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You are right though, it would be a very good thing for them to do, if for no other reason than it has helped Honda EPA-certify its 4-cyl auto this year at 26/34 for mileage, which is above Toyota's ratings.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Of course as soon as you pull out and the rattles start all is lost.
Those who subscribe to Consumer Reports, while rewarding the Camry in many categories be sure to designate the rattle area as quite substandard. Perhaps future owners will then get a rattle free car!
By the way, anybody put there ever hear of Jetson brand tires. I have used these on every car I owned as replacement the tires to those supplied with the new car. They always were superior in price, ride and longevity to the Firestone, GoodYear and even Michelines that came as original equipment on these cars. Personally I have to believe they will be superior to the junk Toyota put on my new Camry but then there are those who say certain tires will make the car more quiet, handle better and react better in bad weather. I am stuck with the junk on there now until they wear out but was just interested in some tire feedback.
~alpha
~alpha
BTW I couldn't believe that the first offer from the dealer was sticker!!!
No, the Camry has a timing belt. Which means they probably recommend changing it every 60K miles.
I believe the spark plugs are also recommended to be changed every 60K miles.
The Altima, is nice, but feels a significant level down in refinement compared to the Accord and Camry. The car just feels "tinny" (sp?) and the interior materials, as stated in several magazine reports, seem to be less substantial then the others here. Dash design seems too over-styled to us, and we don't care for the orange speedo and guage lighting in this car. Roomy car. We just don't care for it.
The Accord is very nice, probably the quietest Accord ever built. The road noise in previous Accords has always kept us away from them. This car is quieter, but not up to Camry quietness. The quality seems high, the pricing is good, the dealers here advertising the LX auto for $17,900. The seats feel overly firm to us (50ish folks..can't believe I'm getting that old!) Not sure if we like the dash layout, the controls for the radio/AC seem confusing, but I'm sure with a little time, it would be easy to learn. The ride was firm, not harsh. Roomy.
The Camry is the quietest of all 3, and seems to have the comfiest seats. The dash seems very plain, but it is just simple, everything is there. We have been debating between the LE and the SE, for the extras that are provided at about the same cost (moonroof, 4 wheel discs, leather steering wheel, sport suspension, better seats/materials, etc). As I posted earlier, the 2 dealers in my town don't have any SEs in stock, and the next town is 2 hours away. We drove there over the weekend, and drove an SE. WOW! Very nice handling, firmer than LE, but not as firm as the Accord. We are getting a Camry SE next week, from out of town.
I know you can get that combo on the SE, but I dislike the silver gauges, and the useless spoiler (not a kid anymore), and the sunroof makes head room barely tolerable in front and intolerable in the back. I do prefer the handling and interior of the SE though.
BTW,I have seen several SEs in CA without the spoiler, as after Jan of this year,it is now an option, and the moonroof standard. The moomroof is a "delete" option...supposedly. LOL
I may wind up with an Accord LX which I feel is very comparable. That way I can get ABS manual and no sunroof. The problem is I don't want a first year Accord as they have had problems with new models lately (Civic, Odyssey) as has Toyota with the 02 Camry. I am aware that these are mostly little things like squeeks and rattles not major mechanical issues.
Click on "Public" on the left side of the screen, then type in Solara and hit search. There are a lot of shots there.
~alpha
Thanks for hearing me out, just wanted to give some good news about the 2002 Camry.
Anyway, what is this heat shield rattle and is it widespread?
Can anyone tell me why CR has the Camry at average reliability currently?
The complaints I had so far were:
a) The glove box light did not work. I could not access to the light bulb, so not sure the light bulb or wire connection problem ?
b)The car was stalling when brake was applied to make it stop (not happened all the time)
Before bring back to dealer, I want to make sure all the fluids are in correct level.
Can anyone show me to how to check transmission fluid ? With engine off, and it was still hot, the transmission fluid was well above the "hot mark" ! Is that normal ?
Thanks in advance
~alpha
I did not look at the RPM to see if it was really fluctuating. The other possibility that the could transmission shift to lower gear ? The problem only happened twice, I am afraid that when I bring back to dealer then they would say NFF (no fault found).
If you want to check it with the engine off, you must do it with the drivetrain stone cold, before any startup in the morning. And even then, the reading may be suspect.
I am not really sure that you called it "new feature to save battery". Most of the time, I would like the glove box light turns on without operating head lights. Assume that if the glove box is left open, it would take 15 days to discharge the battery (with 1W light bulb)!
Followed your instruction, the fluid was within acceptable range.
Our 2002 LE 4cylinder now has nearly 27,000 miles on it. No major issues, a few interior trim problems though; cupholder foam insert broke, and glovebox lock seized. Both fixed under warranty.
Fuel economy on the car has consistently hit 27 MPG in a mix of city highway.
Very pleased thus far. Excellent ride, outstanding power/economy mix, sufficient, though not outstanding quality, excellent room, good looks. Great car.
also, I was at NYIAS today. WAAAAAAY too many people, but got a GREAT look at the new Solara- this looks like a home run- for those who want an auto trans.
~alpha
on a side note, I've seen ads in the paper where "camry le's auto, all with msrp $20,469" are listed as $15,999 after the $1k rebate. I was skeptical at first, so i called to see if there were any hidden fees, and the dealer said no. Is this for real? i guess it shouldn't matter since i already bought my car, but i would be upset if i paid so much more. =(
otherwise, the car is great!
3.3-liter VVT-i V6 engine & 5-speed automatic sequential that is coming out with the 2004 Solara
Fix the exhaust pipe that looks like it is falling when you are behind the car
Tail light enhancement being used in the Asian market
Well we can always wish...
Even an $11,000 Ford Ranger has ABS standard. You would think a family car like the Camry would have it too. For those who feel they can drive well enough to beat the ABS - what are you doing in a Camry?
Right now lack of ABS on a 5-speed is what is keeping me away from a Camry.
I do agree with the exhaust routing - what is up with that. Also has anyone noticed that the Camry seems to have more than its' fair share of wrinkles in the seat fabric - not every car, but if you look at several at the dealer it is obvious.
Everybody complains about the exhaust, but really, its never been a problem, it just looks awkward, and it has since the 97 redesign. IMO, who cares?
With regard to safety equipment, I agree with everyone that states that ABS should be standard. And if it cant be standard, I'd like to see ABS and Curtain Airbags as a bundled option for the LE and SE 4 cylinders. I think the curtains should be standard on XLE models (would also be good, as it adds differentiation between the LE and XLE... with pwr seats, keyless, etc. now standard on LE, the differences have been lessened).
I dont like the Asian taillight treatment, especially if it is coupled with the ugly front fascia on that car.
~alpha
thanks!
I like to see more Camry have VSC package, it seems that a lot of deal have very few or even no Camry that has VSC package.
I would like to see they use solara SLE guage, or white EL.
You can send your comments of what you think about the car to Toyota using email option in their FAQ, or phone call, or mail. I have send them a couple emails before.
Look under "Toyota's U.S. Headquarters Contacts"
http://toyota.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/toyota.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp- .php