(first posted 8/21/2013) So just how exactly does a car become the best selling one in America? In the only reliable way that one becomes number one in just about anything: doing your homework, and practicing every day. And it really does help if the competition has forgotten that formula.
Read old reviews about the first-generation Camry, and right down the list you’ll find all of the very qualities I experienced when I drove a new one a while back, except for one (roomy): “quiet, smooth, solid, competent (but not exciting) handling, comfortable, well built, reliable, plenty of torque and power, but not sporty”. Same car, 28 years ago; just add some super-sizing and drop the hatch, and the formula remains as intact (and winning) as ever.
My first exposure to the Camry was in 1984, when the Chief Engineer of our TV station and I took a business trip together and he talked me into renting a Camry. Having learned long ago to trust his judgment, we made sure one was available and reserved it. Good call, too, as the default rentals of the day would typically have been a floppy Buick Regal, Ford Tempo or K car. Despite its compact-car status, the Camry’s obvious solidity and quiet manners were immediately apparent, although it lacked the tip-in and roarty zest of GM’s V6s–and, of course, the accompanying torque steer.
Undoubtedly, there were two cars under Toyota’s microscope when they designed the completely new 1983 Camry, which was a major departure from its long line of RWD predecessors: of course, there was the Honda Accord, but also the Chevrolet Citation. Clearly, the Accord showed the way forward with FWD in its popular size class. But I’m guessing that Toyota, like most other imports, was more than a bit worried about GM’s highly ambitious X-cars. And in size, configuration and even design, the Citation’s influence is unmistakable.
The Citation had all the right ingredients wrapped in modern, space-efficient bodies, including five-door hatches. But as we know all too well, the Xs were was a flash in the pan that quickly sizzled out due to a lack of full and proper development and a rash of quality issues. The X-Bodies’ flame-out threw the gates to what would become the biggest sector of the market wide, wide open, and the Camry glided in, albeit initially in stealth mode.
Before the Camry could live up to its name and take the crown (Literally: ‘Camry’ is actually an Anglicized, phonetic transcription of the word Japanese word kanmuri, or ‘crown’), it had to sit out the Taurus and Accord’s years at the top. But why the hurry when you’re thinking long-term? Truly, Camry is the tortoise. How it outran GM’s X-Bodies and even the Taurus is easier to understand than its ability to knock the Accord off the throne.–yet it did, in its own silent but lethal way.
What’s somewhat remarkable is that the current Camry (XV50) is only the third truly all-new Camry platform in the model’s history. The popular and quite successfully restyled Gen-2/V20 (seen in front, above) sat on the same platform as the first one, despite very different external sheet metal that yielded a relatively compact interior. The all-new and definitive Gen-3/XV10 (rear) set the brutally high standard that wiped out the competition once and for all; its remarkably refined manners truly made it the Lexus in its class, and most clearly distinguished it from the decidedly tauter and sportier contemporary Accord.
The Gen-4/XV20 rationalized the Gen-3 as Toyota found ways to cut costs, right down to losing the expensive double door seals. Hardly anyone noticed, especially with pricing that was now more competitive with the offerings of increasingly-pressured Detroit competitors. The Camry’s downward march in price forced GM to respond aggressively by cutting corners and content, but it was a losing battle.
The differences in the Gen-5, 6 and 7 are more subtle than in the past–not surprising, as they all share essentially the same platform. New platforms aren’t what they once were; car development is now more about refinement and cost rationalization. And as the dramatically reduced cost (adjusted for inflation) of the Camry shows, this approach is obviously working very well, at least for Toyota. Update: as just another refresh of the 2012, the 2014 Camry marks Camry’s 13th year on the same basic platform.
Without doubt, the profit Toyota has made with three distinct generations of Camrys over almost three decades has been remarkable. It wasn’t that long ago that some well-leaked info suggested that Toyota was making a majority of its global profit in the USA. And Camry, in any language, is their gold crown–one that Toyota’s going to be mighty reluctant to see anyone else wear.
Related: The Camry Was Almost Built by Ford Too – Toyota Offered to Build it Jointly
I have never failed to be very impressed with every Camry I have ever driven. Every one, and I have done wheel time on every generation, has struck me as well built, solid, easy to drive, intuitive and exceptionally reliable.
Last year, I spent a week with a 2010 Camry SE. It rode and handled exceptionally well, as close to an ideal balance as I have ever seen. The 4 banger was smooth and never once lacked for power. It also returned a solid 30 mpg at Grand Canyon altitudes, this at 80 mph. All the controls were easy to understand and worked flawlessly. I knew why this was America’s most popular car. I was determined to find a good used one for myself. It simply doesn’t make sense to buy a new one since the cars are about as reliable as you can get and the “unintended acceleration” fiasco made used values very reasonable. Further, there is not a huge difference between generations so you really don’t miss much on a five year old example. I ended up finding a mint 2000 Acura TL with only 66,000 km on it at a very reasonable price and decided to indulge myself. However, I would recommend a used Camry to anyone.
Why you may ask? Have a look at the interior of Paul’s example. That is quality.
The Toyota Camry clearly demonstrated that an automobile could be as dependable, wonderful and as invaluable as a microwave oven. Toyota just forgot that while we all love our microwave ovens, we don’t want to live eating only microwaved foods.
For those who remember the days before microwaves and Hot Pockets, a Camry is quite an automotive appliance.
Ding! Hey Camry lovers – Toyota has a new flavor for you to try! American Lemming!
Nom-nom!
Ok, I admit it. I am the original owner of a 2002 Gen 5 Camry XLE, 4 cyl, with 167,000 miles on the clock. The metro Washington DC area is my grind and the Camry is perfectly suited for the task. Whether doing 85 mph at 5 AM on I-95 or crawling on the beltways at rush hour, I’m comfortable. It has held up well inside and out and I can not find a reason to purchase a new car.
I was at the dealer having a new “smart” key made having worn the original to the point that it would not open doors, which is usually done with the fob anyway. Looked at the new Camry Hybrid with a sticker showing 34 MPG on the highway. I still get 28 and I am not all that gentle.
Other than tires, brakes, and battery, repairs have consisted of an A/C relay and serpentine belt tensioner to date…knock on wood! Interior and exterior have held up well. A recent fender bender meant getting a new head light assembly. Shortly after, I decided to install a new assembly on the opposite side and the car looks pretty much like new again.
I keep thinking about what I would want to buy next. That’s how I spend much of my time while I drive…and drive…and drive the Camry.
