Damn fine auto!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great car, reasonably priced.

Cons: Stupid, unavoidable spoiler on my SE.

The Bottom Line: 
If you want a car that will get you there without falling apart, this is the one!

Author's Review
I was in a hurry to buy a car last January (2003), so I spent some time doing my homework and it came down to the Camry or the Accord. While the Accord offered more amenities for the money, I couldn't fit my 6'1" frame comfortably in the one with the moonroof, which I really wanted. Oh well, I hope Honda takes that to heart: Lost another tall customer.

So, that left me with Toyota. The dealership experience has always sort of p*ssed me off, what with the good cop/bad cop BS that the salesmen always pull, but I went in prepared. I knew what I should be paying (around $26K) and I knew what I wanted to pay (considerably less), so in I went. I got a rookie salesman, who turned out to be very honest and straightforward (he knew he'd get snaked on the commission no matter what), and tried out a few versions. The plain jane Camry was a litttle too dull, while the XLE had mushy brakes and that ghastly "wood" paneling on the dash, so I opted for the last SE on the lot that had what I needed (sunroof, 6 CD changer w/JBLs and cloth seats). Despite the gaudy rear spoiler, alloy wheels and some special emblem kit, I think I got a pretty good deal. My wife and I played around with the salesmen, who tried to tell us that our rookie wasn't permitted to close yet, by refusing to buy from anyone but him. When they sent in some "seasoned" greaseball salesman, we'd get up and start walking out. Finally, they agreed to our terms and we left in the car.

OK, that's out of the way. Let's talk about the car:
The front bucket seats are comfortable and were a blessing when I had to drive 200 miles (San Jose to Sacramento) on Mondays and Fridays (nice commute, eh?) for a job training thing. I've never ridden in the back, but nobody has complained yet. There is plenty of leg room (very important to me) and the head clearance is excellent. The cloth interior tends to pick up a bit of gnurr (fuzz, cat hair, call it what you will), but I don't "do leather" so it goes with the territory. The trunk is surprisingly huge for such a mid-sized car. Three trips home from Ikea with a spatially-challengened wife ("Sure we can fit that armoire in the trunk!") have taught me volumes on packing and repacking, folding and unfolding the split rear seat (a wonderful thing, BTW), etc. The sound system is brilliant; crisp in the upper ranges, but thump-able (is that a word?!!) if necessary. The A/C kicks in fast, but sometimes the heater takes a minute to get going strongly. It's no biggie, but it's something I notice on the horribly cold mornings here in California (insert whimper of self-pity here).

The controls are all well within reach and well planned out. I've been in a few cars recently where it took me a minute to hunt down simple things like the wipers or the headlights. The Camry is fairly logical: Lights and signals on the left, wipers on the right. The idiot lights are self-explanatory and the low-gas warning gives you at least 20 miles of leeway (I'm not going to push it). My wife complains that the vanity mirrors aren't lit, but that's not exactly at the top of my worries list.

I've had no technical difficulties yet, but Toyota owners (and I know quite a few) tell me that the things run forever. This may be one of the reasons they constantly top the list of "most stolen cars". I stuck with the four-banger for economy, but I don't think the V6 would have made a big difference. This little engine has plenty of oomph and I often find myself pushing 80 mph without thinking (Wow! Dangerous and stupid!). On the freeway or in town, it handles well. The steering is pretty tight and responsive, as one would expect from the "sport package", but it doesn't have that slot car feel of a true sports car. I prefer it, actually; it feels "normal" without that mushy, luxury car vibe. I had a couple of mid-eighties Cadillacs which were the exact opposite of this car, so I appreciate the fact that when I swerve or tap the brakes the Camry responds immediately rather than with a two-second delay. The automatic transmission is smooth and the reaction time is seamless. Despite the small engine, the Camry has the gumption to kick in fast when you stomp on the gas, which is great when robbing banks or running from angry husbands. In other words: I don't need that much power, but it's good to know it's there.
FYI, I get about 300 miles from a tank of gas. My driving is about equally divided city/highway in the heart of the Silicon Valley.

A year later, I'm still quite happy. No major problems to report. It goes when necessary and stops when required. I spent three years in a '72 Dodge Dart and the simple fact that this car doesn't leak in the rain is a big enough treat for me. It's got a bunch of airbags, which makes my wife happy, and scored very high on all of the necessary safety tests. As long as it doesn't explode anytime soon, I'll continue to be a happy man.
Oh, one more thing: Toyota doesn't sell this car with an ashtray (thank goodness the PC police are looking out for us again), so you smokers will have to buy the aftermarket kit and install it yourselves. It's easy, though, so no worries.