Faults:

The only problem that I have so far is the central locking. Sometimes when I use the remote locking, the front door will not lock.

Engine had sludge (previous owner didn't change oil for nearly 4 years).

Boot flooring is not a single piece.

HAIL STORM IN MELBOURNE - It gave my car lots of dints >:(

General Comments:

I'm a uni student who has to drive everyday to uni. I'm also a car enthusiast, so I clean and maintain my car maybe too much :)

I previously had a 1993 Mitsubishi Magna 3.2L V6, and that car was very unstable and the engine was poorly built. After it was written off by an elderly driver, my parents bought me a Toyota Camry V6 Conquest. The first thing I noticed was the engine smoothness. Rev the engine to 4k RPM and the car wouldn't rattle or engine grunt. Bought the car for $6500 AUD. I'm the 3rd owner of this car, where the 1st owner used it as a company car.

Ever since buying it I only changed the oil with Castrol Edge 5-30W synthetic oil twice by myself to fix the sludge problem. People who say using synthetic oil on this car will ruin it are WRONG. My engine runs even smoother now.

The car came with Michelin XM1+ tyres, and they were very good. For the tyres (205/65R15) I found after using and researching that the best tyres for this car were Dunlop SP Sport Response. The Dunlop just edge out Michelin in overall performance of dry/wet grip and braking.

For engine performance, it's very good for a 12 year old car. 0-100km/h for mine was 7.8secs. People consider a Camry driver to be slow and old. I'm the opposite. Since Australia have too many hoon drivers that drive Commodores and Falcons; police would never consider a Camry driver to be reckless. But I do stick to the rules.

Suspension is soft, so the comfort is excellent. Cornering is lost, but is compensated up by the car being low and wide. Steering is responsive and good for a car this size.

After test driving a Toyota Aurion V6, I found that cabin noise was louder than my 1998 Camry. Even though the Aurion has insane power, I won't be moving over straight away because this car is perfect for me.

Faults:

I have just purchased the car, so no mechanical dramas yet, other than a routine timing belt change.

General Comments:

Having previously owned two modified Toyotas, a '94 Celica and an '89 Corolla SX, I was drawn to the Camry for the prospect of a reliable, practical, comfortable and attention-free ownership experience.

The first positive point is that used Camry's are ridiculously good value. The volatile petrol prices of the past 2-3 years seems to have spooked used-car buyers away from anything perceived as "largish". This has meant the better equipped, more comfortable and only slightly less fuel-efficient Camry is commanding prices that are the same, and often quite less than, comparable Toyota Corollas. Find a low-km example owned by a retiree, and the reliability/value equation is further turned in favour of the Camry over used-car competitors.

In 2.2L manual guise, the Camry does very well to disguise it's lack of outright grunt. This in part due to a throttle cable calibration that seems to amplify small throttle openings, working with the torquey 2.2 to make the Camry feel very relaxed as it accelerates to a cruising speed. For the Camry's size and space, it is also exceptionally light - only around 200kg more than my previous cramped Celica with which it shared it's mechanical underpinnings. On Australia's viciously policed interstate and coastal highways, the Camry's engine combo adapts perfectly to a 110km/h cruising speed. I'm sure the V6 is as great as it's said to be, but 99% of the time the 2.2 is perfectly adequate.

Compared to my previous Toyota's, the comfort of this Camry is a revelation. The cabin is large, serene and of obvious quality. NVH is great, though the 2.2 can get a little vibey.

On first encounter, real-world handling seems quite good. The nose turns in quickly and precisely, and bumps do not upset the car.

Obviously I haven't driven the car much yet, but for now I couldn't be happier and can't wait to see how it performs on drives down the coast, semi laden with stuff for those weekend camping escapes.