2003 Toyota Camry LE

Summary:

Overall great car, but mine suffered the stripped head bolt problem

Faults:

Almost no issues aside from a recent head gasket problem. The car ran great for years, but apparently has a known issue with stripping head bolts because of the aluminum block.

General Comments:

I would definitely get another Toyota, but I would be wary of cars this old. I thought it would last up to 200,000 miles if properly maintained, but not in my case. I liked the ride, reliability, and the cost to own my Camry, but I would really consider getting one this old again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th July, 2015

2003 Toyota Camry XLE V6

Summary:

It's a reliable first car

Faults:

One thing that I have disliked about this car is that it pulls left for no reason.

Another problem is that I want to put subwoofers in the car. And I had everything to do it until I found out that in order to put in a new head unit for the stereo, I would need to buy a $150 adapter harness; there goes a day of my life and $400 down the drain. Ended up reselling all my stuff. Got most of my money back.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th December, 2010

2003 Toyota Camry LE 2.4L 4 cylinder

Summary:

Loved my 2003 Camry, and had no problems

Faults:

Nothing went wrong on my Camry until someone totaled it by hitting me head-on.

The only complaint I had with it was that the wheel covers seemed to stick out further than the tires, so it was very easy to scratch those by hitting a curb, and they were expensive to replace (about $85 each).

And it was hard to parallel park, because it was hard to see out the back window when parking.

But other than those two things, I really loved my Camry.

General Comments:

Comfortable ride and roomy interior.

Easy to do routine maintenance at home instead of having to pay the dealer.

Very safe vehicle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd August, 2010

2003 Toyota Camry LX 2.4L

Summary:

The best car on the road -- for every reason!

Faults:

This car has been a dream car.

I got exactly what I wanted from the dealer at the price I had in mind in 2002 (after walking away and going home 3 times!) that is.

I got everything from the moon roof, leather interior, and spoiler -- I didn't like the colors though so wound up with black, silver interior.

The only negative we would say is the paint job alligators -- it never looked that great from day one.

General Comments:

I bought this car for the ease of handling and leg room, because I have tall kids.

The cassette tape/single CD player sucks but...

I've driven in rain, snow, desert... never any problem.

Most importantly, I've never had any kind of A/C, tranny, or engine trouble, and I drive in Houston traffic daily.

The only thing I've ever needed on this car was tires -- having put all but 41 of 77k miles, I'm on my third set.

No timing belt to change, so I don't expect future engine problems either.

Because of the seats laying down and open to the trunk, I have carried lots of things we never dreamed, i.e., carpet, tables, chairs, etc.

We are looking again because my 20 YO is getting this Camry now, but I'm afraid to get another car because this one has been so perfect.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st July, 2010

1st Aug 2010, 22:27

"We are looking again because my 20 YO is getting this Camry now, but I'm afraid to get another car because this one has been so perfect."

It sounds like you would be interested in the contents of a website named TrueDelta. It gives odds that a car you buy would be a lemon (more than 3 repairs per year) or likely would be 0 repairs per year. To see those results though you need to sign up with your vehicle information, as that is how they collect the statistics. These kinds of statistics are quite different than the type reported by Consumer Reports for instance.

If you are like most Camry owners I know, I think you will be surprised to learn that there are many other makes of vehicles that have similar or better reliability to the Camry. It does seem to be true that the new Camries are not quite as good as the old ones, although they are still good, with the four cylinder ones being better than the six cylinder ones.