2004 Toyota Camry LE

Summary:

Toyota, the perfect car. Whenever this one goes, I will buy another

Faults:

Radio just went out, however the CD player still works.

General Comments:

I have had Chevrolet products my whole life except for my first new car, which was a 1983 Ford Escort. The worst car I ever owned.

In 2004 I purchased a brand new 2004 Toyota Camry LE. I still have the car because it has been the best car I ever owned. I have kept up all the maintenance and hauled grand kids for the past three years. The seats do not show any wear, however I have to clean the carpets due to the kids. I don't have the rattles people mentioned unless I leave change or toys in the doors. I have had no problems other than general maintenance.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th November, 2009

2004 Toyota Camry SE 2.4

Summary:

A good performance luxury car - I love it!!

General Comments:

The 2.4 manual transmission is quite peppy and excellent on gas. The SE model contains an upper stabilizer bar which gives the car a sportier stiffness around corners, without compromising a very smooth ride. The interior is very comfy and I love all of the leather/power/sunroof options. The stereo delivers great sound, to complete the perfect ride!

My only complaints are:

- Cheapness of some interior parts; the faux chrome is wearing around the inside door handles and is unsightly.

- The sun visors are very loose and tend to swivel around corners

- Sunroof rattles a little

- Orange on grey instrument panel took some getting used to.

Although the car is over 5 years old, I'm hoping to get at least another 7-8 years out of it. It was challenging finding a mid-sized 5 speed of this caliber within my price range. The next owner of this car will be the scrapyard, hopefully many years down the road.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th November, 2008

24th Nov 2008, 16:01

How rare are the 2002-06 Camry's with the 5 speed manual? They are really hard to find with manual tranny that's for sure.

4th Jul 2009, 08:59

Overall this car has been a great, reliable car. It is comfortable and fun to drive.

The only problem I've had is a few squeaks in the front and the steering wheel occasionally squeaks when I turn it.

15th Sep 2010, 11:58

Original poster follow up...

The car is nearly at 200km, and I've put 70km on since I bought it used. Aside from regular maintenance, I've had zero issues, and it looks and drives just as nicely as the day I bought it.

I love this car!

In reply to 15th Sep 2010, 11:58

15th Jan 2015, 00:08

...update from original poster

Well, at nearly 340,000 km the car shows no signs of dying.

I had the clutch replaced at 273,000 km and the front struts at 320,000 km, along with the power steering lines, and the muffler replaced in the past few years due to harsh Canadian winters.

Aside from this, absolutely nothing has been put into it outside of regular maintenance items. Even the battery is factory original and keeps cranking no problem, despite the -25C weather.

It is starting to use a tiny bit of oil (half a litre between changes), which is forgivable given the mileage.

2004 Toyota Camry SE 3.3L

Summary:

Valves broken at 75333 miles

Faults:

Valve train on the number one cylinder broke without reason. The car was well serviced and taken care of. Regular maintenance was done per the book.

Very surprised at this failure, as the Toyota name goes with quality, especially the Camry.

With only 75333 miles on it, my mechanic was simply stunned, as was I.

Toyota was no help, and was unconcerned with my request for a failure analysis on the engine.

I have bought my last Camry. I will stick to the Honda Accord.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th October, 2008

4th Jul 2011, 09:16

Camry 3.3??? Where did you come up with that??? The V6 ones are 3.0L!

5th Jul 2011, 15:10

I'm sorry you got taken by ad hype. 2004 was the year that Toyota really started declining in quality. I'm sure yours probably has the exhaust system dragging on the ground, just like every 2004-2006 Camry I see. Toyota was too cheap to put a proper bracket on these cars to hold the exhaust, and after a couple of months they end up on the ground. This was also about the time the quality control started going down on the car's mechanical components as well. There was engine sludging and a number of other very serious issues.

Always do some research before buying any car based on ad hype. Much of what you read in ads can be very misleading. Toyota has an ad out now saying they are the "best selling cars"...and that is true in the WORLD market, but in the U.S. GM outsells them 2 to 1. Even Chrysler outsells them in the U.S. In fact in June 2011 Kia/Hyundai outsold Toyota 2 to 1 in the U.S.

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