I too am an owner of a Gen 5 Camry, 4cly although an, LE and she just crested 250K miles. I’ve taken it on some pretty mean forest service roads, been sideways into a fence at 60 on a dirt track, high centered it on a snow bank and it keeps going and going. I have a roof rack and tow hitch and regularly have both in use.
What I love about my Camry is that it has never missed a beat no matter what I’ve thrown at it. That and how exceedingly comfortable it is on long trips.
I constantly wonder what my next car will be after this bites the dust. I would get a new Camry, but need more space. If Toyota would only make a Camry wagon I would be set.
Toyota always offered the Camry as a wagon….Just not for Americans for some reason….. (I have one and love it)…. Lobby Toyota!
Nope. Toyota only offered the Camry as a wagon for the second, third and fourth FWD generations.
And both the second and third gen wagons were sold in North America, although the fourth gen was strictly an Asia-Pacific affair.
Look, I’m not doubting you and the Camry’s reliability, but this is where I start to smell rats:
“Other than tires, brakes, and battery, repairs have consisted of an A/C relay and serpentine belt tensioner to date”
Well, that and your key wearing out. And I hope you buy in a new belt at the same time. And two new light assemblies. Did you replace the bulbs? o2 sensors?
All cars wear out, eventually.
That is an impressive repair history for 250,000 miles, charlie. Compare that to a Taurus, for example. That is if you can find one with 250,000 miles on it.
When the fish faced Taurus arrived here it really explained why the Camry was so popular in the US.
Your right, I had already previously replaced the belt and some bulbs. The entire light assembly on front right was damaged and replaced. As the left front was still original and “fogged”, despite trying a polishing kit, I desided to replace it and the car no longer looks like it has cateracts.
Items do and will wearout, but I am still on the original exhaust system to my own surprise.
I don’t “love” my Camry and it is not particularly exciting. I enjoy mentally shopping for a new car, but i don’t have a need to buy a new car yet and I am starting to wonder how long the Camry will keep going on a most reasonable maintenance budget. Even the driver’s seat is still holding up well.
I drive a lot of clients around in it and have NOTHING to be embaressed about. I keep it clean and there are no obvious signs of wear. I couldn’t say that about the long progression of Taurus wagons I treated the same way.
The bar has been raised for all cars, and a lot of things that once would have needed replacement at 100,000 miles seem to never wear out, no matter who the manufacturer is. I got 248,000 mi. out of an ’01 Cougar, and until 190,000 or so, when the original clutch wore out, I think the only things that wore out (other than wear items like tires & brakes) were a wheel bearing and a fuel pump that Ford replaced for free under a TSB.
Of course, after I invested $1,300 on a new clutch, other things started to go: Struts, sway bar bushings, water pump, ignition coil, CV boots all needed replacement, maybe one or two other things I can’t think of now. What surprised me were the things that never wore out. Even at 248k mi., the exhaust had no leaks, I never replaced any front suspension parts, and even the serpentine belt never squeaked or broke (I did end up replacing that during another repair because it seemed silly not to do so preventatively). The 2.5L Duratec has a timing chain, not a belt, so I never had any of those awful timing belt repair bills.
When I finally sold the car to my brother (for a dollar), it was still getting the same gas mileage it got when it was new. It was using 1.5 quarts of oil between oil changes, but that’s not bad even for a new car. The doors sagged a bit, the fuel gauge wasn’t working, there was a little rust behind the driver’s door, and the synchro for 3rd gear was just about gone. Not bad for an 11+ year old car with that kind of mileage.
That’s why no matter how much I pine for the lovely old cars of my youth, I will only have a new car for a daily driver. There’s nothing like the trouble-free service just about any car today will give you.
Astute observations; I can add little to it.
And I’m familiar with the breed. It was the Camry that converted my mother, in her senior years, from an import-distrusting automotive hyper-conservative to a three-times repeat Toyota customer.
What happened? Exactly as you say. Toyota and GM started with the exact same formula and package; the one (Toyota) was a little better out the gate than the other.
But Toyota didn’t rest on their laurels. Nor did they pretend the Camry was something it was not, or that it was the car for everybody. They identified its niche; conservative buyers like my mother; and starting with a good first package, they strove for continual quality improvement.
And GM…we know what they were about. Deny the flaws in the brakes, until forced into recall by the NHTSA. Pretend the torque-steer was a sign of quality or uncontrollable road power. Ignore the corrosion issues. Hang a “II” behind the Citation’s name. And, finally, take the whole rotten package, give it new dressing and pretend it’s a new model…the Cavalier.
GM’s way led to failure; a failure they still deny. Toyota’s way was one of delivering raw consumer VALUE…and that is why they are attacked by shyster lawyers and the government owners of GM on sham defects such as the alleged sticking throttles.
The Celebrity was the continuation of the X body and it was quite successful all the way up to the Corsica.
The J (Cavalier) body hatchback looked similar but was a different platform all together.
I’ll accept that.
Frankly, the geneology of those little GM cars of that era, kinda bores me. At best, they were bland and disposable; at worst, they were dangerous and exploitative.
Both the Camry and the X-Car are right where they belong right now.
I like to think of the X-cars as beta test A-bodies. Of course, you shouldn’t release a beta version to the public! The A-bodies were competitive cars for the ’80s, if conservative looking once the Taurus was released.
Actually Birddog, while the Celebrity was X-based and was about as much as a total POS, as a mid-size body it was assigned the “A” designation previously given to the Malibu, etc. Those RWD A-bodies then became known as G-bodies.
Cadaver, er, Cavalier was indeed a J-body. (Sorry, the last new Cavalier I drove was PAINFUL. Literally!)
Corsica/Beretta assumed the “X” position vacated by Citation/Citation II.
Just Passin’, respectfully…does GM still deny the failures of the past?
The current crop of FWDs, to me, suggest otherwise.
While both Honda and Toyota have come back to earth along with most other foreign-based manufacturers. The sticking throttle issue may or may not be a sham, but what about those Camry engines with sludge issues? And wasn’t there an issue with Corolla’s electric power steering? There are other issues as well but for two companies once known for, as you correctly stated about Toyota (and I think it applied to Honda in those years as well), “delivering raw consumer VALUE”, defect-and-recall free, both seem to me today to be just another choice in a world of choices.
I’m inclined to think the playing field is as level now as it’s ever been. For GM in particular, they seem to be finally finding the mojo that they lost after 1970. Long as they don’t rest on the laurels they’re earning now…which, sadly. is always a possibility.
That sums up my thoughts as well. I owned a Civic and a 4Runner in the 2000s, neither was as remarkable or trouble-free as their reputations would suggest. Today I don’t worry about the brand so much which makes the whole experience much more interesting and rewarding.
