Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

manamal

I just bought a 2002 Camry for Kay Jenning Springfield Toyota. (cliffy's place). Really smooth transaction. Worked with Ajay Dhillon, and was treated well, and got the price I was looking for. I definitely recommend them.

oreilly2

Hello, Our 98 Camry has both left and right turn signals blinking rapidly when headlights are on. They work fine when headlights are off. Appreciate any info on problem, thanks

cedarpark

Hi,

I want to first say "thank you" to cliffy1 and whoever else has helped me in replying about shopping issues.

Cliffy1, having scrolled through all the other car make forums, I can honestly say you're one of the most helpful posters around. Thanks again for all your feedback.

When doing more honest soul searching/financial planning, I realized it wasn't just the 22.9K price and subsequent refusal to move that bothered me. I needed to spend less. So I started shopping used Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans. If I was going to go used, I might as well go reliable and nice.

So I've gone with a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE Anniversary Edition. Really nice, and enjoyable drive. Not as luxury oriented as the Camry, but more sporty. I spent 19.9K on it, and got a very nice price on my trade in compared with what anyone was offerring. Seems the two aim for different drivers. The car has 26.4 K miles on it, and I get the remainder of the 3/36k bumper to bumper factory warranty.

And this post is no slam on Camry's--I would have been very happy with that XLE (my wife even more so), but for me, I truly enjoy the sporty aspects of the Maxima. As well, I'm six foot five and I found better fit for me personally in terms of headroom and seating positions in the Maxima, although the Camry was close. I've noticed that although measurements can be the same, one can get different perceptions based on individual perspectives.

For the area I live in, it seems the Toyotas just don't get much negotiation room at all. That's probably a testament to their excellent quality, as they continue to sell anyway. Not that all Nissans do either, but most dealers seem willing to cut the prices on the used ones more, perhaps due to things like the new Altima's surge in popularity.

I test drove used Hondas, Toyotas, and Maximas. For me the Honda finished a distant third. Felt more cramped (see my size again), and the road feel was very dramatic. As well, the automatic's transmission shifts felt pretty rough--almost like being in a standard.

The Maximas and Camrys were to me a "tie" overall. I could take the more luxury feel of the Camry and be happy, or I could take the sportier (but still much more smooth than Honda) drive of the Maxima. The anniversary edition came with an Infiniti built engine, and its buttery smooth.

In the end, price and looks, or should I say looks and price (personal preference) won out. The Camry won my head, the Maxima won my heart. Hopefully, it will last me as well as a Camry would have.

Again, thanks to all of you for this great thread, and good luck in whatever you drive.

chloe8

Hi! guys,

I'm going to buy a car of toyota camry XLE. I would like to know the different between the model 03' and 02'.

Thank you!

Chloe

pat

Mackabee, are you around?

Could you email me at pat@edmunds.com? Thanks!

car1

Bill:

First I bought this car new. You are correct in your statement that one doesn't have to buy a car with problems if they know they exist. However, one doesn't always spot everything immediately. Since I was buying a new car and a rather expensive one at that, I feel Toyota has a certain obligation to honor their warranties. I used to be a loyal Toyota owner, but not anymore. Before you buy another, you might want to checkout Edmunds catogory titled "Camry Problems". Also checkout the NHTSA site. You will findout I am not alone in my complaints. Toyotas are real junk now compared to what they used to be. If you don't believe me, I will be happy to sell you my 1999 Camry XLE V-6 with leather and only 19k miles!

coolguyky7

Whatever your situation is, it's one of VERY few.

cliffy1

It was a pleasure to work with you and your family on this. It was also good to put a face to a name. I'm glad we were able to improve upon the performance of the last dealer you purchased from.

car1

If my experience was indeed one of few that should be all the more reason for Toyota to want to make good on it under their warranties. From what I have seen on Edmunds and the NHTSA sites there are a lot of similar stories. Same problems keep recurring too. You might be particularly interested in the sludge problem in their engines which I have as yet to experience.

billmahan

Thanks for replying. I'm sorry that you have had a bad experience. When you buy something new, it should be pretty much perfect.

I don't buy new cars that often, so when I do I guess I make sure it is perfect before I take one. Not only do I check the fluids and the paint and the brakes, etc, etc., heck I won't even let them put on their little dealer sticker. (No offense Cliffy, but I just don't like the looks of the sticker, it has nothing to do with not wanting to advertise for the dealer. But I'd rather do that word of mouth - like on here.)

Nevertheless, 25-30k may not be a lot of dollars for everyone here. But if I'm going to spend that much money, I feel I owe it to myself to check everything before I take the car.

But when you make millions of them, I guess a few bad ones are going to happen. I'm sorry yours was a bad one. We still have our '97 XLE V6 and it runs like new. And our '94 XLE V6 runs pretty well for 110,000 miles.

