Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

tomgreen1000

Hi,

Living in California. Finally got a fix it ticket for no front plate. Does anyone know of a bracket or similar that will allow you to attach the front plate without drilling/screwing directly into the front bumper? Thanks!

Tom

ramped

on the 05s? I understand the 4 cylinders will get five speed automatics, and that the interior is supposed to change. Anything else?

alpha01

The 2005 MY Camrys begin production on July 5th, I believe. More specific information will likely be available then, and Id expect the 2005s to be in stock in most dealerships by early August.

~alpha

ramped

bklynguy

some minor changes to the interior including:

- optitron instrumentation (LED)
- covered center console bin (as compared to open on current)
- new steering wheel design with audio controls
- rear seat gets center headrest

andrelaplume

I hope they remove the rattles!

andrelaplume

I have a 3.5 year old and an 8 year old. The 8 year old is just out of his booster seat. Before that we were able to sit the two car seats and my petite wife in the rear seat. She is 5'9" and about 110 pounds. I would say she could sit there in relative comfort for short trips. Of course now tha my son is out of the booster seat there is more room. Before buying, put your seats in the car and get in. Some cars have wider seats but because of the contour or the rear seat, door armrests etc you may actually find less rear seat room.

masspector

I am in SET and it is not that uncommon for LE's to have leather. It is usually port installed by SET, but some is done by local dealers.

As far as ordering , my 03 xle took about 2 months last spring.

alpha01

I didnt say it was uncommon (and actually, I think I was talking about the LE and leather on the Prices Paid thread), just that the value equation plummets, when you could have the more desirable XLE, with its added features, for not that much more $$. Also, I posited that Toyota DOES NOT offer LEs with factory equippment leather, which is true.

~alpha

lkusmin

Thanks! We were away on vacation last week, so just saw your post this morning.

sgz1

I've noticed the dealers in the area are stocking almost all 4-cyl Camry's. I drove a V6 and was impressed with the power. How well do the 4 Cyl handle. Any preference?

ramped

Not sure I understand your question. Do you mean how does a 4-cyl. handle in comparison to a 6-cyl? That would have more to do with which model you selected, say an LE as opposed to an SE, which has a more aggressive suspension.

If you are asking about engine power, then obviously the 6 is much stronger, making about 60-70 h.p. more than the 4, depending on which model (SE or LE-XLE) you opt for.

The 4 is the bread and butter engine for the Camry, that's why you see so many. It is very good, probably as much power as most buyers need.

Hope this helped.

alpha01

The 210 hp 3.0L engine in the LE & XLE V6s will post a 0-60 of about 1.2 seconds quicker than the current 157 hp 2.4L, at a cost in fuel economy- figure about 3 or 4 MPG overall.

The 225 hp 3.3L engine in the SE V6 will post a 0-60 time of about 2 seconds quicker than the 157 hp 2.4L engine, owing to the 3.3L's significant torque advantage over the 3.0L engine. Same fuel penalty as the 3.0L engine.

Note, the gap between the 4s and the V6s will narrow, perhaps appreciably, with the 2005 models, whose 4s will gain a few hp and foot pounds (maybe about 5 for example), but more importantly, will have a 5 speed automatic tranmission, which should improve step-off (and fuel economy).

~alpha

dudleyr

Of course if you get the manual transmission, then the diff in acceleration between the 4 and the 6 is not that great, and the diff in mileage is even grater.

jeepers6

I found this post from last year . I am in contract to buy an 04 SE 4 cyl and when I drove it, it did seem to slow down very quickly as if the brakes were dragging. I don't remember this on the orig one that I test drove. Does anyone have any info on a possible cause or if this is something to beware of? Thanks

motownusa

Since all V6 Camrys are getting the 3.3L engine, expect 0-60 time of right around 7 seconds. The SE I4 manual tranny tested by Motor Trend ( I think) posted 8.3 seconds to 60. Since the 05 will be a tad more powerful, expect 0-60 time of around 8 seconds. Thats about a second slower than the automatic V6. Some people enjoy driving manual but they are a very small minority consequently manual equipped Camrys are difficult to find. But the savings at the gas pump will be significant (29 mpg on the highway vs 35 mpg).

epond

Sorry I am replying to your e-mail message rather slow.
We just got back from a month long vacation.

