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Comments
-RAVvie4me
Sorry that it's been so long since I've been in here, I've been busy and all....
Anyway, the 2002 Camry looks wonderful.... Nice
and elegant.... In my opnion the head lights of
car look like a mercedes or a lincoln continental
and the sides of the car looks sporty...
To sum it up the 2002 Camry is sporty and elegant.
More Camrys are coming out in a couple of weeks
when September comes...
I want a white one or a lunar mist or whatever it's called.....
Chow.....
Dave
The new Lexus ES300 is an entry level luxury sedan, shouldn't the TL be compared to that instead (of the Camry)? They're both in the same class aren't they? ES versus TL is a more valid comparison.
See the Camry for what it is (as coolguyky7 said), a family sedan and not an entry-level luxury sedan. Leave the ES 300 to do battle with the TL.
-RAVvie4me
It has some features that the TL doesn't have since it is a newer design (like side curtain head airbags), but it lacks the prestige and many other luxury features, such as power, the 4 year B2B warranty, luxury dealer service with loaner cars and so on.
V6 XLE with PG #7, #8 is about $26K, Expect to pay somewhere between $500 to $1000 more than that price, so it tops out at $27K without Navigation System.
Compare that with the $29,159 TL Base.(Cars direct)
Basically the Camry 2002 has everything the TL has, with more safety feature such as the VSC and Curtain A.B. But the TL comes with an extra year of warranty.
Prestige? Surely TL is higher class than Toyota, But it is only half way to a Lexus. TL is 45% same as Accord, and it doesn't look as good as the Accord Coupe. It is made in U.S. same as the Camry, so you can't compare that with the unbreakable quality of ES 300 either. Some might argue the VW Passat is a better car than TL, and Passat certainly cost more with 4motion.
It is Okay to compare all the cars at the same range, and make your own decision. It is also good that there are so many cars to choose from. (What about BMW 325i auto for $28, 910 then?)
And we all know that Camry's main market (80%?) is at the bottom, 4 Cylinder LE Automatic and not leather. :-)
To Sunshine: "car look like a mercedes or a lincoln continental"
Yeah, but didn't you forget the focus?
~alpha
You get similar dealer perks and service with a TL to what you would get with a Lexus or Mercedes, such as loaner cars, free car washes and so on that you don't get when you buy a Camry.
I would not compare the TL to a Camry LE, only to a decked out XLE V6 with everything a TL has standard. Even a loaded SE V6 lacks auto temp control A/C.
Toyota dealers are not interested in discounting the 2002 Camry, so it does sell at sticker for now.
Nissan expects to gain market share by 60,000 units in its first year. Camry is trailing Accord by 18,000 year to date last I heard.
Starting Sept 1, Toyota and Nissan will begin HEAVY advertising on TV and radio. Sources tell me a loaded 4 cylinder will be $20,800.
For anyone who is looking for a plan B over the Camry this car may be it. I think the Camry will win the interior award, however exterior and performance will go to Nissan.
Here's a link to a yahoo club for further discussion.
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/allnew2002nissanaltima
Camry....Altima...and next year, Accord
Competition like this is a beautiful thing.
We ALL win!
I've seen the new Altima, and I think the Camry has the nicest exterior. Performance will definitely go to the Altima, however, but like the Autonews article previously posted here stated, a bigger engine means that there's more noise, vibration and harshness that infiltrates the cabin. Then again, NVH probably is OK for a performance-oriented person. In any case, I've never associated so far Camry = performance, unless you start tweaking it with TRD stuff. A Camry to me means comfort, decent handling, and amazing reliability. If others have the same perception of the Camry as I do, then the Altima won't hurt Camry sales, because Toyota never catered to these performance people.
In my opinion, I wouldn't touch a Nissan even if it had a 300-hp. engine.
I am disppointed that the V6 is not VVTi. Cheap [non-permissible content removed].
New Camry is huge, full size car now, dwarfs the Corolla parked next to it. Toyota needs a new mid size to fill the void. I'll difinitely not buy the new jumbo Camry.
I've picked out my LE w/options .... now if I can just find a dealer. :-)
I think the piecemeal figures that have been thrown out have created
more confusion than answers to the pricing puzzle. I could be wrong
but I think the MSRP numbers are not that far off last year's numbers.