My stepmother was exactly the same type of Camry customer as your mother–she converted from driving Suburbans (she lived in Texas during the oil glut years) to a first-generation Camry, bought used–then when that one got a little long in the tooth, bought the next generation, again used. That one was lost to a massive tree toppling in a storm and flattening it (luckily with no one inside). Then she went to an Acura TL, which although not a Camry is not too far from the Camry formula, just a little more upscale. I doubt she’ll ever go back to a Suburban or any American vehicle.
I’m glad to see some positive remarks on Camry for once.. I sold them for a while and I was always impressed with them. From my college buddy’s rotted out 88 Camry that started and ran flawlessly through 287,000 miles all the way up to the 2012, they were/are above average cars.
Have a look at today’s TTAC article about the Camry’s pricing and how the youngsters are slagging it for not having RWD and 400 hp. It is a bleeding joke because most of them drive beaters or econoboxes themselves and have never been in a Camry or any family car for that matter.
I love the Camry and I have driven many over the years. But then again I am 47 and have three kids and I have realised that I have no place to drive a 400 hp car, nor do I want to pay to insure it, keep it and put gas in it. Neither do the Camry haters on TTAC for that matter.
I keep forgetting that 2/3 of the comments on TTAC and Jalop are made by people that are either still in college or they’re a bunch of Kippers that haven’t been out in the real world yet.
I have never paid much attention to these cars, but a friend has driven them for years. He had a silver 1992 LE bought brand new, drove it until he bought a new 2000 LE, then gave the ’92 to his son in the Chicago area, who may still be driving it. Last time I talked to him he had a 2006 or so Camry and his wife had a late model Sienna. I didn’t care much for the 2007 redesign, but must admit I rather like the 2012, which recalls earlier Camrys. It reminds me of the 911s (997) that recall the final air-cooled 993s.
Or have either never had a new car or one they paid cash for. I pay cash for cars. Never financed one in my life.
My local Subaru/Toyota dealer used to have these type of Camrys as loaners. In exact same color too, though it was the sedan version. I remember driving it often when my Subie SVX is out for service. and I always like its honest, direct feel. It just feel trustworthy, you know, an automotive appliance it might be, but you just know it won’t let you down. Today’s cars seem to feel like there’s a layer protecting you from the road and the environment. But that’s the ‘refinement’ that Americans crave. And the 1992 Camry, unlike this thing, finally have it in spades, and only then the Camrys started to sell like like hotcakes.
Your 92 Camry was released here in 90, Toyota chose NZ as the test facility, We got the new wide body Camry only in V6 and a unique engine as it now turns out. My sister bought one new the customer service was very intense with questionaires etc and after 2 years being evaluated here the world model was released my sister bought one of those too great car kept it 10 years never missed a beat but it couldnt smoke the tyres when you stomp the gas at 160 kmh like the original different engine and taller gearing slowed it up New Zealand kept its unique suspension & quick rack package but we got the world powerpackage and 240kmh top speed was over too, survivors are rare my mate recently owned one he was amazed at the performance and the shocking fuel consumption the change of engine and taller gearing fixed that.
What you got in any market form was a competent car we now have used JDM/US market cars everywhere and the lexus branded versions are popular with some people. NZ also has many JDM Camry a smaller Corona sized car in 4 cylinder petrol & diesel and petrol V6 Luminiere or some such brand.
In 1999, I bought an 84 Camry for $250. Was in great shape except for a wheel bearing which was replaced in a few weeks. It wound up as my daily driver for three or four years. Had well over 200k. 5 speed, A/C, cruise. And it all worked. Took me to see Steely Dan at the Gorge, Colorado to see the family, even across Nevada’s vaunted Highway 50 (The Loneliest Road In The World).
But like any machine it wore out. Breaks were shot, alternator went shortly after, and then it simply wouldn’t start. I had other cars by this point, so me and a friend did the honorable thing and burned it up with fireworks. A truly great car.
Those early Camry also had the Corona badge on them plenty of runners in NZ also we have countless SV series JDM Camrys here which suffer in the handling area thanks to soft JDM suspensions and too narrow tyres but the damn things keep going I wanted a turbo diesel but couldnt find a good one niow I have a ‘new’ car I see the right model for sale on line turbo diesel manual 4wd its hit $600 and climbing Most Camcams here are the Australian built widebody models though thanks to used imports the Lexus Windom got here[camry with gold badges] The haters on TTAC as usual are full of **it and the only big hp RWD cars worth having cant be got in the US anyway just shut up and buy a Camcam.
I very much respect the 80s and 90s Camrys, however the Camry is no longer class-leading, though it doesn’t have any obvious faults either.
Because the class is finally catching up to the Camry. For years its only competitor was the Accord. I might add they used to cost a lot more, too.
In 1985 or so I knew a guy who had bought a diesel Camry. He really liked the car, but after an engine failure, he was upset to find that he could not get another diesel.
Later in the 80s, my then-future wife had an 88 Accord. Around that time spent a week or two in a rental Camry, and just never liked it as well. It felt like what GM would have made had GM made a good Japanese car. The Camry made me really appreciate the Accord more.
But most people aren’t as fussy about their cars, and I know a lot of satisfied Toyota Camry customers – many of these people were longtime GM buyers. I will tell you this – I have driven both the late model Camry and the 06 Buick LaCrosse, and I would take the Toyota any day.
The Toyota diesel used in the Camry Corona and Corolla was the 2c usually turboed for the Camry basicly unbreakable I sold one recently with 259000kms but it had done 4 years with the speedo off to avoid diesel tax it,so the milage could be anything still runs well but gutless the 3c is the better engine 2.2 litre turbo but that was in later JDM models.
One thing noone has mentioned is how well Yoyota pulled these off the car pictured was also on sale in sedan and wagon form with RWD a friend had one in OZ from new its only problem was a failed clutch master cylinder in 98
It appears Toyota fitted a FWD subframe with powertrain into a RWD chassis and it worked GM started from the ground up and created a disaster Nissan pretty much did the Toyota trick with their FWD bluebird though I had to move to New Zealand to see any Aussie didnt seem to get any front drivers that size The 90 model Corona diesel I had was really the rear drive body with the FWD subframe tube rear axle on leafs primitive with mediocre road manners but it worked and there are many survivors.
