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I am trying to decide between a 2004 Camry and a 2003 Maxima. After driving the 2004 Camry LE V6 I found that the car is exceptionally smooth but takes a little while to start from Zero when compared to even my 1999 Maxima.
I have not driven the 2004 Camry SE V6 yet. Do you think the SE V6 will be comparable in performance to the 2003 Maxima SE? If it is that may be what I need.
I have read several articles in regards to suspension issues on even the new Maximas. What I would recommend is that you test drive both vehicles and see which one meets your needs. I know the Maxima has more HP than the Camry, but you be the judge of that.
Hey nw1997, (Rife here, the guy with the buzzing radio)
Was the $486 that they were trying to add in for "advertising" my dealer tried that too. I ended up paying it. Does anyone else know if this is common for dealers to ad an advertising charge above invoice and destination?
Using the Keyword Search on the left side of the page for "advertising", I found this: Advertising Fees. It has a ton of posts you can read and search through (try the "Search This Discussion" feature on the page bar) and I'm sure it will be helpful with that question.
There is also a much smaller more specific discussion that will interest you at this link: Toyota Advertising Fees.
I recently purchased tires for my 99 Camry LE sedan. I intended to purchase the BF Goodrich Control TA M65's (S-rated). However, I noticed that BF Goodrich had just come out with the Traction T/As - H rated performance tires (traction AA, temperature A, 60,000 mile warranty tires). They physically looked much more substantial than the M65s. Thus, I left the dealer and went home where I called customer service at BF Goodrich to get more information. The customer service rep informed me that these tires were introduced earlier this Fall. According to the company, they are a generation ahead of the M65s. Based on this conversation and that with the dealer sales rep, I purchased the new Traction TA tires. They coast me $65 apiece for 195/70 HR14s mounted and balanced (with lifetime rotation and balancing). I have driven them about 1,200 miles in heavy rain, and slushy snow and I can tell you that they stick to the road like glue. With their stiffened sidewall they make my Camry corner more like an Accord, yet the ride is very compliant. You might want to look into these. Of course, the price will be higher for a 16" inch wheel, but they still should be quite competitive.
I have an o3 camry xle and just noticed today that there is not a light when you open the glovebox? Is this true? I looked as best I could and there are two spaces in the plastic above the glovebox opening that might be for a bulb, but no bulb base and of course no bulb could be seen or felt. What is even weirder is that there is a depression switch which is out when the box is open and when you close the box you can tell that it depresses the switch. If this is not to activate the light on and off, what other use is this switch to tell if the glovebox is open or closed? Thanks for any help.
just checked the toyota website and for 04 it says "illuminated lockable glovebox" for all models. I would assume that an 03 is the same. I will have the dealer check it Saturday when I go in for my first oil change.
The glove box light only works when the panel lights are turned on. This is a good safety feature, since the light cannot be "stuck on" after the car is parked. Our last car, a Chevy, burned three batteries in 5 years before I realized what was causing the batteries to go down.
H-rated tires are designed for sustained speeds up to 130 mph, whereas S-rated tires are designed for sustained speeds up to 112 mph. Thus, the H-rated tires are more performance rated. However, they also provide better performance at normal highway speeds.
Yes, the Traction T/As are very quiet. MY OEM tires were Goodyear Integritys and by the time I replaced them they were spinning at the lights. In contrast, yesterday I had to drive home on US Route 1 in Delaware in driving rain. I was cruising along at 70 mph where the other cars (the normal speedsters) were in the slow lane. I felt like my tire grip was very strong, both on the straights and in the turns. The Traction T/As have so far proven to offer the best of a number of worlds - quiet, smooth, responsive, and grippy.
A question for Camry owners and installing infant car seats in the back seat. Originally, I had installed the infant car seat and base using the LATCH system in the middle rear seat of my 2002 Camry LE. When we went to the local police station to have them check that the car seat had been installed properly, we were told that we should not install the infant car seat in the middle rear seat, since the rear armrest (the one that pops out of the back seat and has the cupholders) was not firmly held in place and could potentially move the infant car seat in the event of a car crash. The police station recommended that we either (i) talk to our dealer and request a Toyota part (i.e. hook) that prevents the rear armrest from moving, or (ii) install the car seat directly behind the driver or front passenger seat (which we did for the time-being). Obviously, my preference would be to install the car seat in the middle rear seat, as this is typically the safest location. I called my local Toyota dealers and explained my situation and this was a surprise to them. This was the first time they had ever heard of this matter and were unaware of any Toyota part to solve this problem.
