Toyota Camry

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So, in 2018 my BIL bought his 3rd Camry(4cyl) and loves them
Here is a guy that can & has purchased any vehicle he wants(not that he wants everything). He's retired and has made GREAT money in his lifetime. Beautiful wife, home, Club Membership ect.

He has owned 3 BMWs, 2 MBs and an AUDI
Now he is on his 3rd Camry as I mentioned and he puts on over 200K on them without any/many issues. Notice I say issues because he really has never had problems with them.

As-far-as the German cars, he says, "NEVER AGAIN!" Never, never, never, never!
He is the type of guy that pays for lawn maintenance, pool maintenance, snow plowing. And I have never seen him(in 40 yrs) do a thing around the house. Loves to Golf.

When we talk about vehicle maintenance, he claims that he only has his oil changed on these Camrys. If they need brakes, he'll have them put in. He claims that he knows where every dollar goes for maintenance in his cars and he says, "he doesn't do or have performed, any of the things that I do such as tranny fluid changes of radiator maintenance. fluid maintenance. I'm sure the brakes were bleed by the tech. But, nothing special and nothing expensive. And he can prove it by the very few maintenance records in which he keeps in order for every single vehicle.

200K-250K miles and they still have the OE exhaust systems in the 13-15 yrs he keeps the Camrys then give them to one of his children to abuse. Very, very rarely does he need a repair on his Camrys. On the German cars, it's every other week and a lot of money!

Says him about his Camrys, "I get in the car, start it up and drive'em! Just like he does with all of their vehicles.
And as long as I've known him, I have never seen his wash a single vehicle and he only brings them through the local car wash. And the Camrys never have any rust on them unless it got scratched down to the metal and it rusted. The RUST will stay there forever too and never seems to get worst. They look ok clean but, never detailed.

I said to him," I know, I know, you're not a car guy like me. A car is something to me but to you, it's an appliance".
He said to me, "NO, a car isn't an appliance to me, it a wheelbarrow!"

He said that the German cars were nice to drive and be seen in and to take to the CLUB for a round of golf with the boys. And all of his buddies drive them as well. But, NO MORE for him. NO MORE! HE says that these Camry's (for him) just run & run & run & run & run....................................................

His bar bill at the CLUB with the boys, is my grocery bill. It's unbelievable!
 
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Alrighty then! For a second it sounded like you were describing me! I have never changed the transmission fluid in any of my cars. All they get is wear and tear items, oil changes and brake fluid bleeds.
 
Originally Posted by Char Baby
How many miles have you both put on the engines?


Well the car in my sig is newer so it only has 30K miles but my other various cars over the years usually around 150k miles then I want something newer.
 
I used to buy luxury vehicles. I don't anymore and I like solid basic transportation but I do renew often.
I can afford what I used to own and do most repairs myself but as you get older you want something nice but a driver.
I'm not interested in status but want reliability and I get that with new basic rides.
Seat comfort is my number one concern. If you can't drive it for more than 30 minutes without back pain, why own it?
Ford is doing that to me now.

I also don't like visiting dealerships even for warranty issues. I took my mothers car in for a recall a few weeks back.
I was next to the service desk and I'll tell you it is depressing to listen to that bs and all the nonsense.
 
The thing is most people just change the engine oil and filter and don't even think about changing the transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid ect.
 
I've been in my BILs car with 200K on them and funny thing is, they still feel fresh. Dirty but, fresh, smooth/quiet.
 
Drive what makes you smile, that's what it's all about.

Personally, I wouldn't be able to stand a Camry for very long, but I definitely understand why people love them. My mom's favorite car was her 2005 Civic VP. Non-VTec 1.7L, crank windows, manual locks, etc. Just a simple machine that did what she asked. I didn't mind driving it, but unfortunately for me my back would start hurting an hour into any trip with it.
 
Indeed. I'm starting to tire of my Camry, even though it does what I want quite well. Point A, please meet Point B. Lather rinse repeat. I think the lack of lumbar support is probably the biggest issue, although I do miss having a manual trans and a torquey motor. And doors that would stay open (the stops have given out on mine).

But it's been rather easy to work on.
 
