Help Camry owners

Systems

I have an opportunity to purchase a low mileage(47k kil,25k miles) 06 Camry XLE V6.I would be interested in getting some feedback from owners as far as reliability,fuel economy,ride and handling etc.I have always driven domestics but do to reputation I'm seriously thinking Toyota and Honda this time around.



Thanks in advance.

disneyjoe7

Never owned a Camery but I say buy it. The only thing check under the hood and look at the fenders just where the hood covers them. There should be tags there, and if so the front head must likely hasn't be hit.

thsmith

Spend the money and run a carfax on it. If it was ever totaled or in a flood it SHOULD show up but not in all cases, better than nothing. If you know a good body shop and mechanic have them give a good once over.

As much as I like American made it is hard to be Toyota.

cnh

Don't have any experience with that recent model. So here's one of the 'many' Camry tales. In 97 I bought my wife a Camry with 74K miles on it. A 1992 Camry, we ran it until 2007 put on another 100K, replaced a starter motor, and did the brakes once? Retired it because brake-linings started to rot due to the HEAVY salting in N.E.--our winters...Deadly to metal. The basic Engine and everything else would've easily run another 75K or more. I didn't have the 6 cylinder. On the 2.2L 4, I regularly got 32-33 miles on the highway. The gas tank at 18.5 gallons gave you INCREDIBLE range at that mileage. Handled and drove fine.

When we retired the Camry we bought a new Prius because we were so happy with the Camry. Prius now on 2 years....flawless performance...Can't speak to newer models. But I suspect you're GOOD.

cnh

DollarDave

We had an '06 Camry SE V-6 and loved it. Now, we have an '08 Camry SE V-6 and my wife loves it. Me, I would take the 06 over the new style. I liked the handling of the prior model.

[Edit] I recommend it.

jerryj12

Wow. Something I know about here.:) I worked for Toyota for almost 11 yrs. as a technician, I currently drive a Camry that has just over 350,000 miles on it. As long as its maintained well it should last a very long time. Let me know if I can help or answer questions.

Systems

The only accident it was in was with a pedestrian.Thankfully he was OK but the hood was dented so was replaced,not repaired.

Lasareath wrote: »

My Mom just got an 06 Camry and she loves the car. It has a lot of room.

I was surprised that it actually has as much room as my '00 Intrepid.

DaveMuell wrote: »

We had an '06 Camry SE V-6 and loved it. Now, we have an '08 Camry SE V-6 and my wife loves it. Me, I would take the 06 over the new style. I liked the handling of the prior model.

[Edit] I recommend it.

I like the styling of the 07-09's better but they are well out of my budget range.

disneyjoe7

jerryj12 wrote: »

Wow. Something I know about here.:) I worked for Toyota for almost 11 yrs. as a technician, I currently drive a Camry that has just over 350,000 miles on it. As long as its maintained well it should last a very long time. Let me know if I can help or answer questions.

Impressive run on dino oil?

Systems

jerryj12 wrote: »

Wow. Something I know about here.:) I worked for Toyota for almost 11 yrs. as a technician, I currently drive a Camry that has just over 350,000 miles on it. As long as its maintained well it should last a very long time. Let me know if I can help or answer questions.

Thanks jerry.Wow 350,000!That is the kind of longevity I was hoping was possible with it.With just 25k on it now I guess it's just barely broken in.

wizzy

I bought my Camry Solara (the "two door camry") almost ten years ago. Close to 140k now. 4-cyl, automatic.

So far the sum of all work done on it (besides regular maint) is one new battery in 2007 and all four struts around 110k

Every time I think about buying a new car I talk myself out of it with "but this one still runs so good and it's paid for"

ben62670

jerryj12 wrote: »

Wow. Something I know about here.:) I worked for Toyota for almost 11 yrs. as a technician, I currently drive a Camry that has just over 350,000 miles on it. As long as its maintained well it should last a very long time. Let me know if I can help or answer questions.

