2nd Sep 2008, 10:01
You see many older Camrys in our area, and many are in great shape and look very good. However, upon closer inspection virtually all are owned by elderly people who are retired and drive very little. We have an elderly relative who drives an '01 Camry that looks showroom fresh. But she has driven the car a whopping 31,000 miles in those 7 years and keeps the car garaged. Most people here who buy Camrys are in their 60's or 70's. They don't drive much. I know of virtually no younger people who drive Camrys.
I have never seen any Camry with over 130,000 miles on it, and the one with 130,000 miles was owned by a friend who had had major engine repairs done at around 120,000 miles. I'm not convinced of the reliability of these cars. I don't know where all these 300,000 mile Camrys are hiding, but it isn't around here.
3rd Sep 2008, 14:21
If you enjoy a particular vehicle, whether it be an "import" or a "domestic", just buy it. Whether it be a Honda built in the US by Americans, or an AMERICAN Chevy which just might happen to have a Chinese built engine. The water has long been muddied, and all vehicles are basically "World Cars" now.
8th Sep 2008, 04:54
All I can say reading various "anti Camry" comments is that most of them are besides the point:
1. Nobody wants the US auto industry dead. That said, Toyota directly employs tens of thousands and indirectly in the hundreds of thousands region.
2. It's true GM/Ford/Chrysler have started making quality cars lately, at least more than they used to, that does not mean that Toyota has started making bad cars.
3. Toyota is better quality than GM/Ford/Chrysler and that's why people have been flocking to buy them in the last years.
4. The Camry is an everyday warrior and I see tons of them every day when I commute to work. To say that only senior citizens buy the Camry is not true.
5. The big three's problem started some years back when they started producing crappy cars. In addition they did not take the customers seriously when they started complaining. Current problems is a result of people not trusting them. Stop blaming Toyota for this.
6. Most die-hard Camry drivers have driven other brands, like me. The reason I'm a die-hard Camry driver is that this car is just so much better than the crap made by Ford I used to drive. That does not mean that I will not buy a Ford in the future, but Ford need to convince me, and there lies the problem.
9th Sep 2008, 11:07
Looking at the Camry reviews, it seems that many Camry owners are not of the opinion that Toyota quality is all that good.
16th Sep 2008, 16:55
Just out of curiosity, I checked the Pontiac Grand Prix reviews back to 1995. They have a far higher "Would buy another" rating than Camry. This holds true for most comparable domestics. That is just one example.
17th Sep 2008, 22:20
I have absolutely no regard for 'who would buy another... whatever' kind of vehicle. Please don't even try to compare a Camry, or any other Toyota with a Grand Prix in terms of quality. The Grand Prix is a joke compared to a Toyota, and so is anything else that the Big 3 make.
Just one of many examples, but my next door neighbor's Toyota Tercel has over 300,000 miles on it, and is still running. It has never had any major work. Just consumable parts, (belts, hoses, brakes).
Be honest with yourself. In reality, go look for a Grand Prix, or any other domestic car for that matter, that ACTUALLY has 300,000 miles on it. Good luck.
18th Sep 2008, 23:10
I guess all the folks who rated the 2007 Grand Prix the "Best Large Sedan" in J.D. Powers ratings above the much more expensive Toyota Avalon (the Camry is not even in the same category with the Grand Prix) were all "mistaken". Somehow I don't think so.
I've driven Camrys and I've driven Grand Prixs and, NO, they are not remotely comparable. The Grand Prix is larger, more plush and comfortable, drives better and has a design appeal much higher than a Maytag washing machine. Camry is decent basic transportation. The Grand Prix is a car.
19th Sep 2008, 17:36
Yeah, using couch-like seats, and a bunch of switches and dials and useless options, they distract you from the fact that the engine and transmission are still of poor design. Lotta good those seats will do when it's in the shop for a scattered transmission, and the 'appliance-like' Toyota is still running and will be for another 150,000.
21st Sep 2008, 08:17
Really? Last I heard, Toyota's are the biggest pieces of garbage on the road and people are finally starting to realize it. Take a look at these customer experiences below.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_engine.html
I think the real issue here is that Toyota just has a group of loyalists who refuse to challenge their beliefs and accept the truth.
21st Sep 2008, 21:18
21:09, Oh yeah? Who rated a Grand Prix higher in reliability than a Camry? What's the source?
23rd Sep 2008, 11:53
Both Consumer Reports and J.D. Powers and Associates have relegated the problem-prone Camry to a less than reliable status, and Consumer Reports dropped both the Camry V-6 and Tundra from their "recommended" lists.
The Pontiac Grand Prix beat out all comers in its class in 2007, including the much more expensive Toyota Avalon. It was chosen "Best in class" by J.D. Powers.
The Ford Mustang has topped the sporty coupe field (which includes the Toyota Solara, a two-door Camry) for the past three years running.
I think comment 08:17 makes a valid point. It's obvious that Toyota loyalists are not basing their opinions on current models or the facts. If you have not so much as SAT IN a domestic in 17 years, and base your assessment of domestics on a used Ford you bought with 200,000 miles already on it, you are hardly qualified to make a sound judgment on ANY car, foreign or domestic.
I currently own three domestics, one with 75,000 miles on it. All are, and have been from day one, 100% perfect in every respect. Reliability is flawless, fit and finish is better than new imports, and the interiors are much more plush and comfortable.
It is ironic that a commenter supporting imports would bash DOMESTIC transmissions. Honda has become notorious for "disposable" automatic transmissions, and the only car I've known of personally that had an early transmission failure was a friend's Camry. I've never had a domestic transmission failure in any of mine, nor do I know anyone who has.
GM transmissions are some of the best on the planet, as are Chrysler's. I've had less experience with Ford automatics, but the ones we've had have never had a single problem. That includes one with over 300,000 miles on it when it was traded.
27th Aug 2008, 10:29
This review makes a great point. Toyota has definitely dropped the ball on quality and no longer builds reliable vehicles if they ever did. I don't know anyone who has ever owned a Camry regardless of the year that did not have big problems well before 100,000 miles.