Well, I think my experience will fit your question.
We have an 18 month old and a 4 year old. We use 2
Britax carseats with LATCH and Tether in the 2 outboard
positions. On several occasions we have had a Grandma
visit - me or my wife will have to wedge ourselves between
the 2 carseats in the back. It is very uncomfortable. My wife
is 110 pounds and I am 160 pounds - both with slender builds.
We both dread sitting back there. We are considering buying a
Toyota Sienna now. We love our 2002 Toyota Camry XLE.

Their could be a difference for you though. If you use carseats
without LATCH, then the carseats can be pushed farther out towards
the doors giving ample room to the middle passenger. With LATCH, that is the lower anchors for the carseat, it positions the
carseats perfectly in the center of the outboard seating positions
of the rear seat, therefore nullifying some much needed hip room
for the center rear passenger.

However, I strongly recommend using LATCH on carseats. They make a
carseat very safe and secure.

Hope this helps,
epond

coolguyky7

Since Japan's model is so much like ours, check it out here:

http://www.toyota.co.jp/Showroom/All_toyota_lineup/Camry/exterior- /index.html

amazon

The Toyota.com website is now uodated with the information and pictures of the '05 Camry. The rumors of the 3.3 liter engine being available in the LE and XLE trims seem not to be true :^(

ricowiz

I am looking into purchasing a Camry this weekend and was wondering what everyones opinions were on:

1. Getting a loan from the bank as opposed to financing through the dealer.
2. A downpayment. I am planning on putting maybe 7,000 down but my friend said I was crazy, he told me to put nothing down.

Thanks in advance!! Appreciate the help.

fredvh

In most areas Toyota is offering 0% financing or $1000 rebate. You might want to consider financing at that attractive rate. Please let us know later as you complete your purchase. For your information the 2005s are coming out in a couple of weeks. The exterior is changing slightly and a new 5-speed auto transmission is now standard with the I4 engine.

steveb84

Just to clarify a couple of your concerns:

Most dealerships work through banks as well as the manufacturers finance arms. Right now Toyota Financial is offering some very low rates on Camry.

There have been concerns about dealers marking up rates, but with the well-advertised specials, you don't need to worry about that.

Re: putting down a large sum of money. That is a personal preference/comfort issue. If you can get 2.9% financing for 5 years, and that money could be earning more somewhere else (i.e. good mutual fund) than it makes sense to most people to put down as little as possible.

pat

Welcome!

You've been bitten by a very odd quirk in this software which creates a repost when you hit Refresh after posting a message.

I've deleted the duplicates. The best way to redisplay a page is to use the "Recent Msgs" link on the page bar. There is no danger of reposting by doing that.

You do have a couple of replies - use that same link to check them out in case you missed them.

Good luck!

ricowiz

Thanks guys, I guess I will have to see what rates are out there. I am test driving this weekend.

edmund2460

Do any of you get the fuel injector cleaning at 15K that many dealerships recommend? I was asked and turned it down since I believe that good grades of gasoline contain all the additives you need to keep the fuel system clean. I learned that my "Tires for Life" (which I suspect several of you have been offered) required you to do all recommended services including the fuel injector flush!!!!! BTW they never mentioned that during the sale.

c1rybick

I know that this forum generally is about people buying new Camrys, but I'd like to share an experience that I had today.

My parents bought me a 1995 Camry LE sedan, 4-cylinder, no options, in the summer of 2002. Might've overpaid a bit ($5000), but it was from family. It has been a good car, reliable, a bit boring, but basically good.

Today, after picking up the car from our mechanic (NOT a Toyota dealer), I was following my mother in her Grand Caravan. She made a left turn across traffic, and I thought I had a green turn signal, so I followed her. Which means that it was my fault when I failed to yield the right of way to an oncoming full-sized Chevy pickup. Why I didn't even BOTHER to look and see if the oncoming traffic was actually stopping, like I thought it was, I can't answer.

While the truck tried to dodge, he still hit me. It didn't really damage his truck, just a little cosmetic damage and a broken tie rod. My Camry, however, is going to be totalled. The engine is okay, but the front end of the car is basically pretty screwed up. The cabin was totally intact, in fact, the only damage behind the front wheels was my driver's door, which had a slight dent in the front of it. The air bags went off (those are pretty powerful), since the guy was going at least 45 mph.

But I was fine. The IIHS gave my generation of Camry a pretty good crash test score in the offset crash test, and I thought that my Camry handled itself really well. I'm totally uninjured, except for one friction burn on my left arm and a bruise on my chest from where I hit the steering wheel (I was wearing a seatbelt, of course). The other guy in the truck had one small cut inside his ear, which I suspect was from flying debris (my headlights ended up about 15 feet away from the car).

