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1995 Toyota Camry

1995 Toyota Camry
Overall rating:  Product Rating: 4.5

Reviewed by 42 users

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deschmann


Reviews written: 19
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Sporty And Economical


by deschmann: Written: Jan 29 '01 - Updated Feb 08 '06


Product Rating: 5.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: Gas Mileage, Sporty, Reliable, lots of room (front and back seats), trunk is huge.
Cons: My car had very few accessories, factory stereo was poor.
The Bottom Line: This is a great car. It is sporty and has the reliability that Toyota is known for. I have never had any problems with my car.


I have updated this opinion to try and provide more information, and make it more useful to everyone reading it. The car was bought in 1997, with around 40,000 miles on it. As of Feb 2006, I still own the car and it has 134,800 miles on it.

Overview:
This is truly a fantastic car. It is the first car I have ever owned and I love it. When I first saw the car, I was amazed that a model like it even existed. When you are 21 and looking for your first car, you want something sporty and it's all about the look. But this car is sporty, has the reliability of a Toyota, gets great gas mileage (between 26-33mpg) and has enough room to fit large passengers. I am 6'2" and my dad is 6'4" and we both fit in it perfectly - Both front and back seats.

2006 Update
Nine years later, this car still averages about 28-31mpg with city and highway driving. Great for our high gas prices.

Options my model came with:
The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of options on my model of this car. My model was basically stripped bare. No power windows or locks, no sun roof, and only two intermittent wiper settings, no anti-lock brakes either. But you can't be too picky when you buy a used car.

2006 Update
Not having power locks is a bit annoying now days as almost every car does, and people get a little annoyed when I have to either walk around and unlock their door, or reach through to unlock it. They always tug on the door and look confused as they try to figure out why I don't push a button to unlock all the doors at once.
I don't miss the power windows, as my wife's car is only 5 years old and she has had motors and belts replaced on her windows 3 times already.

The model I bought has a 5 speed manual transmission, a 4 Cylinder engine, and both driver and passenger side air bags. I don't think that the V6 was available with the manual transmission. The Camry is larger than the Corolla and the small engine in my car lacks the power for rapid acceleration. I believe it has around 135 HP and I read a spec that says 0-60 in 10 seconds (ouch, that's slow). But the smaller engine is acceptable when you look at the savings in fuel economy (26-36mpg) and the manual transmission gives you the ability to increase the performance of the car. (When I say that, I mean that I have never had a problem pulling into traffic and accelerating up to speed because I can let the engine get a little higher in rpms before I shift). If you are looking at a Camry, chances are you aren't trying to win any drag races, so again, this isn't too much of an issue.

2006 Update
The engine is still running great. In 2003 I had to spend around $1,000 to repair the main seals on the engine, and a leak in the exhaust pipe running the length of the car. Other than that, no engine problems to speak of.
The front disk breaks have been replaced twice, and the I had to have the rear drums worked on as they were rusty and causing grinding noises and uneven breaking. I had this done in 2005, so I got 8 yrs out of those drums and they are still going.
The car does seem to get out of alignment rather easily, and I recommend going to a place like Sears where if you buy your tires from them you get free tire rotation whenever you want, like when you get your oil changed. I highly recommend an alignment every other visit too, or try and con them into doing it for free each oil change.
I have had bad luck with tires on this car. At least I assume it was bad luck. Cracked sidewalls caused me to get a whole new set of 4. 1 puncture on the road, and 2 sidewall bulges that occurred seperately, yet caused me to get two new tires each time to keep them all balanced. So far in 8 yrs ownership I have never had to go out and buy 4 new tires, there's always a break or rupture causing me to get new ones early.
I have had no transmission problems, no Air Conditioning problems either.

Important Note to All Camry Owners:
2006 Update
After a few years owning this car, I started to hear clunking coming from the back of the car. It happened at medium speeds 30-40mph on residential streets with minor bumps in them. It would go away at higher speeds. Most mechanics would not hear it when they test drove it, or say it was the spare tire in the trunk moving around (it wasn't). In 2005, I finally was able to determine that I needed new rear bushings on the car. I paid the dealer to replace them so it would be done right, and the noise went away! I had been driving with clunks for 5 yrs, and finally it was gone. The clutch had also developed a squeak, and that was fixed by having it disassembled and regreased ($90 - ouch), but that was worth it too.

This Camry is easy to customize:
This model Camry is very easy to customize because it is based on a normal 4 door Camry. So the parts are similar and easily interchangeable. I have added a sun roof myself, I have also added fog lights, and installed a new stereo with a CD player. To my surprise the car speakers are great (the factory stereo was producing poor quality sound). I was also able to add 16 inch rims with low profile tires to the car to truly complete the sports car image. Most people are amazed when I tell them it is a Camry.

Things you will notice:
This car is very roomy. Like I said earlier, I have no problem fitting in the front or back seats. There is enough head and leg room. This is the first 2-door car I have owned, and the doors are quite large. Much larger than the 4-door Camry my mom owns. Also, the only way to get in the back seats is through the passenger door. (I don't know if this is standard on all 2-doors, but the driver seat does not fold up allowing entry to the rear seats).

The trunk is very large. When I bought my new tires and rims, all 4 of my old tires fit in the trunk space. The rear seats also can fold down, allowing long items, like wood or skis to take up the trunk and passenger space.

2006 Update
The drink holder is under the radio console, and directly in front of the shifter. When shifting into 1st, 3rd, or 5th you must be very careful, otherwise you will end up punching your drink, and spilling it everywhere. Terrible design. But as long as you are careful with sodas, you can deal with it.

Lastly, I have a little bit of trouble backing up in this car. My mom and dad have noticed this problem too when they drive their Camry. It is kind of difficult to get a good view out the rear window. I have driven several other cars for a few years (Dodge Spirit, Chevy Nova, Grand Caravan and Ford Explorer) and I had no problem backing into parking spots or parallel parking. But I do have a problem going in reverse in this Camry. In fact this year I backed into a lamp post in my 4th year of ownership! I still can't get the hang of it. The good news hear is that the bumper is good quality and suffered only cosmetic damage :).

Final Thoughts:
This is an awesome car. It is sporty and also gets good gas mileage. From the outside it looks like a sports car, and from the inside it looks like a 4 door family car. The trunk is huge! I love this car and plan on driving it until it dies. This car was the inspiration for the Toyota Solara, but I would take the '95 version that I own over the new Solara any day.
Amount Paid (US$): 13000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1995
Model and Options: 5-Speed Standard, 4 Cylinder Engine
Product Rating: 5.0
Recommended: Yes 
Reliability:  
Seat Comfort:  
Build Quality  
Roominess:  

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