gen5 or gen6? gathering info for future purchase

[fenixus]

hello guys!

trying to prepare myself with some heads up before i decide to buy a newer camry in 6-12 months or so. so far I've been somewhat into my '00 Solara SE and was reading a lot about gen3&4 camrys. newer camry would become my daily driver in place of old '92 Buick Lesabre.

can you please post most common advantages and disadvantages of gen5 vs gen6 ?

I will be mostly interested in V6 engine for my dream ride, transmission undefined for now - I guess due to heavy traffic in my area I will go with ATM. manual tranny is good for sunday cars, it's not really fun for daily drivers stuck in traffic...

[ProperElite]

I like both body styles of the Gen 5 and Gen 6. They look VERY similar (you can tell that Gen 6 evolved from Gen 5) both on the exterior and the interior.

However, they both have their differences. The Gen 5 has more of a longer and thinner body style...it set the standard for the "newer" sedan. That is pretty much why I like the Gen 5. The Gen 6 is basically a Gen 5 with a much more aggressive trim. It is basically a Gen 5 on steroids with some added features to the interior (mp3 aux. input for example). The Gen 6 seems like it is a little shorter in length but wider than the Gen 5 (it does have a wider wheelbase). A downside, the Gen 6 has a slightly smaller trunk than the Gen 5...but there is still plenty of room. I like the Gen 6 because it does have the appearance of a sportier vehicle even when it isn't necessarily customized as one.

As stated, both are very nice and are very comfortable to drive. As for your V6 preference, the Gen 5 V6 is a 3.3L engine while the Gen 6 is a little bigger...a 3.5L.

[Camry10]

I have always been a fan of the 2004-2006 solara and would have looked for one of those if I hadn't got such a good deal on my new camry.

Benefits=plenty of mods already out there
Sleek design
You already have one and like it!!!
The 2006 solara is just plain sexy

[fenixus]

thanks for your input people!

I'd rather choose the "original" Camry this time over Solara. it is likely that I will export the newer car to Europe after some time and with Solara breed I would have parts trouble over there.
Camry is everywhere and Solara was sold only for North American, Australian and Japanese markets if i remember correctly. quite a nice ride though! love Solara, have to admit, very sexy cars, my wife loves the one we have now

I see that there is much more mods for gen5 Camry than for newer gen6. likely it will change over time, won't it?

I was looking closer at V6 engine specs in both 5 & 6 and here they are:
210-hp, 3.3-liter V6 for gen5
268-hp, 3.5-liter V6 for gen6

which one (or both?) is VVTI ? should I avoid it ? any common trouble with them ? ease of working myself on car maintenance ?

gen6 looks so good ... depending on price and mileage will have to make a tough decision sooner or later hehe

can someone confirm production year ranges for gen5 and gen6 reference models ? thanks!

[johnfrisco]

Originally Posted by fenixus

thanks for your input people!

I'd rather choose the "original" Camry this time over Solara. it is likely that I will export the newer car to Europe after some time and with Solara breed I would have parts trouble over there.
Camry is everywhere and Solara was sold only for North American, Australian and Japanese markets if i remember correctly. quite a nice ride though! love Solara, have to admit, very sexy cars, my wife loves the one we have now

I see that there is much more mods for gen5 Camry than for newer gen6. likely it will change over time, won't it?

I was looking closer at V6 engine specs in both 5 & 6 and here they are:
210-hp, 3.3-liter V6 for gen5
268-hp, 3.5-liter V6 for gen6

which one (or both?) is VVTI ? should I avoid it ? any common trouble with them ? ease of working myself on car maintenance ?

gen6 looks so good ... depending on price and mileage will have to make a tough decision sooner or later hehe

can someone confirm production year ranges for gen5 and gen6 reference models ? thanks!

Research V6 transmission problems on the Gen 5 vs Gen 6 and your decision is simple---Gen 5. Gen 6 V6 transmissions are a total nightmare. Google is your friend

[fenixus]

yikes, that's bad ....
http://boardreader.com/thread/2007_V...e6tjX6uo5.html

thanks for a heads up johnfrisco!

[Pawel062]

depends on what year you get and if all tsbs have been applied and your luck. i have a 09 SE/XLE v6 and my dad has a 09 XLE v6. also have a 07 xle v6 before. no problems with either of them. the 07 was sluggish with shifting but we had a tsb applied and learn how to "teach the computer" and it was perfect until the last day i had it. if you want to drive a gen 6 v6 then drop me a pm and come check mine out. warning... you will shit your pants how fast they are

[fenixus]

hehe, thanks for opinion and invitation, appreciated

i'm just worried, that my luck i would get the worst lemon out there probably. want something solid, no lotteries

[Pawel062]

take it for a test drive. and if you get the gen6 then find a 08 or 09. both will have lowest chances of issues. also make sure you take care of the car. if you can afford it then even buy the 09 or 2010 le v6s. you have warrenty and most if not all of the problems are fixed. if there is no problems with the tranny or engine the first 50k or so and the vvti oil line is the new all metal one then you have no worries.

