Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
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.
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.
Last edited: