I have a friend who is interested in 2003 or 04 Camry. She wants a 6 cylinder. It appears that most are sold with the 4cyl.Any suggestions on which to buy ? She does drive in some mountains but rarely. Most of the driving would be level and commuting to work. I've heard the 4 has plenty of power but then someone else said that the 6 would be a lot quieter. She is interested in a basic LE at most.
thanks
The 4 has plenty of power. It jams up the grades of the Mountain West with no problem. However, at my advanced age I have learned that if a person "wants" something, they will never be satisfied with something else, no matter how logical it may be (cheaper to buy, better mpg).
Depends on their driving style. What is she driving now? Easy enough to test drive both and select a preference. Personally, I prefer the four cylinder. Doing all my own maintenance and repair work, there was little choice. All the operations are easier: timing belt, spark plugs for starters. Some people feel a need for the power of the V-6, and for them, they wouldn't be satisfied with anything less. For me, I'm just as happy to let that car pass, and drop in behind them. There's quite a bit of horsepower in some of the newer cars, turbo and supercharged, so I don't expect you'll be winning races even with the 6 cylinder. I find by skillful driving, the four is more than adequate for all my needs. Cruises smoothly at 80 mph. The other day, I was accelerating up a hill to merge with highway traffic, and easily pushed up to 85 before my passenger commented "Why are you going so fast?" and I slowed down. If you regularly carry 3 - 4 adults, or luggage, that could change your requirements.
I've the LE v6 and it's sweet and powerful , silent compared to the L4, the only thing is that a co-worker (remanufactured engine Japanese tech) told me that the 3.0 liter v6 engine (which comes on the LE v6) has a some heating problems so now I'm thinking why didn't I go for the better 3.3L than comes on the camry SE (same engine than the sienna late model). So if she can afford a v6 get the SE 3.3 liter.
I own a 6 cyl. I selected it because it is a lot quieter then the 4 cyl. Get the 6cy, you will be glad over the long term that you did.
What your friend really needs to do is evaluate her priorities. The
4-cyl has sufficient (though not outstanding) power for most needs. The V6 has even more but suffers about 4mpg. The question for your friend is: is she willing to pay for the increased fuel cost for more power even though the 4-cylinder is sufficient?Viperkiller wrote: || On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 14:45:58 -0600, "Michael J. Pyfferoen" || wrote: || ||| I have a friend who is interested in 2003 or 04 Camry. She wants a 6 ||| cylinder. It appears that most are sold with the 4cyl.Any ||| suggestions on which to buy ? She does drive in some mountains but ||| rarely. Most of the driving would be level and commuting to work. ||| I've heard the 4 has plenty of power but then someone else said ||| that the 6 would be a lot quieter. She is interested in a basic LE ||| at most. ||| ||| thanks || || What your friend really needs to do is evaluate her priorities. The || 4-cyl has sufficient (though not outstanding) power for most needs. || The V6 has even more but suffers about 4mpg. The question for your || friend is: is she willing to pay for the increased fuel cost for more || power even though the 4-cylinder is sufficient?
The 6 cyl. kicks major ass. Nothing more really matters.
The 4 has power for most anything but towing plus you get more mpg. Gas prices will go back up. She should test them and figure in increased gas costs and reduced milage over a few years in her calculations. There is good reason why the 4 is so popular for so long, it works.
m Ransley wrote: || The 4 has power for most anything but towing plus you get more mpg. || Gas prices will go back up. She should test them and figure in || increased gas costs and reduced milage over a few years in her || calculations. There is good reason why the 4 is so popular for so || long, it works.
The 4 has adequate power, if you are a granny.
The 4 has power if you want milage and live real life usage
m Ransley wrote: || The 4 has power if you want milage and live real life usage
Still defending your grannymobile, I see.
Still defending your grannymobile, I see.
