'02 Camry LE 4cyl.....

I've got the XLE with the 4 cylinder engine. The car has about 35,000 miles on it and it's been great. Performance in the mountainous area I live in is quite respectable. The fuel millage has been great: about 26 MPG over a period of about 3 months (75% city driving). On the highway it tops out at about 36 MPG. The car has not needed a single repair. I've done nothing but routine maintenance since it was new. I'd highly recommend this model.

There were a couple bugs early on in the '02 Camry line, since that was the first year of a model change. They didn't get some of them worked out until the middle of the '03 models.

You probably should take a look at the TSB's to give you an idea of what to ask about and look at.

BTW, I have the '03, same car. Hate the blindspots, especially in backing. Brakes have never impressed me. The speedo has a wierd hashmark system, which does not conform to standard MPH benchmarks such as 25mph. There's some other minor irritation, can't think of it at the moment...otherwise nothing major.

TSB?? Transportation Safety Breau????

i don't know what you mean by TSB's.

mike.........

Check:

DOH:

I remember the other irritation on the model. The spare tire/jack setup is a real pain. Give it another year or two of age and I imagine that fiberboard circus they got back there will snap as folks try to pry off the tools.

TSB - Technical Service Bulletins

These are bulletins created by the manufacturer and sent to the service department of their dealers. These bulletins contain information such as clarification on manuals, newly acquired "tricks", or known defects (not to be confused with recalls). These can be found at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administation's website or

One more clarification on TSBs - as Viperkiller said, these are not to be confused with recall info. They are just procedures and info for use by the service people. Usually documentation on fixes for issues that have come up frequently. They might follow a TSB to fix your car, but it will not be free. Sometimes people think that TSB implies some sort of covered repair work. (Only so if it is a safety recall.) TSBs can be useful to the consumer as well, as timbirr said. Whenever shopping for a particular model, look up the TSBs for that model, so you can get a general idea of what issues have surfaced since the model was introduced. It gives you a sense of possible trouble areas to look for when you look the car over, or ask a mechanic to inspect it. Good luck. Bob

that was

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Replaced with plywood - used fiberboard as a template. Bob

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Unless you are still under warranty, then they are free.

There are also SSC - Special Service Campaigns that aren't safety related but are fixed free years after warranty expires. Had expansion valve/seals replaced and entire AC system recharged with R12 10 and 8 years after purchasing on my 90 4Rnr and 93 Camry. Cost would have been $300-400! These are listed at ALLdata too in with the TSBs.