HI Black_Cam...
Welcome to the forum.
I am a native Houstonian also so I will see If I can help with your questions.
Well, for starters the car in question
is a Toyota Camry - THE number one selling car in the US. This ranking is given for many factors and
reliability is in the top 5.
I would not let the transmission recall deter you from buying this car.
Read the transmission thread thoroughly and you will see that this issue is not even common to all automatic V6s.
Another thing to realize is that this is an automobile forum. Everything and anything related to the Camry will be discussed here. From the smallest rattle to the largest transmission issue.
In other words, don't let these things frighten you. Most cars have rattles of some sort. (My wife's new Honda Accord has a terrible rattle in the rear deck - arggghh!)
Oh yeah, search around for threads on gas mileage. They are out there also.
The next item - the alarm...
Honestly, I don't put a lot of thought into the alarm. I am happy with the factory alarm.
I am a car audio guy too so I understand that you want to protect your investment though.
FREE ADVICE - just be SMART with your system. Don't attract too much attention to it.
And be stealthy with the install. This is why I am going to keep the factory head unit and am just going to replace the speakers, amp and add a small sub eventually.
If a thief wants your system, they will get it no matter what kind of alarm you have.
Well, I am running out of time here so I will summarize the rest.
I have used Carsdirect.com to purchase our last 3 vehicles.
I love the fact that I do not have to haggle with the dealerships this way.
The local dealerships gave me an offer and I chose the best one. Simple as that.
By the way, I bought my LE from
Fred Haas Toyotaworld. I couldn't be happier with my experience with them. They are very professional and friendly.
Check out their site and you will see that they have won many awards for service also.
V6 or 4 cyl???? That is something for you decide.
Part of me regrets not getting a V6 though ...
I hope this helps..... and Have Fun with your new Camry!
