Proud 2005 Camry SE owner!

Congratulations on your new purchase. I hope you have many years of trouble-free use from it. Tell me, when you view it from the rear, does the exhaust pipe where it bends underneath the car still hang so low that it is an eyesore, not to mention a speed trap magnet?

P.S. Ignore Sharx35, he's just pissed no one pays attention to him.

I too purposely went looking for a manual 5 spd. The Camry 4 is a very torquey engine down low,..which means you can simply shift down once to 3rd for most corners,...we aren't driving a buzz-box here.

If you have any idea at all, gear-shifting becomes an automatic process with large dividends in economy, control of the engine and repair-bills for an automatic. There is one consideration tho: correct use of the clutch to maximise its life. Not a large issue for most.

Jason

Thanks all of you for your replies. I think this car is just great. I am a licensed technician and was trained and owned only GM most of my life. I finally bought the car I new was one of the best. Driving a stick is great as both my wife and I miss it. Its got a great short throw to it making it comfortable and easy to use. To answer the question about the muffler, I never did notice that until now! Ya, it seems to hang out the bottom making it a bit of an eyesore, but I can live with that.

2004 LE 4cyl/5 speed, 24k - zero troubles, 0-60 8 seconds without leaving rubber, 28 mpg around town with 75 on the interstate, in the summer A/C running using summer gas. 30 in the winter. 32 on trips cruising avg. 70+.

Saved myself 5k off list. The dealer lowball priced the 5 speed in the paper, and being as I wanted a 5 speed.... I did have to wait 4 hours, but after I talked 2 customers out of 6 cylinders they figured they would be better off getting me out the door. They lost $2k by my estimate. Now I have a "rare" sporty 5 speed Camry. If you have to drive a very practical car, this makes it fun. It has the backseat of a limousine, while still having a huge trunk. Btw, at 30 mpg you can go 540 miles with 1/2 gallon left.

Happy owner!

Well, at least you moved on up from GM to Toyota.

I think you'll be very happy w/ your choice. I have a '96 DX coupe w/5spd manual and am know looking for a 5spd solara, though I'd rather buy it used. I hate auto-trans, been driving this 5spd for 7 years has

235k and still runs great. Before that a 5spd colt and before that an '87 5sp Celica. After driving smaller cars then going to a Camry man what a blast w/ the stick!.. I still love driving it. Nothing like a 5 spd manual only way I'll go. Much more control overthe car than when I have to drive an auto..

Guy I work with had an early 80's Toyota PU with a 4 cyl and manual trans -

5sp? He had over 200k before he had to put a clutch in it. He drove easy as he had over 100k before he had to do brake work. Good luck and enjoy, davidj92

"" wrote: > steve-o wrote: > > I think you'll be very happy w/ your choice. I have a '96 DX > coupe > > w/5spd manual and am know looking for a 5spd solara, though > I'd rather > > buy it used. I hate auto-trans, been driving this 5spd for 7 > years has > > 235k and still runs great. Before that a 5spd colt and > before that an > > '87 5sp Celica. After driving smaller cars then going to a > Camry man > > what a blast w/ the stick!.. I still love driving it. > Nothing like a 5 > > spd manual only way I'll go. Much more control overthe car > than when I > > have to drive an auto.. > > Guy I work with had an early 80's Toyota PU with a 4 cyl and > manual trans - > 5sp? > He had over 200k before he had to put a clutch in it. He drove > easy as he > had over 100k before he had to do brake work. > Good luck and enjoy, > davidj92

Thanks for your input guys. Wife and I are loving it!

The best part on single lane hiways (2 lanes wide,..they exist out here aplenty) is overtaking with a manual,..no uncontrolled kick-down,..you can let the car rev out without it changing up when you back off the juice a bit,..I must admit in heavy traffic, a manual requires a different driving style ie you leave a wider gap to the car in front (and hope no-one jumps in) so you can crawl along in 1st or 2nd. If your car is getting old, the engine mounts (hydaulic type) can cause some jerking as the drive-line winds up and down thru the loose mount.

Jason

Gotta love driving a stick, nothing like it. Valid point on the mounts, keep that in mind for um......hopefully many years before I have to worry about it.

a good site for Camry owners is

One thing I do like about it is the the experts are very patient when dealing with newbies.

"" wrote: > Fourmiler wrote: > > I just bought a new Camry SE with a 4 Cly. 5 Speed manual > trans. My > > wife and I love it! Is there anything special I should know > about? > > Hope to hear back from other proud owners. > > a good site for Camry owners is

> > One thing I do like about it is the the experts are very > patient when > dealing with newbies.

Being it that I am a mechanic and have bought many new cars over the years, I don?t think the term newbie works well. Thanks for trying anyways.