Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

armtdm

Re modeled completely in 97?? I will bet that I could take 99% of the engine parts off of my 3.0 L V6 from 92 and use them on the 97 engine. The engine is the same tired V6 from 92, maybe with aluminum heads. Same horsepower (oops 5 hp diff) same design, great engine but by todays standards it is tired! Also, I think there has been a study showing the KY built Camrys are not as reliable as the Japanese! Not sure though.

ggrossman

I currently own a 1992 Camry that I planned to trade in for a 2001 Camry, but am worried about the discussion of "uncomfortable" seating [I have had no problems with my 1992]. What, exactly, is the problem?

Does anyone know if the seating will be redesigned for he 2002 model? Is it worth the wait and the probable price increase?

TIA,
Georgette

zeke20

I just bought a Japan built V6 LE with fabric seats and they are very uncomfortable. Not enough lower back support and not enough support in the bottom cushion. You probably won't notice it on a 10 minute test drive. I recommend trying the leather seats with the lumbar adjustment or get a car seat from "The Healthy Back Store". That solved the same problem I had with my New Yorker. My only other complaint is the low ground clearance of the exhaust pipe. Otherwise great car, fast, and I got 29 mpg on my first tank of gas.

aiman

We have a '95 and '97 in the family. The front seat bottom of the '97 shorter and narrower than the '95. This may be uncomfortable for some people.

dangfool

I'm looking at a '96 Camry and also a '98. I like both! One reviewer didn't like the changes. Anyone who's had experience with both generations care to comment?

willyho

I'm interested in the Camry LE, but am not sure whether I should try to take advantage of the $1000 rebate + $900 college grad rebate (in Delaware at least) now or wait until the 2002's come out. I figure if I wait a couple of months:
1. The rebates on 2001's will increase, not go away.
2. I'll get a chance to consider the 2002
3. But, will the selection be much less or is that not much of an issue for the LE?

Any thoughts?

stonefiddle

I have a 1993 Camry that just turned over 200,000 miles. it is a 4 cyl with a 5 speed manual transmission. What maintenance should be done now? It's been running great.

cliffy1

Just remember that the $900 college grad money ends this month. We have known about this since February. July 2 is the last day you can get this.

spider10

My 1998 Camry 4 cyl went 9000 miles since it's last oil change. Now the engine makes noise and they say it is sludged up and needs a new short block. The engine only has 44,000 miles on it. Has anyone else experienced this. It seems like something else must have gone wrong. The oil light never came on. Surely these engines are better than this. I cannot be the only one that has ever missed an oil change.

3pointstar

Some people miss ONE oil change. You missed TWO (assuming 3K intervals). The oil light should come on based on the pressure inside the engine (i.e. low oil level). Your engine probably had the right amount of oil, just not the right quality (i.e. viscosity).

210delray

9000 miles is way too long on conventional oil. How many months had gone by?

Check out the "Engine Sludge?" topic for tales of woe.

costalot

I am getting mixed advice from mechanics and ex-mechanics in the family. I've set my sights on the 2001 Camry but can't decide whether the added expense of the 6 cylinder, from purely a long-term maintanence stance, is worth it. I wanna see this thing hit the 150k mi mark without having to replace transmissions or engines. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. my email is costalot@excite.com if you'd rather not post here.

Thanks,
--AL

cliffy1

Either engine will get you to 150K and more if you do the maintenance. The 4 bangers lont last any less long than the V6.

pilot13

I'm confused. You posted exactly the same story in the Nissan Altima thread. Is it a Camry or an Altima that you had problems with? Sorry about your sludge problem, but going 9000 miles without an oil change is asking a lot of any engine.

cliffy1

you sludged two engines? That must be a record.
Next time you buy a car or two, do the oil changes when the manual tell you to.

sebring95

IMHO, I would't own a 4cyl. The V6 is worth every penny. The maintenance expense is slightly more, but no major items. I've put 200K, 140K, and currently 110K on various V6 Camrys without any mechanical failures.

The 92 V6 was built light years ahead of anything else (at least anywhere close to the price range). It's still light years ahead of many motors in this class. What impresses you? The 3.8L GM motors, those haven't been around long.....(sarcasm for those that need help..). I can't name an engine in this class that's much better, but can name several that are much worse. Them thar Taurus engines certainly are marvels of refinement.

armtdm

Yea, the Maxima V6 is far and above better then the Camry V6. Smoother, more horses, same mileage and a proven engine since 95. I have had two of them (still have my Camry also, and they are maintenance and problem free. Biggest advantage is a timing chain not a belt on the Maxima. Car and Driver says one of the best V6s ever made!!!!!

c0ke

If you wanted 4-wheel disk brakes on a 2001 Camry then you would have had to have opted for the V6 in at least the LE version.

