My mom decided on another camry

[ToyotaMan1281]

Hello all. My mom decided to get another camry. Here is the story. She had a late 90s model camry xle that she traded in at around 80K miles. She got a VW passat yr 2000. Its a nice car but electrical problems, etc.. We were out eating dinner the other night we were talking about cars and I told her the camry is like a lexus now so I showed her ones at the local dealership where I bought my corolla (she co signed for me on the rolla so she knows the dealership well) plus she loves my corolla. We were looking and I was getting prices and specs for her. DO have a few questions though.

I know what stability control is but is it necessary to buy on the camry
^^ same with trac control
Are fog lights really necessary and what is the real point of having them (I heard they get on the sides a lil more but the headlights do too)
V4 or V6 (she drives around town more then anything but will v4 be plenty of power for hill and mountain driving (I know my corolla is fine in this dept but I know camry is a lot heavier car)
Sunroof worth having?
What does the xle have that the others dont?

She said she wants fog lights, ABS brakes, 6 cd changer, minimum 6 speakers, obviously it comes with power windows, etc..

She wont be getting it for a yr or two im just helping her get some ideas so she can start saving for it. Im actually hoping to put a down payment on it myself and give it to her as a present for her b day or mothers day or x mas. Ill at least go with her to pick it up if I cant buy it for her as a gift.

Thanks for the help.

[Eye8Pussies]

if you have hilly roads in town, then a v6 will be her best option....the gen5 is a big car
traction control will be nice, but if you buy a used gen 5, then her chances of finding one with traction control are fairly slim- they only came with the xle and it was still only optional- when we were looking for a gen5, we looked for an xle w/ traction, and no luck at all

foglights? not worth it if you're paying extra for it, since off of ebay, it's cheap as hell
a sunroof would be nice, but it's a preference thing
and xle has everything to make it into an almost luxury car

the le v6 comes with abs, 4 discs, 6speakers, power everything, just no fogs and no 6 disc changer


and I have no idea about the gen6 camry

[jhbhatia]

Honestly, if you mom had a XLE before, you can't go to i4 (4 cylinder now). Currently XLE's can be had in i4's, but previously they all have been v6's (minus gen5...you indicated your previous car was XLE's from 90's).

Trac control and stability controls are options that will become standard as we all age. (just like how ABS was an option many many moons ago). They pretty much ensure a safe secure ride, where your tires won't loose traction and your ride stability will adjust itself to different terrains.

Fog's are more for show than go. Some people 'claim' that their visibility is better, but in all honestly, it makes YOU more visible to others, than others more visible to you! In my opinion, its a nice cosmetic upgrade.

Sunroof (ahem, ahem...they are now called moonroofs). Did you old XLE have a sun/moon roof. Does your VW have one? Does your corolla have one? i've noticed that people who have had them in previous cars, its a must thing. People who have been ok without one...usually don't think about it when ordering a new car.

As far as 6cd changer and 6 speakers. May i suggest that she opt to the most basic package from toyota. You the money you would have spent on a factory system...and install something aftermarket. For the price you get factory, you can get a pretty SWEEEEEEEET system aftermarket.

As far as when your buying it, i'd wait..right now you'll most likely pay MSRP, closer towards March 2007, you will pay 2000 under invoice for 2007 camry. Timing is everything.

[Hawkeye-SE]

Originally Posted by Eye8Pussies

if you have hilly roads in town, then a v6 will be her best option....the gen5 is a big car
traction control will be nice, but if you buy a used gen 5, then her chances of finding one with traction control are fairly slim- they only came with the xle and it was still only optional- when we were looking for a gen5, we looked for an xle w/ traction, and no luck at all

foglights? not worth it if you're paying extra for it, since off of ebay, it's cheap as hell
a sunroof would be nice, but it's a preference thing
and xle has everything to make it into an almost luxury car

the le v6 comes with abs, 4 discs, 6speakers, power everything, just no fogs and no 6 disc changer


and I have no idea about the gen6 camry

Trac and VSC were optional on SE also (at least the gen 5.5). And no you shouldn't need traction or stability control on a 160-210 hp FRONT wheel drive car.

