Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

alan_s

Go for the Camry. It has a new car warranty and even if the ES300 is a Lexus CPO, the "warranty" is not worth much. I bought a Lexus CPO LS400 a few years ago which had a major drivetrain problem and neither the dealer nor Lexus stood behind their so-called warranty. They behaved just like the ill-reputed "used-car dealer", offering a "remedy" to buy it back for $10K less than I paid, and sell me another LS400 for $4K more than I originally paid for my lemon!!!
I dumped it for an Avalon.
The ES300 will also cost you more to maintain and insure. Call a Lexus dealer and find out how much an oil change or major service is!!! If you want the Camry to ride very smoothly and quietly, replace the OEM tires with Bridgestone Turanza LSH or LSV tires. Bridgestone are offering a 4 for the price of 3 deal. I have them on my Avalon and it made it ride even smoother and quieter. Superb tire for the price.

pciskowski

I had the Continentals on my LE, and I put Bridgestones on. It drives and rides much better. The OEM tires are junk.

bklynguy

I forgot to look at the tires on the 05 XLE when I was at the dealer. What brand of tires usually come with the XLE (05), Bridgestone, Michelin or some other brand ?

guntur

Thanks Raydahs. I contacted KC Summers Toyota and got a quote of $845 for 7yr/100K/$0 ded and $700 for 6yr/100K/$0 ded for 2005 Camry LE, 4 cyl, auto. By far the lowest I got/seen online. Thanks again!

murray53

I would be interested in your impressions of the Pontiac GP GT2. I rented one for a week and it handled well for a big car, got pretty good mpg (although I didn't use the AC since I was in Winnipeg, MB and the weather was cool) and had plenty of room. It is not really in the same class as the others you mentioned since it is a full size car; the others are mid-sized. I am looking for a new car (have an 88 Camry Deluxe with 139,000 miles bought new in 10/87) and am considering another Camry. I would probably get the 4cyl as gas prices are way too high these days.

murray53

It reminds me of the days when some NYC taxis had big rubber bumpers installed on them (in the days when chrome bumpers were standard). My 1988 Camry Deluxe has the old black rubber surfaced bumpers as well. The LE model had color keyed bumpers as do all the newer ones. I can understand why your cousin wants the old ones if she has to park on the street. I've seen a few Camrys with scratched up/dented front/rear bumpers and to say the least they don't look good.

ramped

The GP is a midsize sedan, the same as the others. If you like it, my suggestion is to pick one up used since the depreciation on a new one is painful.

If you intend to drive your next purchase for 17 years, like your current Camry, I would suggest sticking with Toyota.

catherine9

Why is the turning circle smaller on the base and LE models of the Camry? The Toyota website lists the turning circle as 34.8. I think the turning circle on the XLE is greater than 36.

tomr1

Your right, there is a difference in turning circle diameter. The only reason that I can see, is due to the different size wheels. If you check you will see that on the SE & XLE models 16" wheels & tires are standard. On the Standard & LE models, 15" wheels are standard equip.

tomr1

What are the advantages of having larger wheels? The downside that I can see is longer turning circle diameter & more costly to replace. I see that on the SE-V6 17" tires are standard but 16" are standard on the 4-cyl. It would seem to me in that case that 16" would be standard on the LE-V6.

alpha01

All Standards: 15 inch steel
All LEs: 15 inch (alloy std. on V6)
All XLEs: 16 inch (alloy std. on V6)
SE 4: 16 inch steel
SE V6: 17 inch alloy

~alpha

hank2

I agree that the cost disadvantage of larger wheels outweighs other advantages for most people.
The turning radius is an issue, also, but mainly for U-turns and tight parking. I don't think the radius will really be that noticeable in daily driving.

The major advantage is handling, because you end up with more tire on the ground with the larger wheels ... so you can get better grip. But most people don't buy a Camry for sports handling.

However, one reason that I wanted an SE over an LE was because of availability of safety equipment ... on the 2004. And the larger wheels provided a little more handling advantage, with the tighter suspension.

I don't recommend specifically asking for larger wheels; the factory choice is usually fine for the engine size.

