Scott's Automotive

Who in their right mind would trade an ultra-luxurious 2004 Buick Park Avenue with only 95k miles for a 2001 Toyota Camry with 175k miles?

Me, of course!

This is the upcoming beauty in my Scott’s Automotive car collection. I’m selling the Buick for $4k to $5k, and purchasing this with $1500 of it. What’s the reason, you may ask? Mainly, because, even after the tons of repairs I’ve made to the Buick, this thing is still 4X as reliable. That’s sad, considering the Buick is one of the most reliable cars ever produced in America.

It’s a tale of why America stopped building cars in the first place. Japan has always outdone us, even when we were good. The Buick Park Avenue with a 3800 motor and 4-speed transmission is an amazing car. It can go many hundreds of thousands of miles, but certainly not without issue. The ignition lock cylinder had to be replaced. The lower intake gaskets went bad and mixed coolant in the oil. Plenty of “small-ish” things have broken in that time.

Very little has ever broken on this Camry. It burns just a bit of oil, as all old Camrys of the time often do. It’s been babied over the years and well-loved. I’m getting a more reliable car for way less than we spent on the Buick, with some cash on top.

Done-deal.

Just gotta replace the rear shocks and a few internal plastic things, and the Buick is ready for a new home!