13th Jul 2011, 22:23
I had a 2001 Camry LE. It was by far the WORST car our family has ever owned. The second worst was a 1989 LeMans.
After the Camry, we had a 2005 Taurus and a 2011 Focus (in that order, and now we own both).
Before the Camry, we had (in reverse order, late to early, one at a time) a 2001 Taurus, a 1999 Taurus, a 1993 Escort, 1991 LeMans, and a 1989 LeMans.
The Camry, as the original poster said, had awful front seats; they were too flat on the bottom and too scooped on the back.
The Camry was slower than a kid on a tricycle, literally, to 20 miles an hour.
The oil pump went out at roughly 100,000 miles, and the Camry rarely got above 25 miles per gallon. The windows worked sporadically. The air conditioner was awful (although the heater was by far the best of any car I had ever owned). The oxygen sensor and catalytic converter both needed to be replaced at only 72,000 miles. The Camry picked up every single bump in the road, even hairline cracks. The back seat had next to no room, making it unbearable to sit back there for more than two or three minutes at a time. The Camry's driving position was unforgivingly lopsided, with the head rests too close to the B-pillar and the steering wheel too far to the right.
The Tauruses were all nearly bulletproof reliable, and even if they weren't, it wouldn't take much to beat the Camry. The biggest issue I ever had on a Taurus was a spring/strut set from overloading and a clogged piston valve. The Taurus were comfortable, they always started on the first try (the Camry seldom did), and they were safe.
The second worst car we had ever owned was the '89 LeMans. The axles kept breaking every 30,000 miles, but otherwise it was reliable.
Not all Camries are good. Personally, I wouldn't buy Toyota again as long as I live.
18th Jul 2011, 08:21
I find your comments absolutely amazing. Let's first look at the engine; a 24 valve quad cam V6 with 145 kilowatts. The motor and transmission are nearly identical to the ES 300 Lexus. I have owned five now, two Vientas, one CSI V6 wagon, and the current two. The first two Vientas travelled over 100,000k's without one issue, none, not one problem.
My current Camrys have been faultless. One I have driven 35,000k's, and the other 45,000k's. In Melbourne Australia, where the cars are made, you see heaps of them still on the road, some with over 400,000k's from new. The models we have here are made here, and were exported to over 26 countries. The model you have in the States was narrower and different in many ways.
I love the Vientas. It's an excellent vehicle. Toyota make the best cars in the world, that's why they are the number one manufacturer, fact...
13th Jul 2011, 09:08
I now have a 1998 Vienta Grande as well as the 1999 Vienta VXI, which has 52800k's from new. My new Vienta Grande was purchased by me one year ago with 44,000k's, and has now done 77,000 k's, and what a car it is; extremely quiet, no issues whatsoever, not one rattle anywhere, which applies to both cars.
The Camry is a top car, and highly recommended to anyone wanting an excellent all round vehicle. I have driven late model Commodores and Fords with their old fashioned six cylinder motors; the Vienta's are way more refined, with a quiet and smooth V6. Buy one, you can't go wrong.