Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

dudleyr

Were those other cars the current generation Camry?

210delray

...has had no problems with the tallest hills/ridges of PA, WV, MD, and VA.

alpha01

The current 154 horse 2.4L, in my opinion is a fine engine, very acceptable for 99% of circumstances. Peppy, refined, efficient- if not quite as strong as the Accord's The previous generation 2.2L was an ENTIRELY different story.

~alpha

jdeib

Have to agree with alpha and 210delray on the current 2.4L. I have put 72,000 plus on my 2002 and I have never wanted for power. I live in Western PA and we have lots of two-lane roads with steep hills. My 1992 Camry had the 2.2 and I do remember feeling a bit concerned on the few times that I had it loaded with four passengers plus a full trunk. But it wasn't horrible, I just knew that my merging/passing abilities were diminished compared to when I was the sole occupant. I've never had that concern with the current car.

I guess learning to drive in a Pontiac 6000 with the "Iron Duke" 4 cyl gives you an appreciation as to what a truly underpowered car is. I would have to floor the gas on one stretch of Route 30 just to make it up the hill at the neck snapping speed of 45MPH. And the thing sounded as bad as it performed.

allencali

I just test drove '06 Camary (5 spd auto trans), and felt that transmiong searching too long for next shift, of course this is compare to my existing 02 which has a 4 speed auto trans.

Any one felt this before? any comment? I though 5-spd should shift gear smother than 4-spd

hylyner

If you are seriously interesated in finding out about this condition and not just anti Toyota advocate stirring things up you can learn about this condition on a Maintenance and Repair Topic entitled Engine Hesitation-All Makes and Models.
The answer to your question about others feeling this is Yes. 5 speed electronically controlled transmissions feel different than conventional 4 speed transmissions. Some people think this is something wrong with the transmission but it is just the way they work.
It is something people are seeing in other makes too, so it isn't just unique to Camry.

lmacmil

I think the electronically controlled trannies are more sensitive to throttle position. If you are accelerating slowly, then the upshifts tend to be drawn out. If your a accelerating briskly, they are more crisp. At least that's the way my 5 sp V6 seems to behave.

kingfans

Toyota Camry are very smooth, and quiet than accord.

kingfans

My 2006 Toyota Camry LE V6 get 23.75 MPG ( highway miles). 5 adults in the car and stuff in the trunk. so i pretty much get good MPG for LE v6.

pringle

Hello all! Is the special edition package with the 18in BBS wheels, just for appearance, or do the wheels and ground effects give it better performance. I know with the bigger wheels it should handle a little better, but is the difference noticeable. My dealer has one with the base 15 in wheels, but not a special edition. Thanks for any help..

lmacmil

Never heard of this package and I personally think 18" wheels would look ridiculous on a Camry. There's a point of diminishing returns on handling with bigger wheels. I'm sure 18" is past that point.

210delray

I agree with Imacmil; it must be a dealer-added "bling" option. I'd run in the other direction.

wwest

Dealer pushing BBS wheels?

Not on your LIFE!

BBS "look" wheels, yes, actual BBS, absolutely NOT!

junepug

I have driven Volvos, Chevys and Volkswagens in the hills and all were 4 bangers. The only one of the past cars that took the hills ok with the 4 was the Volvo P1800. Best darn car I ever owned. Just feel better with the additional power. Notice the car does not shift as we approach the crest of the ridges. Try Route 23 out of Va into Eastern Ky sometime. Those are tough grinds.

smf

Re: 1998 Camry LE. My right rear turn signal flashes very rapidly. I have replaced the bulb, but the problem continues. When I work the emergency flasher, the same bulb flashes properly. I would appreciate any ideas.

lmacmil

It's probably the turn signal relay located in the fuse box. It's a round cylinder about 1" in diameter.

210delray

Before you try Imacmil's recommendation, you may want to try cleaning the contacts on the front turn signal bulb on the passenger side. I had repeated problems with this on the driver's side of my '97 Camry - cleaning the contacts would work for reasonable length of time.

I should have bookmarked this, but if you search under my user name under Camry problems and solutions, you'll find the details of how to get to the bulb, if you don't know how.

buckwheat

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. says it will unveil the all-new ’07 Toyota Camry midsize sedan, at next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Besides the standard gasoline-powered model, the new Camry Hybrid will be on hand in Detroit as well. Toyota promises, “the highest level of Camry performance ever achieved in both fuel efficiency and low emissions” with the new hybrid-electric vehicle.

Toyota will take the wraps off the new Camry, its best-selling model in the U.S., Jan. 9 for the media.