My father in law had an 87 Camry (XLE?) about the same time I had my 87 Dodge Lancer ES Turbo. Even though his car was an atmo motor, with the fuel injection and twin cams it made about the same power as my SOHC 2.2 Turbo. My FIL would give me crap about how cheesy Mopars are/were. I had the last laugh, my Lancer went 11 years and 160+K miles… He traded the 87 for a 92 or 93, after replacing a bunch of parts. (He’s very hard on equipment. So is his daughter, my wife.) The two cars couldn’t have been more different, probably because they were a reflection of their owners. I remember the seats in that Camry, they were as hard as the ones in contemporary Mercedes, I came to think of it as the Japanese Mercedes.
Oddly enough, by 1991 I was in Georgia selling Toyotas (along with other lines, but mostly Toyotas), and that bodystyle of Camry was coming to it’s end. It was still an excellent car, I can remember having conversations with the mechanics about the new models (1992s) were going to have plastic connectors holding the key lock mechanisms together instead of the stainless steel clips that were used on the current version. Plus, they had their doubts about the V6 motors. They had seen the fours do 200,000+ miles (remember 20 years ago), but the V6’s needed to prove themselves.
I did a pretty brisk business in Celicas, Supras and MR2s. I was the ‘motorhead’ on the lot. But the real business was trucks. I shoud have realized this was the shape of things to come in the Roaring 90’s. Especially when 4Runners and pickups were outselling Tercels, Celicas, Supras and MR2s.
My father in law bought two more generations of Camry. By the time we moved back to the midwest (1998), he had switched to Grand Marquises. Something about the last Camry he didn’t like and they never bought another one. I never found out why, and he never wanted to elaborate.
As for me, I have certain memories (not all good) associated with the name Camry, One in particular is the time I went to demo a car with a client, he managed to find one of the few low line Camrys with a V6 and 5 speed. You meet all kinds in that line of work, and I don’t think this guy really had all of his marbles. He got the car up to 110 MPH when I stridently reminded him he would be responsible for any moving violations he invoked. He eventually bought a 4Runner or something, after we test drove every frakin car on the lot. Paid cash, too. Still a weirdo.
Another time, I was ferrying a customer home from dropping off a car at the service department, when while getting on to an on ramp in damp weather, I found that the Camry had a tendency to snap oversteer with the application of light braking. That was not fun, at all.
Not my cup of meat, but I do respect them for what they are. However, like the Accord and the Taurus before it, it’s no longer a given that this will be the runaway sales champ anymore. Detroit (Ford in particular), Korea and VW are gunning for the crown so to speak.
Lift off oversteer is the main handling failure of Camrys the 6 is the worst that combined with turn in understeer makes them a lousy canyon carver Kiwi Toyotas have near rally spec struts new to curb the cornering problems but try a JDM car they really are awful US and JDM share suspesion settings but you lot are on straight freeways so it dont matter
I bought a derivative of the 2nd generation in 1994 and to date, its one of the best cars I have ever had the pleasure to drive. It was a 1990 Lexus ES 250 with a 5 speed. The 2.5 V6 was the only engine choice in that model. It was also an option on the concurrent Camry. I put over 155,000 (mostly) trouble free miles on the car and would buy another today-if the right car came along. The engine was smooth as Jack Daniels and Coke and the transmission was light and precise. Alas, my son became very proficient at soccer and we had to have a minivan to schlepp him and a good part of his traveling team around the south. The ES was replaced by a T&C. Worst auto related decision that we ever made.
I have a 2011 Camry as a rental this week and next for my southwestern hootenanny and it’s a great car. It has the 2.5L I-4 and despite a totally non descript interior,I could easily see putting a couple hundred K on one of these.
“The ES was replaced by a T&C. Worst auto related decision that we ever made.”
EPIC!
Quote of the day, for sure.
The most expensive part of owning the Town and Country was building the spare room onto our house for the MoPar mechanic to spend his nights and weekends.
I must have missed this comment the first time ’round, since there is no hearty and genuine “LOL” reply from me. So here it is.
LOL
I owned a ’95 Camry 2.2 LE automatic immediatly before I bought the Lincoln featured in my CC story here.
I REALLY hated that car when it came to driving and so forth. The driver’s seat seat bottom cushion was every bit of 3 inches too short, and offered what felt like almost no thigh support. The gas pedal was about ten feet off the floor, so in stop and go traffic you’d get a cramp in your right shin from having to point your toes back toward your face to feather the pedal as you putt around. It was painful.
Interestingly, the REAR seat was fabulous. Good leg room, the seatback angle was perfect, it actually had the thigh support the front seat lacked, and the flip-down arm rest was at EXACTLY the right angle and height. The front seat didn’t even have a fucking arm rest! Just a padded thing on top of the console lid; the armrest was optional for the FRONT seats!
Still, it really was a great car. I am not exaggerating AT ALL to say that the ONLY non-maintenance or wear and tear costs with it were a dogbone motor mount, a driver’s door ajar switch, and a sway bar end link bracket. That’s IT. If you count struts as a failure, then they failed at about 100k and were too soft since new. I am a maintenance fanatic and the car was maintained to my normal lunatic degree (the diff and tranny drain plugs got used many times in 248k) but that car would have ran till the sun burned out if a drunk hadn’t totaled it for me. Still got good mileage, too.
Hmmm, I guess I kinda miss it after all.
We only saw a few (relatively) of this model Camry in Australia because the RWD Corona continued on for another generation here, my brother in law had one of those. The Camry really seems an evolution of the Corona liftback, Toyota was one of the last to convert to fwd.
Yes John I saw the difference once back in NZ . Australian Toyotas were a long way behind, NZ has no local assembly and used JDM cars are common so the JDM/US market cars are here either new or used imports. Australia has a very limited car choices with few models being assembled compared to what Toyota actually have on offer, the range is mind boggling but importing cars into Oz is very very expensive the tax is horrendous and based on OZ value not purchase price Ive been investigating moving back and Ive seen car prices that are way more expensive than NZ even for Holdens and such.
I occasionally see a JDM import sedan/hatch, sometimes even a JDM version of a car that was sold here, which I didn’t think was allowed. Most are sports types, or newer Skyline (Infinity G35/37), etc.
I would agree car prices are more expensive, my sister is about to come back from a stint overseas and looking at cars in the $8k range – this seems to be about 2004 Holden Astra, Ford Focus or about 2007 Fiesta, Hyundai Getz territory. Haven’t done much searching yet.
you were allowed to import non Australian models but anything sold new was verboten
My friend had a 03 camry that he hated with a passion. I saw him get it new in ealy 03 and within 60k miles it was burning oil, transmission failed. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. He got the engine rebuilt and everything only to have it go out again last year. Drove him back into the arms of American cars. He bought a Ford Fiesta. Those cars are really nice, but they are tiny.