- Hank2

raydahs

Yesterday I test drove an SE, 5 speed manual and thought it would be a very fun daily driver, even in traffic. Any SE 5 speed owners care to share the positives/negatives about their cars? Another question for the 4 cyl Automatic owners, anyone experiencing any type of lag/hesitation with the transmission like the 6 cyl versions?

phd86

My new 2004 camry, automatic, is rated at 23 (city)/32 (highway), and gets 18/25-26 (first 2000 miles). My former 1992 5 speed, rated at 22/29, gets 22/29-31 (267,000 miles). It got that from day 1 and gets it today. Not the case with the 2004.

Both of these are determined from continuously recorded odometer and gas receipts. I was given sales talk that the automatics are now better and so forth, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Anyone else out there that continuously records fuel economy?

mcgirl0730

I don't understand why a lot of people are having problems with their transmission. I'm driving a 2004 V6 LE and it shifts very smoothly. I even asked my brother who's driven it and he said it's fine. I just wonder if I'll have a transmission problem in the future.

dudleyr

The EPA tests favor automatics, so while they are getting closer to manuals, they are not nearly as good in real life.

Look at the consumer reports recent test of small cars with automatic and manual. The manual typically cuts a second or two off of 0-60, and ads several miles to the gallon. (about 10% improvement in both areas.

phd86

thx,

do you have a reference/citation on the report? I couldn't find it on the web.

alpha01

(vintage 2002) regularly attains between 26 and 28 MPG in fair mix of city/highway.

~alpha

dirk3

Hello:
I have posted this question in another area of this forum with no response. I'll try here. My 2004camry xle does not activate the low fuel warning light even when the gas is low enough to need 16 gal to fill the 18.5 gal tank. Not even a flicker on hills or around turns. The xle has an information center that gives mpg, fuel range, etc. You 2004xle owners know what I'm talking about. Could someone please tell me, if you have a 2004 xle, does your low fuel warning light work???

rxanand

Went and picked up the car from Parkway Toyota in Englewood Cliffs, NJ this morning. Color is black with taupe leather. Around here, the only choice in XLE V6 configuration is the navigation system. I decided that I did not want the nav system since hand held units work pretty well for a small fraction of the price of the built-in system.

I had dithered over whether to get the Camry or a used Lexus ES300. Low noise and a comfortable ride were my main requirements for this car since my commute is about 50 miles a day through congested and bumpy roads.

After much thought and a few test drives, I decided that the noise level in the Lexus was about 90% that of the Camry. Not quite enough to tip the scales in favor of the Lexus. Also, there did not appear to be any used ES300s in my price range that were in good shape.

I must say that the Camry, especially in XLE form with the alloy wheels, looks a lot more expensive than it is. Those new headlights really make a difference. Much closer to Lexus now.

pat

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slov98

I don't have the xle but there is no reason why the light wouldn't work even with the information center, did you go to the dealer?

dirk3

Thanks for the reply. Actually, I agree, the low fuel warning light should work with an information center, but since the info center give remaining miles since last fill up, I can imagine some designer deciding the light is redundant. I just don't know for sure, since no one with an XLE will take the trouble to reply. Ragarding going to the dealer, I'm trying to avoid the inconvenience of taking it for service, having the instrument cluster removed, maybe having the fuel tank removed to inspect the float assembly, all of which will lead to scratches, just to have them say, "Guess what? You don't have this feature!" Why am I pessimistic? Because I spoke to service managers and service writers at 2 different dealers, and they weren't sure. Needed to research it. The "experts" that should know immediately aren't sure, but will be happy to disassemble my car to find out!
So, before I leave the car for service, I'm hoping someone with an'04 XLE will be kind enough to say whether their low fuel light works or not. This is the "acid test". Folks, how about some help, PLEASE???

jrct9454

....a better question is why anyone feels compelled to drive the car to the point where the low fuel light comes on at all. All fuel measuring systems in cars are approximations, and you don't need a light glowing to tell you that you need to find a gas station.

