Came very close to selling my Si

[amirza786]

Hah, I’m half the age and sometimes even I don’t like the visceral experience of the Type R. Depending on how intense work was, and traffic, etc, it’s just not pleasurable. That’s why I bought a used 07 RAV4 a few months ago. Completely opposite car but it’s comfortable, the automatic is... well, garbage but this is an old car, but in traffic I would take it much more over the stick.

Well I'm glad you get it! I absolutely love the Si's MT, but when I come home from work and we have to go somewhere in the evening, I really sometimes dread having to go thru the gears. Last night was an example, we had to go to my Son's back to school night, my wife asked me if I wanted to drive and I said hell no, you drive, so we went in her Sienna

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[Design]

The new Camry architecture is a HUGE step up from previous generations. Despite being auto, I find it's actually engaging to drive. I found the V6 smooth but a tad underwhelming. I did find the seating position, feedback, and ride quality to be much better than I remember from previous Toyota appliances.

It's no Honda Accord. But it's pretty darn good IMHO. Were Toyota to offer one with a 6MT, I could see myself consider one.

 

[amirza786]

The new Camry architecture is a HUGE step up from previous generations. Despite being auto, I find it's actually engaging to drive. I found the V6 smooth but a tad underwhelming. I did find the seating position, feedback, and ride quality to be much better than I remember from previous Toyota appliances.

It's no Honda Accord. But it's pretty darn good IMHO.

Honda always pushes the envelope one step further than Toyota, in power and performance. Unfortunately unless you go back a few years there are no more 3.5L V6 engines in the Accord. You will only find this engine in the Odyssey, Passport etc. I drove the Accord Sport 2.0T, and it's a great engine, lots of power and torque, but it's not a V6...although it may even be faster than the previous V6 engine

 

[Tags]

BTW, she just told me she sold it for $30K, so she is getting more money and I keep my car

KBB "excellent" condition for that car (top 3% of all cars), decked out with every possible package, is $26k. Unless she's pulling your leg she really scored at that price.

Considering all the entry-level luxury options around that price, age, and mileage point, and considering how much competition sedans have these days, I tend toward "pulling your leg." But the important thing is you're still in your Si.

 

[amirza786]

KBB "excellent" condition for that car (top 3% of all cars), decked out with every possible package, is $26k. Unless she's pulling your leg she really scored at that price.

Considering all the entry-level luxury options around that price, age, and mileage point, and considering how much competition sedans have these days, I tend toward "pulling your leg." But the important thing is you're still in your Si.

I can only go by her word. But looking at carvana and Carmax, I'm seeing the V6 XSE in my area going anywhere from $26k to $30k. The 4 cylinder models are going for much less, which is what you may be seeing. There are also not that many V6 models, in the example below there are only 2 available in a 100 mile radius

 

[NoKz]

I honestly don't know how you deal with driving a manual in SoCal in traffic over there. Everytime I come down I love the drive until I hit the valley, and then it's stop and go all the way to the South Bay. My leg is numb when I get to my destination! But overall, I don't want to give up driving a manual, that's why I decided not to buy the Camry for now. Nice Tundra by the way!

Well I don't stay in the LA area. I'm further out East of LA, so traffic isn't bad at all. Even with my newly upgraded CMC and super stiff clutch, it's not that bad. #EveryDayIsLegDay

 

[Tags]

I can only go by her word. But looking at carvana and Carmax, I'm seeing the V6 XSE in my area going anywhere from $26k to $30k. The 4 cylinder models are going for much less, which is what you may be seeing. There are also not that many V6 models, in the example below there are only 2 available in a 100 mile radius

I'm not looking at retail listings, I'm calculating the private-party value (of the V6 XSE) at KBB.com.

Carvana and Carmax do not, imo, represent the real world of used auto sales. Not when they list, for instance, used 2018 Civic Si's for more than many people here -- myself included -- paid for new '19s. I guess somebody is paying a premium in exchange for the buying experience. That, and those two businesses are burning a ton of investor capital.