----------------- Wasn't me, but I'll add to the defense. Purchased the car from an actual Grandmother who always babied the car and took it to the dealer for service. Leather interior, very clean exterior. My mechanic had recommended the four cylinder. He asked me "Why do you need a six?" Mechanical accessibility is important to me. Not long ago completed major servicing, including timing belt replacement. An inexpensive electric impact wrench removed the crankshaft bolt, whereas with the six, you often need an industrial strength impact wrench to remove the same bolt. Spark plug replacement is a breeze. With the six, it is never pleasant because access is so much more difficult for the rear three. Once saw a Camry up on the rack at a transmission shop. One of the mechanics told me he saw a lot more sixes needing transmission work than the four cylinder. As I mentioned in the earlier post, if you like the six, just go ahead and buy one. This is an explanation of my preference for the four. The four cylinder engine has five main bearings supporting the crankshaft and for my version, a cast iron engine block. I've got a four cylinder in my 1977 Toyota long bed pick up truck, and that thing is still running strong with many hundreds of thousands of miles on it. Four cylinder engines of similar displacement today with turbo and supercharging are putting out much more horsepower, so it seems that even under the most demanding conditions for the 4 cylinder Toyota Camry engine, it is not over stressed which contributes to longevity. I kind of like keeping a car looking and running like new as year after year rolls by. Used to get comments on the truck, when I used to drive it more, than it ran better than trucks ten years newer. To the issue or question of power. No question the six has more power. It produces both more torque and more horsepower. However, the four cylinder also produces power. To get the maximum power, you need more engine speed. Actually requires more skill and finesse in driving. It takes me years to get comfortable driving a car, learning the shift points, power curve, transmission and handling characteristics. If you just want to be able to stomp on the gas and pull away quicker, the six will do that. However, if the four cylinder engine is spinning at 5,000 rpm, and the six is spinning at 2,500 rpm, the four is making more power than the six. In actual driving situations, I rarely find conditions where the power is lacking, and that includes pacing the new Nissan Z car at speeds over 100 mph early one morning on an open stretch of freeway while I discovered the transmission will upshift out of third at around 95 mph at full throttle. Bear in mind, during steady state cruising, you don't need much power. Many manufacturers are adding features to disable some of the cylinders for improved fuel economy at steady speed. Part of the key to getting maximum power from the four cylinder engine is to keep it in peak operating condition. That means running a clean air filter, clean synthetic lubricants in the engine, transmission, differential and power steering and having the belt tension correct, with the secondary ignition system properly maintained with the correct parts. When I replaced the timing belt, I also replace the tensioner and idler rollers, oil seals and water pump. Noisy idler bearings do not help increase engine efficiency. As many know, who read this group regularly, I also use Redline complete fuel system cleaner to allow the valves, injectors and engine breathing to operate at peak efficiency. Once drove an ES300 Lexus with the six cylinder engine with probably normal state of tune. Power steering fluid dark. Owner never checked under the hood. Just took it to the dealer for servicing when the reminders came in the mail. Didn't seem to have any more power than my Camry. Here's another overlooked item that adds power. Have the battery in peak operating condition. Must be that I like additives. Used a product from batterystuff.com, called battery equalizer with a weak cadmium sulfate solution to reduce charging time, and discharge rates, then charged the battery repeatedly. The alternator also got new brushes with the timing belt change. If the alternator is working overtime to keep the battery charge up, that's additional drag on the engine. Used to wonder how the modern fuel injection systems replace the old carburetor based accelerator pump that squirts additional raw fuel into the intake under sudden acceleration. Fuel injection is computer controlled and always seeks to maintain the ideal mixture. The answer is transmission downshifting that instantly bump the engine up higher in the power band. So if one wants to drive the four cylinder Camry faster, with more power, one needs to learn how to use the automatic transmission more effectively. Shifting is controlled with the position of the gas pedal and experience builds efficiency. Another engine power tip, is to check cable adjustment so that at with the pedal on the floor, the throttle valve is at wide open throttle. Also, as stated in the earlier post, if you're often driving with several adult passengers or luggage, you might weight the six more favorably. I've learned to always engage the ECT power switch when merging onto the freeway. Recently, have found myself merging into 75 mph traffic with enough power that I need to back off the throttle, but I don't mind winding the engine up to 5,000 rpm, remembering the torque peak is at 4,400 and the horsepower peak at 5,400. With the newer Camrys, there's variable valve timing, so they produce more power all around. Never had a problem hill climbing either. Usually, one is just cruising along, and under those conditions, the four isn't even using the rated power, just purrs along smoothly and reliably. Works for me.
