Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

alpha01

Indeed, Toyota did miss the boat by not making the Side Airbags and Curtains standard on the family values Camry model. Clear advantage: Honda.
(However, Side Curtains are more readily available that in past years, and the pricing of the Camrys now VERY closely matches that of the Accord.)

maxamillion- I hear your points. My take on the new design 16 alloys for the XLE is that they really sharpen the appearance of the car (Yes, I am aware that this was the rim used on the 2004 Limited edition). Along with the new fogs, grille, front bumper, and rear taillamps, I just feel it is more upscale. (Though I am a push-over for machine finished look alloys). The SE V6 is really aggressive looking, at least far as Toyota 4 doors go, lol. The alloys are very complimentary to the car's lines.

Re: the Accord's features- besides dual zone climate control and telescopic steering wheel, I'm not aware of anything impressive that the Accord offers that the Camry doesnt.

The Camry's ride is definitely more absorbent and serene than the Accord's. Certainly, the Accord offers better steering feel (than even the Camry SE), and the Accord's firmes suspension tackles evasive manuvers with better feedback and perceived agility. However, the Camry's dynamic capabilities are actually very similar to the Accord's, in terms of the data generated by instrumented testing in the car mags. One are where the Accord really shines in comparison to the Camry is the Accord V6 vs the Camry LE/XLE V6. The Accord outguns the Camry by about 8ths of a second to 60, for example.

I think Nissan's done a great job of improving the Altima for 2005- to my eyes and hands, the interior is significantly enhanced. However, the 2.5L 4 is not anywhere near as smooth or efficient as the 2.4Ls from Honda and Toyota, even if it produces 15 greater hp, which I feel is the car's biggest strike against it, as is the fact that it seems difficult to locate a 2.5S with Conv. Pkg and ABS/Side Curtains pkg around here....and why did Nissan not elect to have the IIHS re-test the Altima with the side curtains? Very interesting.

Overall, a good 2005 for midsize cars. Will be interesting to see how the new Sonata (debuting in the Spring) and G6 stack up. And dont forget, by that time... the NEXT Altima and Camry will be only about 15 months away.

~alpha

maxamillion1

I thinkt the 2.5L in the Altima and Sentra models is good for power, but refinement is a LOW end compared to the Accord and Camry.

Oh well, in about four years, I will get an Accord or Camry anyway, unless the Altima improves BIG time.

Those materials in the Altima might be updated for 05, but there is still some bad [non-permissible content removed] cost cutting. Nissan just doesn't make it seem as obvious with the 05s...

Regardless, I stopped by a local Nissan dealership this past Friday and I am taking my Altima into the shop this upcoming Friday and leaving it for a couple of days while they work on my minor issues. The car will be there until the following Monday or Tuesday...:(

maxamillion1

why you thought the Camry was more luxurious than the Accord...

Because besides the ride and VSC, the Camry and Accord or pretty much equal on everything...even price wise now.

I like the Accord's interior better, but they both seem equal interior quality-wise. Both are better than the Altima.

Toyota did a good thing by making so much more stuff standard for 05.

Resale values should go up some.

tomr1

After visiting 6 dealers I finally found a dealer who had two Camry's in the Sky Blue Pearl color. Yes, it is a powder blue and quite a stand out. It is totally different from any other color I have seen over the years on a Camry. I am not sure if this is the color I want only because it is so different. It is very nice though. Personally I liked the Catalina Blue that was on the 2004 models, but was told Toyota did not carry that color over because it was not a good seller. Has anyone seen the Mineral Green Opalescent color? I was told by one salesman that it is a Lexus color. To me it changes color depending on the time of day. In bright sun light it looks more grey & on an overcast day or towards evening you can see the green showing. Just my own opinion.

maxamillion1

That color is nice...really nice.

bklynguy

I still have my eyes on a darker color like red. Anyone interested in a silver camry should consider the mineral green, IMO it looks better, more upscale.

307web

I saw a 2005 Camry LE today and it looks like it still hangs somewhat low from the underbody, but it hangs less obnoxiously low than the 2004s and earlier.
However, I did not see a 2004 to make a direct comparison. I think the 2005 exhaust doesn't look so "weird" anymore that people would think it's falling off like they might think on a 2004.

bklynguy

When I looked at a few 05s on the dealer's lot, it looked better to me.

toycash

The exhaust system has not changed on the 05's. It is the same design as before.

bklynguy

maybe next time I'll take a closer look (all of those sharp-looking 05s looked good to me)

themoon77

I asked a Toyota Service Manager about the pipe when my car was in for an inspection; he was very honest and polite and told me the pipe, not having to be bent up and over the rear axle assembly, is much less restrictive, easier to repair/replace, and simply cheaper for Toyota. He also said he has never seen an instance of any clearance problems.