Source: http://tinyurl.com/bne3q

tommyg12

Actually, you are wrong. The Southeast Toyota Region has offered Camry "Special Edition" packages for years. Nothing more than a dress-up, but does include REAL BBS wheels.

Camry Special Edition Package-SG10 $2,699

* 18 inch BBS Alloy Wheels with Michelin Performance Tires (Replaces 4 Factory Wheels/Tires Listed)
* Color-Keyed Ground Effects
* Lip Spoiler
* Stainless Steel Exhaust Tip

">

lmacmil

You gotta wonder why anyone would put that much money into something as mundane as a Camry.

alpha01

Southeast Toyota makes me ill.

~alpha

tommyg12

Most all of the Camrys with this package have all been on base model LE's too. No SABs, cloth seats, basically no options (not even a sunroof). An expensive dress up package indeed.

jdeib

Gee, all it is missing is one of those spiffy fake convertible roofs.

kingfans

hi i am responding to your question. i have 06 camry le v6. warning light show after i used about 15 gallons.

phil2246

I had the same problem or something similar. A friend told me that my left stop light wasn't working. So, I took a look at it and it was out. I had some time to figure it out so I thought I would try to find out what was going on. I took the bulb out of the socket and it looked fine. I looked at the fuse and it was OK. I figured that maybe the socket was the problem so I took the bulb from the right side, which was working fine and put it in the left socket. Well, it wouldn't work at all. I took the bulb out of the left socket and put it back in the right socket, thinking everything would be back to where it was before, but now the right stop light didn't work. Now I am in trouble, I have to go out in a few hours, what should I do.
Well I went to the auto parts store and bought another bulb and put it in the left socket and it still didn't work so I put it in the right socket and it didn't work. I am about to go nuts now. I took my volt/ohm meter and checked the socket and according to the meter everything was fine. I checked the right socket and everything was fine. So what I did now was kind of drastic but I didn't know what to do. I cut the wires going into the socket and wired in a bulb which was for my other car, the old push and turn type. I did that on the other side too. Now everything is working fine. I figure I will work on the problem this summer when the weather is warm and put things back to the original. Maybe someone out there knows what is going on.

Phil

luvjapcar

I bought my 2005 Camry last July to replace my junk 1993 Camry. Both are 4-cyl. I'm amazed at the power of the new generation of Camry. It has so much power. I have a V6 Highlander and I don't miss much of the power when driving my new Camry.
Its better to test drive the V6 and 4-cyl before deciding which one to choose. It probably depends on your driving habit which will be the deciding factor.

Kirstie_H

A reporter from a large daily newspaper would like to speak to consumers who are repeat Toyota Camry owners. If you would to speak with the media, please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info. and city/state of residence no later than January 5, 2006.

18fan

Have you checked the front turn signal on the right side? Is the front bulb working? Often when a turn signal flashes rapidly, it indicates a bulb is burned out. This would be the cheapest and simplest solution.

acgood

Hi all, hoping to gain some insight from you regulars.

I'm considering buying a 2005 Camry LE that apparently was a Toyota Executive Lease vehicle. It has 10800 miles, no added options and is listed by a dealer (Connecticut) for $17,995.

Could anyone provide more info about this program and its implications for dealer's cost for the vehicle. Any suggestions for a reasonable purchase price?

Thanks so much and happy holidays,

Andrew

wwest

I don't think I have ever seen or heard of an "executive" of-lease vehicle that wasn't fully "loaded". Strange.

General meaning is that the vehicle was "leased" to a Toyota company executive. But "general maning" never applies to dealers who are always liberal with the english language.

210delray

My off-the-cuff response is that the price is too high. Why not just buy a new Camry LE (but get the side airbags)?

guill

Price is definitely too high. New Camry's list for significantly less than the price you were quoted. I've seen many no-option Camry's advertised for less than $17K here in D.C. I purchased my new 05 in Aug for $18.7K with options (8 speaker JBL CD/stereo, alloy wheels, sunroof, fog lights, spoiler, splash guards, etc).

lmacmil

I agree, "executives" don't drive strippers. If it was a Toyota owned vehicle, it was more likely a "pool" vehicle which is available to any employee to drive on company business.

Regardless of origin, if the dealer didn't take it in trade, chances are he bought it at auction for wholesale and now appears to be trying to sell it at retail (which is how they make their money after all.)

acgood

Thanks for all the insights. I guess it doesn't really matter to me whether it was an "executive" or some other employee that drove it.

