'07 Camry purchase

Stan,

You came to the right place but probably at the wrong time. :) It's generally a good idea (tm) to check out a vehicle thoroughly before buying it!

Having said that, here's my "summary" of the potential and perceived problems with the 07 camry. I myself own a 07 Camry CE. Others may want to add or subtract from this list, it is my "summary opinion" based on reading on this and other internet boards.

1) Transmission behavior (4cyl and 6cyl): several people, including myself, have noticed that when climbing a slight-moderate hill, the transmission will downshift a bit early, leading to seemingly high RPMs (3500+). Also, some people have reported skipping gears altogether while shifting at "random" times, this seems to be an issue related to the date of manufacture. Early 07 Camrys were made in Japan and shipped here, potentially having the aformentioned issue. In short: there seems to be an issue (not necessarily a problem) with the timing of shifting.

2) Interior Quality: One recent complaint is that the cloth armrest on the driver's side (about where your elbow would rest while holding the steering wheel at the 9:00 position) easily deteriorates even after as little as 100 miles. For me my rearview mirror is warped: if i move my head side-to-side, you can clearly see visual distortions in the mirror image looking out the rear window. Another complaint (although I never saw it here) is that engine noise at low RPM is quite obvious. I guess there's an expectation that engine noise should be masked at all RPMs... people view this as a quality issue. Other minor issues have been reported, such as squeaks/rattles (I haven't had any).

3) Exterior quality: seems to be good except for the glaring fact that there are no sidepanel guards ... (there's a better term for this, the plastic guards that protect the side panels of most cars from dings and bumps from shopping carts, kids on big-wheels, bikes, etc).

I'll be honest: If the Honda Accord had a better selection of interior colors, I probably would have chosen that. Hyundai Sonata was a very close third on the list, marred only by the fact that the resale value is horrible (having nothing to do with the quality and everything to do with the history).

The fact that Honda only had one choice of cloth-interior colors: dark grey, was surprising and smacked of bureaucratic-big-business cost-cutting. I now realize Toyota has fallen into this trap too by cutting corners on quality. They may have gotten away with it this time (unless the transmission issues become problems), but I imagine the 2008 models will be junk if the trend continues.

Just my $2 worth. :)

-Ben

Stan Wright wrote:

Thanks, Ben, appreciate the much desired info.!

Just put in my second tank of fuel and got 28.9 mpg with probably 90% highway miles at 65-75 mph--depending on the legal limit (I usually stretch it by 3-7 mph).

The armrest fabric looks good at 700 miles.....

I noticed the downshifting on inclines as well, but figured it to be due to the 5-speed auto--figured that a "normal" 4-speed probably wouldn't have shifted--doesn't bother me but will keep notice, now.....

Engine noise at idle seems neglible....

Anyone else have any hints, info., warnings, suggestions on this new model? Will I get the 33 mpg the EPA "suggested," once the car is broken in? Thanks again, in advance!

Stan

My 07 Camry LE did not get better mpg after it was broke in. I just had the

10 K service and the average MPG is around 30MPG so far. 70% were highway mileages at speed around 65-70.

Some of people claim they can get better mpg than the EPA suggested. You can try if you do not mind people driving behind you flash the high beams and honk.

I recently rented a 2007 Camry SE 4-cylinder 5-speed automatic from Budget for a 1,500 mile trip. Most of my driving was on interstate highways at 70 to 75MPH with the A/C on. The fuel mileage was 33MPG for the trip, which I thought was very good.

The only problem(s) I noted during the rental were: the downshifting of the transmission even during the slightest uphill grades, especially when using the cruise control. The RPM spiked once from 1,800 to over

4,000 RPM on one small hill; I did not notice any of the drive-by-wire throttle hesitation problems noted by other 2007 Camry owners, especially on the Edmunds.com Camry forum; I noticed some dashboard resonance - not a rattle, but rather a metallic resonance - at certain constant highway engine speeds (I could never locate the source due to the massive size of the dash); and, as a minor carp, the trunk downsizing from the previous generation, and the exposed goose-neck trunk hinges are backward steps in my opinion.

I have quite a bit of experience with the previous generation Camry as well. Personally, I think the previous generation has better outward visability, especially through the front and rear side windows.

Re. the Hyundai Sonata (Ben's comment above) . . . we are seriously considering either a 2007 Camry LE 4-cylinder or a 2007 Sonata. I know about the current resale value of Hyundai's, but this is changing, and fast. If a person keeps a car as long as I do (more than 10 years), the resale argument is somewhat moot. Hyundai is improving its image day-by-day, and image is what primarily determines resale value. I'm old enough to remember when Honda's and Toyota's image was also very suspect, so things do change. I've compared the exterior build quality/fit and finish on a Sonata to an Accord and Camry, and the Sonata doesn't take a back seat to either.

Thanks for the additional response (I've not checked back for a few days--new girlfriend). I'm almost to 2000 miles already, and have ranged from 25.8 to 28.9 mpg with mostly highway miles.....Was hoping for a solid 30..... Consumer Reports claimed that in their tests, of varied driving situations that the V-6 averaged 23 mpg compared to 24 for the I-4......Makes me wonder if I should've just bitten the bullet for the extra cost and just gotten the six......That little difference seems to make that argument....

I also notice the downshifting with slight inclines.....Don't believe it to be a cause for concern, just too high of gearing for the amount of torque available to pull it up hills.....

Stan

So which rides better--the Camry or the girl friend?