I never owned a foreign car. I have driven plenty and my wife is a nut about foreign cars but i never bought a bad American car. My 78 El camino SS i bought new and it is sitting with 287K miles on the odometer. 350’s are generally pretty hardy engines. bought a 1987 Cutlass Supreme. It was a great car, but gave up the ghost in early 2000’s with 200K on the odometer. Sold it for 500$. Then i bought a 2004 S-10. 30 years and only three cars owned. I am shopping around for a corvair right now though.
The Fiesta is NOT American so it should be ok
You do realize that virtually all European cars score worse in reputable reliability surveys than American cars?
Yea… right. My 158k all original (for now) ’78 Fairmont says you’re wrong.
It’s a euro car in American guise.
Fair enuff its sold here as a European
As I commented on the Sable post, the late 80s Camrys had harsh interiors, especially if you were tall. But they fixed that after 92, while Ford kind of lost the thread until the 06 Fusion.
And then there were Chevy Luminas, Pontiac Whatevers, Mopar cloud cars, ad nauseum. I can’t imagine anyone getting attached to a midrange 90s domestic FWD as a fun car…though I suppose people used to say that about Valiants and Chevy IIs.
And a Camry is supposed to be a fun car? You’re kidding, right?
You can make a Camry more exciting with a cold-air low restriction air intake, low restriction exhaust and tire and wheel mods. I did on the ’06 one I had . . . . . .
I’m partial to my ’95 Regal, a comfortable road roach.
Would you consider a ’92-’95 SHO midrange?
GM X-cars are the automotive equivalent of cooking lobster in a microwave…
My mom loved her 87 Camry bought used in 1990. But Midwestern road salt ruined its undercarriage by 1994-ish.
But, now has an 07 Avalon and a better value than the base Lexus ES.
Toyota made a better Citation,the same way Yamaha made a better Bonneville with their XS650 twin,and the new XV950 is a better Sportster.Take a good idea,iron out the bugs and make it happen,simple really
Ride a Bolt. Ride a genuine 2013 Sportster. Then tell the the Bolt is better. If you can’t tell the difference, I’ve got a nice mid-90’s Virago 750 for you. It’ll probably suit.
Sportsters are by far the best looking of the Harleys if i was after a bike I would have one.I’ve often wanted to ride on the back of a Harley since having a crush on Sam Elliott in Mask and Roadhouse
Come on over, my Road Glide has a really comfy passenger pillion…
There are lots and lots of people out there who don’t want to think about their cars. They want something that is attractive, will not embarrass them, and will not cause them a lot of trouble and expense. A lot of these people used to buy GM. Now they buy Camrys.
My stepmom is one who is on her 3rd one. It is the same color as her last one (red) and even after I got something out of her trunk recently, I did not realize that she had gotten a new car. I will get to drive it tomorrow when I drive her to the airport, but it will probably be just like the last one.
One other kudo for the Camry is that Toyota seems to have avoided the dreaded “fragile automatic transmission” plague that has dogged nearly everyone else (yes, Honda, I am talking to you.)
Ahh… the Fridge. One of my coworkers has a 4 gen one. He loves it.
I saw it on a hoist when he was fixing the CV joints and 2 things stroked me immediately:
1) It is a giant Corolla. Suspension layout is basically the same as the fully independent suspension Toasters (up to 2002). At least they had the decency of using equal length half shafts, something I didn’t see in our AE82.
2) It is so beautifully simple down there. Nothing is out of place and there’s absolutely nothing superfluous.
3) Basic maintenance items are within reach on the 4 banger. He had a V6 3rd gen “for the kids” and he told me to avoid the V6s as they’re unfriendly to fix and the heads have the nasty habit of corroding, overheating and it is expensive to fix.
Eventually I guess I’ll bite and get one.
With this being Toyota Week, I was dreading this car (inevitably) showing up. God’s Own Car. Vehicular Perfection. The car for those who don’t like cars, read Consumer’s Reports, and their idea of car ownership is money, money, money. The complete antithesis of anything I find desirable in automobile ownership. I’d rather spend the rest of my life riding a bicycle (which are incredibly interesting compared to a Camry) than have to own one of these.
I will admit, it’s better than a brougham. End of compliments.
Let me at least cheer you up with a sweet lil’ Toyota HiAce motorhome !
(click on the link and scroll down a bit)
http://buzzybeeforum.nl/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=6654
I should have posted it in the HiAce CC, but since it’s Toyota week it will fit in here too.
Well, These Camry’s are reliable. But the old one is neither comfortable or quiet. The X-body was better here. In fact, for som years ago I used a 1980 Buick Skylark Limited (2,8) as a daily driver. I drove 40 miles a day. It passed 200.000 miles and was still going strong. One of the best cars I’ve ever owned in fact. I think these Camrys are very very reliable, but other than that I can’t see why to buy one? I’m talking of the old one from the eighties.
Today I’ll drive little less, but I still have an old american car as a daily driver. 1977 Cadillac DeVille. It has over 250.000 miles on the clock now, and I think these GM B/C-body cars in fact is one of the best vehicles ever built with the right engine and transmission. No car of today can match the long-term reliability of these cars.
Sure wish I was comfortable in one and that they made a true station wagon. No, I’m not talking about a CUV.
Toyota had mixed results with their hatchbacks. Their effort on the Corolla helped the feature to take off in America. Their effort on this Camry helped to kill it for sedans. God was it hideous.
I will say this about the car though. It had a freakish amount of rear legroom.
The Camry to me is much like the Prius, just (thankfully) not as ugly looking. It is functional, it is reasonably comfortable, and it does what it does capably and without fanfare.
I agree with Syke, although, I obviously do like broughams (within certain limits).
I had no idea when the decontenting began on Camrys but without that knowledge I had unwittingly marked the Gen 3 as the high water mark. My parents were the very Consumer Reports types Syke describes by the 80s. They embraced the small car revolution with a Chevette and paid for it dearly. A series of Hondas followed until we rode, when I was about twelve, in a ’94 or so Gen 3 Camry. A ’98 Gen 4 was purchased a few years later. My parents, Puritanical types to the last, attempted to find a CE model with not only manual transmission, but no a/c and crank windows. No success, except for the manual tranny, which turned out to be the most expensive repair on the car, crapping out at about 80K. It was the family car for my high school and college years (though by then I was driving Panthers and Broughams) My senior year of college it was sold and replaced with a new ’05 Prius, which my mother is still driving.
The Gen 4 is the model I remember most, with the “TV Guy” ads. They were all over the place. With caved in corners on their rear bumpers. The Gen 5 seemed a copy of the prior generation Accord. After that, I stopped noticing the changes.