 

[amirza786]

I'm not looking at retail listings, I'm calculating the private-party value (of the V6 XSE) at KBB.com.

Carvana and Carmax do not, imo, represent the real world of used auto sales. Not when they list, for instance, used 2018 Civic Si's for more than many people here -- myself included -- paid for new '19s. I guess somebody is paying a premium in exchange for the buying experience. That, and those two businesses are burning a ton of investor capital.

Got it. I wouldn't buy from Carvana, I was just using it as a reference. I am sure you can find it cheaper on the private market

 

[saiko21]

It's a very, very nice box. Sometimes that's all you need, a box where you don't have to shift gears or feel the bumps. But anyway if you read thru this, I didn't sell my Si nor am I selling it, so worry not!

Yeah it's nice box but if I want comfort then I will go for Lexus as the suspension would be very soft and comfortable.

 

[amirza786]

Yeah it's nice box but if I want comfort then I will go for Lexus as the suspension would be very soft and comfortable.

True, but a Lexus is also at least a $10K premium over the Camry. The Camry is comfortable enough. Not that I am telling you to buy one, but you should really look with an open mind at the XSE model, they are not as bad as you think. The days of it being a "box" don't apply anymore

 

[saiko21]

True, but a Lexus is also at least a $10K premium over the Camry. The Camry is comfortable enough. Not that I am telling you to buy one, but you should really look with an open mind at the XSE model, they are not as bad as you think. The days of it being a "box" don't apply anymore

I drove 2018 XSE for a week before I got 2019 Civic Si. I didn't like the way it accelerates and the transmission felt bad even though it ran only 8K miles. As per "Scotty Kilmer" one should avoid the 8 speed transmission the newer cars are coming with. There are several complaints of gear hunting. For me Toyota always prefer reliability and reduces the power output even though the engine can make much power.

 

[amirza786]

I drove 2018 XSE for a week before I got 2019 Civic Si. I didn't like the way it accelerates and the transmission felt bad even though it ran only 8K miles. As per "Scotty Kilmer" one should avoid the 8 speed transmission the newer cars are coming with. There are several complaints of gear hunting. For me Toyota always prefer reliability and reduces the power output even though the engine can make much power.

You may have been driving the model with the I4 engine with 203 hp. The XSE with the 3.5L V6 with 301 HP engine drives completely different, there is nothing laggy about it, even with it's 8 speed auto. Anyway not trying to convince you, everyone has their own likes and dislikes

 

[MattyNice]

I agree with Amirza. Some days I just don’t want to shift and I want to wallow along on a living room couch type seat in serene peacefulness! And please, wire the $10k as I could use it.

 

[aldo]

If I was commuting in heavy traffic every day no way I would get a manual, never happen, too much wear and tear on the driver. I don’t have that problem anymore, so I was able to get a manual car. I tested out a bunch of different cars before I bought my 2018 Si Coupe. I checked out the Camry and the Avalon. I only tested out the 4 cylinder Camry and the thing I didn’t like about the car was the transmission hunting for gears, not very smooth, annoying, and overall the car didn’t ride as smooth as previous years Camrys. The Avalon is what I was leaning towards, it’s basically a Lexus, and at the time I was looking at them it was a $27K Lexus. The Avalon is great, really smooth transmission and ride, plenty of power, but I wanted something more exciting to drive so I chose the Civic Si. For me the Si checked a lot of boxes, but nothing wrong with that Avalon.

 

[arpypat]

One of my coworkers has an i4 XSE camry and it is pretty nice. I was suprised at the lack of interior space though. Similar to the 10th gen Civics. Lack of Android Auto is a dealbreaker too... The v6 one is nice and smooth for sure, but a gas guzzler. At least the Toyota engines are tried-and-true compared to these new turbo Honda motors. Btw, have you guys seen the new TRD Avalons?!?

https://www.caranddriver.com/photos/g25137339/2020-toyota-avalon-trd-detailed-gallery/

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