The car only had 152,000 miles on it (that's an "only" only when you're talking about a Toyota) and was running beautifully. I'm 20 years old, which means that my parents' insurance is going to rise just slightly. It's a shame that it's a goner.

I wish I could find a nice 1995 SE V6 with a stickshift to replace it (I'm not optimistic about finding one, though).

hank2

I have a 2004 4cyl SE with ABS and when I pop off the cruise control on the Highway before my exit, it cruises like a very well-oiled machine.

I don't notice any friction or brake problems, yet.

- hank2

hank2

Congrats on your survival.

You should be able to replace the car without looking very hard. I don't know about getting a stick on an LE.... and I think the SEs are a little less common.

But you might look around online, carmax, Edmunds etc. The local Toyota dealers may be able to find one for you and you might get a better warranty vs. a low price. Also, could you consider a newer model with the right price? Some folks will sell a good-working car with a bad paint job for a lower price... and you can upgrade the paintjob for a few hundred bucks.

Same idea, if you are mechanical: older cars might get junked simply because the doors were caved in without hurting the structure of the car. Obviously, you have to be a little more careful, but if the car is OK, the junk =yard is always ready to sell you doors that are OK.

-hank2

mppedersen

The standard also deletes the power drivers and passenger seats, the exterior mirrors are black. If you consider that in the 2002 model year, when the power drivers seat and keyless entry were optional, the price difference between the LE and Standard is about half the price of those two options when they were stand alone. Factoring in the spare tire and the black mirrors, and that accounts for the difference. The standard is pretty close to the old CE with the value package in the 2000 and 2001 model years.

Standards are also only available in three colors, whereas all the other trim lines have ten colors to choose from.

I am surprised that Toyota did not offer heated mirrors on the LEs and SEs, and the option of automatic climate control when leather is ordered on an SE. I would rather have heated mirrors than a sunshade, but that's just me. And I would hate a foot parking brake on the XLE.

I have a 2000 Camry XLE V6, and I think the parking brake in the center is the best place for it.

sbonar

What and where is the best deal on a 2004 LE auto?

pat

Hi sbonar - that's a tough question to answer without knowing where you are located, what options you want, etc.

Why don't you hop over to our Toyota Camry: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion? You can use the search feature on the page bar to look for posts that will have helpful information for you.

Good luck!

smartguy8514

went to look at the 2005 camrys yesterday and saw that the 4 cyl with the five speed auto get 24 city/34 highway...on par with the accord i believe.

dudleyr

Excellent, I wish they improved the manual as well. I heard it stayed at 24/33.

henry7

I'm going to get the Camry 2005 SE phantom gray probably very soon. Do you know the invoice price for these car ? I'm a costco member (southern California) and when I use their website and use member services option and then select new cars, they tell you what dealer to go to and the contact name in order to get COSTCO price for you, which it's Invoice price+$100 less rebates if any. So I want to make sure they gave me the right number , they said : 23047 +fee&lic. Are they really on the price or should I go with another dealer closer to my home and negotiate to get a better deal ? I'm planning in trading in my Honda accord 2003 DX with 12500 miles on it for around $13,100 based on the kelley blue book ( I owe 17,000 ) so I have to put down the difference. What do you think ?

hank2

Does anyone have more info about this airbag recall?

http://money.cnn.com/2004/07/26/pf/autos/camry_recall.reut/

Thanx,
-hank2

alpha01

to the Side Impact Airbag deployment issue that the early 2005 Subaru Legacy had. In that situation, folding of the bags was occuring incorrectly at the factory in which they were made, leading to improper inflation, and reduced effectiveness.

Could the same supplier be at fault?

~alpha

307web

I saw a newer Camry going down the road and I thought the exhaust pipe was falling off, then I noticed they are all like that.
Why is it hanging so low and so oddly?

andrelaplume

Since new I would hear a little creak in the back of the drivers seat when I'd pull out from a stop. With all the other rattles I thought little of this. Well, after 20K miles the noise is much worse, occurs all the time and actually feels as though there is play in the seat forward and aft. Anyone else experience this?

bernie3

You can find the invoice price in this site. Just go to new cars>toyota>camry and select the model you want. There are offers for dealer quotes on those pages... put in your zip, or a zip near where you want to buy and you should get some quotes to compare.

Not sure why you're willing to take a $4,000 loss on a car that's almost new, but what they hey.

alpha01

Theres a TSB on the 2002 Camry power drivers seat, which may be the source of your issue. Ours rocked in place a bit before we had it fixed under the TSB, now its perfect.

