Gen 5 or Gen 6

[yar5xamid]

Hi to everyone in this forum. I am seriously thinking of buying a used camry, either 5th or 6th gen ( although I am leaning towards the 5th gen on the basis of price). Which generation is more reliable and dependable? Is there a specific year model that I should look for and the one that will be fairly easy to the pocket in terms of initial cost and operational cost?
Thanks everyone for the info you can share...

[BlackG5]

my 2004 I4 SE 5-speed has 180k miles now, bought it brand new, and all I've replaced was the gas cap twice and an o2 sensor at 165k.. other than that, gas and oil.. I haven't even had to do the water pump yet, which I'm not holding my breath about lol..

I've taken care of it obviously, but either way, you shouldn't have too many problems with the gen5, except maybe the head bolts-- a good bit of US built cars have had the issue, and if you're mechanically inclined, you can replace them yourself for fairly cheap. Just keep up with spark plugs, air filter, and seafoam it on occasion, and it'll run like a champ

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

Gen 5 all the way for reliability and dependability.

I have 125k miles on mine... never had any major problems, or issues. Just keep up with the regular maintenance and it will last forever.

I have an 02 V6 SE...i also have a Gen 6.5 XLE.... it's nice, but not as nice as the Gen 5

[arabianobsession]

The Gen 6 is a nice car, but stay away from 2007 cars as they have the most issues (usually the first model year of a new car/generation have the most problems). Also, the Gen6 is known to have a cheap, rattling interior which is inferior to the Gen5. However, being an owner of a Gen 6, I love my car.

[tengiday]

I think you can try to find some REAL deals for cars. Your question is quite general. It varies from cars to cars, depending on many factors such as mileage, the number of owners, maintenance, the condition of the car, and price. If you find 2 cars with accident free and good maintenance: gen 5 Camry with 100K miles and gen 6 Camry with 5K miles, which one will you prefer?

[yar5xamid]

Originally Posted by tengiday

I think you can try to find some REAL deals for cars. Your question is quite general. It varies from cars to cars, depending on many factors such as mileage, the number of owners, maintenance, the condition of the car, and price. If you find 2 cars with accident free and good maintenance: gen 5 Camry with 100K miles and gen 6 Camry with 5K miles, which one will you prefer?

yes tengiday, there are a lot of factors to consider both in and out of the car, how mechanically sound it is, if previous owner TLCed it, how many owners, wear and tear attendant to mileage, etc...for me, the bottomline is how much will I have to shell out to own a good used camry (gen 5 or gen6)...It is really a judgement call...Have positive experiences for 2 Corollas (88 and 05), hence I want to try a Camry as the kids are growing now...Never driven a gen 5 but had the chance to rent a gen 6 (2009) from SFO to LV, nice ride indeed, quiet, smooth and averaging about 28 to 30 MPG, can't complain...if cost will be my consideration, I will lean towards the Gen 5 as long as it was properly maintained....

[GT-R]

Originally Posted by arabianobsession

However, being an owner of a Gen 6, I love my car.

Of course!!

Me 3!

[02 camry LE]

as a gen 5 owner..
go for gen 5 lmao

[87Camry5Speed]

As a gen6 owner... get a Gen5. Far better interior and overall just feels more "polished." Have driven 02 and 03 SE's, pleased with both. Get the nicest '06 (last Gen5 year) you can afford and be happy.