Pros: it's a Toyota, quality, reputation for reliability, low maintenance, lot of car for your money
Cons: ABS not standard, alot of things are options, plain looking wheel covers, speedometer
The Bottom Line: If safety, value, reliability, and high quality are your priorities in purchasing a car the Toyota Camry is your best bet along with the Honda Accord
update 04/24/04
The IIHS did side impact tests on 12 midsize cars. And the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry (both with side airbags) were the only ones the were rated good. So if you're safety concerned opt. for the side airbags on the Camry, its only a $650 more investment to protect you and your family.
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I am reviewing a 2004 Toyota Camry LE. My mom decided to get a new car, and guess what, I am the car expert in the household so I went with my mom to find the right car. And to satisfy critics, I am 16 and I drove this car. We just got this on December 30. We decided to get a new car because our old one a 1996 Dodge Stratus started to need a lot of repairs that were just more than it was worth. And we were sure there were going to be more in the future.
We decided to trade our car for a Camry because the dealer took our trade for $2500 and Honda would only give $1000. Also the Camry has a strong reputation for reliability and the quality is apparent. Basically we fell in LOVE with it.
A first impression of the Camry is that it is conservatively styled. Some might call it boring but it is stylish enough for my mom. To try to be able to find our car in a crowd of cars of the same model we chose a red one instead of a beige, white, or silver one like all the other ones here.
You can see and feel the quality of the car. This is a major change from the Stratus. Everything in that car felt mediocre. In the Camry the plastics are soft. The build quality is excellent, everything seems carefully put together. The seats are very comfortable. And the driver’s seat has eight way power as standard. The carpet feels thick and of high quality material. There is no metallic trim in the interior, but if there was it won’t blend into the interior anyways all it would do is make it look awkward. The paint is very smooth and glossy.
Our car has a 2.4 liter engine, model:2AZ-FE. It produces 157 horsepower and 162 pound-foot of torque. It’s no speed demon but it is pretty powerful for a four cylinder. The engine is VERY smooth and responsive. People say that it is refined but I don’t understand what that means so I can’t say whether it is refined or not. EPA rating for this car is 23 city / 32 highway. I think it uses iridium spark plugs, the maintenance manual says that the plugs doesn’t need to be change till 120,000 miles. It also uses VVT-I, Toyota’s version of V-TEC. The engine is very low maintenance, just an oil change every 5,000 miles, filter changes, and brake inspection, most of the time.
Loves:
I love this car’s smooth ride. You can barely feel a bump in the road. The cabin is nearly silent. You can barely hear a noise from the outside or the engine. I love the crash test rating that the Camry got. It gives you a piece of mind that you have a chance of survival in a serious accident. And the optional side and curtain airbags are a plus. ABS. I like how the doors automatically lock when you put it out of park. It is very roomy. There is ample space for people and lots of storage area throughout the car. I am about six feet and I feel very comfortable in the rear seat. There is plenty of legroom. The trunk is huge for a midsize sedan. Remote trunk release is a great feature. The fuel filler door is also good, it prevents people putting anything harmful into the gas tank. High resale value was one of the things we were looking for in a car, and this car has it. Being rest assured that you most likely won’t have a breakdown. Even though the Lexus ES300 has close exterior styling like the Camry, the Camry isn’t ugly like the ES300. Nice stereo. Full size spare. In glass antenna. Long intervals before each oil change. Iridium spark plugs = long time till tune up.
DISLIKE:
One thing that annoys me on this car is that the doors don’t unlock automatically after you put it in park ,since it locks when you put it out of park it should unlock when put back in park.. I keep forgetting you have to unlock the door before pulling the handle (rear doors). I don’t like the wheel covers because they look so plain and simple. ABS is an option. Some options are pricey. some controls like the lights and wipers are confusing to use. No standard security system for a car that makes the top ten for the most stolen cars list. Too bad it isn’t 100% made in Japan it just might even be better than what it is now. No heated side mirrors. The speedometer is marked every ten but labeled ever 20, example, 0 -- 20 --- - --- 40 … . It is hard to get used to reading it.
Handling
The turning on this car is precise. The turning circle is 34.8 feet.
Since this car is practically brand new there is no problems of yet (knock on wood), so if there is anything that is major I will update this review. Any suggestions about improving this review please send an e-mail to accordmaniac@comcast.net.
P.S.
It is funny that I love this car now because i used to hate it because i thought it was ugly but now it seems stylish.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 20000 t t l
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: LE, Auto., ABS, side and curtain airbags
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