‘Where are y’all finding cars under $3K?’: Woman buys 2011 Toyota Camry LE for $1,500. Then she realizes it has hidden benefits

In an era of what the kids call “flexing,” TikToker Lizzy (@ilovehimsomuchbro) redefined the term “weird flex” in a video that’s conjured an impressive 766,000 views. From the onset, the influencer sets the stage to a hip-hop beat one might think would fit well with a shot of a cotton candy Lamborghini à la 50 Cent. The clip immediately opens on the dashboard of a 14-year-old Toyota Camry LE. Like most model years, the 2011 offering has been praised for its remarkable reliability. Evidently, Lizzy is benefiting from the brand’s reputation for sturdiness.Lizzy's Toyota Camry flexLizzy went on to flex her new whip with a text overlay as she zooms in on the dash. “Chose no car payment and now I drive a 14 year old Toyota Camry LE that I paid only $1,500 for and only have to fill up my gas once a month.”In the comments, she says a family member helped her land that price. Viewers say it's rare, pointing to Facebook Marketplace listings with poor offerings. That said, Facebook Marketplace has emerged as a popular alternative to dealerships.Viewers were then treated to a beauty shot of the odometer reading “193,890 miles.” Next, a brief, Pimp My Ride-style cutaway to the rest of her vehicular digs plays out in her clip. While some may want to flaunt luxury vehicles that can’t hit the 100,000-mile mark without massive repairs, Lizzy doesn’t. And it’s difficult to blame her. In 2025’s economy, where practicality reigns supreme, the flex might not be so weird after all.FrugalTok is a well known sub-genre of variegated content on the platform. And content creators flaunting the used cars they bought outright date back to at least 2022. This spurred the meme-able “I chose no car payment” trend to become a badge of honor in thrifty sensibility.Take Abbey (@pissandshitpoop), whose video showing off her “vintage” Honda CR-V with 180,000 miles has racked up a cool 1.2 million views. Or Oliva (@misslive), who’s video tour of her vintage Ford pick-up has shot up to 1.9M views and counting. But now, back to Lizzy’s clip. All in on the CamryCommenters on her video rallied behind the trend. One wrote, “People be tryna sell early 2000s Toyotas and Hondas for like 10 thousand,” alluding to the demand for reliable older cars and the shady dealings happening in the used car market. Another encouraged, “Okay but these Camrys never die you’re gonna love it.”One more chimed in, “same girl me and my 2007 Corolla against the world.”Many likened their own vehicles to “man’s best friend”—dependable, reliable, and loyal. And while many of them spoke of the incessant mechanical issues that accompany older cars, like an older dog, they loved them just the same. But this trend speaks to a broader truth: In 2025, ownership of anything is a flex.Age of no ownershipFor Gen Z and younger millennials, the concept of ownership has become increasingly fleeting. More people are renting their abodes than buying them outright. Most iPhone users will often “trade-in” their phones every 2-3 years—and a significant number upgrade each and every year. Homeownership among adults under 35 has stagnated around 38%, compared to 52% in 1980. The stagnation has been caused both by sluggish wage growth and skyrocketing housing costs.However, the automotive industry has seen fewer leases and more financing and outright purchasing from customers. This is especially true of used cars, and Lizzy is one of many buyers who can attest to that. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that real wages have barely kept pace with inflation over the past two decades. When it comes to housing price hikes, a Harvard research study recently attributed this to: Limited supply, increased demand, and rising construction costs.But forget the dream of owning a home—how about just owning a car? With Trump enacting tariffs on countries that import cars to the United States, it’s possible that owning a new car might soon become even more difficult. Such a backdrop explains the “you chose no car payment” for used car movement. @iilovehimsomuchbro best decision tbh. (tire sensor light is because the sensor is broken LMAO.) #foryou #foryoupage #foru #toyotacamry ♬ original sound - WYA ADRIAN | DJ Younger generations are faced with a rental-based purgatory, where leasing cars, apartments, clothes, and even furniture is the norm. Check out this WSJ article on “Extreme Renters” for more on what that lifestyle’s like. Furthermore, subscription models exist in every corner of life—from streaming services to Peloton bikes.So, in a landscape where the concept of ownership feels increasingly like a Boomer pipe dream, that Camry LE? It’s official: Not a weird flex. That’s generational resistance and fiscal adaptability.We've reached out to Toyota and Lizzy for comment.Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.The post ‘Where are y’all finding cars under $3K?’: Woman buys 2011 Toyota Camry LE for $1,500. Then she realizes it has hidden benefits appeared first on The Daily Dot.