properly properly in my book 5000 mile oil changes or every six months depends on your driving style but if you find one that has been well maintained and the price is not crazy these are really good cars now to fairness 2012 2014 camrys are essentially the same mechanically it might look a little different it is essentially the same generation but the only thing that plagued the 2012 to 14 camrys are the torque converter shutter which makes them a little bit down on my list but the 15 17 camry that has been well maintained is a top buy today and their prices are reflecting that and just like the camry there is another car or suv there is basically a camry that is converted into an suv the rav4 specifically the 2013 all the way to 2018 notably the better ones are 2016 to the 2018 especially the hybrid these things are so reliable and in the first few years they had a few quirks kind of like the camry 2013-15 rav4 had the similar torque converter issue but then after 15 so 1618 when they had the refresh the facelift whatever you want to call it they were really good i mean we rarely see these for problems other than maintenance we don't really see them for much else as long as the maintenance is kept maintenance is a big key with toyota and you're going to see this as a pattern throughout this video another larger suv that is highly desirable and in my opinion a star is 2014 to 2016 highlander now i that generation does not end there actually goes all the way to 19. i purposely left the 70 to 19 because in my book mechanically at least they're completely different generation and 2017s are still under warranty they did have the eight speed people have concerns they're a lot more complicated and they really haven't been out long enough at least the drive trains for me to tell you they're really stars or not but the 2014 16 it is essentially nothing is new it is a 2g rfe the v6 model which is the recommended one not the four cylinder the v6 has been out for a very long time since 2005 that car doesn't really use a lot of new technology of course maintenance needs to be kept but even if the maintenance is spotty it is still a car that can easily take you to 200 000 miles with really minimal issues now before we go into the notable oldies let's talk about a middle ground or a different category within the category toyota trucks folks any toyota truck you buy they are reliable they have their quirks here and there but nothing major i'm gonna name some trucks that are notably high on the list of reliability and simplicity and how much would it cost you basically to get it well over 200 000 miles which is pennies if you really look at other models that how much they cost to take you to 200 000 miles starting with 2005 all the way to 2015 tacomas they're really good they're very basic i mean in 2015 it is laughably basic it literally did not change throughout the whole run yeah they added a few things on the outside a few cosmetic stuff but mechanically it is exactly the same nothing changed in the tacoma and that's what made it really reliable and the other one and to me is the star of the show the toyota forerunner folks let's keep this simple from the day the 4runner was made till 2022 they're all reliable with the exception of the older ones really old ones with the 3.0 they had some head gasket issues but other than that they're really solid of course as long as the maintenance is kept you will never lose money buying a forerunner unless of course you overpay for it which even then it is such a good truck it'll the thing will just run forever basically and they're super ancient even in today 2022 model is basically the same as a 2010 and essentially in an indirect way takes back its technology to 2003. things awesome if you're looking to buy a forerunner for any generation especially the latest generation the fifth generation as long as you're buying a good one that's been taken care of you're not making a mistake and equally to the forerunner the fj cruiser fortunately the fj cruiser was discontinued and their prices will reflect that they are for lack of better word crazy don't overpay for an fta cruiser but it is a very very good truck basically a shortened version of the forerunner and notable in this category as well the tundras basically from the beginning of the thunder time all the way to 2021 and we're gonna get the 22 pretty soon which is going to be completely different so that might change we'll find out but you cannot go wrong buying a tundra as long as it's been taken care of they do have their issues but overall it does not take you a small fortune to get it over 200 000 miles same thing with the sequoia which is basically a tundra with a closed pack let's talk about the oldies and the first oldie that is very dear to my heart because every time i see one at the dealership the thing just keeps going and going and going and such a nice car to sit in to look at it's still relevant today 2004 to 2006 toyota camry v6 now this thing will run forever they do have their issues with age of course we're talking about the 15 plus year old car their issues are basic they're very diy friendly and they can be had for very low prices today you go buy a camry like that and it's been maintained that's been taken care of you can keep it going for another 100 150 000 miles and it'll shock you that a 15 year old car will just keep going like that another very notable model very similar to that camry is 2005 to 2008 toyota corolla again the thing has is quirks it's getting a little older but if you buy a good example of these you can easily again drive it another 100 150 000 miles with very basic maintenance and the thing is super easy to work on if you're a diy mechanic you know you buy an older car you can run a tinker with it yourself save some money on repairs they're super simple there cannot be a simpler car than the 2005-2008 corolla now to wrap up the oldies there is a star that is very dear to my heart and i've owned many of these they are indestructible there's only one thing that kills them really which we're going to talk about in the later part of this video the ugly part if you would that would be the 1000 and 2001 toyota camry notably the v6 not because it's better than the four cylinder but just it's a better driving experience such a quiet engine if you find