Does anyone know if there is a Toyota part to firmly keep the rear armrest in place? If not, do most people with infants or kids still install the car seats in the middle rear seat? Thanks in advance to those who respond to my post.
thanks for the info..I checked it this morning while it was dark and discovered just what you said, that the glovebox light is only on when the lights are turned on.
Not sure what you mean by it being safer. The depression switch should keep the light off at all times that the box is closed and if the box is open and you turn off the lights or the car, you would see the box open. Thanks for the info.
70 MPH in driving rain?! I'm sorry, that's just insane. No matter what kind of performace tires you have on your car, you should always drive according to the weather.
I was out in the same rain yesterday and while I usually run 5 MPH over the limit, I kept myself at or under because of the 1+ inches of water on the road and the quickly-melting slush.
Noticed on our 03 LE that the front map/reading lights do not come on when you open the doors, just the dome light. Maybe I'm spoiled by my Olds that has rear reading lights (over the doors), front map lights (in the rear view mirror) and courtesy lights in the footwells..
I still like the switch that lets you turn off the dome light. Seems like I've only seen that in Asian cars.
Thanks, I won't worry about going 70mph in the rain but would be happy to go 35 or so and not have my tires spinning from stop. Were you OEMs spinning from new or only as they got bald?
IMO no issue, Maxima all the way. For many years they have had the best performing V6 on the market ( owned two of them) (have a Camry SE older version also) the Camry V6, regardless of how they retool the old horse it is still basically the same engine since 1992 with basically no change in HP either. Maxima also handles better, slightly larger and unfortunatley, I believe, slightly more expensive. The Altima is sure an alternative too.
Watching the struts as the car runs at 60-70 MPH may not reveal their problems. My wife's 93 Camry looks and handles very normal at high speed on freeways. No oscillation of the wheels were seen!
Because the front wheels on FWD cars have to drive and steer at the same time, worn struts can compound the problems and cause lateral instability.
A good test for struts would be to jump onto the front/rear bumper and quickly jump off. The car should absorb the shock and bounce back to normal height.
If the car bounces down again one or more time, the struts are definitely worn and need replacement.
Worn struts can cause dangerous instability, abnormal tire wear and poor gas mileage. in my case, it could have caused a horrenduous and very expensive accident if there was traffic on the road at the time!
Replacement struts would probably pay for themselves in months, even weeks....
I dont want to cause problems by getting too deep into the Maxima argument, but since it was brought up here, I will say a few words and be done.
Armtdm- thanks for not doing your homework, so I can swoop in and happily offer the facts.
The Camry SE V6 now has a 3.3L engine, which does have more hp and much more torque than the engine intro-ed for 1992. It produces 225hp and 240 lb. ft. at 3600RPM, and most importantly, it doesnt suffer from the Maximas ridiculous torque steer. That, and the fact that a Camry SE will top out at 29K, some 4+ grand less than the Maxima, while simultaneously offering a much higher quality and better looking interior, offers some advantages for the Camry. The Camry SE is more "boring" perhaps, but for many who don't need or want Rocky Road, French Vanilla will do just fine.
~alpha
PS- I'm own a Nissan, so I'm not bashing them. But for 30 grand, you ought to feel good about being in your car. I personally think the new Maximas interior materials and design is worse than that of the Altima, though that is commonly the Nissan deridden for its cheap-ish interior. I hate leather, but wouldnt even consider recommending a new (2004) Maxima without this option, because the cloth is just soooo cheap, worse than I've seen in 15K Sonatas. This is most evident on the doors of the vehicle, where the cloth is more akin to fuzzy sandpaper. YUCK.
PS2- The 3.0L V6 introduced in the Camry for 1992 produced 185hp and 195lb. ft. The current version produces 210 and 220, respectively, a bump of 25 in both measures? Thats hardly any change? Get a grip.
I purchased the Camry with 44,000 miles so I cannot tell you how they behaved when new. However, the traction rating on them was not as good as the T/As. Not many tires are AA traction rated as are the TAs.
I am normally a pretty conservative driver. However, the highway on which I was riding Wednesday had a posted 65mph limit and even in the rain those tires had tenacious grip. Couple that with their quiet ride and the quiet drivetrain of the Camry and it was difficult not to move along at normal speed.
How come you don't post on the Nissan board since your profile says you own a Sentra. My cousin's friend drives a Sentra SER with a 6 speed manual tranny. I was once a passenger in that car. That car was fast. He was driving close to 110 mph on the NJ turnpike. Thank God no one was hurt. But I didn't like the lemon yellow color.
Doesnt see much traffic. I've been talking a lot about my Sentra in the Chevy Cobalt discussion on the Future Vehicles board.
I have the SE-R engine in my Sentra, but with an auto. One of the few, and perhaps only (?) econocars that can hit 60 under 8 seconds with an automatic.
What I was referring to was the switch can become inoperable and not shut the light off when the glove box is closed. When the car is turned off, you would not notice the light still on since the glove box door is closed. Like I said, I firmly believe that this was the cause of our old Chevy burning three batteries in just six years. Also, my neighbor had the same problem and had it fixed by replacing the switch.
Therefore, having the light only operate when the panel lights are on is really a safety feature. Your possibility of being stuck in some uncomfortable surroundings with a dead battery is greatly reduced.
Hi, I just had a question about buying a '90 Camry. I recently checked it got a recall before. The owner seems not knowing this. If the owner goes to ask Toyota to correct this problem, would that be fine with Toyota? Since it's been a long time. Will that make extra fees on it? It is an issue of the DOOR ASSEMBLY:LATCHES AND LOCKS. Anyone who owns '90 Camry please give me some opinions. Thanks a bunch!
Well I got rid of the Conti tires. Nothing worse than throwing a way a pair of tires with only 15K on them because they are soooooo crappy in the snow and rain. SHAME ON TOYOTA FOR PUTTING THESE ON MY CAR!!!!
I bought the BF Goodrich Traction TAs you mentioned. It's too early to tell how satisfied I will be but they do appear to grip better. They are however a bit noisier---perhaps that will mask some of the Camry's incessant rattles!
Time will tell but I still feel the weight distribution...and likely the overall weight (or lack there of) of the car (great for mileage though -- poor for safety) has a bit to do with the Camry's poor traction in snow and rain. I still hope these tires make a BIG difference. Otherwise, knowing what I know now about the rattles and these safety concerns in bad weather... I would have driven the Honda or Ford.
All other considering a Camry...do yourself a favor, only accept your Camry w/Michelin tires and get the traction control!
The Camry 4 auto cylinder weighs 3150lbs. Its hardly a light car. Have you never had a sub 2 ton car before? The weight distribution of the vehicle, 58/42, I believe, is typical of front wheel drive family cars, and this is a better distribution than the V6 models.
I do hope the tires work out well for you. What year is your Camry? If its an 03, I'm surprised to hear of your rattles, as they were more of an issue in the 2002s, and indeed, CR Predicted Reliability has returned to "Much Better than Average"- has your dealer been able to rectify any of them? Get on their case. At least... you'd be happy to know that many of the new Accord owners have reported similar first year issues.
I've been driving a Ford Ranger V6 for the past 10 years, but have to give it up--can't handle the clutch any more. After so many years in a truck, all cars seem luxurious to me! The camry seems right for me, and I liked driving it. So to details: Seeking input/opinions about 4 cyl vs. 6 cyl cars, and opinions on the xle. (I live in the Ozarks, with 40 miles of steep, twisting hills to drive every day. All feedback most appreciated!
I have a Camry LE with S rated tyres on it. Toyota says to use H rated which reduces the availability of tyres. If I don't drive at speeds requiring H rating, what are the consequences of staying with S? In addition, what if I were to replace two with H and leave two S? And no, I don't live in England, I just spelled tires that way to fool with you.