In 40+ years of driving, I've seen the low-fuel warning on one of my cars exactly once...knowing precisely the station I was aiming for was less than 5 miles away. Your question is reasonable, but the importance attached to the answer may not be....

dudleyr

I often see my low fuel light. It comes on with 2.5 gallons left, which at 35 mpg is nearly 90 miles - not exactly cutting it close.

kneisl1

Running around with a near empty tank on a regular basis will cause condensation (water)to form in the tank. This isnt going to do your expensive FI system any good. Also, when the fuel pump is in the tank its cooled by the gasoline. Running that low on gas can overheat the pump.

dirk3

Well, let me explain it to you. I have had many cars with low fuel warning lights, and they all work the same. Long before you are really low on gas(2-3 gal)and before the light stays on constantly, it will flicker as you round turns or go up and down hills. This begins variably at 3/8 tank. You can then remind yourself to gas up before your fuel is too low (as you observed). If you pay for this feature and become used to it, then you have a right to wonder if it operates. So when you notice that it doesn't flicker , it is natural to go a little longer to see how it responds. This tells you how dependable it is.I noticed it because the light has never even flickered down to 2.5 gals. I check all features for functionality when I buy a new car, because I expect to get what I pay for. The light became standard (in addition to a functioning fuel gauge)for a reason. The excuse that we should watch the needle and don't need the light doesn't wash.

dirk3

Hello:
Can you tell me, you say you often see the light at 2.5 gals, is this the first time you see it flicker, or is it on all the time at 2.5 gal? Does it flicker as you go around corners and up and down hills before 2.5 gal?
Thanks for trying to help.

dudleyr

I really don't know the answer, as I have never run out of gas or even come close. Hard to judge by how much you put in the tank because the neck to the tank takes some gasoline as well. My guess would be that when the light comes on steady on a level surface, that is 2.5 gallons left.

My car only has 180,000 miles on it so I guess I will find out if my behavior is hurting the FI system after I finish breaking it in, and start to put a few miles on it. ; ^ )

To me running around with an empty tank is just putting a few gallons in. I fill up when it is low. Sometimes the light is on sonetimes it is not.

alpha01

"Well, let me explain it to you. I have had many cars with low fuel warning lights, and they all work the same. Long before you are really low on gas(2-3 gal)and before the light stays on constantly, it will flicker as you round turns or go up and down hills."

I dont really understand your issue. You indicate you are upset because your Camry's low fuel warning light does not come on at 2.5 gallons to empty. However, in practicly the same breath you call "long before you are really low on gas" 2-3 gallons. Seems to me that the Camry's low fuel light may come on at the lower end of that threshold, which you do not know, but you are thinking it doesnt work?

I just dont understand that thinking, maybe something I am missing. Our Camry's low fuel light comes on in an appropriate amount of time, never really measure it.

~alpha

dirk3

Alpha:
Ok, I'll try again. first, since Dudley has 180,000 miles on his car, it obviously is not a 2004 XLE(4 cyl), so, even though he is trying to help, the comparison isn't valid. (Maybe he also has a 2004?) In fact I have a 95 XLE v6, and the low fuel light comes on "flickering" around corners at 3/8 tank, and is on continuously below an 1/8 of a tank. When it is on continuously, I worry about running out of gas, but when I fill up, there is always 3 1/2 gal
left, or more, so I'm not really that low. I assumed my new 2004 XLE would work the same. So when the light did not flicker at 3/8 tank, (when I would usually fill up), I pushed it farther to test the light so I would know its range and sensitivity. After all, I did pay for the feature in the price of the car. I am now down to a range of 60 miles left by the fuel range indicator in the information center, and there is not a flicker. At 23 mpg, this implies under 3 gal left. On the last tank I filled up at this point and put in 15 1/2 gal, so the fuel range feature seems to work. If I don't have a warning now, then the feature is useless, and Toyota needs to know about it. Or it is broken, and I need to know about it, so it can be repaired. Also, if a repair is needed, they will want to document it, which means I need to take it in low on fuel, but not so low that it runs out. Do you see the dilemma now?

phd86

dirk3,

when my 04 camry light comes on,it doesn't flicker, it generally stays on, and takes almost 15.8-16.1 gallons to fill it up.

ian721

With an 18.5 gallon tank, that means you've got around 2.5 in the tank when the light comes on. Seems right to me.

That's good to know. I just did my first MPG calculations on my new '04 Standard. It took exactly 10.05 gallons last night and had gone 294 miles since the last fillup. That equals about 29 MPG.

That means that I can go around 72 miles with the fuel light on!

alpha01

"I am now down to a range of 60 miles left by the fuel range indicator in the information center, and there is not a flicker. "

I would say, if your low fuel indicator does not come on and stay on by the time your info center shows 40 miles, then you have an issue. Otherwise, my best guess would be that the read out on the info center is overly conservative.

Do you do a lot of city driving? 23MPG in a Camry isnt very good at all.

