15th Nov 2010, 09:15
Maybe, maybe not. This review has got to be one of the longest of things gone wrong I have seen on this site. My friend was looking at a 1999 Camry and I wanted to see what I could expect since we're good friends, but this may sway him. The list is excessive, even before the accidents (yes, I read the review. An accident at 99K and again at around 104K).
14th Jan 2011, 11:20
I really cannot believe some people that are posting reviews on this site based almost PURELY on aesthetics like cup-holders and glove box fitting...
TO THE POSTER OF THE REVIEW:
It sounds to me like you got a fairly worry free run with this Camry. I have read nothing that says you had to pay through the nose for your crooked dealer to replace a head gasket (and/or cylinder head), transmission or replace an entire engine.
I'm 18, I'm a P plater (soon be off them) and I drive sensibly - (therefore my opinion is still valid). I have a certificate in automotive and have always worked on cars. I am not however a fully qualified mechanic, I merely completed a course whilst I was studying at school because I'm a car enthusiast.
My advice to you is that you should get to know how a car works, spend some time researching development of the modern automobile, and the major parts that make up a car's construction.
Personally, I'd never take a car to a dealership for routine maintenance (oil change, spark plugs, etc).
You could easily learn to do these things personally.
I'm gradually teaching my girlfriend how to service her car; her father and I taught her to change the oil (including filter obviously), replace spark plugs, and as of tonight, I have instructed her on how to change tail/reverse/brake light bulbs.
Were I you, I would consider taking a course in vehicle maintenance - you will save thousands of dollars in service fees.
As far as the whole new cars vs. old cars argument goes, I doubt I'll ever buy a brand new car. Our family car (for 15+ years) was our trusty EA Falcon wagon, this is a car from 1989 with nearly 400 000 kms on the clock and let me tell you - it still runs as smoothly as most of my friends' more modern cars. I have a 1967 Holden HR in the garage (from my father), and dad has his 1976 F100 sitting in there with it for the moment - these are of FAR higher build quality than any modern car I've been in.
I was lucky enough to drive the Falcon for approximately six months (before my driving became so centred in city driving) as both my parents have their own cars.
None of these cars have have a "check engine" light. The only warning light you should need is the check alternator or "charge" light.
Nobody should need a check oil light to tell them to check their oil, this is part of daily vehicle maintenance.
As far as "check engine" lights go, my car (1986 AE82 twin cam Corolla) has one of these lights, I don't even know if it actually works as it has never gone off, and I know that I'd never trust it anyway. I check my oil at least twice a week (depending on how many kms I'm driving), and I've never had an engine failure of any type.
I think the reason your Camry was struggling up hills was not because of lack of power, but lack of torque (a common problem in 3 or 4 cylinder engines). 120HP is plenty of power for a car that size.
For example, my HR (2.6L 6 cylinder) is only rated at perhaps a third of that, but it is quite a torquey engine.
Realistically torque is a more important figure to look at when you're thinking of buying a car (essentially torque is the "twisting" power of the engine). Cars that have engines with large amounts of torque low down in the rev range, allow the car to cruise along at low revs up hill.
I don't know the specifications of the engine in the 2001 model Camry (I'm familiar with the older Camry engines).
Being a four cylinder design, my guess is that it is fairly devoid of the "low down" torque that owners of big sixes and eights enjoy.
This is not a fault with the car, you can't expect to have a fuel efficient four cylinder engine and still get a heap of torque to pull you up hills. If you are really worried about the lack of torque you get from your car, perhaps you should consider buying a car with a decent amount of torque in the lower rev range. i.e. a six or eight cylinder car.
To put it frankly, I find this entire review to be melodramatic and over-picky. Not only because you have pointed out a lot of "problems" which are general wear and tear, but because you have basically told a person who claims to be a mechanic that his advice is incorrect.
You admit that you have practically zero knowledge of cars, which makes me wonder why you thought his comments were wrong..?
14th Jan 2011, 15:17
To the January 14th commenter:
Where did the original reviewer say that a mechanic's advice was incorrect?
10th Aug 2010, 19:35
It's funny that you'd write this for this particular comment. Did you even read this comment, or just that bit of it? It clearly states this Camry has been in 2 accidents, totaling it each time. It still drove fine after being "totaled" the first time, but after the second time the original reviewer decided not to fix it again. This Camry has more than suffered some abuse, and it would have probably kept going a lot farther had it not been totaled in an accident. Read the comment, you can bash the Camry (or Toyota) all you want, but doing it on this comment doesn't make much sense at all.