Car Weight....wasn't the Taurus a heavier car...it certainly felt bulkier when I drove it an I thought I remember it weighing more.
Mt Camry is an 02. If your 03 is rattle free consider yourself lucky. (Check the rattles forum). To this day Toyota cites they have improved upon the rattle areas but can not point to a specific area that was addressed. When I as my dealer, 'How are the 04s different, they tell me they are exactly the same.
I think if you look carefully, the 02/03 Camry show average reliabilty over all and the rattle area is still average...at least I think I saw that in the year end book.
As far as getting their case, you know what happens when you rip a car apart....you get new rattles that were not there before. Other than the cowl/windshield fix, the others all involve ripping the doors/dash apart, reinsulating etc etc. Fix one rattle, two others appear. PS: The cowl fix on my Camry lasted less than a year...I need to get it redone.
Overall the car is peppy, fuel efficient, comfortable, quiet (when the rattles are not present). I stil think it a shame they cheapened out in certain areas and if I had known about the tires I'd have never taken delivery. I wish they'd come up with an AWD Camry!
I hope that you enjoy the Traction TAs - It's funny that you mention the noise. My Camry seems quite quiet with them, particularly compared to the noise that my prior Accord made with the factory Michelins. However, your OEM tires may have indeed been more touring than performance oriented. Have you tried taking a hard turn (say at like 30-35 mph) with the TAs? That is where I first noticed the tenacious grip and lack of sidewall buckling. Please keep me posted on how you find the TAs. I have about 1,400 miles on mine and so far they have lived up to the dealer's claim.
As far as S-rate versus H-rated, the latter should handle better for you even at much lower speeds (than their 130 mph rating). However, I would not mix H-rated and S-rated intentionally as I would assume that the advantage of the H-rated tires is likely to be mitigated by the two S-Rated tires. Also, there will likely be ride characteristic differences between the tires that might be disconcerting over time. However, your local tire dealer may be able to shed more light on this.
Yes, the Taurus is heavier than a Camry 4 by about 150 lbs. You know what? I don't see why Toyota doesnt offer an AWD Camry. They certainly use the platform in several AWD iterations, though none as sedans...If you are really interested in Camrys with AWD, you should write a letter to Toyota and tell them to bring back the Alltrac models that appeared from 1988 to 1991. I still see one of those, a grey 5sp, back home every so often.
Our 02 Camry LE has suffered from a rattle that seems to emanate intermittently from the dashboard near the passenger side A pillar. It has also had two TSB fixes, one for a rocking drivers seat, the other for fallen trunk trim. Otherwise, it has been all the things you spoke of- peppy, efficient, roomy, comfortable, quiet, smooth... and the car-24 months old now-has 41,300 miles on it. Not bad for two years! LOL.
The dealer lied if he said that the 04s are the same in terms of build quality. Niggling issues are present in any vehicle launch, and as the redesigns of the Camry and Accord have shown, even the top mfrs. are not immune from this. It is good to see that "Predicted Reliability" from CR is back up to 'Much Better than Average'.
Ironically, I wrote to Toyota Canada a few months back concerning this issue. I suggested they manufacture a Camry sport wagon with AWD (similar to the very successful Matrix). As a Matrix and a Camry owner (2003 XR4WD and 2002 XLE) I think a cross between the 2 may be appealing. Incidentally the Camry was available in 4WD in the late 80's and early 90's
How in the world can you drive over 40,000 miles in 2 years? I have a '95 Accord (bought in '94) with 64,000 miles on the odo. Your mileage is 1 and a half times around the world! I'm not ragging on you just merely curious.
My parents have used it to haul me and my sister to and from college, on a few road trip type vacations, and my dad has used it to commute to and from work for extended periods at a time, which is round trip about 55 miles/day (Its an easy drive though, on scenic back roads through central/Southern NJ).
I bought a 98 Toyota in 2000 with 40,000 on the odo. It now has 60,000 on it after about 4 years. I think I drive it a lot but I guess I spend too much time at home! Still scratching my head over the high mileages per year on your cars.
