Okay, so we are looking at getting another 2007 Camry Hybrid. I found one in Texas and discovered that the dealer is willing to give me about $3000 off the listed price...why? Autofax shows it has had the "phone" repaired 14 times!!!
Starting at 47,000 miles, and regularly thereafter every few thousand miles, this car has a history of having the "Telephone repaired", and the battery (12V I assume) has been replaced twice, once at 47,000 miles and once at 98775 miles.
Questions:
1) Is this indicative of a more serious problem?
2) Is the bluetooth part of the NAV system? i.e. would replacing the NAV system fix this?
3) Could this be some sort of ground short that destroys the bluetooth module over time?
4) This is a one owner vehicle, and was taken back 14 times to the same dealer. Not to say anything bad about Toyota dealer service (my experience has been great so far), but could it be that the service guys just didn't understand the issue...or could it be that the car owner's phone was not really compatible with the 2007 bluetooth system in the Camry (perhaps an iphone or something else?).

Help me out guys! I have about 32 hours left to decide if I want this car. The price is incredible!

Thanks!

 

Other than the prior owner having a non compatible phone, there was a TSB regarding low or distorted outgoing call volume. That is an easy fix if that is the problem and can be done in a few minutes using the controls on the radio and steering wheel. If that is the only issue, I would buy it as I just use an ear bud on my phone and never hook them to a car.

 

My gut feeling on it is it was flooded or something.

Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes. I'll rephrase it for you. Fear dealers giving you super good deal.

As related in the Aeneid, after a nine-year war on the beaches of Troy between the Danaans (Greeks from the mainland) and the Trojans, the Greek seer Calchas induces the leaders of the Greek army to offer the Trojan people a huge wooden horse, the so-called Trojan Horse, while seemingly departing. The Trojan priest Laocoön, distrusting this gesture, warns the Trojans not to accept the gift, crying, Equō nē crēdite, Teucrī! Quidquid id est, timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentīs. ("Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear the Danaans, even when bringing gifts.") When immediately afterward Laocoön and his two sons are viciously slain by enormous twin serpents, the Trojans assume the horse has been offered at Minerva's (Athena's) prompting and interpret Laocoön's death as a sign of her displeasure.

Minerva did send the serpents and help to nurture the idea of building the horse, but her intentions were certainly not peaceful, as the deceived Trojans imagined them to be. The Trojans agree unanimously to place the horse atop wheels and roll it through their impenetrable walls. Festivities follow under the assumption that the war is ended. The scout who has been sent to verify the departure of the Greeks is killed after he discovers the Greek fleet hiding in an obscure harbor.

 

Well, you were right....the deal was too good! I flew out to Houston to look at the car. The autofax showed 1 owner, no accidents. i looked under the car and the passenger wheel well plastic was missing, as well as the plastic that connects the front passenger side fender and the one that goes to the center of the engine compartment. The paint had lots of small bubbles in it on the hood. i quickly concluded the car had been in an accident and repainted. I told the "dealer", and he insisted the plastic wheel well and covers had just fallen off. Note - the wiper water tank and electronics were exposed directly to the front wheel and anything else...nothing between the wheel and the engine compartment. The company refused to give me my $500 deposit back, so I'm out about $1300 just for taking a look at this car - flight out and back plus $500 deposit.
Never deal with this company Ultimate Motor Sports of Houston. Buyer beware!

 

Sorry to hear about your money loss in checking out this great deal personally.

Like they used to say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

At least you made sure. Reminds me of a Dallas Chrysler new car dealer in the old days that offered a used 1955 Chevy for $55 dollars on his TV ad. I got up early the next morning and drove to his lot only to find the whole other side of the car was sideswiped by a concrete barrier and was pushed in about 6 inches from front to rear. The car looked great on the non wrecked side using tricky camera angles. It was the body only with wheels and tires. Might know the engine had already been removed.

He somehow forgot to pay his income taxes and was convicted and taken to a Federal pen for a very long time.

Use caution, most used car people are rather crooked and will tell you this and that to make a sale. The good ones can be very believable.

Another was a sneaky VW dealer in north Dallas. He advertised selling his new VW's at invoice. He said each car will have the invoice sheet laying on the front seat of each of his new cars. My wife and I was in a new car market at the time. Just for grins we got up early that Saturday morning and drove out to the dealer to have a look.

The dealer had 10 VW's Jetta's and others lined up our front. Yes, each had a 8 x 10 paper in the front seat. A closer look by my wife said it looked like a Freight bill by some trucking outfit printed at the top of the paper. The numbers and text were so light and blurry you could not make out the numbers. It was just another scam to bring in new unaware customers. We spotted a young salesman headed out way. We told him we can't afford a new car, just looking at the new models. I also found it's best to go looking for new cars on the lot on Sunday's when the dealer is closed and no salesmen to interfere with your looking.

It might be worth your while to turn this TCH dealer into that states better business bureau. If they led you on over the phone to the point of flying out to see their near wreck of a car. At least it might help others not to do the same. If they are a toyota dealer I wonder of the Regional office knows what this dealer is up to on his used car lot.

 

Interestingly enough, the telephone bluetooth connection on this car worked fine when i tested my phone! I was very sad it was not in the good condition they made this car out to be in their ad.

 

How about that. It would be interesting to know who worked on this car leaving near all the under body panels off including the passenger fender-well. No doubt it wasn't done at a toyota dealer's shop. The body panels and fender wells are held on by special plastic push in clips. They used to cost like $1 each from the dealer 6 years ago. I don't know how much they now cost today. I remember you had to near break them off to remove them and were not reusable that I know of.

It would be interesting to know what needed to be done to the engine area for those panels to be removed in the first place. A water pump replacement perhaps would be my first thought. With the '07 TCH price being so low I would worry of other mechanical problems.