I had looked at what people were paying new for the 2005s and definitely agree the price seems high, especially since the dealer wouldn't have invested anything but an oil change and wash in it. The 18k its listed for is really out of my price range so that is why I wasn't considering a new 2006.

What might be more reasonable? Maybe $16,500 or so? Does the fact that its the last week in December help me for a used car sale as much as it would for new?

Thanks everyone.

acgood

Well, talked to them again today, and for whatever reason they are firm on the $17,995 for teh 2005 Camry LE with 10,800 miles. Which is quite bizarre because with no negotiation at all he offered a price of $18,500 or so (with rebate) for a new 2006 LE. Who do they expect to buy the pre-owned one???

lmacmil

Is the used car certified? If so, it has an extended warranty and the dealer may be expecting someone to pay extra for that.

acgood

It's not certified...they said it wasn't worth the added cost to the buyer because so much of the orginial warranty was left. Is it just a flat rate for the CPO extended warranty?

imidazol97

> $18,500 or so (with rebate) for a new 2006 LE

Is that out-the-door? Or are there going to be all kinds of pack fees added that weren't in the quote? District fees, document fees, etc.

lmacmil

I don't know what the typical markup is for a certified used vehicle. My guess is about the cost of an extended service contract, i.e., $600-$1000. The dealer is probably right that the mileage is low enough, making it a certified used vehicle isn't worth the extra cost.

Kirstie_H

A reporter from a large daily newspaper would like to speak to consumers who are Toyota Camry owners. If you would to speak with the media, please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info. and city/state of residence no later than January 5, 2006.

acgood

both the $17995 (2005 LE used) and $18500 are the quotes for the cars, so both would then have $299 dealer fee, tax and title added.

gardner5236

Does anyone know if the supercharger available for the Scion Tc will work for the 05 Camry? Both have the same exact engines. Thanks everyone.

pat

Blog with us about the new Camry and Camry hybrid here: 2007 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid! It's from the Detroit Auto Show.

edmund2460

Do any of you perform maintenance recommended by the dealer that is not specifically recommended by Toyota. For example my dealer, and I think this is true here in the south east, constantly recommends "top engine cleaning" and fuel injector cleaning. I use premium Shell V-power gas which according to some group of auto manufacturers including Toyota is highly recommended for its detergent qualities. Do any of you buy this stuff and does it do anything other than generate revenue for the dealer?

lmacmil

"Do any of you perform maintenance recommended by the dealer that is not specifically recommended by Toyota."

Generally not. If you use "top tier" gas (which Shell is) there shouldn't be any need for fuel injector cleaning. Service typically generates more money for a dealer than new car sales and since the recommended maintenance is pretty slim, they try to jack up their revenues by recommending services way sooner than they would usually be needed (if at all.)

We've purchased/leased 3 Toyotas from the same salesman and part of his delivery spiel is to go over the scheduled maintenance and note that nothing beyond what the manual recommends is required. I'm sure his service dept hates him for that

cars4u

Hello All,
Just picked up 03 Camry XLE V6 w/ 42k miles on Bridgestone
Potenza R 92. 4/32 left and time to replace. What would you suggest to replace tires with. Live in Central NJ.
Have options thru Costco Michelin MXV4 plus and MXV4 S 8
but these receive poor feedback on wet and snowy pavement.Good on dry pavement.
What would suggest? Your help is appreciated.

another_person

:lemon: :lemon: PLEASE DO NOT GET THE MXV4's. :lemon: :lemon: I am in the Seattle area, and have these on one of my camry's, and every single time it rains, I hydroplane (I still have tons of tread life). They're a decent tire, but there are so many better tires out there. A friend of mine has a Tc, with goodyear eagle F1's on, and those tires have incredible grip for a reasonable price. If the F1's are a little much, then the next best might be the assurance TripleTred, which gives good and an H (130mph) rated tire. If you are going to buy through costco though, I believe you can special order the Michelin hydroedge tires, but they only have a T(118 mph) rating.

dudleyr

One of the recent Consumer Reports issues tests tires. I would look there. I do think the Assurance was near the top, as well as the hydroedge.

cars4u

Thanks for feedback
I did more research. How about replacing with Bridgestone Turanza LS V rated at 400 AA A. Gets good reviews/feedback from tire owners thru Tire track

Thanks

210delray

Agree 100% with Imacmil. The extra services the dealer is pushing just generate extra profit for the dealer.

If you have a 4-cylinder Camry, you don't even have to use premium gas. Shell regular gas (87 octane) is still Top Tier (and so is every other brand that has the Top Tier rating, like Chevron).