My mechanic swears that the 6 doesn't age as well as the 4. You can put toms of mileage on the 4, for sure for sure. This being said, unless you want power or you want to tow, the 4 is more than adequate, albeit not as quiet as the 6. Do you care?
JP
Michael J. Pyfferoen wrote:
Daniel wrote: || Still defending your grannymobile, I see. || ----------------- || Wasn't me, but I'll add to the defense. || Purchased the car from an actual Grandmother who always babied the || car and took it to the dealer for service. Leather interior, very || clean exterior. || My mechanic had recommended the four cylinder. He asked me "Why do || you need a six?" || Mechanical accessibility is important to me. || Not long ago completed major servicing, including timing belt || replacement. || An inexpensive electric impact wrench removed the crankshaft bolt, || whereas with the six, you often need an industrial strength impact || wrench to remove the same bolt. || Spark plug replacement is a breeze. With the six, it is never || pleasant because access is so much more difficult for the rear three. || Once saw a Camry up on the rack at a transmission shop. One of the || mechanics told me he saw a lot more sixes needing transmission work || than the four cylinder. || As I mentioned in the earlier post, if you like the six, just go || ahead and buy one. || This is an explanation of my preference for the four. || The four cylinder engine has five main bearings supporting the || crankshaft and for my version, a cast iron engine block. || I've got a four cylinder in my 1977 Toyota long bed pick up truck, || and that thing is still running strong with many hundreds of || thousands of miles on it. || Four cylinder engines of similar displacement today with turbo and || supercharging are putting out much more horsepower, so it seems that || even under the most demanding conditions for the 4 cylinder Toyota || Camry engine, it is not over stressed which contributes to longevity. || I kind of like keeping a car looking and running like new as year || after year rolls by. || Used to get comments on the truck, when I used to drive it more, than || it ran better than trucks ten years newer. || To the issue or question of power. || No question the six has more power. It produces both more torque and || more horsepower. || However, the four cylinder also produces power. To get the maximum || power, you need more engine speed. || Actually requires more skill and finesse in driving. || It takes me years to get comfortable driving a car, learning the || shift points, power curve, transmission and handling characteristics. || If you just want to be able to stomp on the gas and pull away || quicker, the six will do that. || However, if the four cylinder engine is spinning at 5,000 rpm, and || the six is spinning at 2,500 rpm, the four is making more power than || the six. || In actual driving situations, I rarely find conditions where the || power is lacking, and that includes pacing the new Nissan Z car at || speeds over 100 mph early one morning on an open stretch of freeway || while I discovered the transmission will upshift out of third at || around 95 mph at full throttle. || Bear in mind, during steady state cruising, you don't need much || power. Many manufacturers are adding features to disable some of the || cylinders for improved fuel economy at steady speed. || Part of the key to getting maximum power from the four cylinder || engine is to keep it in peak operating condition. That means running || a clean air filter, clean synthetic lubricants in the engine, || transmission, differential and power steering and having the belt || tension correct, with the secondary ignition system properly || maintained with the correct parts. || When I replaced the timing belt, I also replace the tensioner and || idler rollers, oil seals and water pump. Noisy idler bearings do not || help increase engine efficiency. || As many know, who read this group regularly, I also use Redline || complete fuel system cleaner to allow the valves, injectors and || engine breathing to operate at peak efficiency. || Once drove an ES300 Lexus with the six cylinder engine with probably || normal state of tune. Power steering fluid dark. Owner never checked || under the hood. Just took it to the dealer for servicing when the || reminders came in the mail. Didn't seem to have any more power than || my Camry. || Here's another