Steve

rcf8000

A Tucson Toyota dealer is running lots of TV ads stating that they will sell any new Toyota in stock for 50% off MSRP, to celebrate the dealership's 50th anniversary. This has to be a scam of some kind. Does anybody know anything about it?

307web

If it's true, you could go buy one, then resell it at a profit.
Try to buy one and see what happens.

fredvh

Yes, they will sell you any new Toyota at 50% of MSRP as long as you have a $15000 trade-in.
     Ads like this are a bunch of bologna.

themoon77

My fiancee's father owns a 2000 Camry 4-cyl. He has been told that his car MUST have its oil changed at the dealership because they use a special Toyota filter which "clicks off," trapping some oil inside when the car is not running. I assume they want the owner to feel like this provides extra lubrication at startup. Is there any truth to this or is it just a dealership business tactic??

mcdawgg

I agree with the dealer somewhat...

Just use the Toyota oil filter and you will be fine, no matter who changes it. I buy Toyota oil filters online and change the oil myself. You could buy filters online and have anyone change your oil using your filters.

307web

Maybe it needs to be done at the dealership by a genuine Toyota technician to ensure it clicks properly.

fredvh

Where do you get the Toyota Camry I4 oil filters on-line and how much are they?

slov98

this can't be true, take it to jiffy lube or other major retailers, they will do it without a problem.

jbkennedy

What they are referring to in the Toyota filter is a valve that prevents the oil in the block from draining when the engine is not running. Supposedly, after-market oil filters do not have this valve, allowing oil to drain back into the filter which causes extra wear on the engine at start up

jbkennedy

Here is a better explanation from a Toyota Parts site:
Toyota Oil Filter
 
 The genuine Toyota Oil Filter is designed specifically for your Toyota engine. A Toyota Oil filter will help protect your engine by trapping dirt and other contaminants while allowing the oil to flow to the engine. Features of the Genuine Toyota Oil Filter includes:

A bypass valve, which alleviates restricted oil flow in the event of a clogged filter.
An anti-drainback valve, which prevents oil from draining out of the engine and into the oil pan, helping to protect your engine from increased wear during cold starts.
A filter element which effectively filters contaminants and maintains the engine's lubrication capability during the maintenance interval. By comparison, a lesser quality filter element might clog during Toyota's recommended maintenance interval leading to engine wear, seizure or other problems. Some non-genuine oil filters do not meet all of Toyota's stringent specifications as the Genuine Toyota Oil Filter does.

fredvh

What is the Toyota oil filter number for the Camry I4 engine?

307web

They are saying a "lesser quality" filter may clog and ruin your engine.
You can get a Mobil 1 or Hastings/Amsoil oil filter that is not lesser quality.

toyoguy2

I recently purchased a 96 LE V6, when the car rich like 30mpd I can hear wind noise coming in from the vent or sound like from inside the dashboard. When driving on highway, noise get louder as speed goes up, even when I switch to inside air, I can still feel air coming in thru the vent, not to mention if I switch it to outside air. Any comment, please advice....other than that the car drive very nice. By the way, anyone knows where I can get the tweeter cover located on the door panel for this camry. thanks

guntur

I want to get 7yr/100,000 mile/$ 0 deductible warranty for 2005 Camry. What should I expect to pay for it ? Toyotawarranty.com quote is $1170. Local MI dealers are quoting $1400+. In archived read-only forums I found someone by name Cliffy1 at kjtoyota.com having offered best prices but I didn't see his name at this site. Appreciate if any of you could help me find a good deal. Look forward to your postings. Thanks

trimtime

Has anyone had any recent experience with the'05s regarding the availability of s/c a/b, especially on the LE model?

kris10

I am currently looking to purchase a new car. I'm looking at 2004's and hoping to get a good deal on one. I have done a lot of research and have narrowed it down to 4. I want a car that is comfortable, safe, gets good gas mileage, powerful, quiet, looks nice, and drives well. I was hoping you all could give some much appreciated advice/feedback and if you have/had one of the cars listed below, how much you paid for it and likes/dislikes/problems! I have it narrowed down to:

2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT2
2004 Chevrolet Malibu LS
2004 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE
2004 Toyota Camry LE V6

I have only driven the GT2. I plan on test driving the others very soon.