The rest has been covered.

[Cyorke]

If she gets an XLE she will most likely get everything she wants anyway. THey ahve the upgraded JBL Stereo most of the time, they may or may not have TRAC and VSC. WHich in my opinoin in a car is not really needed that much. If it were a Highlander then maybe. The TRAC is jsut to help prevent wheel spin, the VSC is a sytems that uses the ABS, and TRAC along with others to correct very bad drving mistakes. IF you get the car going sideways or something lie that then the VSC will kick in to try to correct it for you. That is a very basic explanation. The sunroof is normally standard on the XLE, the interior is trimmed with woodgrain alot of times, wehre the LE is jsut the basic black and the SE is more of a brushed aluminum. IF she goes with the SE it will most likely come with fogs. Again are they worth it, probably not. I have them on my SIenna and I can not tell a huge difference between them beig on or off. There does seem to be more light up close to the van on either side but I am not looking there when I am driving so it doesnt really do anything for me.

If she is not planning on getting it for a year or two though everything could change and she may want to buy one of the Gen6 at that time. By then they will have worked out any bugs and all taht good stuff. plus they are putting a lot more standard features on those like side and side curtain airbags, EBD, ABS and much more in the way of safety features.

[Eye8Pussies]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye-SE

Trac and VSC were optional on SE also (at least the gen 5.5). And no you shouldn't need traction or stability control on a 160-210 hp FRONT wheel drive car.

The rest has been covered.

I disagree on that....traction control isn't as much for handling power and launch like an lsd, but it's a safety feature, as for people taking turns too fast and sliding out

I remember back in the day when we used to go do stupid things in my buddy's windstar- everytime we took a turn, the abs and traction control would come on, and it felt like the van would tip

[CamryGuy14]

Originally Posted by Eye8Pussies

I disagree on that....traction control isn't as much for handling power and launch like an lsd, but it's a safety feature, as for people taking turns too fast and sliding out

I remember back in the day when we used to go do stupid things in my buddy's windstar- everytime we took a turn, the abs and traction control would come on, and it felt like the van would tip

Does the traction control help get rid of some of the plowing? I know my '94 loves to plow hard if I give it too much wheel at high speed.

[Cyorke]

it may help get rid of some of it but it is sitll a FWD vehicle. they inherently want to plow (understeer) as you put it. When you are trying to send power through the front wheels and also steer with them it is jsut something that can not be avoided. The TRAC could compensate for some of that by trying to reduce the power going to the front wheels or applying the brakes. In turn you will loose some of the plowing possibly.

[thebluecamry]

Just get the v6 whatever you do. The v6 models are just soooo much better in the power department.

[Hawkeye-SE]

Originally Posted by Eye8Pussies

I disagree on that....traction control isn't as much for handling power and launch like an lsd, but it's a safety feature, as for people taking turns too fast and sliding out

Agreed, but if someone can't handle a 210 hp grocery getter without electronic intervention, I suggest the bus.

[CamryGuy14]

Originally Posted by Cyorke

it may help get rid of some of it but it is sitll a FWD vehicle. they inherently want to plow (understeer) as you put it. When you are trying to send power through the front wheels and also steer with them it is jsut something that can not be avoided. The TRAC could compensate for some of that by trying to reduce the power going to the front wheels or applying the brakes. In turn you will loose some of the plowing possibly.

I figured it would still want to understeer. Haven't heard of any FWD vehicle that's neutral through a corner. Thanks for the info, though.

[ToyotaMan1281]

Thanks for the help so far. Im going to tell her to not get fogs or vsc or trac control or a sunroof, my corolla has none of these and the headlights are wonderful and she never uses her sunroof in the passat and my car handles good without vsc and trac control. The V6 sounds good.

What is the gas milage on v6 (city/hwy)
Can she get an LE with 6 cd changer and 6 or more speakers
How is the acceleration with the VVTI?
How is the handling and cornering without vsc and trac
How heavy is the camry
What model can she get with no VSC, trac, fogs, has 6 cd changer and 6 speaker, power windows, etc for under 24,000 dollars

[ToyotaMan1281]

bump