The Maxima's engine is "premium fuel only" from the specs I've read. I'm wondering if the increased horsepower in the 2002 Camry engines is going to require premium fuel.

If the dealers order their next "preferences" well before actual delivery then surely they must be doing that now if the rumors are true for 2002 production to start in the next week or so.

Sure would like to see the new specs for the '02's; I've all but given up purchasing from the '01's that are left. I've seen the early pix being circulated and heard some of the comments but so far nothing official.

rward99

Full production will start after the end of summer shutdown, on July 27, although quality control production will begin on July 9. They had planned to start earlier but last minute engineering changes delayed it. These changes may delay production start beyond the dates shown above, so even those dates aren't cast in stone.

So far the Camry/Sienna engines haven't required anything more than regular fuel, although the owner's manuals have said that you will get improved performance with 89 octane. I can't tell any difference, so I just run 87 octane.

sebring95

I agree the Maxima engine is better, but I wouldn't compare them by saying the Camry V6 is tired compared to the Maxima. Regardless of HP, they are very similar engines, both strong, smooth, and reliable as hell.

The build quality of the Camry has decreased a bit over the years, 92 was by far the best out of the ones I've owned. However, they are still excellent and more affordable (competitively). My 92 LE V6 Camry stickered in the lower 20's (I think $22,000) nearly 10 years ago and the only extras it had were the moonroof and CD player. Compare that to now, and the Camry is a much better bargain. I think I could have bought a comparable Taurus for $6,000 less in 92. The Camry was built more like a Lexus back then, so I guess now you have to ante up more cash to get even more quality. Guessing, I'd bet the ES lexus is priced more in-line for the quality taking into account inflation.

Timing belt vs chain: to me I'll take which ever once is non-interference, and don't care what drives it.

orman1

toyota "recommends" a higher octane in the v-6 camry, but they don't require it. It runs fine on 87. But, if you are having difficulty starting it, switching to 91 usually helps it start a little easier.

Even though the camry doesn't have the horses as the max, I think that the gearing really helps it out. It feels like it has more power than what is being put out.

robh14

We had to replace the charcoal canister in October 2000 (car only had 33K so still under warranty. (We found out that this needed to be replaced when the Check Engine light went on the day after standard service (oil change).

Last week after standard servicing (oil change) the Check Engine light went on and we had to replace the EGR valve. We picked up the car, and it wasn't running well, so we brought it back. The mechanic said the part (the new one just replaced) needed to be cleaned. He cleaned it, we took the car back home, and as soon as we went to drive it again, the Check Engine light went on. Car is back at dealer now to look at on Monday. Car has only 42K.

Has anyone else had these types of problems? Are we being taken by the car service place? Any suggestions?

Any comments would be appreciated.

orman1

Sounds like possibly the mechanic wasn't quite sure on what the problem was, or he saw that he might have messed something up. A new EGR requires no cleaning, but he might have either improperly reinstalled an item, or knocked something loose. I'd give them another chance to check it out, and have the mechanic most comfortable with the v-6's to look it over and see what they can find. Have them check to see if the vent tubing to the canister is plugged or bent, and check the gas cap to make sure it's not leaking. Simple stuff, but you never know. Sometimes, it's hard to diagnose those problems because you think it's something serious when it's not.

camryman3

Any consensus on 2001 Camry vs. 2002? Will the 2002 be worth the wait. Dealers are coming up with some real bargins on the 2001.

s852

Since there is no useful confirmed info on the 2002, it is hard to say.
It is likely that there will still be plenty of 2001s available when the 2002s come out, so it is probably worth waiting to compare them side by side, then decide if the 2002 is worth the extra cash since it will not have all the rebates and discounts that are available on 2001s.

lxgmb

I bought a 2000 CAMRY in Novemeber 1999.
At 3000 miles, the front shock absorbers made noise, and were replaced. Then it made noise
again at about 10000 miles. I told the dealer
when I had the 10000 miles maintenance done.
No problem was found. But it kept making
high-pitched noise at the front. Right now,
this $22000, 1.5 years old, 21000 mile car
drives me crazy by making noise. It not only
makes noise from the front buy also from behind the dash board.
Anyone has the same problem?

cliffy1

It is my understanding that the 2002 will actually come in slightly less on the sticker than the 2001. That does not mean that your transaction cost will be less any time soon. When the '97s came out, they were sold near MSRP for a few months, then came down to a more manageable level of $800 to $1200 over invoice for nearly a year. It was several years before any rebates were available. I expect the same pattern for the 2002.