Thanks!
Kristen

andrelaplume

There use to be a Fin guy named Cliffy1 here. I am unsure if he still posts. He was quite frank on warranty pricing. He never tried to sell anything however there is nothing to stop you from buying your warranty from him or any other dealership. Try contacting him.

mcdawgg

They Camry is safe, efficient, etc. But if reliablity and/or resale value is at the top of your priority list, then the Camry wins. Check them all out, and let us know what you think.

ramped

It may be difficult to find a '04 LE V6 on the lots now. It is a relatively rare edition of the Camry. Also, the Altimas are 05s now, unless you buy used. Their new model year began last spring. Those would be my choices, however.

The GM products depreciate too quickly to buy new. They are a much better used purchase. Good luck.

dudleyr

GM depritiation is based on sticker price. Since nobody pays that actual depretiaion is not that bad.

307web

All depreciation is based on MSRP, not just "GM depreciation."
It still is bad taking that into account, just not as bad as if you paid MSRP and discounts are available on the MSRP of the Camry also.
The rebates are smaller on a Camry than most domestic cars, but you still come out ahead in actual depreciation compared to many domestic cars even with the smaller rebates.

bernie3

I can't speak for the Pontiac and Chevy, since I haven't driven either of them, but any new car seems better than an older model if that's what you have now.

However, the Altima and Camry will definitely have better resale value down the road. Check Edmunds or Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) for the values of these models from, say, the year 2000.

The Camry's quality is apparently a little better than the Altima. If you go for the Camry, also consider the 2005 model which is already on the dealer lots. Unless you can get the 2004 model for about $2,000 less than the '05 you might want to consider the '05 if it fits your budget. The '05 will be worth $1,000 more a year from now than the '04 will be -- assuming equal miles on both. Good luck in getting what you want!

mbedono

Would appreciate any info on Toyota dealerships in New Orleans area: good and bad service operations etc.

Thanks,
 Manny

raydahs

On the Sienna thread, individuals are getting good deals from KC Summers in Illinois. Here's a search on "KC Summers".
/WebX?ed_searchResults@@.ef14c39!keywords=allin%3Amsgtext%20kc%20summers

mcgirl0730

I bought my brand new Camry (salsa red) three months ago. When should I get it waxed? After six months or a year?

solara00

Hi Mcgirl:
You'll probably get a lot of opinions on this one. And a lot of it depends on how well you really want to take care of your car. Many of us are advocates of the Zaino method and you can enter Zaino in the search area to go to that forum to learn about that method, Mequir's and others.

In short many of us "clay", wash, and wax our cars on Day 1. I just bought a new Camry XLE in April and the amount of sap and other contaminants on this brand new car was truly surprising. A good initial claying, washing and waxing will make your car look BETTER than the day you bought it.

Back in the old days before clear-coat paint, it was common to let the paint "cure" before the initial waxing. That's no longer necessary or recommended.

We also own a 2000 Red Camry Solara and we have used nothing but Zaino since we bought it 4 years ago and the "Absolute Red" paint looks, literally, as good today as the day we bought the car.

I'm not recommending Zaino over any other method, but my point is to tell you that you should probably put on some good polish/wax the sooner the better. Also, I never knew of or used a Clay Bar before coming to this site, but if you ever get sap, brake dust, or other stubborn contaminants on your car, the Clay bar will really clean your car to a squeaky finish. Even if you don't use the Clay Bar, you'll want to give your new car a thorough washing with Dawn and then apply one or two coats of polish after that. After applying the polish or wax, you don't want to use Dawn. It's too harsh for frequent washings. Use something milder that doesn't contain a degreaser.

Good luck.......and don't wait.

P.S. As I first mentioned, a lot depends on how "fanatic" you are about your car. Many of us really like a deep, wet shine and you have to do a little extra to get that. But your Salsa Red Camry sounds like one that deserves that little extra TLC.

Whatever you use, the best advice I've ever received was to use 100% pure cotton towels for all washings and waxings. Red and other dark-colored cars are very susceptible to scratch/swirl marks and you can avoid a lot of that by using only 100% cotton towels.

I don't sell wax or towels or cars...........by the way!

mcgirl0730

Hello...thanks for the response. I checked out the Zaino website and they do have a lot of good products. But it sounds like too much work because you have to apply them in layers. If I did that, one day probably won't be enough. I am thinking of taking it to a car wash in my area. They can do the sealer wax and paint sealant for about $100. Do you think it will be as good?

solara00

Ha! Yeah, you are right. It IS a lot of work. My wife thinks I'm crazy. But even she admits that the Zaino results are pretty amazing and somewhat better than what a shop would do.