overlooked item that adds power. Have the battery in || peak operating condition. Must be that I like additives. Used a || product from batterystuff.com, called battery equalizer with a weak || cadmium sulfate solution to reduce charging time, and discharge || rates, then charged the battery repeatedly. The alternator also got || new brushes with the timing belt change. If the alternator is || working overtime to keep the battery charge up, that's additional || drag on the engine. || Used to wonder how the modern fuel injection systems replace the old || carburetor based accelerator pump that squirts additional raw fuel || into the intake under sudden acceleration. Fuel injection is computer || controlled and always seeks to maintain the ideal mixture. The answer || is transmission downshifting that instantly bump the engine up higher || in the power band. So if one wants to drive the four cylinder Camry || faster, with more power, one needs to learn how to use the automatic || transmission more effectively. Shifting is controlled with the || position of the gas pedal and experience builds efficiency. Another || engine power tip, is to check cable adjustment so that at with the || pedal on the floor, the throttle valve is at wide open throttle. || Also, as stated in the earlier post, if you're often driving with || several adult passengers or luggage, you might weight the six more || favorably. || I've learned to always engage the ECT power switch when merging onto || the freeway. Recently, have found myself merging into 75 mph traffic || with enough power that I need to back off the throttle, but I don't || mind winding the engine up to 5,000 rpm, remembering the torque peak || is at 4,400 and the horsepower peak at 5,400. With the newer Camrys, || there's variable valve timing, so they produce more power all around. || Never had a problem hill climbing either. || Usually, one is just cruising along, and under those conditions, the || four isn't even using the rated power, just purrs along smoothly and || reliably. || Works for me.
WHY do you need to type THOUSANDS of words to excuse your grannymobile? Doesn't impress except to confirm that you so lack a life that you have time for keyboarding mammoth posts and time for spending hours on doing your own maintenance. Meanwhile, those of us with LIVES.........
JP wrote: || My mechanic swears that the 6 doesn't age as well as the 4. You can || put toms of mileage on the 4, for sure for sure. || This being said, unless you want power or you want to tow, the 4 is || more than adequate, albeit not as quiet as the 6. Do you care? || || JP
Nope. I don't need a wussmobile.
|| || Michael J. Pyfferoen wrote: ||| I have a friend who is interested in 2003 or 04 Camry. She wants a 6 ||| cylinder. It appears that most are sold with the 4cyl.Any ||| suggestions on which to buy ? She does drive in some mountains but ||| rarely. Most of the driving would be level and commuting to work. ||| I've heard the 4 has plenty of power but then someone else said ||| that the 6 would be a lot quieter. She is interested in a basic LE ||| at most. ||| ||| thanks
Sounds like someone's trying to overcompensate for something, and failing. If you want power, in a car, you wouldn't get a camry. you'd get a audi A8 diesel, like the 4 litre twin-turbo. Keep your insecurities to yourself, and spend the time seeing your therapist about your inferiority complex.
Go with the 4 banger. The engine is more reliable,plus is cheaper to work on. Should be enough power for what she needs.
I think the six requires premium gas. Not sure.....
W.T. MC GLYNN wrote: || I think the six requires premium gas. || Not sure.....
If you aren't sure of something, STFU, already. The six does NOT require premium gas, although it IS designed to give more performance from premium. Computer adjusts for gas grade.
I have a 2004 6 Cylinder, SE 3.3 Liter, runs FINE on Regular and now that I've decided to use Premium get IMPROVED performance and better gas mileage too! Of course I installed a Tornado and K&N Airfilter too (both bought off eBay for half the price and installed by me a novice in minutes). My SE blows past other SE's without question.
You can see a Photo of my "Ganniemobile" at my webpage listed below, check the Photo's tab... lmao...
--
"It Ain't A Scam - It's Who I Am"
The Real Picard
http://www.therealpicard.com
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