~alpha

slov98

I'm around 23 but that's with the v6, I haven't been paying much attention but I'll check it nexttime, I'm doing more highway driving now so it will be higher.

rxanand

Now that I have bought my Camry (XLE V6), all I seem to see on the roads around here (northeastern NJ) are other Camrys :-)

Now, I read somewhere that about 25% of all Camrys are sold with the v6 engines. Looking around here however, all I see are 4 cylinder versions, and almost all of those are LEs. In the past couple of weeks of Camry spotting, I have seen just one other XLE (a 4 cylinder).

So where are all the v6 Camry's sold?

As you may have read recently, NJ supposedly has the highest median income of any state in the US. There should certainly be no shortage of people who can afford v6 Camrys here. A mystery...

kneisl1

So what kind of mileage are you getting with that V6?

r0de099

how much it usually cost to place a new timing belt and a water pump?

dplachta

Help!

I've taken the car into my local mechanic, who charge me $300+ to do a tune-up and replace part of the fuel line. Still starts poorly.

I need to keep cranking the key for a good 5 seconds for it to start. Sometimes, I need to push the gas peddle to get it to go.

Advice?

bklynguy

with all of the traffic congestion & high gas prices, a 4 cylinder makes more sense in New Jersey (plus people who can afford to buy a fully-loaded XLE V6 may want a luxury brand for a few dollars more)

mcgirl0730

I don't understand why a lot of people say the Accord is better than the Camry. I think they're both very good cars and it's just a matter of preference if you like a stiff ride or a soft ride. And they say the Camry is driven by older people and the Accord by younger people. I'm a 29-year-old female, and I like the Camry. It doesn't look sporty, but I don't like people pulling up next to me wanting to race. People I know who drive Accords or Mitsubishi Eclipses get those a lot.

rxanand

Its still running on the first tank of gas (!) supplied by the dealer but from the avg milage that I have seen on the trip computer, I seem to get about 21 mpg in city driving around here.

ian721

I feel like I see a lot of V6's and XLE's where I live in Manhattan. People there just have too much money.

typesix

If it is starting poorly from a cold start, the culprit may be the cold start injector timer. The timer tells a cold start injector to squirt extra fuel so the engine can start easier without having to crank it for a long time.The timer senses engine water temperature and is a common part for replacement.

leoniv

Belt and pump shouldn't be too much more than $300 for a camry v6. the 4's i think are cheaper. Sometimes you can find service specials at your local toyota stealership for timing belt work. I did my old 88 v6 camry at one of the local dealers for less than $300. The service specials apply to almost all v6 toyotas (excluding land cruisers) so the price is the same.

slov98

It's rare I see a V6 around my area but I notice a lot more V6 accords

mbedono

The camry is an excellent car but for those drivers who require a vehicle which can respond to any and all situations, emergency avoidance maneuvers etc., the accord is the vehicle of choice. Quite simply , its engineering and suspension make it more than just a car. It is an extension of the neuro-muscular system, ready to respond instantly to whatever is called for.

dekester

Well, chalk up another LE V6 in Staten Island! Aspen Green Pearl with the black pearl emblems (came that way). Real stealthy-looking!

My wife drives about 15 miles a day to/from work and I tend to put a fe wmiles on the weekends and it's mostly local driving. I think we're averaging abour 19-20 MPG. One long trip last month to the Poconos netted 30 or better.

Getting about the same mileage as my 98 Intrigue with 3.8L V6, but the Camry has more HP, is lighter and the 5-speed auto helps, too.

Deke

sorter

In the market for a Camry. I just drove the LE for 2 days to a nearby state. My expereience is so-so. I have been an accord driver for many years, and find the camry to be more tarus/intrepid like when driving compare with Honda. The Stereing is not so precise, but ride and quietness is better than accord. I don't like the interier design of the LE, SE is better, and the seat seems more comfortable. XLE has better styling with the fake wood trim, but quiet a lot more than SE, and even more when compare with LE.

Practically, SE has mostly what I need, sunroof, AL wheel etc. Since I never driven one, I am wondering for the 4cly version, does it really have more sporty ride or is it just the V6?

Any one of you have the same thought process before?

ian721

"It is an extension of the neuro-muscular system, ready to respond instantly to whatever is called for."

That's great...you should be a copywriter for Honda.