One other note here is product availability. Right now, most dealers have a good inventory and prices reflect this fact. We have been warned that product will be slowing over the summer. We have even been warned of shortages of Camrys before the 2002 comes out. Whether or not this actually happens is yet to be seen, but those people who like the current body style and wish to save money should keep this in mind when deciding when to buy.

c0ke

I notice Edmunds is showing Customer Cash incentives for CE models and Dealer Cash incentives separately for other Camry models.

Is the "Customer Cash incentive" money that is sent to the customer from the factory after a sale?

Is .."Dealer Cash incentive" sent to the dealer after a sale?

Likewise, is the money automatically "worked" into a negociated price at the dealership?
I'm not referring to the "holdback" money.

Incentives were not available back when I bought my '85 or at least the information was not well known. Back then Camry's were "marked up" from MSRP by the dealer in this area. To get the model/options I wanted I ordered it from a dealship in another city.

dhughes3

Cliffy1, you are wrong, there certainly is such a thing as a V-4 (not of course in a Camry). Saab had one many years ago. Prior to that they had a 3 cyl. two-cycle engine too. Wierd outfit!

cliffy1

Ummm.... OK. I thought this was a discussion about the Camry, but if we are including obsolescent Swedish cars, I stand corrected.

jimxo

See the new 2002 Camry on the Toyota web site in Japan.

www.toyota.co.jp

click under "car line up" on top of page one.

The next page in column one you will see a small banner that reads "new" click on the link just below the word "new"

On the bottom left of that page you can view three different interior and exterior shots.

On the site they call it Mark II. It appears they combined Lexus and Toyota cars on one site.

Once you are there you can begin to view each link and see how beautiful this car is.

ecaf

Heh heh heh. That is NOT the 2002 Camry. In Japan, the Camry is sold as the "Camry" and the ES300 is sold as the "Windom". The Camry and Windom do not share their mechanical platform with the Mark II. The Mark II is a slightly smaller rear-wheel and all-wheel drive sports sedan with the 2.5 liter 1JZ-GTE V-6 engine. The Camry and Windom will continue to be larger, front-wheel drive and use the 3.0 liter 1MZ-FE engine. It's more like an (AWD) Audi or Subaru than a mid-size family/entry-luxury car. It's real nice, too.

alpha01

Hey Camry fans--
check out Post #1477 in the Honda Accord folder.
Many thanks to Vince Burlapp -- you'll find on his website pics of some of the 2002/2003 cars.. including 3 of the next Camry (one of them is a very good front angle shot).

drew_

Topic: Those Little Annoyances - what really bugs you?

s852

Don't be too quick to believe every photo you see on that site. Many were bogus or not really the car he says they are.

ravvie4me

Looks pretty nasty. It appears that Camry has nothing to worry about!

That interior pic for the 2k2 Camry(if it indeed is a Camry)lists it for the "GLE" model. Isn't GLE a Nissan model designation? Also the steering wheel appears to have come straight from the Highlander (after all, I own one and have seen it every day since purchase!).

On the other hand, the 2k2 Camry certainly looks like a radical departure from the current generation 4 Camry. Definately a far cry from my 1988 generation 2 Camry. Overall, it appears Toyota has another winner on it's hands (no surprise).

wenyue

They seems fishy.

Like someone else who pointed out about the Camry interior picture, GLE designation is for Nissan, not Toyota.

Besides, if that picture source was japan as stated, then why is the steering wheel on the left side?

Something seems fishy.

alpha01

I agree that the pictures are not gauranteed to definitely BE the next Camry, and I apologize if thats what my original message led some to believe. BUT, in conjunction with other posts that I have read on this board (specifically # 547), I think its reasonable to speculate that the front end angle and side view shots ARE indeed the next Camry. wenyue-point well taken, but the page author (Burlapp) even says that there is a chance that it might not be the final interior, and also, aren't many left hand drive vehicles designed and produced in Japan?

rward99

Actually, that front angle headlight shot is pretty good, and the interior is also not bad. It's difficult to tell with such small photos, but all in all, not a bad set of photos.