one of these cars that have been well taken care of doesn't have 400 000 miles already these are legends of reliability i mean seriously that car will last forever as long as you don't have one problem a little bit on that in a little bit but if you find one of these and you're looking for a very low budget car that'll keep you going for a long time very comfortably very reliable actually still smooth if you find one in good shape they are just a workhorse the 2000-2001 toyota camry previous years they're okay but i think they really made the first version in 2000 and 2001. now let's start with the bad news and a small disclaimer if you own one of these cars and you don't agree i'm glad that you did not have the problems because others have and things get real ugly starting with in my opinion the worst toyota ever made i mean this thing so old the day it came out it is unbelievable i don't know what toyota was thinking it was so bad the toyota cut their normal cycle to just move it along and came out with another legend right after it i am talking about the 1998-2002 not toyota corolla i'm sorry if you own one of these but they are terrible for like a better word they're terrible they're in between two generations the one before it was a solid legend the one after it is a solid legend and here comes this thing that is terrible i mean let's start with a few things rust is the biggest problem with any toyota toyota makes great cars but when you add the sprinkle of rust things go downhill very quick and if you don't take care of it and kind of be proactive about it especially the older ones the newer ones are getting much better but the middle aged ones and down things are really bad with rust and the corolla was the worst one i mean you start from the engine the engine is notorious to leak has multiple common problems and on top of that that was all not enough it loves to burn oil i mean i've never seen an engine burn oil as much as that even the ones we're going to talk about in a little bit and there was no repair for it even if you took care of the car they still burn the oil that's just that was the icing of the cake and if you add a little bit of sprinkle or frost i mean the whole carve just falls apart from brake lines to suspension to exhaust and the exhaust is so complicatedly made in the front the front pipe is notorious to just flap break in half what were they thinking with this car it is the engine somewhat is diy friendly suspension not really and everything you take apart brakes rusty or not that's just to use too much thread lock on multiple bolts of the suspension of the con the subframe in the front it's just a nightmare every every time i see one of these come in the shop it's like you are not worth the hour diagnosis for the next disaster that you have and yet i still see people spend ridiculous amount of money fixing their old 98 to 2002 corolla and it'll never be right there will always be something wrong with them they're not good if you see them very cheap out there they're cheap for a reason and then you go one year over to 2003 and the price jump is massive you can sometimes find the previous generation corolla more expensive than the 98 2002 and that is for very good reason please stay away the other gem on the elimination list and this is going to surprise you 2002 to 2004 toyota camry with a four 4-cylinder you can find these a dime a dozen they're everywhere but if you took care of this car very very well and never let it overheat you're probably not going to sell it but the ones majority of the ones that are out there for sale they've been overheated and that engine in those years and let's name the engine because it is a giant offender 2az fe 2.4 liter four-cylinder now in those years it was an okay engine it was good but it had head gasket issues the thread in the block would basically just rip out and there goes the block you have to either re-thread it or replace the block and sometimes if you don't do the rethread job right it fails again and again and again and all it takes is one minor overheat for this to happen it is much improved after 2004 to 2005 and 6. they're much better but still if you overheat them they'll still do the same thing so that is the bad start with the 2azfe if you see one of these cameras out there for very cheap skip it if it's a v6 we're good you're safe if it's not skip it it ain't worth the risk and continuing on the 2azfe 2007-2009 toyota camry 2006-2008 toyota rav4 they also had a 2azfe but hey they fixed the head bolt issues but now they introduce another issues mainly thanks to emissions requirements but they have low tension rings and those little attention rings love to seize up and now you have oil burning now in fairness toyota did admit that problem and they did make a campaign and many people got their engines fixed and they have zero problems but if you go buy one that did not have that fix done and that fix had a limited time if you're buying one that did not have the fix you are making a grave mistake because it'll never end you're basically going to need a complete engine rebuild place the pistons and rings and at today's prices for these cars that will total the car immediately and if you go buy a used engine guess what the new used engine has the same problem it just doesn't make sense avoid these unless the owner comes to you with a receipt from the dealership that the engine was rebuilt with updated parts under the campaign then you're okay to buy it only if it has of course good maintenance and it's in good shape and so many people neglected these things so bad because they got sick and tired of them burning oil that they just neglected everything else so you buy them they look okay on the outside but everything's leaking everything is broken everything makes noise that's the typical typical thing avoid these if they haven't been fixed continuing on with the 2azfe offendedness so the next generation corolla after 2005 and 8 was an okay generation it was disappointing felt a little cheap on the inside but it was a decent car it was okay until they decided to put the 2.4 liter in some of the hotter models and we're talking about 2009 all the way to 2013 corolla and matrix if you are buying one of these cars do yourself a favor and buy the 1.8 liter version some people will look at the 2.4 