My Review of the 1997 Camry

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Nick1994

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Well after 8 months and 12,000 miles of ownership, I've decided to throw in the towel and sell it.

I bought the car in November of 2013. It has actually been a great car as far as reliability. I've only done maintenance, such as plugs and wires, oil changes and the timing belt. I actually suggest a Camry to anyone looking for cheap reliable ownership. The first thing about this car is it's acceleration. It has got to be one of the slowest cars out there. It has no power at all, it can't even get out of it's own way. I don't know if this is just it's nature, or what I believe could be a catalytic converter starting to plug up. I just got home after doing almost 3,000 miles on a quick trip to Montana. It struggled constantly to keep speed and go up hills. The easiest way (which was still a struggle) was getting a head start and doing about 80 mph. Most of the trip I used cruise control at 75-80 mph where I could and got 32.5-33 mpg round trip which is great because it's only rated at 28 mpg and there was lots of hills and being 100% floored. It handled decently, not like a sports car obviously but it has all new struts and springs and it did great in bumps and ruts in the road. The transmission shifts rather harshly, just like 2 other similar Toyota's I have driven so I'm not sure if this is this car's problem or just the nature of the beast. I have also noticed over the ownership of this car that it actually has much more power with the A/C off than with it on. Another complaint is with the seats. They are very uncomfortable, my tail bone ached the entire trip from how hard this seat is. I've decided to sell the car because I'm sick of how uncomfortable it is, and because it has no power to get out of it's own way. So if anyone is thinking of getting one for cheap ownership and a beater daily driver, go for it. If you plan to spend more than a couple hours at a time or travel in the hills, steer clear away.

Edit: My brother owns a 96' Lexus ES300 which is basically a rebadged Camry with the 3.0L V6. It has very comfortable leather seats and the V6 which got almost 30 mpg. Perhaps a V6 Camry would be a much better choice, although the 3.0L in his Lexus is not a power house but it does much better.
 
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Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
The late 90s V6 is a sludger too!


My engine is a supposed sludger engine as well. When changing the valve cover gasket at about 186k miles, it was nice and clean under there. I believe the sludge was 97' and up. His 96' should not be included.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
So what are you going to replace it with?

Either a Buick with a 3.8, or my aunt's 04' TDI VW Beetle (yeah I know it's a chick car, but it gets 40 mpg in town)
 
That Camry has decent power. Sounds like the front & side motor mounts are broken causing your harsh shift & poor acceleration. You'll regret getting an Audi or VW.
 
Originally Posted By: mehullica
That Camry has decent power. Sounds like the front & side motor mounts are broken causing your harsh shift & poor acceleration. You'll regret getting an Audi or VW.

Yeah they're expensive to fix, but in 10 years and about 158k miles it's only needed a starter and an alternator. And the alternator wasn't hard to figure out, battery light on and the shaft was loose so I replaced it. Wasn't hard either. Still has the original front brakes with half the pads left.
 
Nick1994:

As you may know, we have a '97 Camry 2.2L 4-Banger as well.

My Wife got it at 85k miles 6 years ago & it now has 210k miles!
shocked2.gif


"Ours" has LOTS of power, so something was up with yours.

This is a VERY reliable car, with just easy & basic maintenance done. Oil stays clean, I run Maxlife 5w-30 + quality oil filters.

In fact, I just washed it, waxed it, vacuumed it + put Meguiars Natural Shine on the dash & doors, and cleaned the windows for her yesterday!
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Turk
Nick1994:

As you may know, we have a '97 Camry 2.2L 4-Banger as well.

My Wife got it at 85k miles 6 years ago & it now has 210k miles!
shocked2.gif


"Ours" has LOTS of power, so something was up with yours.

This is a VERY reliable car, with just easy & basic maintenance done. Oil stays clean, I run Maxlife 5w-30 + quality oil filters.



Hey Nick- I agree with Turk. Ours has over 300k and doesn't have those power issues. I wouldn't call it peppy, but not nearly as sluggish as what you are describing. Either way, if you're not crazy about it, go ahead and switch to something else. That 4th gen Camry's sales were good enough that they are really easy to find on CL and such should you ever want to try another. BTW, the struts/suspension is the most expensive repair ours has had. Good Luck!
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: mehullica
That Camry has decent power. Sounds like the front & side motor mounts are broken causing your harsh shift & poor acceleration. You'll regret getting an Audi or VW.

Yeah they're expensive to fix, but in 10 years and about 158k miles it's only needed a starter and an alternator. And the alternator wasn't hard to figure out, battery light on and the shaft was loose so I replaced it. Wasn't hard either. Still has the original front brakes with half the pads left.


There is a HUGE flaw with your logic, in 10 years on any car there should be items replaced. That fact that it only needed a starter and alternator only means there are MORE items that need attention. It being a VW on top of it all means there is going to be items for sure.

But a TDi is one of the BEST things VW has made. TDi's EGR system and cooler often get plugged up. Every 30k or so it needs a fuel filter (cheap and easy) and 105k timing belts that requires scantools to setup the injection pump. Then you got the whole suspension and etc. Its pretty much what your did with your camry when you got it and THEN SOME because its a VW. Plus side is you get 35mpg beating the [censored] out of it.


