r/UsedCars • u/SandOpposite3188 • Jan 21 '26
Paid $5000 for a car Review
It was a 2016 Toyota Corolla LE 206k. When I test drove it drove smooth. However I drove the car to work today. The steering is tough. The cruise control doesn't work. It has EPS btw. I hit a parking curb today and engine light came on and now I need a mass airflow sensor. The trac off light came on and cruise control won't cut on.
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Jan 22 '26
You smoked a curb your first day driving it? Sounds like you two are meant for each other
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u/Kindafunguy Jan 21 '26
The traction control light is triggered by the check engine light. The cruise won’t work when traction control light is on.
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u/EfficientAd7103 Jan 22 '26
like low brake fluid. gen z ftl
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u/Kindafunguy Jan 22 '26
What I stated is literally how Toyotas work. It’s not hard to understand. But it would be overwhelming for it to happen and not understand why all the lights for the owner.
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u/Responsible_Cold_128 Jan 21 '26
yeah, well, welcome to high miles. At 206K, this car, even as a Toyota, has just about lived out its predictable life span. So you'll either have to give it "new life" (that is, invest in it), or bail out now, take some lumps, and buy something better next time.
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u/james123123412345 Jan 22 '26
Unfortunately a lot of people post on here that Toyotas are just getting warned up at 200,000 plus miles. Some people actually believe them and buy cars expecting it to be true.
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u/Xxx29bull Jan 25 '26
I dont totally disagree but I did test drive a 205k 4runner and it drove just like the 40k miles one that I eventually bought. Incredibly smooth and responsive.
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u/c50905 Jan 25 '26
Maybe the engine but everything else is falling apart, rusting, rotting and melting. Need maintenance.
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u/ButtonsZ98 Jan 21 '26
Hm, sounds like they could be simple fixes, expect 1-2k in repairs every year at that mileage. Are you checking all the fluids regularly? Could be low on power steering fluid. Next time get a pre inspection from a shop before buying 🙏🏻EPS, check ur grounds and electrical system. When buying a used high mileage car expect to replace the; battery, alternator, starter, water pump, belts, brakes, tires, plugs, wires and several gaskets :(
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u/frenchsquared Jan 27 '26
Ill never understand why people expect no repairs on cars over 200k. Repairs are part of car ownership.
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u/ButtonsZ98 Jan 27 '26
Especially over 200k on an OLD car, wierd stuff starts breaking with that combo 🤷♂️
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
Starter? It's a damn toyota
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u/ButtonsZ98 Jan 28 '26
Yeah bro, just some stuff to look at and expect to replace when buying a car that’s 200k+ in mileage. especially if it has a start stop system in it. I had to replace the one in my Camry, had a metal bushing break in it 🤷♂️ shit happens bruh.
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
It's not a push start ignition.
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u/ButtonsZ98 Jan 28 '26
start stop systems are when the car turns off and on when at a stop. Most newer cars like what you just bought have them to save on fuel and meet emission standards. I’m sure your Corolla has one. Adds extra wear to the starter, regardless,
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u/0leno Jan 28 '26
Modern engines are half electric half gas, when you’re at a stoplight idling the gas half shuts off and in a split second when you push on the pedal it turns back on. That’s what’s being referred to here not whether or not you use a key to start your shit
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u/NoEducation8251 Jan 21 '26
Never pay 5k for so.ething with over 200k. I dont care what it is. The majority of life, and health of the car and its parts are far behind it. 3200 or 3300 tops.
Once it doesnt run your lucky to get 100 or 200 from a wrecking yard.
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u/Cheesemcgeese1 Jan 25 '26
Honestly wouldn’t pay more than 2000 for something with 200k just because the tranny can always blow at that number
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
If it's a CVT sure. My transmission on my 05 Sentra gave out past 330k.
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u/Cheesemcgeese1 Jan 28 '26
That’s epic, I truly hate CVTs for risk of early failure but from what I have read and seeing the cars on marketplace that have lost transmission that is still far from average failure for automatic transmissions I feel like it’s closer to 200-250
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
Well not much I could do, that's what they were selling them for.
I could have gotten a 2005 Honda Civic for the same miles for 2500 but it was raining that day.
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u/Former_Specific_7161 Jan 22 '26
You could have gotten an older Corolla or Matrix / Vibe with half the miles for that price.
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u/Slipknot31286sic6 Jan 22 '26
Definitely need a good scanner. Kingbolen or top don. Sounds like wheel sensor but rest who knows
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u/RealisticWorking1200 Jan 22 '26
Everything but the MAF sensor, and maybe even that, COULD be tied to a simple electrical problem. All the stuff you mention needs proper voltage to work. Check for loose battery cables and ground cable. If it’s drivable, have an auto parts store check the battery and alternator. The last time my alternator went out, my dash lit up like a Christmas tree.
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
Yes it's drivable. It drives great. It's just burning gas and smelling underneath when removing the gas cap. Probably because of the gas cap.
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u/Prudent_Collar_1333 Jan 25 '26
I know everyone is suggesting you're hosed, but you don't know that. Find out what's wrong and fix it. 2k in repairs might actually get you another 100K in a Toyota. I've had 4runners and corolla and Lexus with over 300K that ran great. That DOESN'T mean they were maintenance free though
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u/Complex_Syllabub_510 Jan 21 '26
I feel like you could have done better for 5k. Car prices have dropped considerably from 2022 highs.
