18th Apr 2001, 04:46

I come from Australia where the Camry was made and it was made for the Aussie heat and terrain conditions. I admit after driving one that the 4 cylinder is a bit gutless, but they are still OK in the manual. If you want something with a lot of power you should get the V6 model, they are so efficient, nearly better than the 4 cylinder and they have heaps of guts and fly. Other than that, the 4 cylinder is still a great smooth car.

23rd Jul 2001, 15:54

I have a rental Camry, and I must agree with many of things you've said.

While it has not gone in for any repairs (it's a 2001 rental...), it rattles far more than my 4 year old Sable with 100,000+ abusive miles.

Anybody who bought one of these things certainly did not shop around enough.

16th Aug 2001, 10:32

Have had problems with a 98 Camry as well. On the 3rd set of tires and only have 45,000 miles. Replaced the 1st set at 30,000 and the 2nd at 45,000.

The car has pulled to the left since we got it new. Dealer worked on it for over a month before telling us it was "engineered that way". Now we have been told the struts are bad...

Will never by another Toyota EVER!!

25th Nov 2001, 16:41

I must disagree with your opinion of the Toyota Camry. I have a 1998 Camry- the same year as yours, with more than 75k miles on it, and it has never left me stranded. No repair bills, other that routine maintenance. The car is not at fault for the poor tire life. If your Camry came with the same General brand tires that mine came with, it is definitely the tires that are at fault. I also replaced the original tires at 30,000 miles, and haven't since. consider buying more expensive tires with a higher tredlife.

My car is as reliable and well put together as the day I bought it. After 75k miles, I have only one complaint about the car- the change holder latch doesn't work well, but that might have been caused by an aftermarket alarm installation. (The fuses are hidden behind the change holder, and the holder must be removed in order to access them.) Not bad for a car with 75k miles on it.

The problem of the poor performance can be solved by simply choosing the V6 engine. Although it adds considerably to the bottom line, it is well worth it.

8th Dec 2001, 21:14

I comment from Australia, where we have been locally manufacturing Toyotas since 1964. My father & I have owned Toyota Camrys also.

The one fault that I found tremendously annoying was the dashboard skin separating around the windshield defogger vents. This is a MAJOR problem, not only confined to Camrys built in Australia between 03/1993-06/95, but I have also seen this problem on Lexus ES 300's imported from Japan between 1992-1996.

What adds insult to injury is the fact that Toyota Australia will not acknowledge that there is a problem,& therefore I have seen THOUSANDS of these models with this problem.

The other problem is the door cloth inserts peeling from the trims, & in some cases, headlinings have dropped.

These problems aside, the car is a paragon of reliability. If Toyota went about honouring legitimate warranty claims without the stonewall & denying liability caper, it would be an outstanding experience.

20th Jan 2002, 18:06

Leased a 1998 Camry and had front end trouble with it right from the start, dealer reluctantly installed two new front tires.

Then the engine failed at 30,000 miles after being maintained by a professional mechanic. Dealer refused to repair the engine under Toyota warranty policy and we were forced to let them repossess the car. It was the fourth Toyota in the family and the last. Have heard many similar complaints since mine.

4th Jan 2003, 12:11

How can someone disagree with someone's complaint? A complaint is reflecting someone's personal experience and not to be agreed or disagreed with. You may have a different experience and you can express it as such - your personal experience. Toyota owners (or maybe it is Toyota dealers) seem particularly sensitive to any complaints about their vehicles.

Good luck with your Camry. Every make and model can have problems, every make is going to have a few lemons.

5th May 2010, 06:41

We have three Camry's, a 1997 Vienta Grande with 27400 miles, a 1999 Vienta VXI with 21000 miles, and a 2002 Camry Advantage with 39700 miles. First two with the six cylinder, and the 2002 with the four cylinder. Prior to this I have owned another three Camry's, two wagons, one a Vienta and the other a CXI, and one Vienta sedan. I must say they are reliable, fantastic engine and transmission, extremely well built. Our Australian built Camry's were exported to over 25 markets worldwide. I highly recommend the Camry.

I do think however you must service cars and look after them; they will reward you with reliable, safe motoring.

5th May 2010, 06:48

On the roof lining comment, I had the roof lining drop on my 1999 Vienta VXI, took it to an auto trimmer. I had a whole roof lining replaced, including the underfelt, for $230.00, excellent job. It is a fault with Camry's.

6th May 2010, 08:20

Adding to my comments above; I have arriving on Monday from interstate a 1988 Toyota Camry Grande, which I purchased on the net for $12,500 from a Dealer in Adelaide without seeing it in person. The car has done 44,000k's from new and is the top of the range with leather and sunroof, over $47,000 new in 1998. I can't wait, we will then have three Camry's.

13th Jul 2010, 09:37

Regarding the last comment about getting the sagging roof lining fixed - is that $230 Australian or US dollars and if you happen to be in Sydney, Australia can you recommend the company you used?

I have a 97 Vienta VXIv with the same problem : (

How did the Adelaide purchase work out? You are a brave person buying a car unseen on the net!