That said, I would think a reputable provider could put on the wax and sealant that would do a great job for you. By the time you buy all the Zaino you would need, you'd be into $100 anyway. So cost-wise it's a wash you might say. In my area $80-$100 for a shop to do this is about what I would expect to pay.

I'm sure the Salsa Red will look good either way. Congrats.

ramped

More important than what wax you use or how often is where do you park the car at night? And, what is your climate?

Cars that are constantly exposed to the elements should be waxed several times each year.

On the other hand, I can wax our car once a year (with Turtle Wax, if you can believe that) and it looks great since it spends every night in a covered garage.

mcgirl0730

I park the car in a carport at night. But at work, it doesn't get any shade because we don't have covered parking. I live in the bay area, so the weather is nice most part of the year.

pciskowski

The owners manual says to wax once a month?!?!?! I wish I had that kind of free time!

dekester

Be warned that the GM cars retain little value....
If you're thinking of trading in within a couple of years, you'll be unpleasantly surprised at trade-in prices. Trust me, I own an Olds Intrigue and it's "worth" only $3500 on a trade - car is a 98 with 39000 miles.

GM's reliability is less than stellar, also, so be prepared to spend time in the service department, and you might want to get an extended warranty.

I drove the Altima and was not impressed with the interior finish/materials. The 3.5 V6, IIRC, takes premium fuel only, so there's no savings there.

The Camry LE V6 was our choice and we've only had problems with the crappy Continental tires - soon to be replaced before another winter rears its ugly head.

Drive all four, decide what is best for you, but keep in mind future value.....

Deke

slov98

it depends what your experience is and whether you will have time to take care of the paint regularly or you will pay someone to do it.
Zaino for me seems like too much work and you can't really use different products on that car once zaino is set, unless you wash your car with dawn to strip all the zaino products off your car.

Good consumer product is meguiars 3 step deep crystal cleaner, since you have a new car all you need is step 1 to clean the paint(dirt that's embedded in the paint, won't come out during washing) and then you can use their wax, step 3 or use any other wax you'd like, NXT is a nice, but a little expensive, wax. very easy to apply and remove, I would use microfiber towels only.

as the other poster suggested, you can also clay the car first (it's a small soap like bar for contaminants bonded to your paint on the outside, above the paint, then you would clean the paint as I mentioned above and then protect the paint with wax) but it depends on how enthusiastic you are about car detailing.

rxanand

With my commute about to get a lot longer, I would like to replace my noisy old Saturn station wagon with a really quiet, comfortable and reliable car.

I had pretty much made up my mind to get a Camry XLE V6. I ruled out the Accord V6 as being too noisy for my liking (too much tire noise).

But then I took a test drive in a a preowned 2002 Lexus ES 300 with about 30K miles on it. I think I could get it for about roughly the same price as the Camry (I live in Bergen county NJ).

Now, the Camry is one of the quietest cars around but the Lexus manages to improve even on that! Now, I cant make up my mind! Any suggestions?

lewboy

Go with the new Camry.I think the XLE is too close to the Lexus to make a big difference with noise.I love our 2003 XLE. It has Bridgestone tires that came on it from the factory.There may be a better tire for low noise,but for now these are good to go.

mcgirl0730

I'm just curious...what happens to the brand-new cars that are not sold at the end of the year? Like with the Camry. Since they're keeping the same body style for 2005, do they just modify the leftover 2004's?

bd21

They reduce the price and sell them. Part two of your question is setting you up for a blond joke.

dudleyr

Actually that is a fair question. Sometimes (especially in a small town) some of the cars sit for a very long time, so they are 2 model years old. The problem is if they don't sell by the end of the model year, then the incentives (from the factory) go away and the car becomes really hard to sell. Eventually someone comes along and buys it, or they put a few miles on it and sell it as a used car.

No they don't modify cars to the next model year.

rcf8000

The scam has been explained. (See post #7025) Arizona's Attorney General has filed suit against Precision Toyota of Tucson, alleging false advertising. Turns out, the 50% off MSRP they were advertising was really 50% off of the residual value in lease deals. How they thought they could get away with this I can't imagine. I hate to see sleazy dealership practices like this. Maybe this law suit will change their outlook. The Attorney General is aiming at charging Precision Toyota a $10,000 fine for each time the TV ad ran. This could add up to a lot of money. (Tucson has one other Toyota dealer; unfortunately, it appears to me that they are even sleazier than Precision.) I do my Toyota shopping in Phoenix.