Like the Prius there is not a lot for me to like in the office park blandness of the Toyota Camry but like the hybrid I can’t help but acknowledge it is a good, reliable, practical car.
Having a certain dogged devotion to (often extinct) form over function, it’s not something I’d instinctively purchase, but could see myself doing so if I wanted to have a car that I didn’t care about one iota.
Just for the plain weirdness of the shape (Toyota Meets Space Shuttle) I always liked the Camry wagons – especially with the two rear glass wipers.
The Gen-4/XV20 rationalized the Gen-3 as Toyota found ways to cut costs, right down to losing the expensive double door seals. Hardly anyone noticed,
I did.
I was highly impressed with the Gen3, in my mind it compared favorably to a Mercedes E at the time; a well-thought-out class act.
I later bought a Gen4 and it was a disappointment — a noticeably cheaper interior and general air of cut-price genericism.
My 1st Camry memory is negative, that might be rare. And I never even saw the car much less drove it. Late 1982 had a new roommate and his parents had been very early adopters to the Camry. They ran into a steering (wheel balance?) vibration and repeatedly took it to the dealer but after the first visit is was futile. The parents pointed out that the vibration started at 60MPH and the dealer’s (and borne out by regional rep) response was “sorry, national speed limit is 55mph, so we’re not responsible”.
I rather like the 80’s-cubist dash.
I can honestly say I’ve never driven, ridden in , or known anyone who owned a Camry — and I’m fine with that…
My Father-in-law is the perfect example of the Camry effect. He is a practical, pragmatic guy, and for years has sought high-value, reasonably economical vehicles that are well suited for their role. So for his commuter car, starting in the 1970s, he went with domestic offerings. He had a Pinto (he liked it OK until it was totaled in a rear-end collision, and no, it did not erupt into flames), an Aspen Wagon (liked the functionality but not the durability), a Citation 4-door (worst car he ever had, all the more frustrating since the design had so much promise and he really liked it “on paper”), then an Aries K wagon (liked it). He would have bought another Dodge, but in 1987 they were still building almost exactly the same car, and he really wanted something that felt newer. He went over to the Toyota dealership and checked out the then-new Gen 2 Camry, and the rest is history. He has owned an example of each generation except the current one, his favorite of all time being the “near Lexus” Gen 3. Interestingly, as has been pointed out in the comments above, the playing field has leveled off a lot, and the current Camry isn’t as appealing as some of its predecessors. My Father-in-law has started rumblings about other cars, and REALLY likes the new Fusion, seeing it as both practical AND good looking. I expect that he will be back to the Blue Oval soon…
Same story with my Dad GN, except that once he went Honda, he never turned back with the exception of one horribly POS Hyundai Excel, traded for an ’89 Sonata (actually a nice, reliable car – 5 speed stick with the Mitsubishi big four; rear ended – totaled; replaced with a ’96 Dodge Grand Caravan; it too was rear ended – totaled). Pop went with an Accord and being a tall, aging older man, wanted something that was easier to get in and out of. Went to Honda Odysseys.
When the 1983 Camry was introduced PJ O’Rourke in Car and Driver, dismissed it as ‘dull and forgettable’. Even then.
Anyway, I thought ‘what kind of name is that?’, but it stuck. Corona sounded too much like Corolla, so new name was needed.
So, they did build a better Citation, which grew into a better Lumina/Cutlass/Century.
I’d never driven a Camry until last year when I had a few as rentals. I was quite impressed with them – lots of room, smooth ride, comfortable and nicely-finished interior, and great on gas. The room alone makes it a much better long distance cruiser for me than many other cars I’ve driven over the years. I find the Camry’s ride a little soft for my tastes, but they still handle well enough. They definitely come across as appliance-like, but that’s not a bad thing. When my wife and I are on a long trip somewhere, a car that goes all day with no fuss is just the ticket, and the Camry delivers in spades. I haven’t owned a car in several years, but if I were in the market I would seriously consider a Camry – new or used.
Camrys tend to be tuned for softer rides/quiet. While not a sports car, the Accord, by contrast, tends to have somewhat livelier handling. Usually a matter of preference – both cars are known for their reliability/durability.
Ah the Camry, the ultimate “Sheep Mobile”(baaaaa!). I will admit i am not a fan of the 1997-present Camrys. The 83-86 and the 87-91 were classic 1980’s styled boxy goodness. But the real winner is the 92-96 Camry, a car that was beautiful when it arrived and 17 years after it last rolled out of the factory, it still looks fresh and modern.
The Camry of 2001 to present look all the same and are blah. Toyota is fast becoming the GM of the 21st century with complacency. Seating on their rearends thinking the Camry will always be the best seller out there and the top spot champ. They are wrong. Two times in the past 6 months I had to rent a car. The first time was a 2013 Camry which was blah and blended in with the trees and rocks. The second time was a 2013 Optima with the 2.4 GDI engine and wow, that car looks, drives and handles better then the Sheep Mobile. The Hyundai-Kia Group with its Sonata and Optima, Ford with the stunning Fusion and even GM with its latest offerings(such as the Impala) should cause Toyota to take notice. If I was in the market for a new car I would be buying an Optima(I would not even give the Camicords of Toyota or Honda a first or second look)
I had an ’07 Camry bought new up in Alaska (an ’06 leftover model – base, 5 speed automatic and the 2.4L chain-driven four banger). This vehicle I loaded onto the ferry, drove it off at Bellingham, Washington and used it extensively in California making numerous trips to SoCal and Las Vegas. Could cruise without breaking a sweat at 75mph and turn 36 mpg doing it. I would fly standby out of Los Angeles to Honolulu and save $$$ by doing so. It was worth the drive from the Bay Area down to LAX. I would fill up in Oakland and by the time I hit the long term parking on Aviation Blvd in El Segundo, I’d have between 1/4 and 1/2 tank left. That’s impressive. My wife had a ’93 Camry LE Wagon, V-6 (the timing belt change was not fun, nor cheap) – a high standard indeed. There literally is no such thing as a “bad Camry.” All NA generations are very numerous in the Aloha State and most are lovingly cared for.
I do, however echo the sentiment about Camry “dullness” (I dressed mine up with a custom exhaust and 17″ black five spoke Motegi Racing wheels). They do tend to “blend in with the rocks and trees” although the 2012 re-skin does add some interesting lines. I HATED those low rent, cheap-ass plastic wheel covers (still do). I agree as a whole that Toyota may be “GM-izing” meaning, “longer, lower, wider, bigger, fatter.” Look no further than the current Scion xB, the 4Runner and Tundra. Even the overseas Hilux trucks share their bloated chunkiness with the NA Tacoma, which BTW, the Tacomas with the standard skinny Dunlops on steelies looks absolutely cartoonish; like a Fisher Price toy.
