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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