I would not have bought a loaded XLE then either.
~alpha
They have postive things to say about it overall.
As for pricing, the 2002 Camry is actually cheaper if you compare what you get for the money. A 25K 01 has less equip than a 25K 02.
Thanks
WSJ says that Toyota is aggressively pricing the 2002 Camry at $1,800 less than the 2001. Nissan's Altima will be priced even lower and the new Mazda 626 and the 2003 Accord somewhere in between.
Apparently, Detroit automakers have practically conceded the midsize sedan class and will focus instead on hybrid models (i.e. a cross between the SUV and the Sedan).
The WSJ was very positive on both the Altima and the new Camry. They thought both cars were price right.
I don't get why a lot of Toyota owners think of Nissan as a second tier Japanese brand that isn't as reliable or refined as Toyota. The Maxima has been rated more reliable than Camry and Accord from JD Power, the VQ engines are extremely smooth and quiet with much more power than any Toyota engine and they have more than decent handling too. Comfort is arguable since we all have our opinions.
BTW--is that issue on news stands yet? What about AutoWorld magazine?
-RAVvie4me
To top it off, they were parked in a row next to a couple of Avalons, and the similarities are definately there.
-RAVvie4me
-RAVvie4me
-RAVvie4me
I doubt a body shop could unbolt the spoiler without having to repaint the entire trunk lid.
It looks like a loaded XLE V6 model with most options, including navigation, would invoice at little over $27K.
If I was able to get one at less than $1000 over invoice, I might consider it afterall. I definately would not pay $31K, when I could get an Acura TL Navi for less than $30K.
I was not going to even bother test driving the 2002 Camry when I saw the $31K stickers on the lots.
Many people have been able to negotiate $31K for a 260HP TL Type S with navigation.
: )
mackabee
It was a burgundy SE, had a orangy color under direct sunlight. Very nice. The interior was much better too, XLE had wood trim all over center console and around the HVAC controls. Chrome accents on shift knob too. The article said basically that much of the car was the same and shouldn't dissapoint current buyers. SE made them "smile" when driving through the hills a few times..
Please don't compare a DOHC 32-valve V-8 with a 4-cylinder engine. You're comparing apples to oranges here. Instead, refer to the statement below made by Kosaku Yamada, chief engineer for the Toyota Camry:
"The current performance is enough for the Camry customer. If we were to adopt a bigger engine, that would mean a price increase, which is an important consideration. There also are tradeoffs in noise, vibration and harshness when you create more horsepower."
Source: http://www.autonews.com/html/main/stories0820/camrysb820.htm
Therefore, it is simply natural that the Altima's engine has more NVH than either the 4-cylinder or V-6 Camry engine.
I've tried out Nissans before buying my Corolla, and I was disappointed. Maybe the new Altima will change my opinion about this car company, but until that time, I'll stick with Toyota.
-RAVvie4me
So, there is no need to wait..well, I'm going to wait and see how the new Altima is, first. Carmax also sells Nissans new so we can price it out when it becomes available. I'll probably get the Altima but the Camry LE 4cyl seems like a good buy now at ~19,000+.
I think the Altima will be a little less money with that award winning V6. I think the Altima dash will lack some style compared to the Camry SE, but I can deal with that.
This time next week I can make my decision and get off the boards for awhile, well at least a few days. Its kind of addicting to read all the reviews and other folks opinions. My wife thinks I need to get a life, but I love cars and like to chat and learn about pricing and pitfalls to avoid.
The dash on the Altima does not lack any style (it is very sporty-looking), but it might lack the same quality of dash and console materials as the Camry.
I have seen some pictures of the new Altima @ Canadianautoreview.com they have some really nice pics of the Altima, and the dash doesn't look all that cheap-looking quality-wise either.
I think the Camry SE will cost quite a bit more than the Altima SE, from what a poster @ Freshalloy.com stated, Mossy Nissan(I believe) says an Altima 3.5SE loaded would cost only 24K MSRP, you really can't beat that. Right now, I am leanning more toward the new Altima 3.5SE than the new Camry, mainly because I want a 5 speed(I'd have to get the I4 SE for that) but I have to test drive them first, who knows, I might just like the Camry better. If I decide I can live with an Automatic, I will test drive a Camry XLEV6 and a 2002 Nissan Maxima GLE.