What is so great about the camry??

[BBall456]

I am looking for a new car to buy, and my brother suggested I look into the Camry. I'm not quite sure what is sooo great about it. I'm not sure I can see myself turning heads while driving this car. I kind of think the altima looks better.

can you guys please enlighten me?

[Brian R.]

Here is my complete maintenance log for my '96 Camry that I bought with around 16k miles. Most of the work I did was because I felt insecure, not because it needed it. The starter was replaced at 49,900 miles because I didn't have the time to find and replace the solenoid contacts for $25. Also note that I didn't log every oil change. Timing belt was replaced at 75k because the water pump was making noise at start-up. Cam and crank seals were replaced along with the water pump because they are difficult to access, there were no leaks.

My point is that you will be hard pressed to find a more reliable car. It is not a sexy car, but it is pretty damn trouble-free.

7/16/99 (21,217 miles)
Oil change

6/7/01 (28,498 miles)
Replaced fuel filter
Replaced air filter
Replaced spark plugs
Replaced PCV valve
Replaced antifreeze
Replaced brake fluid
Replaced transmission fluid
Oil change

12/18/01 (31,487 miles)
Replaced 4 tires - Michelin X1 19570R14
(80k warranty)
Alignment

7/6/02 (39,496 miles)
Oil change Pzl 5W30

8/23/03 (46,009 miles)
Replaced A/T fluid
Radiator Flush
Oil change Pzl 5W30

1/20/04 (49,840 miles)
Replaced battery - Sears DieHard Gold
(36-mo replacement warranty)

1/22/04 (49,900 miles)
Replaced starter NAPA
PN 44-6658

10/13/04 (57,405 miles)
Replaced front brake pads and rotors
Pads $62.50 (Toyota pads)
Rotors $64 each
Replaced brake fluid
Replaced both half-shafts ($319.90)

60,000 miles Replaced spark plugs

4/11/05 (62,222 miles)
Replaced A/T fluid
Replaced differential fluid

6/6/05 (63,925 miles)
Replaced fan belts $43.88

12/27/05 (68,303 miles)
Oil change Penzoil 5W30

5/23/06 (71,700 miles)
Alignment ($82.49 total)

8/20/06 (74,400 miles)
Flushed power steering pump
Replaced fluid with Mobil1 ATF

8/22/06 (74,428 miles)
Replaced timing belt ($59.75)
Replaced water pump ($70.38)
Replaced crank and cam seals ($36.50)
Replaced antifreeze ($24.00)

9/18/06 (74,982 miles)
Oil Change (3 qts 5W20 + 1 qt 5W30 M1)

9/22/06 (74,995 miles)
Checked brakes
front good
rear 3.5 mm (new are 5 mm)

1/2/07 (77,689 miles)
Replaced freeze plug ($10.50)
Replaced valve cover gasket and tube seals ($88.80)
Replaced antifreeze ($24)

9/15/07 (81,722 miles)
Oil Change (3.5 quarts 5W30 M1)

12/5/07 (83,273 miles)
Changed Tires to BFG Traction T/A (COSTCO)
P195/70R14

4/2/08 (86,000 miles)
Oil Change (3.5 quarts 5W30 Quaker State)

4/20/08 (86,000 miles)
Drained and filled ATF in Differential (M1 Synthetic ATF)
Flushed transmission with M1 Synthetic ATF
Drained transmission, filled pan with 3.5 quarts ATF, then pumped ATF quart by quart out left-hand tube after blowing out transmission cooler. Added fresh ATF quart by quart to dip stick tube. Added total of 10 quarts with some wasteage.

1/20/09 (91,000 miles)
Oil and filter change (3.5 quarts 5W30 Mobil1, Mobil1)
Changed Air Filter
Changed PCV valve

10/4/09 (95,850 miles)
Oil and filter change (3.5 quarts 5W30 Mobil1, Mobil1)

6/24/10 (99,400 miles)
Changed battery (Autocraft GoldBattery, 24F)
36 mo free replacement, 84 mo prorated
$51.99 - $12 core = $40.00
$50 discount

8/1/10 (100,160 miles)
Oil and filter change (3.5 quarts 5W30 Mobil1, Pure1)

[artbuc]

Brian, I am surprised (shocked?) you changed plugs at 28k and both front axles at 57k. Were these both security items?

[Brian R.]

Originally Posted by artbuc

Brian, I am surprised (shocked?) you changed plugs at 28k and both front axles at 57k. Were these both security items?

The boots had cracked and dumped all the grease all over the suspension and such. It was a judgment call about replacing or repacking the joints. It was easier and less time consuming to replace them with rebuilt units. The replacement vs repacking was decided by the doubt that I could clean them well enough to prevent further wear and the need for inspection and repacking costing time. I value time highly.

The plugs were replaced because I was unfamiliar with Toyotas at that point and didn't know that the plugs would last as long as they do. With my previous cars, I had changed the plugs every 30k miles. Now my policy is change them every 60k miles. Since I didn't buy the car new, I just replaced them. I don't think too much about plugs, being as cheap as they are, and only needing four of them for this engine. Also, 4-cylinders are so easy to access the plugs, it is a 20 min job.

[artbuc]

Originally Posted by Brian R.

The boots had cracked and dumped all the grease all over the suspension and such. It was a judgment call about replacing or repacking the joints. It was easier and less time consuming to replace them with rebuilt units. The replacement vs repacking was decided by the doubt that I could clean them well enough to prevent further wear and the need for inspection and repacking costing time. I value time highly.

The plugs were replaced because I was unfamiliar with Toyotas at that point and didn't know that the plugs would last as long as they do. With my previous cars, I had changed the plugs every 30k miles. Now my policy is change them every 60k miles. Since I didn't buy the car new, I just replaced them. I don't think too much about plugs, being as cheap as they are, and only needing four of them for this engine. Also, 4-cylinders are so easy to access the plugs, it is a 20 min job.