Owning a 96 camry i know EXACTLY how you feel about the car. But the dam thing still runs and if it dies i'm almost willing to bet it will cost me $100 in parts to repair side from engine and trans failure. My trans shifts great and i never did touched the AT fluid. Mines leaks oil all over the place but it runs and is a spare car that sits 90% of the time.
 
I must agree that there's got to be something up with that Camry of yours, in the power department. My mother-in-law had a '99 with the same (or similar) 2.2L I-4 engine and I drove it numerous times in western Virginia (lots of hills) and I didn't find it to have a bad lack of power. It certainly wasn't the Northstar V-8 that I drove at the time, but it was decent. I drove it a few times with their whole family in the car...so it was full...and it wouldn't win many drag races, but it certainly pulled the car around well.
 
I have the 95 version of the 2.2L so same engine. It runs excellent and very reliable. I do find it weak on steep hills when the AC is on. Also, the AC is these card is an ice box! Love it. It will jump to 4-5k rpm but then it pulls up some speed.

I got mine in 2012 with 68k and now at 114k. Replaced struts/shocks, wires, plugs, fuel filter, motor mounts, belts (inc timing belt), and oil seals. Car is amazing how smooth it runs. Trans has been amazingly smooth for nearly 20 year old car. I often have a 6hr drive to NH from where I'm at in NY and have found the seats to be as comfortable as the 08 BMW in my sig.
 
if you are disappointed in a 97 camry's acceleration, I am not exactly understanding how you think a 04 TDI will be any sportier. It will in fact be about the same if not slower. Go the V6 route if its that important to you, and avoid toyota's if you dont like a Novocaine driving experience.
 
Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: mehullica
That Camry has decent power. Sounds like the front & side motor mounts are broken causing your harsh shift & poor acceleration. You'll regret getting an Audi or VW.

Yeah they're expensive to fix, but in 10 years and about 158k miles it's only needed a starter and an alternator. And the alternator wasn't hard to figure out, battery light on and the shaft was loose so I replaced it. Wasn't hard either. Still has the original front brakes with half the pads left.


There is a HUGE flaw with your logic, in 10 years on any car there should be items replaced. That fact that it only needed a starter and alternator only means there are MORE items that need attention. It being a VW on top of it all means there is going to be items for sure.

But a TDi is one of the BEST things VW has made. TDi's EGR system and cooler often get plugged up. Every 30k or so it needs a fuel filter (cheap and easy) and 105k timing belts that requires scantools to setup the injection pump. Then you got the whole suspension and etc. Its pretty much what your did with your camry when you got it and THEN SOME because its a VW. Plus side is you get 35mpg beating the [censored] out of it.


Owning a 96 camry i know EXACTLY how you feel about the car. But the dam thing still runs and if it dies i'm almost willing to bet it will cost me $100 in parts to repair side from engine and trans failure. My trans shifts great and i never did touched the AT fluid. Mines leaks oil all over the place but it runs and is a spare car that sits 90% of the time.


Careful: different years, different needs. The pre-'04 needed VCDS to do a timing belt. My '04 does not. It is actually easy(er) to do the belt on mine, as there is no pump to time. [Still need to support the engine, and lock crank/cam; but no pump lock and no timing afterwards.] EGR on mine has never plugged up. I *did* disconnect it, but well after 200k, and while it had soot in it, it was not plugged up by any means. USLD went a long ways to reducing that problem.

But all this might be moot on the '09 and newer TDi's. whole 'nuther can of worms there.
 
Can we define what "lack of power" actually means? Has to downshift once? In that era, it was a 4spd auto, right? At altitude I could see perhaps a double downshift if the hill was steep enough, although not at 75mph, but perhaps 50 or even 60mph. Also, it likely unlocks the convertor often, and I'm not sure that should be read as lack of power as much as it's geared such that it's simply rev'ing too low (so as to reap mpg's).

I wonder if the cable is opening the throttle body / plate / butterfly / whatever fully.
 
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
The lack of power uphills is somewhat surprising to me. Heck, I was able to go up hills in a Honda Fit with a 1.5 when downshifting.

Yep, the only time I've ever really noticed a lack of power on a highway was in a 1.6L 100hp Civic at somewhere around 10000ft. It definetely felt a little tired climbing the last bit of the hill up there. We were still going with traffic though and much faster than the RV's and pickups dragging trailers up there.
 
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
if you are disappointed in a 97 camry's acceleration, I am not exactly understanding how you think a 04 TDI will be any sportier. It will in fact be about the same if not slower. Go the V6 route if its that important to you, and avoid toyota's if you dont like a Novocaine driving experience.


You must not have driven a Volkswagen TDI. I went on a 5,000 mile road trip in that TDI last summer and while it is not a racecar it has gobs of torque and can hold any hill at any speed you want. On an extremely steep hill it can do 80, 85, or any speed just by dropping into 5th gear.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Can we define what "lack of power" actually means? Has to downshift once? In that era, it was a 4spd auto, right? At altitude I could see perhaps a double downshift if the hill was steep enough, although not at 75mph, but perhaps 50 or even 60mph. Also, it likely unlocks the convertor often, and I'm not sure that should be read as lack of power as much as it's geared such that it's simply rev'ing too low (so as to reap mpg's).

I wonder if the cable is opening the throttle body / plate / butterfly / whatever fully.

I haven't checked if it's opening all the way, I believe it is but I'll see. At 60 mph in the hills it'll drop into 2nd gear and scream at 5,000 rpms and continue to slow down.
 
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