I bought 2006 camry le v6 in 2006. I didn't regret it. Everything is stock. The car is 244,000 miles. The camry never break. I am hoping it break, so I can buy a 2012 Camry Se V6 base. I think mrsp is like 27k.

 

I got base 2.5LE +powered driver seat-exactly what I wanted.
already installed mudguards and wheels off my previous camry.
gonna add some sound deadened and retrofited headlights.
I was ready to get base XLE because I liked wheels, dual climate and foglights, but didn't like tires door panels and don't really need sunroof.
same with SE: like the look of SE (grill and bumper), but don't care about en-tunes and nav and don't like seats, wheels on I-4 and ride. so since I had wheels and can live without fogs and dual climate I decided to save couple grand and got LE.

 

I wish the power seat and mirrors in my 2.5SE had memory.
I would have loved the V6 but needed higher MPG.

 

you and me both :disappoin

 

I also think doing special order on toyota.com will save money. because you don't need to add any option/package.

 

Does the OEM Nav have some way of connecting to the steering wheel of the car and speedometer?

Reason I ask this is due to my trip to Seattle, they have lots of bridges and tunnels and etc blocking the GPS signal. It wouldn't be great if the Nav only depend on GPS signal.

 

2012 Hybrid XLE + Convenience and Entune/Nav packages



I wondered about Entune at first, thinking my smartphone can do all... but its great! It also adds HD Radio (perfect sound), the Nav for me is very nice, it has the traffic reroutes and it is very convenient. Love to listen to Pandoda through the system.

While a Smartphone can do all of these, the convenience to have this all integrated is great. It will remain to be seen what Toyota will charge for Entune after 3 years, they have not disclosed such to us (trap? so they get many people hooked with Entune then they will charge high yearly fees? - that wont work as the moment this gets expansive I drop it... still keep the HD radio and nav though).

Of course Convenience package is a must all features are worth it for the Hybrid XLE (Alarm, garage door opener and backup camera - the extra price is smaller than for non hybrid, since the Hybrid XLE comes at base with features that for non hybrid are added to the convince packages such as keyless entry - love it of course). The keyless is so nice, no need to forget the key in the car, keeping it in my pocket always, and so convenient to open the doors and trunk without getting the key out.

I am very happy I have NOT taken the moonroof - it took a special order by my dealer (which was preference the allocation he got from the regional distributor - i.e. saying how they prefer to get the car with what colors and options), but it did not take any longer since this has done the moment the dealer got word they get the Hybrids so it was same wait anyway. But for others, you may need to wait extra 4-6 weeks if you do such, vs. getting one from the dealers lot. It is worth it as you get the color and options you want and save money (e.g. saved the moonroof package which is about $1000 additional). The other way to make above faster is for the dealer to look at available colors and options from other dealers. Not necessary cars that already are at other dealers lot (that may incur additional shipping costs) but cars that other dealers are about to get based on their standard allocations. The dealer can "grab" such a car and reroute it to ship to them instead to original dealer - no extra cost involved in this and you should still get all discounts etc as if from the lot - if the dealer does not agree, do it with another dealer!

No JBL and no "premium Navigation" - these would have forced me to get the moonroof and other options. At first I wanted fully loaded with everything but the moonroof - no can do per Toyota configration restrictions. But I am happy I did not take leather (clothe feels way better - leather is over rated and feels nad summer and winter and needs extra car), and no JBL (well it costs way more and I can get a good audio system for the home for such money - the standard 6 speakers sound fine).

So just my opinion but the best options are convenience and still getting the Entune packages. We shall see what Toyota wants to charge after 3 years for the use of Entune, if too high, will drop it but still used it 3 years and have the nav/HD Radio to keep.

I do not find I need the Blind Spot monitoring though they are a nice gadget nor the safety connect indeed (if you have Cell phone you can call for help... both need Cellphone technology - but the Safety connect can help also locate your car if stolen ... which is an option sold as an extra even though my car comes with alarm - as LoJack system for $700 or so - however this has yearly subscription too...).

All in all, very happy... good luck!

 

Don't know if this makes any sense but every day I regret not getting the V6 and everyday I'm glad I got the I4. I guarantee you I would get more tickets if I had the V6 and would be really disappointed with it once gas goes back to $4/gallon so in then long run I know the I4 is the right choice.

I wanted the Conv. package but that requires the Moonroof that I didn't want so I didn't get it, at times I regret not getting it but I am hopeful over time I can add the two features I wanted the most, Homelink and the back-up camera. I plan on installing the Gentex mirror to get the Homelink and I'm waiting for someone else to figure out the camera, I'm hoping the cable is already in place but realize its 50/50 at best...

 

I bought the '12 Camry SE and getting more road noise than my old 98 Camry!!!! I regret that new Carmy is no longer a smooth car like it used to be.

 

Watch out for the variance in tires-Toyota is pathetic here

I bought the '12 Camry SE and getting more road noise than my old 98 Camry!!!! I regret that new Carmy is no longer a smooth car like it used to be.