I was thinking of you when I saw this thread;) You wouldn't beleive the car has 350k riding in it. No smoke at all.

Willow

My dad has an older Camry, he travels From Ottawa to Kingston every weekend (where the boat is). It has over 250K on it and he has put in maybe 3K over the past 5-6 yrs on it. He loves his car and it still drives well. I wouldn't shy away from a Camry if that is the type of car I was looking at.

tonyb

I have a 96 Lexus es300,basically a beefed up Camry.Best car I ever owned.Not a thing has gone wrong.I have 140,000 on it and it still runs like the day I brought it home.Most the time I take it to the dealer for regular maint. but it's getting too expensive.Used mobil one from day one and change oil like a ****.Aside from tires,windshield wipers,everything is original,even the battery.Yes,I have the battery checked twice a year,still good,exhaust system,still good,front end,still good,drives straight as an arrow.Every engine componant,still original,even the friggin' spark plugs,though I should change that soon and the belt,but the damn thing runs as smooth as can be.I may change those anyway for piece of mind,and good practice.If you can get a good price,and have it checked out,Toyota has incredible reliability and will way outlast your payments.Not a Toyota fanboy,am I?:D

wizzy

tonyb wrote: »

even the friggin' spark plugs,though I should change that soon

You should have changed those like many miles ago. You may not feel it, but quality of spark can effect how well gas/air ignites and burns. You may be getting a poorer quality combustion and more bad stuff left behind for oil to carry away.

I change mine at 60K and each time I do the gam mileage goes up about 1MPG after new plugs.

W

bopicasso

My uncle bought a 08 camry and had transmission problems. He had it fixed 3 times but still wasnt fixed. So he traded it in for a 09 malibu and loves it.

shawn474

I have owned 2 camry's and 2 corollas and wish I still had either camry. They are great cars. I traded one in for no reason to get a truck and regret it daily. It had 125,000 miles and all i ever did was regular oil changes and get new tires. They are great cars, great value and made very well. I had one accicdent in mine and it drove great even after that.


I say get it; a camry will be my next car...........again.



Shawn

Danny Tse

Until April '08, I was the original owner of a '01 Camry LE 4 cylinder with automatic. By the time I sold it, I had about 120,000 miles on it. Never had a problem with the car other than maintenance. OK, the light behind the climate control burned out. The car was put together with excellent workmanship overall. I got about 26 mpg on my commute, but that's braving San Francisco traffic during commute hours. I sold the car because gas was over $4.00/gallon at the time and I wanted more safety features, even though my Camry already had ABS brakes, daytime running lights, and 2 airbags.

Not the most exciting car around and you'll see hundreds just like yours in a mall parking lot. However, if you want a safe, reliable, and economical-to-operate car with ample amount of space, you can't do better than a Camry.

tonyb

wizzy wrote: »

You should have changed those like many miles ago. You may not feel it, but quality of spark can effect how well gas/air ignites and burns. You may be getting a poorer quality combustion and more bad stuff left behind for oil to carry away.

I change mine at 60K and each time I do the gam mileage goes up about 1MPG after new plugs.

W

Yeah,I know,thats why I'll probably do it soon.Lexus said they are supposed to be changed at 100,000.

phipiper10

Not a problem with the 2002 we have. It's not 6cylinder though. Can you really beat a Camry?

Systems

Danny Tse wrote: »

However, if you want a safe, reliable, and economical-to-operate car with ample amount of space, you can't do better than a Camry.

Thats what Im looking for.It's certainly no looker but practicallity wins out.Sure the kids would prefer something a little more sporty but I should be able to get many years out of it .The fact that it is priced below market value(basically wholesale price)makes it very atractive and makes alot more sense then buying new at this point in time.

Thanks all for your input.

shawn474

Another thing, you might be surprised at how much pep you get from that car. The 6 cylinders have a surprising amount of get up and go for such a practical car.

Systems

shawn474 wrote: »

. The 6 cylinders have a surprising amount of get up and go for such a practical car.

