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I am planning to trade-in my 04 corolla LE for a 05 Camry. The Corolla is a great car, but I just don't like the driver's seat. I commute a long distance everyday. Thanks!
~alpha
Her head hit something in the car, producing a hematoma the size of alemon. She was also injured with 3 broken ribs, collapsed left lung, larcerated kidney. She would have been dead without the seatbelt! If the car had side and curtain airbags, her head and her left side would not have been injured. The car was totaled.
The question is what is the best way to buy the next Camry / Avalon / Lexus with side and curtain airbags?
Don't test drive the car, but go look at it and write down the VIN, with options, etc. Cheapest car will probably be ~$25K, tho you might find a 2004 for less.
Check out all three, then bring the info back to Edmunds and compare MSRP to Edmunds suggested. Then go back just before the end of the month, maybe take a large, intimidating friend or lawyer and negotiate. Or better, check out the dealer Internet sites. I've seen a quick reduction of $2K by going thru the Web.
If you're a good negotiator, you can get a better price with a few hours work in person.
I don't recommend waiting for a special order. I was told 6-8 weeks, and got delivery in 4 -5 months. Toyota says the problem is fixed. I haven't seen proof. But the dealer can promise to order a car for you, just tell them if they are serious, then you don't need to sign anything or give them any money. Then, They can do whatever they like and you are under no obligation to wait.
My two cents
-hank2
And bd21 is indeed correct- its not that hard to find a Camry LE with side curtains and airbags. A typically equipped LE with side curtains is $21,324 (includes mats) at MSRP. If you cant find a Camry with the side curtains, I STRONGLY recommend the Accord, which has side curtains STANDARD for this year, and whose LX auto version stickers for $20,990.
Also note that the CURRENT Avalon does NOT have side curtains, only the marginally useful side chest airbag.
~alpha
Thank you for your concerns and support re my wife's accident. She was evidently under a lot of pain and shock, but has been predicted to recover within 1 to 2 monhths.
It was very unfortunate that wmy wife and had discussed this accident scenario many times and had decided to upgrade all our cars to new ones with better cockpit protection and side and curtain airbags.
With these airbags, my wife would have been spared her pains and injuries, and probably tens, may be totally hundreds, of thousand dollars in medical deductions as well as lost time and wages.
We will not buy any car in the future with all 8 airbags and high score in IIHT saftey tests. I hope car manufacturers will respond quickly to consumers' demands.
Thank you for your care and concerns, and may God protect you all.
Her head hit something in the car causing multiple larcerations on her face and a hematoma the size of an egg inside her brain. She also suffered 3 broken ribs, a collapsed left lung and larcerated kidney. Her condition is stable after 4 days but she will be in intensive care for at least 2 weeks.
A year ago I came to the conclusion that I would not buy any future car without side and curtain airbags for both front and rear seats! These safety features are worth your lives, your limbs or hundreds of thousands of dollars in pain, suffering and lost wages!
When I was looking at the Camry 3 months ago, it was impossible to find any 04 Camry with side and curtain airbags at any trim level in Southern California! Honda made a great move making side and curtain airbags standard on the 05 Accord. I am very disappointed in Toyota for not making them standard on the 05 Camry.
I also wanted a SE but there were very few in California and the dealers wanted premium prices.
Toyotas produced a lot of 04 Camrys and Corollas with standard transmissions which the dealers could not sell and had to discount heavily!
By the way, the Accord has double wishbone suspensions, front and rear, which are only available in the upscale GS and LS Lexus, MSRP from $42K to $65K. In emergency maneuvers, the Accord's tighter suspension would probably beat the Camry by a wide margin with clear implications of better accident avoidance before one has to rely on airbags as the last defense.
I am not even talking about possible quicker throttle response, faster acceleration, better tires in an Accord if I have to dodge a big truck gunning for me!
Toyota seems to misread its customers' preferences or has little regards for their needs. Toyota also seems to try to sell cheap cars for higher prices with expensive options than competitors.
I am now convinced that Toyota is always behind Honda at least 2 years in all major and critical features, for example, ABS, 5-speed auto transmission, side airbags etc...
Why am I sounding like I am trying to talk myself into a Honda over a Toyota??? It's probably a good time to switch to Honda to teach Toyota lessons it won't soon forget!