[fenixus]

yeah, test drive is a good idea anyways always. probably i will end up with lower mileage gen5 V6 in the end. which year was a cut off for gen5 ?

[BlackCamSe]

Theres 2 gen 6 V6's in my family, and we've previously owned 2 gen 5's. My uncle also has a Japan built 02 XLE V6. My Grandfathers current 2008 LE V6 has 26,XXX+ miles and has had absolutely zero issues, nothing but trouble free driving out of it. HE gets about 28MPG out of it. Then theres my 2010 SE V6 with 3,5XX miles, zero problems. I drive it hard though so i only get about 20MPG. If you like a more sport oriented ride defiantly go for a gen 6 SE V6. The 03 LE I4 we had was a solid as a rock, no issues AT ALL. It also delivered 30+MPG highway. But the 05 on the other hand sucked. The 5 speed trans that the 05-06 have is absolutely HORRENDOUS, constantly shifting, gear hunting, and hesitating. That only gave us 24mpg. My uncles 02 has been great also, 80K+ miles and not one issue. Having driven both a gen 5 V6 and a gen 6 V6 i can tell you that the gen 6 V6 is A LOT faster and has A LOT more torque then the gen 5 V6. Hope this helps.

[fenixus]

thanks again for input.

money wise i'm leaning towards late gen5 with 1mz-fe v6 with automatic tranny, was actually thinking about 2006 model. now i am hesitating as you posted that '05'-06 share some tranny hesitation trouble?

completely unsure yet about jumping towards completely new '09-10' from dealer ... would have to finance too much ... probably a no no
to be honest i'm afraid of vvti related maintenance cost (and no free diagrams coverage on toyodiy.com) once dealer warranty expires. another option would be maybe '08 V6 LE ... will need to dig a little deeper and do some homework on that. no rush, i got time.

[BlackCamSe]

Originally Posted by fenixus

thanks again for input.

money wise i'm leaning towards late gen5 with 1mz-fe v6 with automatic tranny, was actually thinking about 2006 model. now i am hesitating as you posted that '05'-06 share some tranny hesitation trouble?

completely unsure yet about jumping towards completely new '09-10' from dealer ... would have to finance too much ... probably a no no
to be honest i'm afraid of vvti related maintenance cost (and no free diagrams coverage on toyodiy.com) once dealer warranty expires. another option would be maybe '08 V6 LE ... will need to dig a little deeper and do some homework on that. no rush, i got time.

the 04+ V6's have VVTI, and the 02+I4's have VVTI. VVTI is a maintenance free feature. Just do your normal maintenance and it'll be fine. Another negative is that the 1MZ has a timing belt which needs to be changed every 90K or so miles. The new V6's in the gen 6 have timing chains that don't need to be changed.

[fenixus]

ah, i see, thanks!

just did a quick glance at my local dealer and to my greatest surprise they are empty ... 1 (one) 2010 v6 SE @ 34k$ and 2 (two) 2010 v6 LE @ 25k$ - this is their whole new v6 camry inventory LOL
in used ones i found only i4's, no v6's at all haha. will need to wait a bit for some cars to come in from factory or so...

i think it might be easier (and cheaper for sure) to get a used '06 v6 LE somewhere. I'd like the car to be no more than 4 years old at time of purchase (next year). then i'm scared of 2007 models after googling for a while. so next option would be 2008 ... price grows again ... decisions, decisions ....

[BlackCamSe]

Originally Posted by fenixus

ah, i see, thanks!

just did a quick glance at my local dealer and to my greatest surprise they are empty ... 1 (one) 2010 v6 SE @ 34k$ and 2 (two) 2010 v6 LE @ 25k$ - this is their whole new v6 camry inventory LOL
in used ones i found only i4's, no v6's at all haha. will need to wait a bit for some cars to come in from factory or so...

i think it might be easier (and cheaper for sure) to get a used '06 v6 LE somewhere. I'd like the car to be no more than 4 years old at time of purchase (next year). then i'm scared of 2007 models after googling for a while. so next option would be 2008 ... price grows again ... decisions, decisions ....

The trany problems that the 07 V6's had are very rare. Think about it, out of the hundreds of thousands of 07 Camry's sold only a select few had the problem, just stay away from an early build 07. People don't go on line and write reviews if they have good experiences with the cars. They only go on to complain if they have a bad experience.