The V6 is rated at a respectable 190HP.

Danny Tse

While the Camry doesn't get modified as much as the Accord, it does get support from TRD (Toyota Racing Development).

Systems

Danny Tse wrote: »

While the Camry doesn't get modified as much as the Accord, it does get support from TRD (Toyota Racing Development).

Cool,I wonder if they have a performance chip and ground effects package available for it.

average_guy

GV#27 wrote: »

Thats what Im looking for.It's certainly no looker but practicallity wins out.Sure the kids would prefer something a little more sporty but I should be able to get many years out of it .The fact that it is priced below market value(basically wholesale price)makes it very atractive and makes alot more sense then buying new at this point in time.

Thanks all for your input.

Dude, if you can get a Camry at wholesale, its likely a good deal. Run a CarFax (If you belong to AAA you can get the 30-day unlimited for $19.95 by signing up on their website instead of paying $29.95 at the Carfax site-a good idea to get the 30-day unlimited if this deal shows red flags so you can look up several more VINs for comparison).

I have a 1996 Camry LE V6 Wagon with a little over 145,000 on it and it has been no problem except for a starter replacement at 140,000 and the timing belt was done at 96,000, and other than that just regular maintenance. The timing belts should be done every 100,000 miles ($400-500 unless you know how to do it yourself...do the water pump at the same time because the labor is the same as the water pump has to be removed to get to the timing belt).

I remember when I bought this one used and I was researching it. I looked to see what they were going for on the local CL and on e-bay. There was one for sale, a 1993 of the same model, and it had 297,000 miles on it and went for a little over $3000.00 on e-bay. I would buy mine if I had to do it over again, and I can't say that for most of the cars I've owned.

average_guy

Here's a link to the Camry Forum on Toyota Nation: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=15

I have gotten some tips on DIY stuff and general info here.

Best wishes...run the Carfax and have an independent mechanic check, and if the Carfax is clean and the mechanic gives it the thumbs-up, then buy it.;)

average_guy

jerryj12 wrote: »

Wow. Something I know about here.:) I worked for Toyota for almost 11 yrs. as a technician, I currently drive a Camry that has just over 350,000 miles on it. As long as its maintained well it should last a very long time. Let me know if I can help or answer questions.

What year is your Camry?

schwarcw

Top ten most stolen cars in the USA*:
1. 1989 Toyota Camry
2. 1990 Toyota Camry
3. 1991 Toyota Camry
4. 1988 Toyota Camry

One thing to ponder, these cars are dependable, affordable and very popular. Because there are so many of these cars on the road, there is a tremendous black market for replacement parts. Unscrupulos car repair shops will buy stolen fenders, charge you for new ones and pocket the difference. Deployed air bags are very poular parts that are ofter stolen by car thieves. Honda's are in the same boat.

Buy a Buick, these are always rated very high by JD Powers and others. People don't buy them because they lack style. You will also get more value by buying this car for less than a big Honda. Check the insurance rates. Buy for value and not for style.

disneyjoe7

Hmmm.... I never seen a souped up Camry? I see many Accords souped up but no Camry... Odd or where I live or what?

disneyjoe7

schwarcw wrote: »

Top ten most stolen cars in the USA*:
1. 1989 Toyota Camry
2. 1990 Toyota Camry
3. 1991 Toyota Camry
4. 1988 Toyota Camry

Are you saying in the top ten?


If not Honda number 1 & 2


Honda Civic (1995)
Honda Accord (1991)
Toyota Camry (1989)
Ford F-150 (1997)
Chevrolet C/K 1500 (1994)
Acura Integra (1994)
Dodge Ram Pickup (2004)
Nissan Sentra (1994)
Toyota Pickup (1988)
Toyota Corolla (2007)

Systems

Thanks AG for all the tips,I will put the Toyotanation site in my favourites.

I have decided to purchase the car pending loan approval from my bank.
It's immaculate inside and out and the owner has kept all of the maintainence reciepts since new and all the work was done at a Toyo dealer.