1998 Toyota Camry LE 2.2 I4 from North America

Summary:

Trouble free, well crafted car

Faults:

Slight oil leak when car was first purchased. Fixed by dealer under warranty.

CD player quit working after 1 year.

Replaced one tail light bulb recently.

No other problems to speak of.

General Comments:

4 cylinder is not too bad. It actually accelerates quite nicely.

Car is smooth and quiet unless under hard acceleration.

This car has been wonderful.

It has had no problems since I bought it. I will definately buy another Camry when this one is done, but I don't think that will be anytime soon.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th December, 2004

1998 Toyota Camry XLE V6 V6 from North America

Summary:

Toyota, need I say more?

Faults:

My husband and I purchased this vehicle in 2002. It had 100,000 miles on it. My old Toyota Camry had 160,000 miles on it, so we did not worry about the miles. We did assume that someone had driven this 1998 Camry a lot because it was only 4 years old, and it had 100,000 miles on it. We have owned this car for over two years, and we have not had to do any type of repairs to it. The only thing we have had to do is get the oil changed, of course, and replace the brakes once (after owning the car for two years). This car is the smoothest riding car. It has dual power seats, a CD player, side and front air bags, a very spacious trunk, nice aluminum wheels, and all the options a car needs. This car runs like it only has 20,000 miles on it. I do know one thing I will be driving Toyota for a long time.

General Comments:

This car might not have a sporty look to it, but the 200 horsepower V6 engine will give you power when you need it.

It is very comfortable and quiet when driving on long trips, my parent live 3 hours from me.

This is the best purchase (besides our house) my husband and I have ever made.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th December, 2004

1998 Toyota Camry LE from North America

Summary:

Doesn't live up to the hype!!!

Faults:

Front Struts rattle all the time.

Automatic Window switches have started acting up at 90,000 miles.

Seats are very uncomfortable on long trips.

Arm rests on front seats are coming unglued around window switches.

Changed out water pump and timing belt at 85,000 miles.

At 115,000 now starting to burn oil and during start up will send huge puff of white smoke out of tail pipe. It has always had Castrol Oil change every 3000-4000 miles.

Front Head light covers are easily scratched from road pickup causing lights to look dim.

General Comments:

This car was sold to us with the label of the nations top selling sedan. I guess we were not the only ones duped then...

Toyota has a good reputation from what I hear, but this is the first one I have bought and I am not impressed.

I think the ride in my full size Chevy Pick-up is more comfortable on the highway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th October, 2004

15th Oct 2004, 11:54

That is such an accurate description of my car as well. 98 Camry Le, white smoke at startup. Lots of steering wheel vibration... which is a recall. Anyhow... not a great car.

8th Nov 2004, 13:08

Smoking at start up is one of the signs of engine sludge. You need to get it checked immediatlely. The only way to check is to remove the valve cover. Toyota will fix 1997 - 2002 Camry's for free for engine sludge, but only if you can prove reasonable maintenance.

Left unchecked, sludge can lead to catostrophic engine failure, so don't ignore this problem!

1998 Toyota Camry LE 2.4 from North America

Summary:

The Camry is a good family car, but not as trouble-free as I expected

Faults:

Water pump had to be replaced under warranty at 38,832 (was leaking).

Front Brakes are very noisy - They make a grinding sound when braking moderately hard. Had it checked out at around 35,000 - Toyota said there was no problem - I later found out there is a flaw in the brake design. On the plus side the noise stopped after a while (few years) and the brakes lasted for 70,000.

Front O2 Sensor went at 65,270.

General Comments:

I've had some problems with the car as noted above - more than I expected from a Camry.

Even though I've had some problems I still consider the car to be very reliable. It's never stranded us.

It's very comfortable, has a great ride, handles decently and is very easy to work on (oil changes are a breeze).

Also it's a great family car - we use it for long trips and my wife ferries my two young boys around town in it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 28th August, 2004