As for NHTSA, I can't say. Most government agencies can't find their butt with both hands. Have you gone to an airport lately? Enough said!

manamal

I wrote a more detailed description in
another forum.

Here is a link:
click here

nate19

My '95 4cyl Camry air conditioning has stopped working twice in one week. The green indicator light starts blinking and I get no cold air. I shut the a/c off, wait two minutes and when I turn it on again, it starts working fine.

Any ideas on the problem?

Thanks in advance

dudleyr

Sounds like an electrical problem. Maybe the switch itself. I can't see how else the little green light would know about a problem elsewhere in the system. If it does cool well when it works, that backs this up.

nate19

There is actually a paragragh in the owners manual on this blinking light say something like "the a/c will shut itself off if the belt is loose or it detects a problem-take car to dealer".

I try and avoid the dealer when possible.

bartalk2

The '03 Camry XLE, out now, has added fog lights and a 6-CD changer.

dragonfire

Hi Everyone,

I live in CA and was hoping to get feed back on a 4cyl LE Auto with the following options:
AB: ABS
BE: Side airbags
GH: Option 1 (keyless entry and power seats)
CF: floor mats
GM: cargo net
V5: VIP plus security system

Price after destination: 19685.

I was trying to get fewer options, but it seems that ABS and side airbags only come with plenty of features on the LE.

Also, should I just go up to an XLE? would the price jump be worth it?

Thanks in advance!!!

hawks1

For about $1000 more you can get a comparably equipped XLE (minus the side airbags). This would be a base XLE with the only option the alloy wheels. What will you get extra for the $1,000? It will be 16-inch wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, auto climate control, homelink, rear seat air ducts, and a nicer interior. Definitely worth the extra $1000 in my book!

bklynguy

While the 03 Camry XLE V6 gets a 6-Disc in-dash changer as standard and adds fog lights, the 04 Camry XLE V6 will offer even more.

confirmed - new 3.3 V6 engine ( bet. 225 & 240HP ), minor changes to front/rear
LED instrument lighting, based on asian camrys available now

??? possible - MP3 player option & HID headlights

maxamillion1

Can either of you help me out, I am wondering if the new Camry SE I4 is now available with leather upholstery? I saw a that I could add Pkg. 4 onto the new Camry SE I4 at Carsdirect the other day. Is it true that pkg. 4 is now available on the SE I4?

sbell4

You are in South Carolina so you have always been able to get Sport Perforated Leather seats. It is a PIO "Port Installed Option" LA20 and it has a retail price of $1398. It is a stand alone option and you do have to get anything else you do not want. The problem is that the 2003 Camry is already being shipped so you may be able to pick up a 2003 for teh same price as a 2002 now anyway.

steveb84

Looking at the 03 Spec Book, I see a package "HM" that includes leather, JBL stereo w/in dash changer, sunshade, cargo net. Package not available until October PPR. There is package 4 "GK" but that ends soon.

Gotta love Toyota option/ordering combos...kind of like the rules of grammar.

clhawkins01

Starting about a month ago, my 2002 Camry's fuel gage started sporadically sticking. Sometimes it corrects itself in a few miles, sometimes it doesn't. I've taken it to Toyota twice and they say they've taken out the fuel gage components and tested them and they work fine. They suggested that I take it immediately to them the next time it happens so they can review the problem. Like I don't have anything better to do than stare at my fuel gage to see if it's not working and then hope that I have time to take it Toyota. Likewise, hoping that the problem occurs during service hours and that it doesn't correct itself before I get there.

Is there anything I can demand from the service manager regarding this issue. I haven't actually dealt with the manager yet, only the front desk guys. I'm not going back a third time and not have the problem corrected. The main issue is this is my wife's car and I don't need her getting stranded somewhere because of this rediculous issue. Odd thing is that both my mom and sisted have older Camry's and both of them have fuel gage problems.

mpyne

i feel you anger
what did Toyota and the dealer tell you??

i think toyota and honda are going on reputation alone. its automatically assumed that they are good overpriced cars (coolguyky7 comment)

why do people have this blind loyalty these days??

