Hi everybody Iam new here and I was thinking about buying a Camry so I thought this would be the place to ask for some advise on the Camry as far as mpg and reliablity , also are there any years prior to 93 that were lemons and should stay away from.THANKS for any info.

I'd say that the Gen 4 (1997-2001) were the best ones. Appearance wise and gas mileage wise. Although if you're wanting something that's not too pricey, you'll probably want to go for something a little older. I haven't heard anything about any of the older Camrys being lemons, and I know quite a few people who've had some of the older ones.

I'm interested in your recommendation of the Gen 4 Camry. I'm about to buy a Camry, and I ruled out '01 and priors because of the "gel" issue which has been discussed so broadly. (For my fellow newbies, I'm learning that there is an issue with certain years that higher engine temps can slowly cause deposits of hardened oil "gel" which can lead to such things as a thrown rod.) Obviously, regular oil changes and choice of oil are big factors, but I would just as soon avoid the whole matter and go with a later model, notwithstanding the price difference. '02 and on, the engines supposedly have gone back to the lower-temp engineering. Anyway, I'm very interested in other points of view. Obviously, on the whole, we can all stand by the Camry, whatever the Generation. If there's something more I can learn or consider when comparing Gen 4 and Gen 5, I'm all ears. Parmenides3

Well, all I can really say about difference between the Gen 4 and 5 are that the 5's don't have half as much custom parts as the 4's do, and actually, I don't think you can even order a body kit for the 5's yet. Although I do know from experience that the gen 5's weigh more than the gen 4, and the fact that the gen 4 is longer than the 5, the 5 is more "smooshed" together. You know, shorter length, higher roof, narrower sides. Gen 4s are wider, longer, and have a lower roof, so they don't look nearly as uptight as the gen 5's.

I have had two 01 Camrys and between the two i have put 85,000
miles on them and i have had NO problem with the engine temp.
If i had to buy another one i wouldn't buy a 01 or..... 97 to 01.
To me they are the best looking hands down and wouldn't worry about the engine.......Just my 2 cents..........Buddy

between 97-01, the 99 is the best one that what I read on the newspaper. But anyway they are all last long, I used to have a 91 v6 camry that run 170k miles and still have no problem with it. BUt thanks for someone stole the car :) I have two 99 and a 96 right now, all of them run very good just need to oil change every 3000 miles.

I agree with what all you've said. I've got almost 90,000 mi on my 99 and I love it to death, hadn't had any problems at all. Just minor maintenance and a rebuild or two when I got bored.

Yeah, that's pretty much the experience I expect and look forward to. I'm no mechanic, but Toyota makes the easiest cars to work on that I know. The first time I did a tune-up, I asked the parts guy what to do. He said "Take off the old parts. Put the new parts exactly where you found the old parts." I've had a lot of fun since. My Tercel has been a dependable ride and a cheap hobby. It's only because of the impact it has on my situation for the next several years that I'm trying to read all I can on different years of the Camry. Thanks to all for your comments. Parmenides3