Toyota makes the best cars
smile.gif
 
Sounds like your BIL has had very good luck with the Camry. However I don't know how it will translate to the newest Camry, as it has a new transmission that looks to have lots of bugs left unfixed, a new DI motor and apparently stiffer suspension to appeal to a younger buyer base. But only time will tell how it holds up. Stiffer McPherson suspension setups usually don't age as well as soft setups.
 
I rented a new Camry about 3 months ago and the programming of the transmission drove me CRAZY.

At low speeds the gas pedal is non linear and difficult to drive in slow moving traffic. Also at low speeds it is usually in the wrong gear.

Runs great at highway speeds. I was very surprised Toyota released with a terrible transmission. Maybe a software update can fix some of the annoying problems.
 
I wonder about my own OCD approach to car maintenance, am I just creating the best possible used car for the next owner? If I don't benefit, then why do it?

I'm not changing my ways now.

On the subject of appliance cars, versus emotional rides, I prefer the reliable emotional category. I've had German cars, my Dad had Toyota for years and switched to Audi then BMW, he never drove them much so his experience was pretty good. A German car - IMHO- will not tolerate a owner that treats it like his washing machine.

However, if you love the drive of the BMW, how often do you get the thrill if your commute is plugged with so many other drivers just creeping along at 1/2 the posted speed limit?

Are us car lovers fooling ourselves? do we convince ourselves that a 20 km commute is better spent with a highly tuned, Autobahn capable ride with crummy cup holders versus the pedestrian Camry?
 
I guess that is why a lot of people say Camry is boring because it never requires any weekend project to fix it.
 
Driving a 2018 Hybrid SE at the moment since my xB was totaled... Really enjoy it! Chose the hybrid over the standard not only for the bonus MPG, but it's more responsive as well with the aid of the hybrid system.

Cornering/handling is fantastic, quiet ride and the interior is clean and well done. No complaints,really. I would have never gotten a Camry before the 18's though, visually it's the first year that is actually appealing to me, visually!
 
Toyotas are reliable; they are pretty much top of the heap.
Regarding the German products, many love 'em; many complain about reliability and associated high cost of ownership.
I had an older Beemer. The Germans do not seem to understand electricity, at least in this car. It was cute, though.
 
Some people just like a car that does A to B with no drama, even if its basic and simple. It reliably gets him to golf so why mess with what works? Reality is, cars are appliances. Speed limits to follow and other cars on the road, you cant do as u wish with them. Dont get me wrong, id love a nice challenger or crazy fast car but money does not permit most to have this luxury. I need to choose function and versatility first and fun only if money allows! How a car lasts also has alot of factors, how they are driven, maintained, where you live (road and weather conditions) etc. My 07 Corolla has been quite flawless but I wont fault it for needing brakes, I enjoy swapping them out. Still on my original rear drum brakes at 165k miles. Changed shocks because 1 started leaking (pot holes in our roads). Front wheel bearings, i suspect might be caused by aftermarket wheels that were bigger and heavier. All in all,it still drives very well. Some folks pick simplicity over complexity and as you grow older priorities change too. His hobby is golf while we may be fiddling with our cars.
 
Originally Posted by Rolla07
Still on my original rear drum brakes at 165k miles.


It's interesting that many people see this as a positive thing. To me it means there's something off in the brake balance and you're not getting optimal braking. More rear bias, softer pad compound, something.

No disrespect intended.
 
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by Rolla07
Still on my original rear drum brakes at 165k miles.


It's interesting that many people see this as a positive thing. To me it means there's something off in the brake balance and you're not getting optimal braking. More rear bias, softer pad compound, something.

No disrespect intended.

It's a positive if the alternative is fighting to get the drums off.

I suspect heavy rear brake bias wasn't do-able until ABS came along, and even then, not until computational power got cheaper yet still. Given the issues of oversteer it has always been "better" to just let the fronts do all the work.

Now that we have all sorts of computers running, heavy rear brake bias isn't a problem, heck i bet the car "knows" when it is under a load and has an idea where thresholds are, and will predictively know when to alter the pressures so as to avoid cycling ABS.
 
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