My 99 LE 4 cyl just hit 140,000 miles, without a hitch. I drive 100mi/day to/from work. I live in N.J, mostly highway driving. Timing belt: I replaced it at 65,000 miles. The dealer says every 60k, the owners manual 90k. How have others handled this? Will it really go,or is this another money maker for the dealers?
I never wanted to find how long I could go before the belt snapped...
Replaced the one in the wife's 91 Tercel at 62K - about three years ago. Cost about $160 and while they had the thing apart, had the drive belt replaced, too as it was original.
Broke a timing CHAIN on a 68 Plymouth 318 V8 once...Ugh! Replaced it, but things had gotten so out of whack, I was bending valved all over the place and lost at least two cylinders. Could have rebuilt the engine (had 136,000 on it) or replaced it for about $400, but.....
The Tercel went to a new home in July after 12 years and 72K miles of almost perfect service. Three sets of tires (wife never checked the inflation), one battery (orginal lasted 9 years), two alignments, one set of front & rear struts (over two years) and ONE light bulb! The only light that failed was the rear center brake light!
So far on the Camry in two months, 180 miles and had the rear black pearl emblem replaced under warranty. There is a creak (not quite a "rattle")coming from the driver's door area that seems to go away once the car warms up. That will be looked into at the next service.
Major complaint is I don't get to drive it too often - wife won't let me. Can't wait to take it on a road trip to Florida in the Spring!
Stumack/Andrelaplume: Andre, couldnt agree with you more. Some of us are actually interested in Sedans with AWD, not SUVs. (Thank goodness for Subaru!) More choices are always nice.
Rutger3- THAT is impressive mileage. Glad to hear its been pretty flawless. Which model do you have, how is your MPG, and if you are still servicing at the dealer- which one are you using. I'm quite familiar with most parts of central NJ.
Deke- Fun read. But- you've had your Camry 2 months and there is a total of 180 miles on the odo? Did you mean 1800 perhaps?
Doesn't anyone remeber when Toyota was offering an AWD/4WD camry in the 80's. They were offered on the LE (4 Cyl)and (6 Cyl). Also, the old model Tercel's could of been ordered in 4WD. After the SUV rage in the 90's and continung presently the need and demend for an AWD/4WD vehicle like Camry's are no longer in large demands, (Subaru is in-between). Now the markets are calling for vehicles the are in between SUV's and Cars. The FX35 are something that fullfills the need. Vehicles are now going for the Hybrid side, thats why Toyota's RX330 and Highlander are soon to be Hybrid. Honda will be following soon. The way I see it, is make SUV's more fuel efficient and safer, but not bringing back old technology, like the Camry AWD/4WD.
No, sorry, that should be 1100 miles. Car came from Connecticut and had 120 on it when we took delivery. Wife only drives a few miles a day three or four days a week. We've made some "short hops" to visit friends in New Jersey, but nothing more than 30 miles or so.
Manfredi Toyota was nice to perform one of the free oil changes at 1000 miles. Told them that since the car was in our possession two months and was still on the original oil, I wanted to change it.
If it doesn't snow again, I plan on driving it to my brother in-law's for Christmas Eve - that should be close to 100 miles round trip.
I like how the Toyota cruise control looks and performs line the one on my father in-law's E320 MB. He's never used it and didn't know how it worked! Goes to show you, whether you buy a strippo Echo or an Aston DB8, you have to read the manual! Or listen to the tape of it!
Now if I could only take the seats from my Intrigue and put them in the Camry.....
AWD in the second generation Camry was NOT offered on 6 cylinder models, and was first introduced on 5M models only. It appeared for 1988, and disappeared after MY 1991.
Comments
Thanks for your input.
Do you think 89 will be better for the engine for the long run or it will do the same job as 87 ?
Thanks,
Bill
http://autos.canada.com/national/editorial/story.aspx?id=DA01349E- -69B5-41A4-9195-853E5B33819D
I have not driven the 2004 Camry SE V6 yet. Do you think the SE V6 will be comparable in performance to the 2003 Maxima SE? If it is that may be what I need.
What else make the Camry superior to a Maxima?
