7th Mar 2012, 12:51
After the disastrous 2007 Camry (which Consumer Reports apologized for giving an undeserved "recommended" status to) and the largest recalls in the automotive industry since its beginning (court ordered at that), Toyota has striven to at least give the impression of having started to build more reliable, safer cars like Ford and GM. Their sales still trail GM nationally and worldwide, and will continue to do so until they can finally build a truly safe and dependable car.
7th Mar 2012, 14:55
Why is there still discussion about 2007 Camrys on a 2012 Camry review? Perhaps if anything, bringing up this one, single instance of failure, with a model that has had an almost stellar product run, with having gained the reputation of reliability and quality via years of simply being a good product, more or less proves that it is in fact a great car. If all that can be used as a means to try and disprove its reputation, is an issue from 2007 (which by the way I believe that was actually for 2006 V6 6 speed Camrys, not 2007) where a simple snap ring came loose in a few - a problem that has LONG since been fixed, then try and compare it to other models.
I know for fact that there are MANY other cars made by other various manufacturers that had long laundry lists of issues, and what's more - often times those problems aren't actually fixed. At least Toyota swiftly took care of that issue.
The commentator was happy with their purchase. Obviously Toyota did their job. Let it be.
10th Mar 2012, 15:55
Yup. I called it and I was right. No sooner did this review come in, then someone brought up how all Toyotas are awful, and death traps doomed to be recalled any minute. Oh, and GM is number one in everything.
11th Mar 2012, 16:21
GM is fine, and my family has 3 females, all have the new 2012 Mazdas. Great cars. The touring models were picked over the Sport model. They like the integral Bluetooth as they live on the phone. We gave up on Toyota and Hondas.
12th Mar 2012, 23:05
I'm seeing more and more bad reviews (and comments) regarding Toyota. People seem blind to the fact that Toyota quality has been on the decline for a decade. Obviously Toyota buyers don't read much, or they would be aware that they have experienced a huge number of serious issues since 2000. How can any manufacturer, who has recalled more cars than many car companies have built in their entire history, be considered to be building a high quality vehicle?
13th Mar 2012, 13:31
... Seeing "bad reviews" doesn't really mean much, when the majority of the negative, anti-import comments are being made by the same people over and over again...
14th Mar 2012, 16:28
What about all the negative reviews, I suppose those are all made up by the same people too?
15th Mar 2012, 12:32
steven@carsurvey.org here.
Some clarification is obviously needed.
There are a small number of regular visitors, who post a lot of comments. The profile is almost identical for people on both sides of the regular arguments, such as whether domestic cars are higher quality than import cars. There are a handful of people who post at some point almost every week (usually posting the 3 comment daily maximum in one go), with a larger number of less frequent visitors, who pitch in on a semi-regular basis. Basically the sort of distribution you'd expect.
As you'd also expect, for different arguments, people take different sides. So being "pro domestic" doesn't predict your position on SUV safety, environmental concerns, etc. Some of the most heated arguments have been between people who the day before, were agreeing strongly on a different issue.
Reviews are policed very differently. Posting multiple or fake reviews is taken very seriously. I actively look for any suspicious patterns in the reviews, and have removed reviews and banned people in the past for trying manipulate the site. The only exception where multiple reviews is tolerated, is for a small number of different vehicles, or if an updated review is submitted, in which case I'll consolidate the new and old review into one in some appropriate manner.
Steven Jackson, CSDO Media Limited (site admin)
16th Mar 2012, 16:49
A "negative review" is usually an HONEST review. People experience problems with vehicles and find this a good forum to vent their frustrations.
Of course there are biases. People who are very pro-American are going to resent comments trying to put down American cars, workers and American industry in general. Wild exaggerations such as "domestics break down TEN TIMES as often as imports" need to be countered with facts. No repair research has ever shown any import to be even TWICE as reliable as the worst domestic. Generally the difference is in tenths or hundredths of a percentage point at the best.
People making ludicrous claims such as "ALL FOUR of my discs and calipers failed at the same time on my GM", need to be confronted with the extreme statistical improbability of such an occurrence (or have it pointed out that an unscrupulous shop took unfair advantage of them).
When an extreme bias toward foreign cars results in attacks on American cars, workers and American industries in general, a response is both appropriate and called for.
17th Mar 2012, 05:05
I have been driving for over 40 years and I have owned the following vehicles (in this order) -
1967 VW Beetle
1968 Chevelle Malibu
1973 Opel
1974 Camaro Type LT
1977 Vega GT
1973 Dodge Van
1978 Chevy Van
1970 Bronco
1974 VW Super Beetle
1982 VW Rabbit Convertible
1987 Nissan Pathfinder SE
1986 Pontiac Firebird
1970 VW Beetle
1987 VW Jetta GLI
1988 VW Jetta GL
1987 VW Cabriolet
1985 VW Cabriolet
2002 Pontiac Sunfire
2002 VW Jetta Wagon GLX
1995 Jeep Wrangler Sport
2003 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
1990 Geo Prizm
2004 Jeep Liberty Limited
1993 VW Cabriolet
1995 Jeep Wrangler Sport
2003 Saab 9-3 SE Convertible
2005 Jeep Liberty Limited
2007 Jeep Liberty Limited
2001 Chrysler Sebring LXI Convertible
I must say that most were very good automobiles, with the exception of the Dodge Van, and a very used VW. It seems to me the import/domestic argument really have played its course, and it comes down to what you prefer, and what you prefer to drive just might not be what your neighbor prefers, and that should be okay too.
I currently drive a 5 year old Liberty & an 11 year old Sebring, and enjoy them both. If I had to pick one, I would go with the Sebring because of its exceptional fuel mileage, and the fact that it is a convertible, but then again, come winter I'd be wanting my Jeep. I purposely looked for a 2007 Liberty, because I personally am not a fan of the 2008 & up Dodge Nitro based Libertys.
I'm sure many consider my choices "junk", however I've found them to be solid & reliable vehicles.
As you can see, I did not own many Japanese vehicles, however the Nissan & the Geo were both solid and reliable vehicles - in fact I owned the Pathfinder for 13 years (purchased new in 1987). Personally, I prefer my Jeeps over the Pathfinder, but keep in mind this was a 1987 model.
Favorites? I would say the 1993 VW Cabriolet and the 2001 Sebring, and I've enjoyed every Wrangler & Liberty as well.
The Saab 9-3 would have made the favorite list if not for one major (IMO) flaw - it had way too much chassis flex (felt through the steering wheel). How GM could put a nearly $43,000 price on something with so much body flex is beyond me. Other than the flex, the Saab was a wonderful car, however driving on anything but glass smooth roads drove me nuts with the steering wheel doing the oingo-boingo all the way. The factory stereo was sub-par for a vehicle in that price range as well. In fact it would have been sub-par in a vehicle that stickered at half the price.
My wife drives a Saab 9-7x and absolutely loves it - the 9-7x is based on the Chevy Trailblazer GMC Enjoy, however Saab engineers did a good job giving it a dose of Saab personality.
6th Mar 2012, 15:58
Try any German car to see the real handling and suspension. Lexus is Toyota, just rebadged with leather and more fake wooden trims, and at a higher price. The new Camry looks terrible, especially the rear end, but it is up to individual taste and your sense of proportion.