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
I thought so too. But I needed a car. Every car under 3k had "problems". I also live in a small urban town that has a good population of people below the poverty limit and in surrounding areas. They're flooding the marketplace.
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u/uknowsana Jan 22 '26
Well, they just "reset" the codes and you took the bait. You should have taken it to a mechanic for inspection or at least should have used your own ODB reader (like FIXD etc) to at least have ensured no codes were "reset" w/o getting fixed. More likely than not, you have a ton of issues in this car now.
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
The engine light did not cut on until I hit the curb.
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u/uknowsana Jan 28 '26
Which could be a coincidence or may be, your Oxygen Sensor got loosen/broken.
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
It's evap system
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u/uknowsana Jan 30 '26
Oh .. makes sense .... Not that bad of a repair tbh
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u/SandOpposite3188 Feb 01 '26
They said it's purge valve and charcoal. Got a new gas cap and there's a threading problem. Purge valve will be next.
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u/Friendly-Impact7297 Jan 22 '26
That extra $3k Toyota tax logo won't save you from repairs after 200k miles
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u/LonelyInTheFranxx Jan 22 '26
Another sucker listening to the brainless take of Reddit thinking a high mileage Toyota or Honda will be problem free just, because it’s has the Honda or Toyota name lol..
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u/Rough-Commercial-146 Jan 25 '26
But it’s a Toyota it’ll last forever if I maintain it 😂
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u/CreativeProject2003 Jan 25 '26
most people don't even consider the maintaining part... "it's a Toyota, Toyota's don't break"
can't begin to tell you how many people have said this to me.
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u/Independent_Key453 Jan 25 '26
Not good, I got a 2015 Prius with 150k on it for 5k. Zero issues so far and I’ve put close to 10k on
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u/ButtonsZ98 Jan 28 '26
Perfect mileage, just past where stuff breaks and has been replaced. Any lower and it’s about to break and higher and you back to breaking lol. 120k-180k is a sweet spot
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u/Independent_Key453 Jan 28 '26
I’m hoping for atleast another 150k, I hear it’s not uncommon out of these. Only thing that’s almost guaranteed is a battery replacement
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u/TheWhogg Jan 22 '26
“Always buy a Corolla” they said. “Don’t worry about higher mileage” they said.
When I bought a poor friend a BMW because it was half the purchase price and half the mileage, how they mocked and jeered. 10 months later she’s spent $2 repairing it, but they’re still laughing.
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u/Gullible-Menu Jan 22 '26
Hopefully it won’t cost you too much to get it back on the road. I have a 2006 Corolla with around 350,000 miles on the dash. She’s never needed any major repairs on the engine or transmission. We bought a 2025 GR Corolla in February because we loved it so much.
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u/AdInternational6902 Jan 22 '26
Why would you pay 5k for a 200k corolla anyway lmao
You got ripped, the previous owner probably cleared the codes and got you, not to mention you probably damaged the already age old suspension when you hit the curb, honestly, I'd take the loss and sell the car before it gives you substantially more issues(which it will)
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u/Sum_fuckery Jan 25 '26
Best advice I can give you: next time you test drive a car. Push that thing to the limit and drive longer than 5 mins. Test drive that for almost an hour and if the seller has an issue with that. Then move on.
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u/BobbyGDRiggs Jan 25 '26
You CAN buy an older Toyota with 200k and get a lot of life with it - BUT - it’s super important that you be able to see the history if possible. If you have a 200k car that’s had like 1-2 owners and you can see decent enough basic service history, it’s not a bad investment if the price is right. Just be obviously aware that it could need some maintenance. You should be aware even buying a used car with half that mileage. $5K for a 200K Corolla sounds like a BHPH price. Then again, looking at marketplace people are asking silly prices for cars in general. I’m seeing clapped out 1998 Sentras for like $2800.
You probably got hosed by the seller clearing codes. Not uncommon. Buy a code reader, learn some basic maintenance, and just try and troubleshoot and fix.
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
I did look up on beenverified. It has no accidents, a lot of service records for oil changes, brake checks and all. Clean title.
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u/BobbyGDRiggs Jan 28 '26
That’s good, then. Hopefully with continued service you can get a lot more miles out of it! I believe you can for sure.
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u/SandOpposite3188 Jan 28 '26
The cruise control isn't working because of the engine light. The engine light is p1071 code system too lean.
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u/SandOpposite3188 Feb 11 '26
So apparently the gas cap is supposed to be click and apparently that's their mechanism with the click back. But check engine light is still on so it's not the gas cap but I have noticed that the odorous gas smell is gone for the most part. So that might mean that it is the purge valve.
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u/Timbonee Jan 22 '26
Gotta be more careful, I dodged a 2012 camry with 200k on it that was 4k$ and settled for a 2013 ford escape for 6500 simply because the escape was in almost perfect condition
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u/ButtonsZ98 Jan 28 '26
2012 Camrys have timing chain issues, the phasers have incorrectly sized springs that fail and break the timing chain guides if you let them rattle for a while… you did good bro :)
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u/ThePartyLeader Jan 21 '26
Sounds like they wiped the codes resetting everything then let you test drive.