toyota camry reliability

[xbrules]

I've always thought Camry's were bullet proof, my dad's camry has proven me wrong, i have never encountered a car so asking for a one way trip to the wreckers, the troubles started with the oil pressure light being on at idle, after changing the oil things only got worse, one day it decided to throw a rod, was not a pretty sight, after that we got a quote for around the $2000 mark to supply and install a new motor from a wrecking establishment here in adelaide, motor done, the car covered maybe 25kms before something went wrong, the radiator decided it was its time to play funny buggers, temp shot up and thermo fans wouldn't switch on, car the proceeded to blow a head gasket (thankfully covered under 30 day warranty) motor fixed, next the trans decides its time for the pump to fail, and the car stops, pay $1500 for a new trans supplied and fitted, trans covers maybe 100kms before a main bearing in the trans collapses and the car locks the front wheels whilst moving at 60kms. needless to say the rear wheels came off the ground, trans repaired under warranty (30 days) father goes to pick it up gets 500metres from wreckers, car stops dead in its tracks, trans removed again, fully rebuilt by auto trans specialist, car returned, car covers 60kms and again the front wheels lock on main south road and it skids to a hault causing quite an impressive traffic jam, dad fed up with whats happening get car towed home and is now parked out the back, my younger brother today drains all its fluids to have a look, finds fragments of steel the size of tic tacs in the trans sump and massive filings in the diff oil.

needless to say i'll stick with my 92 falcon which i can get a trans for $100(plus i already a spare). its truly amazing how a car like a toyota camry can develop such a stubborn mechanical personality. i totally understand what you mean. my dad won't let go of his camry as he bought it with his inheritance from his mum, so it has some attachment. at last count toyota have quoted $3000 for parts and labor of the rotten thing for a wagon worth about $2000 at best. i've suggested spending that sorta money on a nice mid nineties fairmont on gas, can't go wrong, cheap to run, easy to maintain, roomy and comfortable.
one other question that has plagued me since the first time my folks brought home a toyota... How can a car that is soo big on the outside (widebody camry) be so cluttered and chlostrophobic on the inside? the same with out land cruiser prado.
It boggles the mind :
Well I hope it works out for ya!

Cheers Dave

[EL_Mont]

In general Camry's are extremely reliable.
My old man's 2001 auto 4cyl Camry has just clicked 250000kms.
Being a fleet vehicle it has had a fairly decent service history although sometimes it would go 30K km without an oil change!
To date it has had absolutely zero mechanical problems, no coolant/oil usage or leakage issues, no gearbox issues whatsoever.
And its driven every single day in start stop traffic.
Only two problems its ever had was a leaking power steering rack and a faulty electric aerial, knock on wood!

But I definitely think, once any car starts to have a couple problems in a row, its time to get rid of it because one problem always leads to another!

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by xbrules

I've always thought Camry's were bullet proof, my dad's camry has proven me wrong, i have never encountered a car so asking for a one way trip to the wreckers, the troubles started with the oil pressure light being on at idle, after changing the oil things only got worse, one day it decided to throw a rod, was not a pretty sight, after that we got a quote for around the $2000 mark to supply and install a new motor from a wrecking establishment here in adelaide, motor done, the car covered maybe 25kms before something went wrong, the radiator decided it was its time to play funny buggers, temp shot up and thermo fans wouldn't switch on, car the proceeded to blow a head gasket (thankfully covered under 30 day warranty) motor fixed, next the trans decides its time for the pump to fail, and the car stops, pay $1500 for a new trans supplied and fitted, trans covers maybe 100kms before a main bearing in the trans collapses and the car locks the front wheels whilst moving at 60kms. needless to say the rear wheels came off the ground, trans repaired under warranty (30 days) father goes to pick it up gets 500metres from wreckers, car stops dead in its tracks, trans removed again, fully rebuilt by auto trans specialist, car returned, car covers 60kms and again the front wheels lock on main south road and it skids to a hault causing quite an impressive traffic jam, dad fed up with whats happening get car towed home and is now parked out the back, my younger brother today drains all its fluids to have a look, finds fragments of steel the size of tic tacs in the trans sump and massive filings in the diff oil.

needless to say i'll stick with my 92 falcon which i can get a trans for $100(plus i already a spare). its truly amazing how a car like a toyota camry can develop such a stubborn mechanical personality. i totally understand what you mean. my dad won't let go of his camry as he bought it with his inheritance from his mum, so it has some attachment. at last count toyota have quoted $3000 for parts and labor of the rotten thing for a wagon worth about $2000 at best. i've suggested spending that sorta money on a nice mid nineties fairmont on gas, can't go wrong, cheap to run, easy to maintain, roomy and comfortable.
one other question that has plagued me since the first time my folks brought home a toyota... How can a car that is soo big on the outside (widebody camry) be so cluttered and chlostrophobic on the inside? the same with out land cruiser prado.
It boggles the mind :
Well I hope it works out for ya!

Cheers Dave

Pitty your not in Melbourne I could recommend a tranny guy that does the warrenty repairs for Toyota themselves.

[merlin]

The wife has a 95 Camry - it has been subjected to 220,000kms of very hard city driving, combined with absolutely no servicing in the last 5 years (we are trying to kill it as she wants to justify a new car) - thing won't die, just keeps running perfectly, she spends about $35 a fortnight on fuel and a new battery has been the only purchase.

Like most Toyota's though the handling is downright shocking.

[tweeked]

Our business has a Camry company car, 5 years old just clocked over 300000km, 4 sets of tyres and the regular services only, and it still drives like brand new.

only problem is that 5 people have run up the bak of it, maybe says something about how it is driven :

[chevypower]

One of our work vehicles is a 2002 Camry LE with 2.4L 4 cyl and VVT. It's nothing fancy, but it handles quite well, nice enough interior. I can't really fault it. I have gotten 500 miles out of a tank, that's 800km. The engine is quite responsive, and it's not a tiny shoebox like some people think they need to drive to get good economy. It's done about 160,000 miles or so I think, and still going strong. It's gotta be one of the biggest cars with the lowest cost of ownership in my opinion.

[Unco]

$2,500 is definitely a rip-off. when the head gasket went in my old celica a couple of years ago, i didn't feel like doing it myself, so the guy i use for major repairs did it for around $700, that's new head gasket, seals, welded and machined the head. he used the same timing belt though, as i had only just changed it a couple of thousand k's prior.

the motors are similar, so i cannot justify someone charging an extra $1,800 for similar jobs. as i'm finishing writing this i've just noticed pale-ale's post and i think he's spot on.