I have read several articles in regards to suspension issues on even the new Maximas. What I would recommend is that you test drive both vehicles and see which one meets your needs. I know the Maxima has more HP than the Camry, but you be the judge of that.
-alpha
The articles were refering to the 04 Maximas.
Was the $486 that they were trying to add in for "advertising" my dealer tried that too. I ended up paying it. Does anyone else know if this is common for dealers to ad an advertising charge above invoice and destination?
There is also a much smaller more specific discussion that will interest you at this link: Toyota Advertising Fees.
Good luck - let us know what you find out.
I recently purchased tires for my 99 Camry LE sedan. I intended to purchase the BF Goodrich Control TA M65's (S-rated). However, I noticed that BF Goodrich had just come out with the Traction T/As - H rated performance tires (traction AA, temperature A, 60,000 mile warranty tires). They physically looked much more substantial than the M65s. Thus, I left the dealer and went home where I called customer service at BF Goodrich to get more information. The customer service rep informed me that these tires were introduced earlier this Fall. According to the company, they are a generation ahead of the M65s. Based on this conversation and that with the dealer sales rep, I purchased the new Traction TA tires. They coast me $65 apiece for 195/70 HR14s mounted and balanced (with lifetime rotation and balancing). I have driven them about 1,200 miles in heavy rain, and slushy snow and I can tell you that they stick to the road like glue. With their stiffened sidewall they make my Camry corner more like an Accord, yet the ride is very compliant. You might want to look into these. Of course, the price will be higher for a 16" inch wheel, but they still should be quite competitive.
Did you previously experience 'tire spin' when pulling out in the rain from the time the tires were new?
THANKS!
H-rated tires are designed for sustained speeds up to 130 mph, whereas S-rated tires are designed for sustained speeds up to 112 mph. Thus, the H-rated tires are more performance rated. However, they also provide better performance at normal highway speeds.
Yes, the Traction T/As are very quiet. MY OEM tires were Goodyear Integritys and by the time I replaced them they were spinning at the lights. In contrast, yesterday I had to drive home on US Route 1 in Delaware in driving rain. I was cruising along at 70 mph where the other cars (the normal speedsters) were in the slow lane. I felt like my tire grip was very strong, both on the straights and in the turns. The Traction T/As have so far proven to offer the best of a number of worlds - quiet, smooth, responsive, and grippy.
Does anyone know if there is a Toyota part to firmly keep the rear armrest in place? If not, do most people with infants or kids still install the car seats in the middle rear seat? Thanks in advance to those who respond to my post.
Not sure what you mean by it being safer. The depression switch should keep the light off at all times that the box is closed and if the box is open and you turn off the lights or the car, you would see the box open. Thanks for the info.
I was out in the same rain yesterday and while I usually run 5 MPH over the limit, I kept myself at or under because of the 1+ inches of water on the road and the quickly-melting slush.
You're lucky there wasn't a trooper out there....
Just my $.02...
Deke
I still like the switch that lets you turn off the dome light. Seems like I've only seen that in Asian cars.
Camry = boring
Watching the struts as the car runs at 60-70 MPH may not reveal their problems. My wife's 93 Camry looks and handles very normal at high speed on freeways. No oscillation of the wheels were seen!
Because the front wheels on FWD cars have to drive and steer at the same time, worn struts can compound the problems and cause lateral instability.
A good test for struts would be to jump onto the front/rear bumper and quickly jump off. The car should absorb the shock and bounce back to normal height.
If the car bounces down again one or more time, the struts are definitely worn and need replacement.
Worn struts can cause dangerous instability, abnormal tire wear and poor gas mileage. in my case, it could have caused a horrenduous and very expensive accident if there was traffic on the road at the time!
Replacement struts would probably pay for themselves in months, even weeks....
Armtdm- thanks for not doing your homework, so I can swoop in and happily offer the facts.