It's probably the tires. I about fainted when I saw a brand new 2012SEI4 - shiney new in the Walmart parking lot with of all the things ......... those friggin Bridgestone EL400-02 with the 260 UTQG treadwear rating. They are loud, produce inferior handling, and can make your car into a noise machine in addition to producing poor ride and handling characteristics.

Not much you can do about it after you buy it .... but scout the lot for one with Michelins. The 2012SEI4 (215/55/17) comes with either the aforementioned Turanzas or Michelin MXV4 S8. The difference in the treadwear ratings alone is bizzare.

The 2012SEV6 with 18 inch wheels comes with either the worthless Turanzas OR the fine (and relatively new) MichelinPrimacy MXM4 with 55,000 mile treadwear warranty.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...tCode=53700&skipOver=true&minSpeedRating=H&minLoadRating=S&tab=OE&filterType=oe

I have multiple posts elsewhere in Toyotanation about when my worthless and NOISEY and "feel every bump" Turanzas on my 09LEV6 that wore out in 8500 miles. When I replaced them with Michelin Primacy MXMV4's it was like driving a Lexus VS a Camry.

 

^
should've get LE.
my LE noticeably quieter than my 2007 LE was and at least twice quieter and smoother than wife's 2000 LE.

 

I got everything that I wanted on the car. Didn't really want the GPS or the moonroof, but the GPS is standard on the v6 se. Only thing I wanted to add was tinted windows which I just got done on Monday. As for the road noise on the se compared to the le, I can't compare it because I didn't drive the le,xle, but it is more quite than my 03 le i4. I didn't drive the '12 se i4 enough to notice the rod noise, but the v6 is pretty quiet, don't relay hear the engine unless I'm punching the gas, maybe its due to the sound deadening windshield on the v6.

 

I got a loaded SE V6 so no regrets. Annoyed you can't get the 7" premium nav in the SE though.

The V6 was well worth it. 268 hp, 24 mpg in aggressive city driving and 32 on the highway. Can't argue with that.

 

Only thing I would like to have with the car is the spoiler. It make the car a little sportier, but getting that, I have to wait for unknown amount of time until dealers get next batch of inventory. Just bought the spoiler off other dealers from interweb and will install it myself.
I would really like to get the BSM, but to get that, I have to get the DA w/JBL or Premium HDD nav unit + Safety connect and that would add up another 2k at least. I know that I won't be subscribed to safety connect after 1 year so why paid for the system that I won't be using. if BSM is available by itself, it would be awesome.

 

One thing that I've found that annoys me is that only the driver's window switch illuminates at night. It's hard to find the other switches on the door at night. Is that the same across the model line or does the XLE light up all the switches?

 

Only the driver's window switch illuminate in my XLE Hybrid.

 

The thing I regret was when selling the Camry. It's price was less than half of when I bought it. That's $15,000 lost.

 

My one complaint about the car is that from the factory, you cannot roll any windows down via the keyless remote (key with built-in remote). On all cars that I have owned with a keyless entry system, if you hold down the unlock button for 3-5 seconds, you can roll down, at the least, both front windows. In order to get this on the new Camry, you have to go to the dealer to have this done. Grrrrrr. I'm hoping there isn't a fee to have this done.

Oh, I do agree about the lack of a nice front license plate bracket.

 

My one complaint about the car is that from the factory, you cannot roll any windows down via the keyless remote (key with built-in remote). On all cars that I have owned with a keyless entry system, if you hold down the unlock button for 3-5 seconds, you can roll down, at the least, either both front windows. In order to get this on the new Camry, you have to go to the dealer to have this done. Grrrrrr. I'm hoping there isn't a fee to have this done.

Oh, I do agree about the lack of a nice front license plate bracket.

The dealer shouldn't charge for it..(I'll let Arabian confirm). They just have to hook it up to Techstream. I agree that it's asinine for the window roll down option to not be enabled from the factory, as it comes enabled on Lexus vehicles.

 

The devil is in the details.

You may see them as trivial but most of the items on his list add a very tiny cost to the car and should be expected in a 20-30k car. Believe it or not, it's little pet peeves like this that send people running to the Hyundai dealer.

I also don't buy the argument that we should feel fortunate that we can afford a new car and just accept what Toyota has fed us. I shouldn't have to step up to a 37k Lexus ES to get illuminated window switches.

 

I see what you're saying, but it's up to the buyer to ask the questions that need to be asked and take time to go over the entire buying process from beginning to end, before leaving the dealership, even if it takes a while. This is the reason that a whole day should be set aside when car shopping, whether new or used.

As for your other comment, that is where research come in.

 

To zythr:

Let me put it this way, this thread was created on what new 7th gen Camry owners regret they have or didn't have on their 7th gen car.

By its very nature, this particular thread is going to be a discussion (or complaints as you see it) of issues only found on 2012 Camrys only after they are utilized in real world settings.