~alpha

slov98

you can see the hanging pipe on other models of camry, also 92-96, I don't like it either but what can you do except get an aftermarket catback exhaust.
Maybe the 05 camry doesn't have this anymore, looking at the 360 degree exterior 3D view, then you could replace with toyota's part not aftermarket's

307web

I wonder if thet just "fixed" it in the 3D view online because they didn't like the way it looked either. If they have had it this long, they probably won't correct it until a complete redesign.
Other cars don't have this, so I wonder what their excuse is?

badgerfan

Toyota has had this low hanging exhaust on the last three generations of Camry. It seems to be even more noticeable on this generation.

It also shows up on Avalon and Corolla as well.

Don't know why they route it the way they do, but it sure is ugly. You will never see it in their promo pictures either. They hide it for those shots.

hanomag2511

I think the new gen Camrys have one ugly side to em. Looking at it from the rear side view, the back end is WAY higher than the front, exposing the low hanging exhaust pipe and the sides of the car look "fatter" making the tires look tiny.

mbt1

266 of 266 crash test results by mbt1 Aug 02, 2004 (1:10 am)
Why have the Camry's crash test results gotten worse? I'm surprised that a large company like Toyota has not done more safety-wise to its bread and butter car, espcially when the Accord trounces it in both frontal and side crash results.

fredvh

Where did you get the crash results?

alpha01

yet, although expect the IIHS not to re-test. The NHTSA has varied for each model year, and not just on the Camry. Very curious. The side impact NHTSA test is worthless, IMO.

~alpha

alti2k2

Hey! I visited the Philippines a few months back and was suprised at how well optioned the Toyota Camrys are there. I know this may be due to the lack of the Avalon, or official imporation of Lexus models. But for less than the price of a Camry LE in America, here's what you get: Wood grain, leather and chrome shift knob, leather door trim, chrome scuff plate with Camry logo, rear personal lamp, rear power assisted sunshade, front console box with wood, x2 rear console box with leather, clearance and back sonar sensors, automatic digital Nippondenso airconditioning system, Fujitsu-ten CD/MP3/6-disc CD changer, 16" alloy wheels, 4-spoke leather steering wheel with woodgrain, HID headlamps, projector low-beams, self-leveling headlamps, LED taillamps, available rain sensor for the winshield wiper,power reatracting side mirrors, leather seating and driver's and passenger's power seats. ( specs posted here http://www.toyota.com.ph/model/camry/index.html )

They also have another vehicle called the Revo. Its just a basic SUV to deal with the lack of roads, or poorly maintained roads there, but interestingly it can be factory equipped with VCD / DVD monitors in the headrest (link http://www.toyota.com.ph/model/revo/interior.html# click Dual Monitor VCD Entertainment System)

This may be partially due to the fact that the Philippines is close to Japan and they can cheaply obtain some of the parts that they use on the Japanese vehicles. Back up until the Japanese began building cars in America, the content was similar to that of Japan. I remember on the late 80's and early 90's Maximas you could get a voice alert feature that told you any alert message. Over time, Japanese cars have lost some of that value. For example, the current NA Corolla doesn't have a fully independent rear suspension, whereas the European model does.

This decontenting may be in response to the great value that Japanese cars first offered when they came to America. They were pretty much fully loaded. After they established market share, so it seems, they felt comfortable and started to de-content. Ironically, one of the few car companies that still offer many features as standard are the Korean car companies. Yet, even they hold back to try to keep costs down. For example, the home market equivalent of the Kia Amanti is available with HID headlamps and a navigation system.

bklynguy

some of those "asian only" features will make it into the next gen US Camry (like HID headlamps for example). Keep in mind that if all of those features were available or even standard on a Camry, there would be no reason to get a ES330.

alti2k2

A way that Toyota can add those features to the Camry and still sell the ES330 is by differentiating the Camry and the ES more. For example, the first ES250 looked like some one had grafted Lexus LS400 style body parts to the (at that time) current Camry. However, the first generation ES300 looked very different from the Camry of the time with its projector beam headlights and tail lights that were nearly identical to those on the LS400, except for the fact that there was a small ES300 badge in the lower right taillight. As time went on, the resemblance between the ES and the Camry increased. Although the current generation ES has horizontal taillights, the front of the car looks like someone simply replaced the Camry's grill with horizontal chrome bars. I know that this might be due to the fact that in Japan, the Camry is available with 4-cylinder engines only and you have to upgrade to the Windom (Lexus ES) in order to get the V-6.