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Opinion Summary
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I hate Camrys in principle, yet must highly recommend this car (SE V6)
by mkaresh | Nov 21 '03
Pros: Performance, handling, ride, room, comfort, refinement, workmanship, popular, and now price
Cons: Bland styling, ugly tail lamps, not the most exciting sedan to drive, popular
Return to opinion
OVERALL RATING
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Re: Toyota is very aggressive on price this year (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh,  in Cars & Motorsports
I've noticed this as well in my price analyses. I think I mention in the review that Toyota has been heavily discounting the Camry, to the extent that it is now signficantly less expensive than the Accord rather than the other way around.
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Jul 20 '04
8:08 am PDT
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Toyota is very aggressive on price this year (Reply to this comment)
by garunner
Just bought a Camry and read your reviews before that. Pretty much agreed with most of what you said about the dichotomy of the bland styling and excellent quality.
Camry won me over from Accord because Toyota has lowered so much its price. Dealers advertised LE as low as $15,300! While Accord price remained very firm. The Accord salesman called me several times after I test-drove an Accord, and I told him the Camry price. He pretty much immediately gave up, because an Accord LX would be $1500 more.
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Jul 19 '04
12:10 pm PDT
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Re: I could've saved some words! (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
If you drove the 4-cylinder LE, there is quite a bit of difference between the two. Especially since Toyota puts crap tires on all of its base trim vehicles.
That said, I'm pretty much the only enthusiast with kind words on the Camry. I know I'm not supposed to like it, but something about the smooth, stable, solid feel of the thing impresses. The SE suspension buttons it down just enough that it behaves reasonably well, and Toyota's steering has more feel to it than the average Japense unit these days. And the new six--very quick.
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Jul 03 '04
7:04 pm PDT
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Re: What grade do i use??? (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
I believe premium is recommended with the V6, but as with most such engines regular can be used with a slight penalty in terms of performance and fuel economy.
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Jul 03 '04
6:59 pm PDT
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I could've saved some words! (Reply to this comment)
by sfoltz
I just finished a review on the LE version yesterday. You and I largely agree on the Camry, but the SE must be a significantly better car as I was underwhelmed with my experience.
Scads of info, as usual, and great perspective.
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Jul 02 '04
8:46 am PDT
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What grade do i use??? (Reply to this comment)
by kavikas
I was wondering if the 2004 camry V6 uses regular gas or premium gas??? I know for sure the Camry 4 cylinder uses regular. I would like to know, since you know so much about the cars.
very good review by the way.
thanks..
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Mar 17 '04
5:29 am PST
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Re: hard to hate the camry (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
TRD ground effects on a 4-cylinder XLE? I guess that would be the illogical personality.
The 2004 SE is significantly quicker than the 2003. A very swift car. Based on my personality, I'd pass on the ground effects.
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Jan 06 '04
11:43 am PST
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hard to hate the camry (Reply to this comment)
by me47452
I feel largely the same way about the Camry. . . seems kind of boring and somewhat frumpy. . . until you look at the competition.
Last night I drove my dad's friend's Camry. it changed my opinion somewhat. the carbon fiber trim, JBL audio package, spoiler and perforated black leather on his '03 SE model made it pretty darn desirable. it's quick and silent too. seems like it would be a nice car to cover lots of interstate miles while going unnoticed by state troopers.
I find it interesting that the Camry can be configured to match almost any personality. My local Toyota dealer has an '04 XLE 4 cylinder with a 'special edition' package. It has the tasteful TRD ground effects, fog lamps, lip spoiler and some knockout 18' BBS rims. Overall it is very sporty looking.
These 'port installed' options are a neat way to make a Camry stand out in a sea of bland biege LE's that represent the majority of Camry sales.
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Jan 02 '04
3:09 pm PST
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Re: Re: Great review. Camry is a good value but still looks hideous. (Reply to this comment)
by asafono
New Accord is no beauty (exterior-wise), but the current-generation Camry is truly ugly - though it is a nice, solid car and a good value, too.
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Jan 01 '04
1:25 am PST
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Re: Great review. Camry is a good value but still looks hideous. (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
Your comment is ambiguous. Which car do you find ugly, the Camry? And which is no beauty, the Accord?
I try to spread my exposure around to multiple dealers. But when I bought a car recently one dealer lost the sale in part because the salesman was in my face about how I kept driving cars and not buying anything. It was a dealer with Mazda, Nissan, Audi, VW, and Porsche, so I had to visit it more often than most.
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Dec 10 '03
4:50 am PST
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Great review. Camry is a good value but still looks hideous. (Reply to this comment)
by asafono
When shopping for wife's car early this year, we drove a Camry LE and an Accord LX back-to-back, and, based on our experience, price (and your review of both for 2003!), picked the Accord. Glad you like the 2003 better, but I still dislike its exterior almost as much as the Aztek's - and this coming from somebody who owns a new Accord, no beauty at all.
Based on the number of cars you test-drive, you must be on close terms with a number of your local dealers... keep up the great writing.
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Dec 09 '03
10:21 am PST
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