Look, camrys are dull. But that’s the beauty of it. I own a 99 Camry LE 4 cylinder auto (is there anything more ubiquitous?) and drive 60 miles round trip per day for work. I’ve averaged 28.4 mpg for this year. It’s friggin wonderful.
However, do I troll CL for the Alfa Romeos and Mk I gtis of my past? Of course! When I was twenty, I would rather have slid down a banister made of razor blades with my legs open than drive an appliance car. Now, I really really appreciate having a great reliable and economical daily driver.
Why is it that whenever I am in a hurry a blue haired lady in a charcoal gray late model Camry is in my way?
With the dozens of Camrys throughout the years in the extended work/home circle, the only consistent niggling problems I’ve heard of have been tail light bulbs and power window motors. Consistently.
Gen 3 was a grand slam homeroom; no one could touch it quality-wise and it sold for over msrp for much of it’s run. Not until 1998 did the Camry lose it’s shine with a cheapened interior, down scale exterior and “front end by Rubber Maid” if I remember the C+D critique at the time. Of course the new ’98 Accord was perhaps Honda’s apex as well, so that didn’t help.
My late beloved aunt, she of the WWII “Nothing but Chevys or Buicks ever” generation, bought and loved a Camry for 3 years before she died. We were all blown away that she stepped away from GM, but our generation had done it in the ’80s and she observed the ebenfits. Her last Buick, a ’93 Century has served her well but was needing lots of mechanicall ove by 60k/10 years. My sister and her husband have had 5 Camrys between them,each running competently to 170-200k before needing much work (except for powerwindow switches).
The Camry is not for me, but I can greatly understand and respect it’s important place in our kingdom.
Prior to 2003 when the last Toyota Corolla used a different platform from any year Camry and with the exception of the 1993-02 which used the same chassis, all Corollas used different chassis each time the models were redesigned even the similarly sized and designed (shown on this photo montage) 1988-92 version which had a different platform compared to the 1993-02. But when the Corollas were heavily redesigned in 2003 through today, they were now using a shortened chassis from the redesigned 2002 through current Camry. This also probably explains the reasons why these 2003 through 2012 Corollas were the most recalled along with the Camry and other Camry platform sourced cars such as the 2G & 3G Priuses, RAV4 (which used the same platform as the 2003 Corolla after the 2006 version), Matrix, Lexus CT 200h, Lexus HS 250h, Lexus ES, Lexus RX, Toyota Sienna, Highlander, Venza, 2008 to current Scion xB & 2005 to current Scion tC.
I had an ’86 Camry LE. Hated it. Had about 140K on it when I bought it from the original owner. Had transmission problems, engine problems, electrical problems, and every problem cost 10X what it would on an equivalent domestic car.
Example: The NSS failed on my Camry. $250+ new from Toyota (and they had to order it), $100 used from a Toyota-exclusive junkyard. I bought the used one, it worked ONCE, then failed. They took it back but charged a 30% “restocking fee”, as if they were going to put a failed part back on the shelf to sell it again. Same part on a Ford Taurus? About $40 new, available from Ford, AutoZone, and probably any other auto parts source in the US.
I ended up by-passing the switch (so the car started in drive) and traded it in on a Ford Festiva. It still had the random stalling and 2nd-3rd “jerk” shift issues. Even the Toyota dealer could not figure out the stalling issue, or why the car (after an alignment) ate tires like Oprah eats a bag of potato chips (car showed no evidence of ever having been in an accident).
I find it funny how the writer of the article mentions the Tempo. I’ve had several Tempos, from all generations, and they were leaps-and-bounds better than the first-gen Camry. The ONLY advantage the Camry had was an overdrive automatic, but since it was a weak point (in my car, anyway), I can’t give it any credit there, either.
I have not owned but have driven Camrys of every generation, and have never been impressed. All along, I think of how much happier I’d be in an equivalent Ford Taurus or Honda Accord. The Honda fills the “small, good on gas (always get a 4cyl Accord, never a V-6), and actually handles well” niche, while the Taurus fills the “larger, more room/comfort/power (V-6), and still decent handling” side. There is no room for the milquetoast Camry in my midsize parking spot.
I’d prefer the first and second generation Camry any day over anything that has come since. I was disappointed, however, that the diesel engine that was offered in the 80s was discontinued. Was it slow? Yes, it was. But it got better mileage than the gasoline version.
Hate to bust this Camry fest up but I had one with a sludge problem which ruined the engine at around 130K, a short life for a 1997. It is a nice car (XLE) but proved not to be bullet proof. We have a 2002 Venture with 172K and a 1993 Quest with 270K. The Venture has had the best engine reliability (Exhaust manifold on the Quest was very expensive but that was 90K ago). According to most readings, the Venture should have blown sky high many miles ago. I should mention that I bought the Camry used and the Venture new so that might have something to do with it but some of the Camry’s are well known for sludge problems.
The Camry is one of those car’s that really confuses me. Some folks swear by them. Some swear at them. Some buy them because of CR’s recommendation etc. My parents best friends 2006 is a perfect example. It was a silver XLE V6 and spent more time in the shop than there driveway. With issues ranging from wheel bearings to intake gasket failure to a leaking brake master cylinder to coil failure to suspension creaks this car cost them a small fortune to keep going to 100K miles before they finally decided to trade it. Meanwhile a neighbor owns a 2010 LE 4 cylinder with 60K and it has not suffered one issue.
On another note we rented a 2014.5 rental SE 2.5 Camry and came away unimpressed overall. Driving on the open road at 72 MPH we never came close to the rated 35 MPG on a sunny warm mild day. A rental 2011 a few years ago meanwhile easily got 35 on the same exact trip going the same speed! Perhaps the larger tired, heavier SE has a harder time getting that 35 rating. The rough cheap seat material bothered both our legs. The headliner sounds very cheaply constructed and hollow. The dash vents actually popped out while driving over some railroad tracks and the last morning before I had to return the car it didn’t start. Click click click. This was odd considering nothing was left on over night. We charged the battery brought the car back to Enterprise and they told us that that car has been in for the starting issue multiple times but the issues can’t be duplicated. Yikes!
