17th Aug 2009, 14:34

"I don't even believe "hundreds" let alone "millions"."

Then you've never met anyone with a Toyota then. Toyota's are good cars, unlike the pathetic domestics that are only meant to last till the end of their 100,000 mile warranty. Which isn't a bad warranty, but I'd like a vehicle that's going to last longer than the warranty, and I can't get that if I buy a domestic.

18th Aug 2009, 09:07

Oh, but I HAVE met them! I know them and work with them. People who swear by Toyota, despite having the head warp and blow a gasket on their Toyota pickup after a year, or a brand new Tacoma that won't start when it gets water sprayed on it while washing, or the battery goes dead for no reason. I have not seen any of the people I know have a 400,000 mile Toyota. What is typical is that they junk them or trade them at 150,000 miles when the wheel wells have rusted out. That is the reality.

18th Aug 2009, 18:13

There's nothing solid about domestics these days (They're really made in Mexico, Canada, & China anyway) However, you know you'll get consistent proven reliability with great looks, & economy if you buy a Camry, plus the great satisfaction of knowing that you're supporting U.S. workers, & your fellow man. I don't understand why MORE people don't buy Camrys. They are truly the best buy out there for the money.

21st Aug 2009, 07:15

Why do Camry reviews usually end up with non-Toyota owners commenting and thrash talking the Camry? If you are happy with your Fords or what ever you are driving; that's fine, but there's no need thrash talking the Camry.

The Camry is a great car and one of the best overall purchases you can do. Quite roomy, comfortable, fast (at least the the V6 version), good mpg (i4 is very good, V6 pretty good) and proven reliability. I've owned several in a row and I've never had any repairs.

There may be 'domestic' cars (usually made down south in Mexico, Brazil or even S.Korea) around that are equally good, but so far I'm playing it safe. Remember the junk that Detroit made 10/20 years back? OK, maybe they are better now, but once bitten... you know the rest.

Personally I'm playing it safe driving Toyota.

22nd Aug 2009, 15:36

"I don't even believe "hundreds" let alone "millions"."

I don't even believe "hundreds" or even "tens". I know a lot of Camry owners. Not a one of them has EVER gotten over 150,000 miles without some VERY major problems. As a mechanic I see lots of domestics with over a quarter of a million miles on the original drive train. I have never seen ONE Camry with the original engine and transmission at that mileage and I frankly don't expect to. Japanese cars are built to be disposable. You will virtually NEVER see a Honda or Toyota from the 80's, but domestics from the 70's are still pretty common. I was passed on the freeway yesterday by a mint 1971 Olds Delta 88. It was probably worth ten times what it cost new. How many 1971 Toyotas are even still in existence? Probably none. Even the frame members on Japanese vehicles are not designed to go 200,000 miles.

24th Aug 2009, 02:19

Most Toyotas runs past 150K miles with no problems. The last years I've been trading in after a few years, so I wouldn't know, but when I was younger I drove several 200K+ Camrys with few problems. A co-worker has a 1987 Camry with about 310K on the clock as a back up car. It has been owned from new with very few problems.

24th Aug 2009, 09:51

I don't try to convince domestic owners anymore. I'll just keep driving my Civic. Let them think what they want, I really don't care. The constant repairs needed by domestics keep mechanics like myself in business. The fact that domestic owners come on to a Camry review all angry is pretty sad. If their domestic vehicles are working as well as they say they are, and they aren't having problems, then they really shouldn't care that some guy in a Camry isn't having problems either. Or that some guy in a Camry is even driving said Camry. But the fact that somebody who loves their Toyota or Honda and comes on here to tell people about it, only to get blasted with angry remarks by domestic owners, tells a totally different story of how "reliable" domestics are.

24th Aug 2009, 11:11

Funny, but from where I sit, it's usually the person who dares to say something good about their Chevy, Dodge, Mercury, or Ford who gets blasted by import lovers who feel threatened that somebody is happy with their domestic.

24th Aug 2009, 12:29

I am not particular to either imports or domestics. I simply buy what I can I afford. I've owned a lot of cars and while I've had better luck with my imports, Some of my domestics have been fine as well. Here's what I've owned and the work that was done on them:

First car a 1972 Honda Civic: Got from my grandfather when it had 400,000 miles, he never repaired anything major on it and neither did I, only did basic maintenance.

1984 Honda Accord: Purchased used for $200, it didn't run when I bought it but my husband put in new spark plugs, new belts and a new battery and it ran fine after that. Drove that until it had 200,000 miles on it with no problems and then passed it on to my father-in law who drove it till it had 410,000 on it also with no major repairs.

1992 Honda Civic: Purchased new, only did basic maintenance, sold it when it had 185,000 miles.

1994 Ford Escort: Purchased new and had it delivered, paint began chipping off within a few months. Otherwise no mechanical problems. Drove it until it had about 110,000 miles.

1995 Chevrolet Lumina: Bought brand new. Entire engine needed to be replaced at 70,000 miles. Never bought a Chevy again.

1996 Honda Accord: Bought used in '98 with 45,000 miles. Replaced the radio at 163,000 because it had coffee spilled on it. Drove it for 188,000 miles with no problems. Still ran perfectly when I sold it. Wish I had kept it for longer than I did.

2002 Nissan Maxima: Bought used with 24,000 miles on it. Unfortunately had to get rid of it at 68,000 miles because it took premium fuel and I couldn't afford to fill it when gas prices began to rise. But for the time I had it, it had zero problems. Probably my favorite car out of all the cars I've owned.

2003 Ford Windstar LX: Purchased used with 31,000 miles on it. Needed a new air intake manifold at 70,000, a new alternator and starter at 73,000, had constant electrical problems that dealership never fixed, automatic transmission eventually stopped being "automatic" and had to start shifting manually through 1st and 2nd. Left me stranded twice. Sold at 105,000 miles, barely running.

2004 Ford Focus Wagon: Purchased new. Replaced brakes at 50,000 and then again at 100,000. Sold with 143,000 miles on it, no other problems besides brakes, which are wear items anyways.

My current vehicles are a 2008 Honda Civic LX that has 27,000 miles on it. Purchased new. Zero problems to date.

And I also have a 2007 Hyundai Elantra GLS, bought used in '08 with 11,437 miles on it, it now has 54,000 with zero problems to date.

Also bought a 1995 Plymouth Neon Sport used with 79,000 miles on it for my son to use in 2008. It needed a new head gasket, all 4 struts, the power steering rack and the starter replaced all within 2,000 miles. After fixing all of those, it has had no problems to date.

I simply perform all the recommended maintenance and have for ALL of my vehicles. The ONLY vehicle that ever left me stranded was my '03 Ford Windstar. I've had so many vehicles because my commute has always been about 125 miles a day, which racks up a lot of miles in a short amount of time. I'm simply stating the truth about all the vehicles I've owned, and no one has to believe me, I know what happened with them. So import lovers say what you want, and domestic lovers you do the same. I'm just telling you my experiences with the vehicles I've owned.