lilybean

Hi All...
I've been off line and on the road w/ my beautiful Salsa Sweetheart. I totally agree with Hawks1, this is a honey of a car. (Sorry I haven't gotten back to you on that, Hawks!) It is so soft and silent that you barely know the engine is running. This has given me a start or two - coming from a '79 Merc! I have NOT experienced the nasty egg-smell. I have NOT found the seats uncomfortable. I have NOT experienced ANY lemonish issues what-so-ever! I do agree that it would have been nice to have an articulated head rest and more options on the steering wheel positioning -but- I personally - haven't had a need to fuss or fidget with the options that DO exist in those areas. I feel plenty comfortable as is. Knock, knock.
I opted for the Alloy wheels and 3M Chip-Guard Hood Protector (vinyl nose bra - glad I did that, by-the-way). That is all, nothing else. (Except the Warranty, of course!) I mean, holy cow, Bat Man! With the XLE you get it all and then some! I guess the only few piddly things I'd change is more of a shiney Chrome or shiney Alluminum wheel as opposed to the duller polished alluminum. At first I thought that the turn signal mechanism was I little too short and the cruise control was in a weird spot, but have gotten used to both - no big deal! I do kind of wonder if there won't be a lot of ugly rust showing thru those alloy wheels eventually. O well. Too late now. C'est la vive!
She drives great and I have no regrets. I DO want to say thanks again for all the advice I've gotten here. Glad I upped to the XLE, glad I upped to the alloy wheels, and glad I got the Camry and not that nasty Focus (F-word car for sure!)!!! Too bad I have had to spend all summer driving and polishing and waxing and driving and going to parks and shinning and waxing and polishing and driving and washing....Oh - you get the idea. I feel like a commercial! Rock on!!!
My recommendation: U Go For It, Doods and Doodesses...you'll be thrilled, I'm shuuurrrre!

"Lily" Thnx again to Hawks & Cliffy & ALL who guided my happy decisions on the way to Camry Road!

xshader

The Shell gas stations in my area offer free car wash. I wonder if it scratches the paint on Camry. I know Camry is not a luxury car, but I still want to give it a fair treatment Thank you.

andrelaplume

can you tell me some about the chip guard...what's it cost, who installs it, is it noticeable etc...THANKS

andrelaplume

There have been a few complaints of a rattle noise sort of in back of the radio on 2002 Camry's. Has anyone had the dealer fix it? WHat did they do to quiet the noise? THANKS.

mpyne

shells car wash has to be one of the worst car washes

do not use them the will scratch your car

best bet is to use a touchless car wash (amaco has these)

yanker

Yes the Avalon has exactly that problem. Overpriced wheels and rusty (ugly) brake housings.

bsheng

I have allergies and i am interested in adding a cabin air filter for my 2000 Camry. The 2000 Avalon and 2000 ES 300 have cabin air filters.

Has anyone done this before? I'm guessing it would be similar to an ES 300? Where is the cabin air filter located?

This guy says he added a cabin air filter for a Celica. http://www.celicagarage.citymax.com/page/page/46535.htm

xbbuster

Anyone know where I can get molded splash guards for my '02 Camry. The dealer wants 75 big ones for a set and another 55 to put them on.

billmahan

I've looked at the site www.toyotaparts4u.com. They seem to have a lot of Camry accessories at reasonable prices. I'm sure there are other mail order places, too.

andrelaplume

I have seen new genuine Toyota splash guards (I think they only come in gray) on EBAY from time to time...not sure if it's a better deal than from the dealer....

andrelaplume

there have been a few posts in the past...I get a crackle or poping sound up by my ear on the drivers and passenger door. I think it's comming from the gasket area up by the top corner of the window where it seats itself into the door jam when closed. Surely I can not be the only one with this irritation. Has anyone else noticed or have any suggestions? I tried a silicon spray in the area but it did nothing. This is really starting to irritate me especially after I spent several $K more to get away from these intrusions I typically had in the Fords I was driving. If your dealer solved the problem and you are not sure how, please provide teh dealer name and I will call...my dealer feins ignorance and I am desparate! THANKS!!!!!

dogsport

We are just starting to look at Camrys. I know the reliability of these are very good, but is a 6 cylinder going to last longer than a 4 cylinder. I know years ago no one wanted to touch a 4 cylinder just for that reason, but maybe they have corrected that problem. Would appreciate any input.

dudleyr

No!

mik49

I find the '02 Camry XLE, 2.4 L,4cyl., to be a wonderful car. It doesn't have knock your sox off power,but for us,its smooth,quiet, w/plenty of power....

manamal

Take care of the 4-banger...change oil, etc., and it will not be the component that kills the car.

(and 157 hp is enough, IMHO)

rutger3

I have a 99 LE with 103,000 miles, no problems. Keep in mind, I believe there are more 4cyl engines worldwide than any other, even some high performance cars have 4 cylinders although they are probably turbo charged.

marylandpeter

Has the low-hanging muffler on the Camry caused any problems for people? I don't own a Camry but everytime I drive behind one, I can't help but be amazed at how low the muffler and muffler pipe hangs from the car. I think this is a design flaw for aesthetic reasons, but I also wonder if this has caused any practical problems (such as road debris striking the muffler, muffler contact on sudden inclines, etc.). Comments?

mjday1972

The muffler has not caused problems wity my Camry. To be honest, I didn't think anything of it until it was mentioned on this board some time ago.