The Camry SE V6 now has a 3.3L engine, which does have more hp and much more torque than the engine intro-ed for 1992. It produces 225hp and 240 lb. ft. at 3600RPM, and most importantly, it doesnt suffer from the Maximas ridiculous torque steer. That, and the fact that a Camry SE will top out at 29K, some 4+ grand less than the Maxima, while simultaneously offering a much higher quality and better looking interior, offers some advantages for the Camry. The Camry SE is more "boring" perhaps, but for many who don't need or want Rocky Road, French Vanilla will do just fine.
~alpha
PS- I'm own a Nissan, so I'm not bashing them. But for 30 grand, you ought to feel good about being in your car. I personally think the new Maximas interior materials and design is worse than that of the Altima, though that is commonly the Nissan deridden for its cheap-ish interior. I hate leather, but wouldnt even consider recommending a new (2004) Maxima without this option, because the cloth is just soooo cheap, worse than I've seen in 15K Sonatas. This is most evident on the doors of the vehicle, where the cloth is more akin to fuzzy sandpaper. YUCK.
PS2- The 3.0L V6 introduced in the Camry for 1992 produced 185hp and 195lb. ft. The current version produces 210 and 220, respectively, a bump of 25 in both measures? Thats hardly any change? Get a grip.
I purchased the Camry with 44,000 miles so I cannot tell you how they behaved when new. However, the traction rating on them was not as good as the T/As. Not many tires are AA traction rated as are the TAs.
I am normally a pretty conservative driver. However, the highway on which I was riding Wednesday had a posted 65mph limit and even in the rain those tires had tenacious grip. Couple that with their quiet ride and the quiet drivetrain of the Camry and it was difficult not to move along at normal speed.
I have the SE-R engine in my Sentra, but with an auto. One of the few, and perhaps only (?) econocars that can hit 60 under 8 seconds with an automatic.
~alpha
Therefore, having the light only operate when the panel lights are on is really a safety feature. Your possibility of being stuck in some uncomfortable surroundings with a dead battery is greatly reduced.
Just got my years mixed up?
I bought the BF Goodrich Traction TAs you mentioned. It's too early to tell how satisfied I will be but they do appear to grip better. They are however a bit noisier---perhaps that will mask some of the Camry's incessant rattles!
Time will tell but I still feel the weight distribution...and likely the overall weight (or lack there of) of the car (great for mileage though -- poor for safety) has a bit to do with the Camry's poor traction in snow and rain. I still hope these tires make a BIG difference. Otherwise, knowing what I know now about the rattles and these safety concerns in bad weather... I would have driven the Honda or Ford.
All other considering a Camry...do yourself a favor, only accept your Camry w/Michelin tires and get the traction control!
Thanks for the Help profks!!
I do hope the tires work out well for you. What year is your Camry? If its an 03, I'm surprised to hear of your rattles, as they were more of an issue in the 2002s, and indeed, CR Predicted Reliability has returned to "Much Better than Average"- has your dealer been able to rectify any of them? Get on their case. At least... you'd be happy to know that many of the new Accord owners have reported similar first year issues.
~alpha
Mt Camry is an 02. If your 03 is rattle free consider yourself lucky. (Check the rattles forum). To this day Toyota cites they have improved upon the rattle areas but can not point to a specific area that was addressed. When I as my dealer, 'How are the 04s different, they tell me they are exactly the same.
I think if you look carefully, the 02/03 Camry show average reliabilty over all and the rattle area is still average...at least I think I saw that in the year end book.
As far as getting their case, you know what happens when you rip a car apart....you get new rattles that were not there before. Other than the cowl/windshield fix, the others all involve ripping the doors/dash apart, reinsulating etc etc. Fix one rattle, two others appear. PS: The cowl fix on my Camry lasted less than a year...I need to get it redone.
Overall the car is peppy, fuel efficient, comfortable, quiet (when the rattles are not present). I stil think it a shame they cheapened out in certain areas and if I had known about the tires I'd have never taken delivery. I wish they'd come up with an AWD Camry!
I hope that you enjoy the Traction TAs - It's funny that you mention the noise. My Camry seems quite quiet with them, particularly compared to the noise that my prior Accord made with the factory Michelins. However, your OEM tires may have indeed been more touring than performance oriented. Have you tried taking a hard turn (say at like 30-35 mph) with the TAs? That is where I first noticed the tenacious grip and lack of sidewall buckling. Please keep me posted on how you find the TAs. I have about 1,400 miles on mine and so far they have lived up to the dealer's claim.