I hope others continue to post their "observations" here. I will continue to read them and if the issues don't affect my perception of this car, I would never criticize them for issues that they perceive are important to them.

Take for instance the thread about wind noise. Do I hear wind noise, yes.
Would these same people complain about wind noise on a Jet Aircraft, yes.
Would I say that they perceived notions on wind noise are trivial, no, because even if I don't feel its a problem to me, it is to them. So be it.

I have only had only 6 cars in 30 years of driving. Only 3 of them where new. My first new car was a 1978 Plymouth. Compared to that, my Camry is a Rolls Royce. The Camry is only the third new car after an accident totaled my 12 year old Nissan. So every new car I get should be everything I want it to be. If it isn't, I have every right to say so about it.

If consumers did not give feedback about the products they deliver, maybe we would still be driving cars built like my 1978 Plymouth.

I suggest that if you don't want to hear us b*tching about it, please don't come to this particular thread and read/complain about our thoughts that we feel are important to us.

Why can we be critical, because we new "privileged" Camry owners earned it. We bought one and drive it almost every day.

If you didn't, I sorry you can't afford a new Camry. Maybe after 5 or 6 years when you can finally afford to buy a used 7th gen Camry, you will know what to expect, because we put it here for people like you.

Just stay in your perfect world where everything is wonderful.

 

To zythr:

Let me put it this way, this thread was created on what new 7th gen Camry owners regret they have or didn't have on their 7th gen car.

By its very nature, this particular thread is going to be a discussion (or complaints as you see it) of issues only found on 2012 Camrys only after they are utilized in real world settings.

I hope others continue to post their "observations" here. I will continue to read them and if the issues don't affect my perception of this car, I would never criticize them for issues that they perceive are important to them.

Take for instance the thread about wind noise. Do I hear wind noise, yes.
Would these same people complain about wind noise on a Jet Aircraft, yes.
Would I say that they perceived notions on wind noise are trivial, no, because even if I don't feel its a problem to me, it is to them. So be it.

I have only had only 6 cars in 30 years of driving. Only 3 of them where new. My first new car was a 1978 Plymouth. Compared to that, my Camry is a Rolls Royce. The Camry is only the third new car after an accident totaled my 12 year old Nissan. So every new car I get should be everything I want it to be. If it isn't, I have every right to say so about it.

If consumers did not give feedback about the products they deliver, maybe we would still be driving cars built like my 1978 Plymouth.

I suggest that if you don't want to hear us b*tching about it, please don't come to this particular thread and read/complain about our thoughts that we feel are important to us.

Why can we be critical, because we new "privileged" Camry owners earned it. We bought one and drive it almost every day.

If you didn't, I sorry you can't afford a new Camry. Maybe after 5 or 6 years when you can finally afford to buy a used 7th gen Camry, you will know what to expect, because we put it here for people like you.

Just stay in your perfect world where everything is wonderful.

Point taken. Your car your money. Good luck with it

 

^ that's awesome if it's true. Can someone confirm?

And I do have this feature. Used it for about 5 times and stop ever since. My argument for not using it are:

1) drain remote battery (I don't really care since I have lots of backup)
2) by the time it start rolling down I'm already there at the car. Might as well get in the car and start the engine to let it warm up and during that time I roll down the window. Even in summer the engine should get a bit of run before putting into gear.
3) it can't roll up
4) I have to get to the key, kinda defeat the purpose of smart key

I can go on and on, but in short I hardly use it cause it's a bit inconvenient. And I don't see the reason why Toyota have it and disable it.

 

Confirm what?

I had this feature on my Accord, and I loved it. Unless it's raining, I always drive with my windows and sunroof open. It's nice to be able to open all 5 with one button, rather than having to do them separately.

 

^ confirm that the Camry actually can have this feature just simply enable it.

LOL I'm opposite with you. Well at slow speed I do like to open my window. But it gets annoying so I open only half way. But usually I drive highway so auto climate control ON.

Like I said only time I use this feature is to release the hot air cause the car had been sitting in the summer's sun. Quickest cool down is to roll down all windows to let out that hot air. Doesn't matter how hot outside is, inside the car is a cooking oven.

 

^ my car is perfect.

 

The more I think about it, the more I regret not getting entune. Do you think it's possible to add it after purchase? Does the regular SE radio have the necessary GPS antennas and such?

 

Here's something else to add to my annoying list.
I don't like that the radio starts to play before volume can be adjusted. Sometimes I forget that I had the radio up loud when I start the car. I get a nice blasting when I start the car and the radio won't respond to the volume control until the display has gone through its boot.

BTW, the base radio in the SEI4 is much better sounding than the 2012 Accord's.

 

^ I know what you mean. Mine does the same.

 

All the features that went missing on the new 7th gen camrys will be added back just like AML said as a refresh.that's what Toyota is good at.

 

i regret not getting the convience package. i wanted it but settled for a car without it from the lot.