Camry advice please... - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

F117A · 08-27-2001, 09:48 AM

I'm looking at purchasing a 3rd or 4th gen Camry. Just have a few questions for Camry owners:

-How reliable are these cars (compared to other imports like the Accord)?
-Are maintenance and replacement parts expensive?
-What should I watch out for when I go and shop for a used Camry (common mechanical problems)?

Thanks,
F117A

Jzs147-RR · 08-27-2001, 09:57 AM

Hi F117A welcome to our forum where you from??
Well i had an accord 1996 V6 and it was a lemon that transmission died on me then the engine went not long after so now i hate Honda.Toyota's last very long with minimal repair costs.I got a 1997 Camry XLE v6 and let me tell you to date nothing has broken exept for my struts starting to leak.Parts for this car are around the same price as the accord and in some cases less expensive.The only problems you can have with a Gen4 camry is the weak struts and that is it the rest is bullet proof.as for the Gen 3 that car has no mecanical problems to date as long as the oil is changed and regular maintenance is preformed.
I hope i helped out here and would love to have you in the camry owners club.

***EKam*** · 08-27-2001, 12:34 PM

Welcome to the board F117A.

If you get a Gen3, I would suggest you to get the later models (94-96) and they should be a bit more reliable than the earlier versions.

PS: You like military jets? My personal favourite is F-14 Tomcat! :wink:

F117A · 08-27-2001, 01:47 PM

Thanks for your responses. By the way, would you guys recommend the 4cyl or the V6? Am I going to have to struggle to get the 4cyl to accelerate on the highway? I'm just looking for a reliable and relatively low maintenance (costwise) daily driver.

CamryRR -- I'm in Toronto. They do have poor struts if they only lasted you 5 years.

Kamuri -- Yeah I like fighter jets including the Tomcat. I use the alias F117A because I have a Dodge Stealth.

Thanks again,
F117A

Jzs147-RR · 08-27-2001, 01:56 PM

Get the V6 its well worth the extra money for the power it gives and the Supercharger option is always good too.

SpectraBlueCam · 08-27-2001, 06:46 PM

Welcome! The 4-banger is marginally acceptable. It's better than most other 4s out there. As for Gen3 or 4, it a fact that the Gen3s have better quality parts. But then Toyota had to save costs to compete so the Gen4s has less soundproofing materials, tires aren't as good, other misc. stuff like that. But overall, I'll go for the Gen4 V6 because of the possibility of getting the TRD supercharger.

As for the Accord, it's a good car, but hte Camry is better. :grin:

Good luck with your search. If you need some referrals to a local Toyota dealership, let us know. If you do end up getting a Toyota, be sure to come hang with us.

Hope that helps.

Griffy · 08-27-2001, 08:04 PM

Whats wrong with the 93 Camry???!!
It rocks!

speedemn · 08-28-2001, 09:28 AM

Hey, I have a 1993 4cyl Camry LE. The only problem to date is the struts, but it took 9 years from date of manufacture to go bad... and I was gonna replace them with Tokico anyway. But the car's parts and quality are exceptional... better than gen 4 overall. We also have a 2000 XLE V6. I like my 1993 better, outside of the fact that its a 4cyl compared to the 2000 V6. The 4cyl has enough balls to keep up and even compete on the road... it all depends on how you drive it... I beat domestic V6s and Honda V6s all the time :smile: But I'm a maniac behind the wheel... skilled maniac though.

If you have the money go for a 4th gen V6 if you plan to go performance... that way you can get the s/c. If you want better quality and a more solid car, go for the gen 3... but make sure that if you get a V6, it was properly taken care of... test drive it and also take it to a dealer to check it out... same with any other model that you buy I guess.

As far as Accord, it does not compare to the Camry. If you look at the Maxima that would be a better comparison, but I'd give the Maxima an edge in performance and the gen 3 Camry an edge in quality.

Good luck.

Quote:

On 2001-08-27 10:48, F117A wrote:
I'm looking at purchasing a 3rd or 4th gen Camry. Just have a few questions for Camry owners:

-How reliable are these cars (compared to other imports like the Accord)?
-Are maintenance and replacement parts expensive?
-What should I watch out for when I go and shop for a used Camry (common mechanical problems)?

Thanks,
F117A

***BLUEMEANIE*** · 08-28-2001, 10:54 AM

Reliability... my 85 4cyl 5spd camry was declared totaled twice and still went on to last 331xxx miles w/ almost all the orig. parts and hoses before it was sold, never burnt a drop of oil either, but thats an 85.
My 95 4cyl 5spd rocks! 96xxx miles no repairs besides the CV boots. And if the power isn't enough an intake and exhaust has given me a sweet spot between 3 and 5 grand thats strong enough to burn a lotta cars from a slow roll.

F117A · 08-28-2001, 04:22 PM

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Hoping to get one before the Fall. We'll see how it goes. :smile:

Thanks again,
F117A

erfan · 11-27-2001, 04:51 PM

Hi,

What do you guys think of the 1995 Lexus ES300? I got one for 12K it has 93K miles on it.

Thanks

speedemn · 11-27-2001, 04:59 PM

It is very good.

(haha)

Quote:

Hi,

What do you guys think of the 1995 Lexus ES300? I got one for 12K it has 93K miles on it.

Thanks

SpectraBlueCam · 11-27-2001, 05:40 PM

Quote:

On 2001-11-27 17:51, erfan wrote:
Hi,

What do you guys think of the 1995 Lexus ES300? I got one for 12K it has 93K miles on it.

Thanks

Since you mentioned "miles" I have to assume the 12K is in USD. In that case, I'd say it's a bit high!!