After tons of test drives and comparisons I purchased my new 2009 Toyota Camry XLE on Saturday. This is my first financed car and I got a good deal on it with not too much haggling. With my 500 mile a week commute coming I

I spent the most of today figuring out the bells and whistles, took the time to get used to the car and it's driving characteristics. While the acceleration is not the same as my Hemi V8 I am going to get almost 2.5X the mpg.


Why the Camry?
I honestly just liked this car the most out of everything I test drove in the same number range. My gut told me this was the car to buy and I feel very content knowing that I did a ton of research and that from every angle it was the right choice for me. I love the touchscreen navigation and overall ergonomics of the car. While some here scoff at the Camry's interior I find it fine. The bluetooth integration is seamless and I love the steering wheel controls (even does temperature). The reliability factor was a huge issue and since I picked the 4 Cylinder over that 6 (which is known to have some issues w/tranny) I know I am taking the safest option to ensure my purchased car won't be full of problems. The new Accord came in second but I have heard a slew of issues with everything from road noise (I HATE road noise) to build quality issues. The model Camry I purchased while not bulletproof it has a great history to it and that's important to me as a purchaser and not a leaser.

Why not buy used?
I just didn't want to deal with the unknown and even if I'm going to quickly age my new car. I negotiated a 100K warranty into the deal so the car is very well protected from problems.

Futureproof
The live in g/f's car has about 2 more years in it until it rolls over and dies, and she happens to love the Camry. Financially this car was a perfect decision and will allow me to buy another car when her car finally gives up. It's a Camry I expect 5-8 years, 150K - 200K miles & hopefully few issues.

 

Sounds like it'll be perfect for your needs. How are the interior materials + fit/finish? The car i tried was a bit lacking IMO.

 

I like the new Camrys

 

I walked around the car about 300X looking for misalignments on panels, etc. The car I purchased had 7 miles on it and I had to help the salesman pull the plastic off the wheels, hood, seats, etc. The interior has zero issues although I would be the first person to say it's not Lexus levels of finish.

Camry's to me are workhorses much like the production servers at my job don't have neon lights and glitter but they get the job done solid.

 

Sweet! Congrats.

May I ask why you didnt want the SE model? (im not too familiar with all the trims)

 

For the 500 mile commute I skipped the manual and the bumpier ride.

 

nice! congrats!

 

Yea that makes sense.

Now lets see some pictures! What color did you go with?

 

It's called blue ribbon metallic, in person i looks very good imo.



I'll take some pics I promise.

 

Thats a very nice color!

 

Grats Ern, glad you like it!

 

Nice choice for your needs. Really can't go wrong with a Camry. Good luck with it!

 

congrats!

 

congrats

 

Congrats... While I'm not sold on the looks, you can't beat the Camry 4banger for reliability... My mom has a similar commute, and she's on her 2nd Camry... The first one was a 1991, this one is a 2003...

 

congrats! hope they got the transmission issues worked out.

 

Good luck with the new car

 

The issues were with the tranny that went w/ the 6, that's one of the reasons I opted out of the 6.

I'm not taking chances especially when I bought it.

 

Sweet. They are really good cars. My co-worker has one and he loves it. I'm not sold on a 4 cylinder, but they are getting to be better and better.

 

Congrats, I know you were concerned with the issues on the V6 version, but I would've still picked it over the 4-banger.

 

Trust me it was a hard decision but I test drove the 6 twice and both times the ride was notchy, i could feel my head bobbling around as it climbed the gears. The power was there but so was that 'this shouldn't feel like this' feeling I had driving it.

 

I like the Camry too, congrats

 

My roomate got a new camry 4cyl to. Also if you want to help your mpg. I usually do his oil change and use 5w30 Valvoline Synpower. I have done 2 oil changes on the car. He got the first 2 done at the dealership because they where free. He say as soon as he started using the Valvoline Synpower his mpg jumped up and engine felt even smoother.

 

congrats!

and i'm glad to hear your'e content and at peace with your decision.

from all your review threads, it seems like you really did your part, and i'm sure you made out with the best decision.

so i guess no more car reviews then? i really enjoyed reading them.

 

Congrats on the purchase Clipse.

 

Congrats. I spent the weekend driving my mom's 07' Camry hybrid, and I liked it, but had a few gripes. Call me a fanboy if you want, but being used to Honda cars, I didn't find the nav system to be as user friendly. Whenever I spoke to someone using the bluetooth system, they had trouble hearing me. Do you know of any settings to boost the mic volume? Lastly, though the ride was very comfortable, I felt disconnected from the car and found it very boring. I understand this is a family sedan, but I prefer a little driver oriented feeling like I get when driving most Hondas (I have an 08' CR-V, and it is more fun to drive than the Camry).

 

Congrats nice car

 

eclipse, congrats on the purchase - camry is always a solid choice. on another note, i've heard that toyota's quality control has dropped a hair over the past few years. warranty should have you covered, for now, but with toyota producing as many vehicles as they have been (now #1 world-wide) you may want to look into an extended warranty in the next few years

 

congrats! Great color combo.... my finacee has a red camry SE manual and she loves it

 

Enjoy!

 

The Camry is reliable, has good looks, and will last just like a Honda would.

Good choice for your needs and nice color!

and have fun!

 

A lot of that is probably related to being well outside the break-in period. It's quite common for a car's fuel economy to jump 5-15% once you've got 7-10,000 miles on it.

 

could also be because his car was finally broken in as well

 

ahhhh! I should know that. BUt he doesnt

 

didn't he negotiate a 100k warranty?

 

^ thanks jedi, you are correct

 

They had issues with the 4 too (hesitation), but that was a programming problem. They tried to correct it multiple times, but succeeded the third time. So all Camrys that were produced after the 8/2007 have the latest software and there have been almost no complaints ever since.

How much did you pay for the car, may I ask?

 

Congrats! Smart buy!.

 

great pick up man...i love the new camry's but only with the SE kit on it...you should atleast add that to it to give it the aggressive look....

 

wait...camrys have a manual option?