camry=avalon differences ?

You can compare them at

the 6cyl 07 Camry has the identical engine as the Avalon. The Avalon is about 7.5" longer (thus more rear legroom) and weighs almost the same. Except for the body and options they seem to be identical cars. Though the Avalon drives more like a Buick and only comes in a 6cyl 5sp automatic. The Camry can be had with a 6sp auto in a 4 or 6cyl.

I would go for a fully loaded Camry SE v6 unless you need more legroom.

Zork wrote:

I had a 1999 300M and a 2001 Avalon. My wife and I both preferred the 300M. Try to find an Avalon with some miles on it and drive it on a secondary road before making your decision.

All I can say is that 9 years ago we bought a 97 Camry from Hertz auto sales. Loved it (and still do) but in '04 we went back to see about upgrading (and going newer) and drove a late Camry, Accord, Hyundai Sonata, and something else. The Accord was nice, and so was the Sonata (which would have been my 2nd favorite) and the Camry was very nice, but as I drove it, I thought "Well, this is not really much of an upgrade, because it seems to drive just like ours only a little stiffer..." Finally, just before leaving, we happened on an '03 Avalon, and took it for a spin. Within a block, we knew what our next car would be... It's like a Super Camry, not a whole lot bigger, (only three inches wider and six inches longer, but it feels bulletproof and solid. Every accessory known to man except GPS, and even a 6 disc cd player and windshield wipers that turn on when it rains. We've had it 2 1/2 years now and absolutely no troubles. (Bear in mind I'm talking about an '03 model...the new 07 Camrys and Avalons leave me lukewarm.

The Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES350 are all based on a similar platform with very similar mechanicals. Unless you carry 4 passengers and luggage on a routine basis, the 4 cylinder Camry offers outstanding fuel economy in a mid-sized car, with a full complement of safety features, standard, for around $20K. The Hybrid Camry offers even better mpg. If you've gotta have that V6 and prefer a luxury ride, you may want to consider the Lexus despite its higher cost. Remember, any of these cars will most likely last at least 200,000 miles with routine maintenance and few repairs. Check insurance premiums, sometimes that will make your mind up for you.

Personnally, although I consider my Toyota Sienna the best family vehicle I've ever owned, driving Toyota/Lexus/Scion products leaves me cold. Simply unengaging. Great automotive appliances, to be sure.

The Avalon has been a clonker, either this generation or the last. There are magazine articles on this if you do the search. The current generation Avalon, based on a Lexus chassis, is better than the previous genneration but is still not as good as its Lexus cousin. The

07 Camry has a tranny that can skip gears. Dunno about the 07 Avalon.

So you may want to consider the entry level Lexus. It's got better care and attention to assembly details and better parts. The way I see it is: good Toyota workers get promoted to Lexus; misfit Lexus workers get demoted to Toyota.

And if you need to spend any more money than an entry level Lexus, then you should consider products from Bayerische Motoren Werke. I would. And certainly the Japanese domestic customers would.

Zork wrote:

=========== I wouldn't. I've owned BMW and Mercedes. You're buying panache, elan, expensive style. Perhaps that's why the genuine Toyota parts are a requirement for me. Compared to the really ridiculous prices on the German cars, they're reasonable, and frankly, having done my own mechanical work on both, I don't see a difference in quality.

ACAR wrote:

I heard this before I bought the Camry. One of the reviews I read said people either found it too plain or appreciating how smoothly it performs every task. If you've been driving a Corvette around the track hard enough to pull the fuel economy down under 8 mpg, you're not going to be "engaged" by a 4 cylinder Camry, and to the average driver they are appliances. However, there is a refinement, grace, and enduring design that can be found if sought in the right spirit -- more akin to a fine watch than a jet ski. An appliance conjures up the image of a refrigerator to me. Now I like my refrigerator. After I replaced the defrost timer and thermocouple, it works really great. This after the factory service person failed to fix my newer Kenmore. I was once offered a sixties vintage Corolla - in perfect condition - free, and rejected it for lack of handling and power, but I find my '94 Camry stable at 112 mph, and it actually sounds not too unengaging at WOT as it upshifts at redline out of third gear around 95. Actually, I don't feel comfortable with a vehicle until I've been through it mechanically, and on mine I've replaced all lubricants with full synthetic, plus new ball joints, axles, control arms, seals, ignition components, belts, idlers, re torqued the subframe fasteners, etc. The skilled individual owner can exercise a level of care generally unavailable elsewhere. It's a personal preference. You don't always merge by accelerating in front, you often slip in behind, but by driving skillfully, you're rarely left behind when necessary. That 100+ was pacing the new Z car on a country highway one early morning. I realize a Camry enthusiast is almost an oxymoron, but it can be fun. There's the integral fairing beneath the third air inlet for the radiator, and the integral forced air cool intake tract exiting next to the battery just next to the intake air - to extend battery life as well as enhance power. There are the long, tuned individual intake runners to provide "inertial supercharging effect" mid range. The electrical wiring done by true craftsmen even where it is never seen, like inside the rear fenders. There's an overall economy of design that is exceedingly well done down to the tiniest detail.

Have you driven such an Avalon actually, or are you relying on some subjective magazine articles to establish this belief?

I have a 2003 Avalon and think it's the best car I've ever owned....with the ride a Camry should have but doesn't. It's a car you can drive 500 miles in a day and go out dancing in the evening, rock steady on the road and quiet at highway speed. Although it has only 210 hp, it can merge into highway traffic easily, and when you floor it, you GO with no hesitation. The Avalon, especially the XLS model, has all the bells and whistles you want, and unlike a lot of German automobiles, the electronics won't fail you. And by the way, I'm told by a transmission specialist who flushed and refilled the transmission, that it's a Lexus transmission. I like this generation of Avalons, better than the newer design, which seems to have lost its cachet and now just looks like any other modern car.