As an Accord owner (2003 with the full compliment of airbags), I do have to chuckle a bit on how things change. In 2003 and 2004, Honda was taking flak for the fact that the Camry had greater availability of side curtain airbags on more models than the Accord. So for 2005 things have changed a bit and Toyota is starting to be the target of such flak. I'd be very surprised if by the 2006 model year, Toyota doesn't switch to standard side curtains... if not by then, certainly by the 2007 redesign.
At any rate, although I personally prefer some of the Accord's characteristics over the Camry's, there are few cars that are more evenly matched overall.
There is nothing like a paid off automobile. But pretty close is having a new V6 Camry. Other than a few rattles we are very happy with our purchase and glad to have retired my previous set of wheels.
For what it's worth, after 11,000 miles I am averaging 31 mpg during freeway driving. I have experiened up to 34 mpg on a few tanks and as low as 29 mpg on some others. But the highway average has been right at 31 mpg. On local roads I'm getting 23 mpg.
Combining the 2 types of driving I have an overall average of 27.21 miles per gallon. (404 gallons into 11,000 miles.)
I would have done better with a 4 cyl, sure. But there were some items I could not get with the 4cyl, so the extra dollars (about $120 in fuel) is worth it to me over this period of time.
I'm very happy with the car. Only wish it has those convenient buttons integrated into the steering wheel just like those in the facelifted Camrys.
~alpha
I have made payments for a year and would like to get a camry. Should I wait or trade-in now? Need some advice. Thanks!
Your car is worth much more now than it will be in another year or two.
For what it's worth, my wife and I considered a 2004 Corolla before we got the Camry. The only thing that really stopped us was that the interior was just too small. I could reach around while I was driving and touch the rear seat. My 92 Corolla felt like it had more room, though maybe that was only because the interior had less molding and plastic intruding into the passengers' space.
Sounds like whoever gets your car will be getting a pretty good deal. I hope you don't owe more on the car than you can sell it for.
However, I am more concerned with the seatback. No matter how I adjust the lumbar support, I seem to get a little backache after driving over an hour and a half. I don't usually drive that much but I could feel a bit of discomfot in my lower back everytime I go out of town for trips.
I tried the Corolla before I bought my Camry, but there was no doubt that the roomier Camry was more suitable for me. I felt I didn't have enough legroom in the Corolla, and that when my right leg was to apply the brakes, it came too close to the steering wheel such that my hand could barely pass throught it while turning. Don't get me wrong though, I think the Corolla is a great car. It's engine is silky smooth, it's peppy, and it looks pretty cool too! That's why you should really question yourself, whether giving up a good car like the Corolla a wise choice.
Furthermore, darn, I feel like I'm writing an essay here) you should consider testing out other cars before you trade it in for a Camry. How about the Accord or Civic? Even though the Civic is basically in the same class as the Corolla, it may be a bit more roomy. Try out other cars besides Toyota before you make a decision.
Hope I didn't make your problem even more frustrating now with all these alternatives.
Good luck!
Now, I am not an aggressive driver by any means but there have been many cases where I have been thankful for the extra power of the V6. The ramp where I get on the Saw Mill Parkway is on a steep incline and traffic moves very fast. I have rented a 4 cyl Camry in the past and am sure that it would have trouble there.
In general, given the level of aggressiveness that I see in the drivers here in the NY city area, a V6 can be very useful.
If I were living in the midwest with flat terrain and uncrowded roads, I am sure that the 4 would have been adequate.
I usually get 26 to 30 MPG on the highway (as per the trip meter thats included in the XLE).
Was really taken by the beauty of the territory in northern Westchester, as I had not been "home" since 1971!
The Sandman :-)
Though a V6 Camry probably would have been more fun.
My 01 AWD RX300's transmission fluid has a burned look and odor at just 38k miles. This on a vehicle that has no tow hitch but with the tow package (extra transmission fluid cooler in front of right front wheelwell) and no designated fluid/replenish maintainance schedule.
I have sent at least three missives to customer_satisfaction_inquiries@lexus.com and what I get back each time is that I should check with the dealer about why my RX has burned fluid. Apparently something they do not wish to put in writing.
Up until just this week I have been assuming that the designers underestimated the heating contributed by the VC.
But then I keep hearing/reading about these hesitation problems and that got me to thinking on another thread.
I am absolutely sure that my 01's transmission shifts into another gear, or maybe even neutral, during coastdown.