My parents had a 1985 Toyota Camry when I was 13 yrs old. Although it was reliable and attractive, I also found that I fit in the back seat quite comfortably. I wasn’t the least bit impressed with its front-wheel drive characteristics. I’ve since gotten used to it, and I’ve bought several front-wheel drive Toyotas since then. But I still prefer 4wd or rear-wheel drive.
These boxy camrys are probably the oldest car i see consistently around chicago. They really come out of the wood works when the snow goes away too. I saw a pristine burgandy 5 speed all trac parked in manhattan when i was in new york this summer.
My folks bought a new 1990 Camry LE 4cylinder 5 speed when they lived in the bay area. They moved back to Illinois when they were expecting me, and it was apparently the first car I ever rode in. Growing up lots family members would alternate between Maximas and Camrys. My grandmother had a ’90 Maxima that she replaced with a ’99 4 cylinder Camry. She then replaced it with a 2000 Maxima that I picked out at carmax after a drunk driver crashed into the parked camry. i still have that Maxima. My great Aunt and Uncle had a blue mid 80’s era Maxima that they would drive to Chicago/SW Michigan every summer from pittsburgh well into the 2000’s. They eventually got a post 2002 camry from spitzer toyota.
I remember going with my dad to test drive a freshly released 2002 Camry in late 2001. We also tested a 20th anniversary Maxima, and a 300m that we hated. He ended up getting a ’98 maxima from carmax.
I recently drove a friend’s 4th gen camry from new york to chicago and was very surprised at the car’s power, economy, and comfort. It leaked oil and the cruise control would only work sometimes, but it really handled hills well. I was very tired but the car was refreshing to drive.
I am looking for junkyards that might have a 1985 Toyota Camry liftback. I am in the NYC metro area, and willing to travel up to 4 hrs to pick and pull off a good wreck. Please email me with your details. mrhappysbluegrass@yahoo.com
I loved the design of the concurrent Tercel wagon. It’s styling exuded loads of character and originality. But Toyota’s design language in general during this era, didn’t really excite me. It was Toyota’s already well established extraordinary reputation for quality and reliability that really vaulted their reputation to the top.
I’ve had several Camrys as rentals and I’m always happy to get one. Lots of room, good performance and great on gas…and my wife likes to drive them as well. In the last few years, their handling has improved. My only complaint was that they were a little too smooth, but the newer ones have firmer suspension and are much nicer to drive.
“Grounded to the ground?”
Bob
Ugh, I have really tried hard to like the Camry (and Toyotas in general.) They’re such rational choices. What good resale value! Nothing breaks, and when it breaks, it’s fairly inexpensive to fix! They’re so well engineered!
But I always find the driving manners too flaccid and insipid even for my tastes. I have tried, hard, to like the Camry, but They’re always an endless sea of characterless grey plastic inside and out and then the steering has absolutely no feel to it, and the whole car to me seems limp and floppy. I also could not stand the lumpy, extruded look of the Generation 3. I actually drove a Camry as often as I could stand it when I worked for Hertz in the late ’90’s, a Gen 4 model, and it was bland, bland, bland, and seemed even limper than my Ciera (granted, I’m not a sporting driver generally, but) and not as handsomely appointed inside. When my Dad was looking at cars in 2009-2011 even he found it insipid and ended up buying a Charger instead, which he says is fun, and I wholeheartedly agree.
I also didn’t like the Sienna when I was looking at minivans two years ago; it had a loose and junky feel which I was DEFINITELY not expecting out of a Toyota. Lots of pieces felt like they were not well attached.
But I can respect the Camry and wouldn’t damn it with words like Lemming mobile. I don’t care for it, but I’d unhesitatingly recommend one to someone who likes such things.
Savage, have you driven the latest iteration, the 2019 model?
Although still not as “sporty” as an Accord or Mazda; the newest update does have less of an appliance feel; perhaps a car that a car enthusiast can tolerate.
It’s a good question, because I think it may reflect how hard it is to change longstanding perceptions of an automobile nameplate. For years the Camry was very dull and remote feeling from behind the wheel (though not nearly as remote as a Ciera), and while the SE trim in the 2007 generation didn’t exactly make it a tactile Accord-fighter, “Limp and Floppy” haven’t been appropriate descriptors since then. Our 2016 XSE felt sharper and more responsive in normal driving than the contemporary Accord, to the detriment of ride quality. The current Camry SE has landed on a very good balance of responsiveness, refinement, and ride composure that reminded me of the VW that I miss.
There used to be clear distinctions in how the cushy family sedans like the Camry and the sportier ones like the Accord drove. They’ve all seemed to converge in the center now–the Camry isn’t as cushy, the Accord isn’t that sporty, and the differences between are rather small in my opinion.
Last month I took delivery of my third Camry, 1999 and 2011 models before this 2019 model.
I test drove the Camry, Accord, Mazda and Hyundai before deciding on another Camry. Mixed emotions on all, each had much to offer.
The Hyundai just didn’t seem to have the refinement and long term quality “feel” of “stay together longevity” of the Camry and Accord.
The Mazda felt more “sporty”; at the cost of ride comfort and interior quietness.
The peaky acceleration of the turbo 4 cylinder in the Accord was irritating to me; as was the constant drone of it’s CVT transaxle.
“Evvah-buddyz Diffnt”; “different horses for different courses.”
As with the last two purchases, this 2019 Camry appears/appeared to be the best overall compromise of what was available in my price range.
Congrats! What trim did you pick?
Petrichor: The LE model was the best compromise for me. A very well equipped car!
The slight handling increase of the SE model gave me an undesirable trade off in ride quality. New Orleans has some seriously large pot holes and decomposing streets!
I didn’t want a sunroof, leather interior or automatic climate control air conditioning; so the other models “didn’t do much” for me.
The “internet manager” emailed me a darn good, wayyyyy below retail sticker price quote for the Galactic Aqua Mica exterior/Macadamia fabric interior choice I picked out from the internet site. I did have to special order this color combo (at no extra charge) to get this one. I couldn’t/wouldn’t tolerate any silver or white exterior/dark gray/black interiors that the dealer had in stock!
Excellent, a real exterior and interior color combination. Easy discount on a special order as well, isn’t it nice to have all the power in the transaction? Shows how far the midsize sedan segment has fallen in popularity, but that gives you a very nice car for a small price.
I had a Cutlass Ciera and a Gen 3 Camry and…no. The Olds was far worse from behind the wheel. I hit inadvisable speeds on deserted two lanes in both cars and the Olds was terrifying while the Camry felt just fine. And the new ones are far more composed. It may be time to let go of some long-standing biases.
The real predecessor of all these cars is really the Renault 16 of the ’60s . The only difference is the longitudinal engine of the R16 .