oh it's a bigger engine has more power that's better wrong don't do that to yourself because those also burn oil and i have seen so little of these get repaired under the campaign when it was going on that most of them did not get repaired for some reason owners just didn't bring them in to get them checked and repaired be careful with these with when it comes to a matrix or corolla the last generation of the matrix and the 2009 2013 corolla avoid the 2.4 liter stick with the 1.8 now our last one on the baddie list is a 2001 2002 rav4 only those two years and the reason i am saying that otherwise the rav4 is a great truck as long as it doesn't have a sprinkle or frost talk about that in a second but these had a problem with the engine computer which also has the transmission computer the problem is the toyota had a campaign they replaced the engine computer but the real problem is if you did not do that the transmission will start shifting really harsh if you continue driving it like that you're going to destroy the transmission so here is the problem and here's what i see con continuously any of these cars that had high miles they've already went through this they've already had it fixed or transmission replaced or whatever the case may be and they're good but the gems according to everybody else but me the ones that had 30 and 40 000 miles that have been hidden in somebody's garage all these years you go running towards this because it is essentially a brand new car from the old golden era of toyota and then you drive it and it shifts harsh i'm like ah it's probably an old car or places nobody remembers that anymore they had a serious problem be careful with these make sure if it starts shifting harsh get it fixed right away it's going to be an expensive repair but it could be a lot more expensive and now if you've been watching this video this long i will share with you potentially the most important part of this video do you remember how i praised the trucks and i told you they're the best they're you can't really go wrong with toyota trucks they could actually in an instant switch it to being the worst toyota you can buy bear with me here trucks are the number one victim of frost they really don't do well with rust until it have replaced frames they did all kinds of recalls and still many of them are not covered by this so folks do yourself a favor please don't buy a severely rusted toyota truck whatever it is fj cruiser fall runner tundra sequoia tacoma anything do not buy a rusty truck and if you live in an area where salt use is is an issue you use basically like me i live in chicago make sure you undercoat your truck protect the frame and and reapply the coating this is super important otherwise that very reliable truck will turn into your worst nightmare when the frame is just rotten away and everything is rotten and now the truck is just basically totaled here's this super reliable engine super reliable everything but a rotten frame and you know what reliable parts don't hold themselves together without a frame so be very careful with this and this really applies this is my final advice to you if you're buying a toyota do not buy rusty ones now i understand we're looking some of these cars are older you get if you're especially if you're from a state that doesn't have rust and you're buying online do not buy a rusty one do yourself a favor it ain't worth it there's always another one out there even in the in the rust belt where i'm at you're going to find the rusty ones they're going to find the ones that the owner try to preserve them as much as possible those are the ones you want not the ones that are neglected or rotten and done leave those for somebody who's really not doing the research you are watching this video you're doing your research leave the rusty ones that are not worth it trust me and the last advice and this is more to the times when this video was filmed we have a shortage of microchips we're in the middle or hopefully the end of the pandemic or not i don't know all the manufacturers are struggling with chip shortage there's no new cars people all of a sudden are buying all these used cars there's a shortage of cars everywhere do not under whatever circumstance pay more for a used car and worse for a new car new car is very simple msrp is the max you're going not a penny more anywhere there's no car in the world that is worth it and more used cars are worse do not overpay for these cars just because it's a toyota just because you did your research is a really good car and you really really need a car do not overpay for it it is not worth it every car especially toyotas has a value and that value is the value do not overpay for it just because there's a shortage the services is not your fault or in fairness not the manufacturer's fault either but dealerships will take advantage of this take advantage of you and your hard earned money to do this they're super unethical please don't feed the shark don't do that because it ain't worth it you're gonna regret it the prices will not be the same always when they drop all of a sudden you're underwater in the car and that's the worst feeling ever i hope this video was helpful or informative i hope it helps you with your used car buying journey i wish you the best on your car buying journey if you like this video consider giving it a thumbs up if you're not a subscriber consider subscribing to the channel check out some of my other videos specifically the buying guides for each model so you can pick out which one is good and which one is not and until the next video folks may the lord bless you and keep you and you have yourself a wonderful day

Channel: The Car Care Nut

Views: 208,507

Rating: 4.9330249 out of 5

Keywords: best and worst used toyota, best used cars to buy, best used cars to buy in 2021, best toyota camry, best toyota rav4, top used cars, best toyota to buy, toyota buying guide, 2022 toyota tundra, toyota trucks to avoid, avoid this car, car wizard, scotty kilmer, toyota, camry, highlander, sienna, 4runner, toyota hybrid, toyota problems, toyota reliability, the car care nut, toyota mechanic, toyota maintenance, camry 2022, 2022 toyota tundra trd pro, toyota land cruiser 2022

Id: V612Ow3hJAs

Length: 23min 20sec (1400 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 29 2021