Some have described it as a "slingshot" effect or as if being bumped from behind just before coming to a full stop. I have attributed this effect to a desire to increase fuel economy and/or reduce the instances of loss of control on a slippery surface as the result of engine braking to the front, drive, wheels.
But suppose for a moment that I'm correct and the vehicle is being shifted into neutral in these instances.
My 01 DOES NOT have an e-throttle so the instant I depress the footfeed the engine will react and apply high output......while the transmission is still in neutral or an inappropreately higher gear??
Now THAT would result in premature BURNING of the transmission fluid!
But now with e-throttle the later models might have a firmware fix that delays the onset of engine torque until the transmission can be shifted into the correct gear and allow time for the clutches or bands to be full seated before excessive torque is applied.
Obviously just guessing, but....
~alpha
Sorry for being tardy with a reply. One reason that my V6 may do a little better than some others is that 99% of my driving is on the plains of the midwest. No mountains to drive through. I'm sure that makes a difference, plus I rarely have a full trunk or a lot of people in my car. A little here, a little there probably makes a difference. I try to use the "egg-under-the-pedal" method of acceleration and that probably helps, too.
In addition to using my electronic trip computer, I calculate gallons purchased into miles driven. I am surprised how close my calculated mileage always is compared to the electronic trip computer on the dash.
"The Miles to Empty" feature (or whatever it's called)is about 40 miles to the safe side. In other words, when the computer tells me I have 40 miles to empty, it's actually closer to 80 miles. I guess Toyota wanted to error on the safe side so that people would not rely on the computer too much.
Anyway, glad to hear your bumper held up.
nobody has ever got 33 mpg on this car - even the 4-cylinder. i have one. alot of people think they do because they fill up 14 gallons when the low-fuel light comes on - if you check the fuel level in the tank manually, you will find it ain't full. Believe you me, you just used 16 gallons flat when that light comes on. I've tested this and had it in to the dealer who verified it in a test drive and refill. 33 mpg is baloney on this car, any version of the automatic.
About your math- if refueling never achieves a truly full tank of gas, but instead stops short each time, calculating the miles driven on that tank divided by the gallons taken at the next fuel stop WILL STILL GIVE YOU an accurate gauge of MPG, especially if you take the average of several fill-ups. After all, last time you filled up, the pump most likely stopped refueling your car at the same "fullness" level. Its not like the pump filled the tank up completely last time, and this time its shorting you. I would assume the car controls to the pump cutoff, so... basically... what youre saying doesnt matter in terms of calculating MPG.
Dont forget that driving behaviour, tire pressure, maintenance, headwind, traffic, etc. all influence MPG. What is true of your car might not be true of an identically equipped version of the same model, because of these reasons.
As an FYI, on our 2002 Camry LE 4 speed auto, Im putting close to 16 when the fuel light first comes on.
We average 27 MPG in a mix of city highway.
~alpha
Plenty of people get upper thirties and even close to 40 if driven at 60 mph. If you get 27 mpg driving at 60 mph there is something horribly wrong with your vehicle, or your calculations.
Consumer Reports got 38 mpg going 65 mph.
I recently purchased a 05 Camry 4 cylinder auto. The first tank of gas got me well over 25 mpg in mixed city / hwy driving. However on subsequent fill-ups, never got higher than 19 mpg. Took it to local dealer for test, but they said the on board computer did not show any error message. I can't understand why there's such low mileage. I wonder if having an aftermarket alarm installed has affected the computer in any way. Would sure appreciate anyone shedding some light on this mystery. Thank you.
30 plus mileage is possible, however, I live in Western PA and with all of the hills there is alot of high RPM needed to maintain a consistent speed. My worst mileage was 19 in all city driving. Lately, I have been getting 26 MPG on all highway driving around here(again LOTS of hills and constantly revving the engine to keep a consistent speed). If I head out to Ohio on the turnpike(level grades) my highway mileage is 30 MPG.
~alpha
Yep some day you can tell your grandkids way back when you could buy gas for only $3 a gallom!
Yeah, if it's consistent then you should be able to figure out the gas mileage accurately. You fill it up, see how many miles you go until your next fill up, and divide miles by number of gallons purchased (which you get off the gas pump). The only way your calculations should be off is if it fills up to a differnet point than it did the first time. Am I missing something here?