I keep saying, it's a nice looking car, and sales are expected to be very good.

lenscap

Only the close up of the front shot seems accurate. All other so-called "Camry" photos are of the new Toyota Mark II, which is not sold here but can be found on www.toyota.co.jp. The interior shot shows a nav screen and I highly doubt the Camry will offer one. That is the Mark II interior.

s852

Many pictures on Vince Burlapp's site are not of cars he says they are. Often they are Japan-only models (not Camry) and the steering wheel is on the left because he reversed the photo image to make it look like it could be a US model.
This type of trickery should make you skeptical of any photo you have not confirmed elsewhere from an official source.
The Honda pictures probably are not the US 2003 Honda Accord either.

bimmer4me

It looks pretty close to the current generation RX300 but improved looks...

jdeib

I believe that the 2002 Camry will have a Navigation system on the XLE and SE models. The reason I believe this is that I found a link on yahoo that was from an automotive electronics supplier that listed all it's current products produced under factory contracts for the auto industry. It listed that they will produce the in dash nav system screens for the 2002 Camry XLE/SE models. The name of the company escapes me, but I have the .pdf file on my home computer and I'll post it tonight. I really hope it's true, because that's an item that's on my wish list for my next Camry.

s852

In Japan, many Toyotas have navigation systems even when the US models do not. The Avalon and ES300 Japanese versions have navigation systems even though you can't get it in the US.
This means that the Camry may not have it in the US even if Japanese Camrys do have it.
I suppose it is possible that navigation systems will become more common on less expensive vehicles in the US soon though, so I would not be completely shocked if it was an option on a 2002 Camry XLE.
Many of Vince Burlapps supposed future car photos have been proven to be hoaxes and mislabeled models.

wenyue

True, true about the Nav systems. In Japan, even the Corolla gets a navigation system. Many of what we consider to be compact or entry level cars are their family cars. Since the Japanese 2001 Corolla got a navigation system, I'm sure the 2003 Camry in Japan will get it as well.

I wouldn't bet on us getting one though. Chances are good that the Lexus ES300 would get one to bump it's prestiege up a notch. But I wouldn't hold my breath for the Camry to get one.

lenscap

The 2002 RX 300 will be unchanged from 2001. An all-new model is coming out in 2003. Clearly that photo was doctored up.

s852

$2000 is too much. You can buy a Compaq IPAQ and the hardware and software to make it a GPS navigation system for less than $1000 total.
It is not as slick or detailed as the DVD-based navigation systems, but it proves that a useful system could be factory installed in less-expensive cars for much less than the $2000 average price.
When you can get factory-installed navigation for below $1000, it will be more common in the US.

rward99

The close up front headlight is definitely very close, if not actual, of the 2002. I agree that the interior is probably the Mark IV. I remember seeing the one reported earlier, and it did have the navigation system. (Those are some really small photos.) The Mark IV interior colors are also a little bold for the American market, but generally speaking, there are many similarities between it and the new Camry. I have seen, 3 completely different interiors, instrument clusters, steering wheels etc. It's not that difficult to vary an interior.

On all of the models I have seen, the rear end remains the same, and it is almost identical to the the current Avalon, except that the backup light is in the tail light lens instead of the trunk lid, and the trunk lid is a little more rounded; not as sharp an angle as the Avalon.

petmj

Hello everyone....I'm new in here. Just bought a '97 Camry LE V6 and have already upgraded to a TRD air filter, TRD Springs and Tokico struts just to give a little back ground on my Camry. Very happy with the results!

Have one small issue though, the car had 50,000 miles on it when I bought it. When the engine is cold, in particular, I hear a slight "ping" during light or heavy acceleration. I've only used 93 octane and the previous owner did so as well. Also had the local dealer clean the engine out with this stuff call "tops engine cleaner" which should have blown all the carbon build up out. Anyway, I still have this pinging and I'm starting to think it could be the plugs. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance and looking forward to visiting this site often.

rward99

I have a 1989 V-6 that was pinging heavily. I changed the plugs and it hasn't pinged in the last month. I'd say go for it if the plugs haven't been changed in a while.

My '91 Camry has platinum plugs and I assume yours does too. They should be changed at 60K intervals.