The only complaint I have with my Camry is that I don't get to drive it enough!

lilybean

www.chipguard.com is a great website that shows some very nice close-up pics in the photo gallery. I got mine from the Toyota dealership and noticed that not all dealers charge the same price. I got mine for $150 installed but another Toyota place wanted $310. Another was $240. My biggest concerns in getting it were: Would it fade (in time) & at the same rate as the paint. and would it look ugly, like a bifocal on glasses. I talked to a fella who purchased a used Camry and he didn't even know it was on there. He thought that the car came that way. You really couldn't tell it was there unless the sun hit it just right. I walked by it several times before I noticed it myself, and I had been trying to see if it had one. The fade-rate seemed to be exactly the same.
I wasn't able to get mine installed till a week after I picked up the car and wouldn't you know, I picked up a rock-chip on the way home from the dealership on it's very first-ever trip! The chip was very tiny and the film covered it perfectly. I'm really glad I decided to get it. It's certainly worth the price and I believe that it will save a lot of chipping. I went to several used car lots before I got it to see and where how much the chips affected the unprotected paint. It really gets a lot of dings around the grill and the upper nose of the hood. All in all I think it beats a big old "bra" and it sure beats nuthin'!
I hope this helps!
"Lily" who's lovin' her new '02 :-)

tommyg12

Maybe I missed Toyota's Option Package 101 class, but it appears that you can no longer get the SE with leather and VSC. I guess you can still go for the port installed leather, but that doesnt get you the sunroof. Am I missing something here?
thanks.

andrelaplume

Thanks! Does it cover the entire bumper and hood nose? Is there any warranty? Doesn't the guard chip when something hits it? This thing sounds like something that should be an option on every car...if it works....any idea how long it's been around? It cost only $150 installed?

cliffy1

I thought some of you might enjoy the following quote. It was given by Robert Lutz, the Chairman of General Motors and was quoted in Automotive News.

""Why does a Toyota Camry look so good when the fundamental shape and design of the car is so ugly?" Lutz asked reporters in an interview on the sidelines of the Paris auto show.

"It's almost grotesque in its proportion and yet the thing looks great because the precision of the execution is so high. Everything fits so beautifully ... That's a triumph of execution over basic design," he said. "

jrct9454

Yes, sooner or later, Lutz will "get it": that great design, crappily executed, gets you zip in the marketplace. This "genius" had beautiful-looking Chrysler products that were the laughingstock of the business when it came to reliability - now he's at GM, busily making their stuff look "beautiful", for all that will be worth..."it's about durability and reliability, Stupid"...to borrow a phrase.

GM, as it happens, has a lot less distance to travel than his previous employer to meld nice-looking with nice-behaving...they claim they will be there in two years [ !! ]. We shall see...

2002camry

Although I love driving my Camry, I've have also been experiencing the pops and crackles and it can get rather irritating. I brought my vehicle back to the dealership and they diagnose the problem to the moonroof. The did something to it and now it is crackling less. They are ordering a special lubricant for me that will fix the problem. I am still getting the occasional pops but alot less. I think the crackling may just be the expanding and twisting of metal and not just the moonroof. I really don't know. I noticed that they are a lot more frequent in hot weather.

2002camry

FYI:
I found this TSB(Technical Service Bulletin)in the NHTSA site.

STRUCTURE:BODY ROOF NHTSA Number: 627412
Bulletin Number: NV01101
Bulletin Date: NOV 2001

Vehicle: 2002 Toyota Camry
Summary:
INFORMATION REGARDING SLIDING ROOF SUNSHADE CRACKLE NOISE. *YD

I don't know any more detail beyond this.

manamal

I bought a Camry about 3 wks ago. Great experience, good car...only two complaints. One is the location of the alarm on the Key FOB. Can't do anything about that. The other is I miss auto dimming mirrors. I assume that it can be put on, but anyone know what a fair price would be?

petercrase

Dealer cost on the mirror through the parts dept is $198.75 (includes compass). Florin Road Toyota in Sacramento quoted 2 hours labor to install ($136), for a total of $334.75 installed. They have to do some wiring to complete the install.
I just purchased my new 2002 Camry SE 4 cylinder 5 speed there last week. I have that same mirror on my Land Cruiser and I like the way it dims automatically. I also like the compass feature. BTW, Florin Road has 2 or 3 other 2002 SE 4 cylinder 5 speeds on their lot that are gathering dust. They sold mine for $421 under invoice, or $19,400 on an MSRP of $21,969, without any negotiating at all. With the 2003s arriving already they are anxious to sell the 02s. My SE came with aluminum wheels, keyless entry, driver power seat and carpet/cargo mat set.
Does anyone know if the dealer can upgrade the stereo head unit from the single cd unit to the in-dash 6 cd unit and the speakers from the 6 speakers in 6 locations to 8 speakers in 6 locations? They told me no, but I don't see why not.

Thanks, Peter