1999 Toyota Camry LE from North America

Summary:

Reliable, but not perfect

Faults:

The suspension needed work. Replaced struts.

The lights on the trunk lid went out. The wires are strapped to the trunk hinge, and the opening and closing of the trunk eventually caused a breakage. Very poor design. It was a real pain to splice the wires, and set it up so it would not have stress on the wires when moving the trunk lid.

Radiator had to be replaced at about 140,000 miles.

General Comments:

Seats are not that great.

The car has been quite reliable.

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

Review Date: 19th March, 2012

1999 Toyota Camry XLE 3.0 V6 from North America

Summary:

9 out of 10

Faults:

Motor fan failed at 220,000 Km.

Power steering oil began to leak at 310,000 km.

Fuel tank leaked at 300,000 km.

Dashboard light went out at 270,000 km.

Headlight started to dim from 290,000 km.

Throttle Body needed cleaning at 210,000 km.

Traction control failed at 300,000 km.

General Comments:

It is a well built car. Quiet and very nice ride.

It gave me very little trouble until after 9 years, when the odo reached 260,000 km. Since it is very expensive to fix cars in Canada, I just traded the 12.5 old Camry in for another Toyota.

At 325,000 km, engine and transmission are in very good shape. AC, all power windows, and locks are working. I wish I'd had more tools, skills and time to fix this car, instead of having to trade it in.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th November, 2011

1999 Toyota Camry LE 3.0L V6 from North America

Summary:

Pretty good... but wish it was more reliable

Faults:

Had timing belt and water pump replaced at 85000 when I bought it (preventative maintenance).

Check engine light went on at about 99000 miles. Checked it now and had to replace EGR valve and lift sensor... total cost with labor $500. Did I overpay?

General Comments:

Quite and powerful... generally satisfied, but wish it would be more reliable since I did not expect this EGR problem... however, it is a known problem with this model.

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

Review Date: 30th November, 2010

21st Nov 2012, 01:23

Only on a Toyota can one complain about reliability when an emissions component goes out. Drive a Taurus 60000 miles and then talk about reliability...

1999 Toyota Camry LE 6 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Reliable

Faults:

The tires that came with this year and model have been replaced after owning the car for 1 year.

After 4 years, the brake light on the dash came on; ignored it, doesn't hurt anything.

At about 60,000 the check engine light would come on; disconnected the battery and it's gone. Still have the original battery in the car, starts at minus 30. Gets 27 miles per gallon. Change oil and filter every 3000 miles.

Have always kept seats covered, kept the car very clean. Just had some dings and dents repaired at very good body shop.

The car has 67,955 miles on it. Awesome car; wish new models were this reliable.

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

Review Date: 12th July, 2010

1999 Toyota Camry LE 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Toyota is a great vehicle period

Faults:

Purchased this '99 Camry LE 6 cylinder in 2003 with 60 thousand miles. Loved this vehicle ever since.

Had charcoal canister, all gaskets, timing belt, water pump replaced at 120 thousand miles, and not a problem since besides regular maintenance.

Now check engine light is on. Started with cheapest, worked my way up; began with tightened gas cap, replaced gas cap, get a free diagnostic test, replaced EGR valve...

Keep driving, when time comes for a replacement vehicle, you can bet you boots it will be the same vehicle.

General Comments:

Just like anything else, it requires REGULAR maintenance.

If you ride your horse everyday with no food, water or rest.. guess what??? The horse will begin having problems, and you will be looking to replace the horse.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st March, 2010

1999 Toyota Camry CSi wagon 3.0 litre V6 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Crossed Australia ten times and never let me down! Fantastic!

Faults:

Almost nothing has gone wrong.

Recently had the brake rotors machined.

When I first bought it, the 'check engine' light came on. Took it to Toyota and they fixed whatever the problem was for $200. Except for the light, I couldn't tell that anything was wrong - it still drove and sounded fine.

General Comments:

I can't express just how positive I feel about this car. I took this year off work and did several camping trips around Australia in this car. From Melbourne, it's crossed the country in several directions ten times and never let me down. This is incredibly important in a big country like Australia, where much of the country is very sparsely populated. If your car breaks down, you could be waiting a considerable amount of time for help, and that help could be very expensive. I never felt I had to worry with the Camry, because, despite its age and kilometres, it always starts, it always sounds and drives smoothly and quietly, and never does anything that would be a cause for concern.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th December, 2009

7th Jun 2012, 22:08

As of June 2012, my car has now done 338,000 km and still going strong. No breakdowns, always starts, no major component failures, and the original transmission is still working fine and shifts smoothly.

I've had a couple of steering rack-boots replaced, had the timing belt changed (it didn't break, it was due to be changed) and those machined brake rotors I mentioned in the original review had to be replaced about a year later.

At the start of this year, my mechanic noticed that the power steering pump had finally started to develop a leak, but there have been no other leaks anywhere from the vehicle.

I keep thinking about buying another car, just for a change, but it simply doesn't make sense when this one is still running so well, and never causes me any grief.

In reply to 7th Jun 2012, 22:08

10th Aug 2015, 11:16

OP again. The car recently clicked over 460,000 km, and despite a creaking suspension, it's still going strong; always starts and never breaks down. Engine is still quiet, smooth and gutsy. The indicators screwed up about a year ago and cost $200 to fix, but that's all.

However, I finally decided to bite the bullet and get something newer. I'm picking up a four year old RAV4 tomorrow. I thought I wouldn't bother buying another car until something went wrong with the Camry, but I got sick of waiting! It just seems like it will never die! I was going to buy a Nissan X-trail (I wanted something with mild off-road ability and decent ground clearance), but I guess you could say I chickened out - I've had such a good run with my Camry, I just felt another Toyota would be a safe bet.

I may end up keeping the Camry as well, because it certainly wouldn't be worth any decent money now anyway - particularly since I spray-painted it Mission Brown!

In reply to 10th Aug 2015, 11:16

10th Aug 2015, 21:27

I have had RAV4s for over 8 years (4 Rav4s - 2 years lease) now and they have all been lease vehicles thru my company. They are actually a Camry engine (2.4L) and you'll be surprised how good they are, and they do nearly everything that a Hilux can do. I have taken it to many tracks for my projects, and I was totally amazed. The Nissan X-Trail or Honda CRV look like SUVs, but if you read forums or try one yourself when it comes to offroading - you'll be disappointed. The RAV4 does get cabin noises, but everything else is awesome. I prefer the 2006-2012 shape more than newer shape when it comes to handling, but overall you won't be disappointed.