Our 02 Camry LE has suffered from a rattle that seems to emanate intermittently from the dashboard near the passenger side A pillar. It has also had two TSB fixes, one for a rocking drivers seat, the other for fallen trunk trim.
Otherwise, it has been all the things you spoke of- peppy, efficient, roomy, comfortable, quiet, smooth... and the car-24 months old now-has 41,300 miles on it. Not bad for two years! LOL.
The dealer lied if he said that the 04s are the same in terms of build quality. Niggling issues are present in any vehicle launch, and as the redesigns of the Camry and Accord have shown, even the top mfrs. are not immune from this. It is good to see that "Predicted Reliability" from CR is back up to 'Much Better than Average'.
~alpha
~alpha
i put 30,000 miles per year on my 93 camry since i got it last september. 220,000 miles on the odometer now.
Still scratching my head over the high mileages per year on your cars.
Timing belt: I replaced it at 65,000 miles. The dealer says every 60k, the owners manual 90k. How have others handled this? Will it really go,or is this another money maker for the dealers?
Replaced the one in the wife's 91 Tercel at 62K - about three years ago. Cost about $160 and while they had the thing apart, had the drive belt replaced, too as it was original.
Broke a timing CHAIN on a 68 Plymouth 318 V8 once...Ugh! Replaced it, but things had gotten so out of whack, I was bending valved all over the place and lost at least two cylinders. Could have rebuilt the engine (had 136,000 on it) or replaced it for about $400, but.....
The Tercel went to a new home in July after 12 years and 72K miles of almost perfect service. Three sets of tires (wife never checked the inflation), one battery (orginal lasted 9 years), two alignments, one set of front & rear struts (over two years) and ONE light bulb! The only light that failed was the rear center brake light!
So far on the Camry in two months, 180 miles and had the rear black pearl emblem replaced under warranty. There is a creak (not quite a "rattle")coming from the driver's door area that seems to go away once the car warms up. That will be looked into at the next service.
Major complaint is I don't get to drive it too often - wife won't let me. Can't wait to take it on a road trip to Florida in the Spring!
Deke
Rutger3- THAT is impressive mileage. Glad to hear its been pretty flawless. Which model do you have, how is your MPG, and if you are still servicing at the dealer- which one are you using. I'm quite familiar with most parts of central NJ.
Deke- Fun read. But- you've had your Camry 2 months and there is a total of 180 miles on the odo? Did you mean 1800 perhaps?
~alpha
Doesn't anyone remeber when Toyota was offering an AWD/4WD camry in the 80's. They were offered on the LE (4 Cyl)and (6 Cyl). Also, the old model Tercel's could of been ordered in 4WD. After the SUV rage in the 90's and continung presently the need and demend for an AWD/4WD vehicle like Camry's are no longer in large demands, (Subaru is in-between). Now the markets are calling for vehicles the are in between SUV's and Cars. The FX35 are something that fullfills the need. Vehicles are now going for the Hybrid side, thats why Toyota's RX330 and Highlander are soon to be Hybrid. Honda will be following soon. The way I see it, is make SUV's more fuel efficient and safer, but not bringing back old technology, like the Camry AWD/4WD.
Manfredi Toyota was nice to perform one of the free oil changes at 1000 miles. Told them that since the car was in our possession two months and was still on the original oil, I wanted to change it.
If it doesn't snow again, I plan on driving it to my brother in-law's for Christmas Eve - that should be close to 100 miles round trip.
I like how the Toyota cruise control looks and performs line the one on my father in-law's E320 MB. He's never used it and didn't know how it worked! Goes to show you, whether you buy a strippo Echo or an Aston DB8, you have to read the manual! Or listen to the tape of it!
Now if I could only take the seats from my Intrigue and put them in the Camry.....
Deke
~alpha
I also remember the Mercedes 4Matic. That was an option on the E class that came and went a few times. I see it's back again.....
VW had an AWD car - the Quantum, IIRC.
So did American Motors!
Deke