I agree totally on the CV joints. I would never try to do a clean & repack. Very surprising the boots ripped like that. Must have been pretty unusal conditions. Also, on a 4 banger, I would change plugs every 25k, why not? I used to do that on my 84 tercel. It always ran better with new plugs.

[RIP]

Originally Posted by artbuc

I agree totally on the CV joints. I would never try to do a clean & repack. Very surprising the boots ripped like that. Must have been pretty unusal conditions. Also, on a 4 banger, I would change plugs every 25k, why not? I used to do that on my 84 tercel. It always ran better with new plugs.

FYI -I've beat this drum before but, I've got two repacked cv joints sitting in my driveway right now that took me 3 hours to clean and repack in a college dorm parking lot 8 years ago. I had two more I cleaned and repacked on my 87 Camry I sold 2 years ago. There are several others out there that are likely still going strong as well. All were due to cracked boots spraying grease. It's not at all a tough job and much easier than changing the axle assembly. If there was anything I learned in 13 years of working in a flight test environment in the Air Force it was conventional thought regularly leads people down a false path.

Bball456 - Seems you're more concerned about looks than anything else. Only you can answer your question.

.

[gspservice]

Just wondering what type of boot you replaced them with after repacking

[BBall456]

Sorry for the late reply-notification emails went to my spam folder!

That's awesome brian, but how do you feel when you're driving your car? how do you feel when you pull up somewhere? do you think the altima is better looking?

I'm not solely concerned with looks, I feel that they are both safe, reliable cars and thats a top priority but what makes them different is their looks, so that's what I am now considering...

[Brian R.]

I think the Altima has a small edge on appearance, but that is an individual opinion. I don't buy cars with appearance rated high in importance. I think that there are probably 100 times as many '96 Camrys on the road as '96 Altimas. I can't remember the last time I saw a '96 Altima. I see 3rd generation Camrys every block I drive. To me, that says something, in addition to the fact that they sold a lot of them. Also, they look to be in excellent condition.

Just one man's opinion.

[BBall456]

true, I do see more Camry's than anything else, especially now that I am actually paying attention to them. do you feel cooler than those that drive altimas because there are more of them? lol if you pulled up behind an altima who do you think bystanders would look at first? a lot of people-including you have said that the camry is not necessarily "sexy" and that they wouldn't feel "cool" pulling up to a club in a camry, what would you say to them?

[Brian R.]

Sorry, I have no sense of "cool". You have to set your priorities, and mine do not include "cool". To me, a Ferrari or Corvette is "cool", not an Altima.

[RIP]

Originally Posted by Brian R.

Sorry, I have no sense of "cool". You have to set your priorities, and mine do not include "cool". To me, a Ferrari or Corvette is "cool", not an Altima.

I couldn't have said it better Brian.

BBall456 - Can I paint your picture? You're under 25, single, maybe in the rice rocket mod crowd. Looks are everything to you. Not at all anything wrong there. Just curious. Am I close? If not, living in LA says it all. Southern California is the car "hey look at me" capital of the USA. Afterall, I'm your neighbor so to speak.

[RIP]

Originally Posted by gspservice

Just wondering what type of boot you replaced them with after repacking

As I recall I've used both types of split boots - glued seam boots and screw together boots (my terms). Been successful with both. Both can be touchy on installation. Can't really recommend one over the other. The key to the process is thoroughly cleaning the joint. I used acid brushes and spray degreaser. Afterwords use compressed air to get ALL the degreaser out before packing. I used those small cans of it a couple times and it worked fine. Repack the grease carefully to make sure you leave no air pockets. Beyond the boot, no disassembly required. I did all of them with the axle installed on the car.

[JOET/CAMRY]

Originally Posted by RIP

As I recall I've used both types of split boots - glued seam boots and screw together boots (my terms). Been successful with both. Both can be touchy on installation. Can't really recommend one over the other. The key to the process is thoroughly cleaning the joint. I used acid brushes and spray degreaser. Afterwords use compressed air to get ALL the degreaser out before packing. I used those small cans of it a couple times and it worked fine. Repack the grease carefully to make sure you leave no air pockets. Beyond the boot, no disassembly required. I did all of them with the axle installed on the car.

I replaced a ripped CV joint boot on my 89 Camry in mid November in 2006. Yep, You're right; no dissassembly other than removing the torn boot. Here it is almost 4 years later and the split cv boot is still going strong.
The bad news is that the cv joint in the last 3 months is starting to click away slightly. The car including the passengers side axle (the one with the split boot) has 265,000 miles on it so I can't complain.
I wiped as much of the old grease from the cv joint as possible then used carb cleaner to get it compleatly clean. I packed the joint with grease and installed the boot. The boot was the type that used small nuts and bolts to hold it together. I never used the boot that is held together with glue. Must have to keep that sucker squeaky clean while installing it so the glue will hold.

JOET/CAMRY

[artbuc]

Originally Posted by RIP

As I recall I've used both types of split boots - glued seam boots and screw together boots (my terms). Been successful with both. Both can be touchy on installation. Can't really recommend one over the other. The key to the process is thoroughly cleaning the joint. I used acid brushes and spray degreaser. Afterwords use compressed air to get ALL the degreaser out before packing. I used those small cans of it a couple times and it worked fine. Repack the grease carefully to make sure you leave no air pockets. Beyond the boot, no disassembly required. I did all of them with the axle installed on the car.

To each his own. Personally, I would rather install a new half-axle and be done with it.

PS Did you ever "fix" your cold fast idle problem? My fix is working great. It is SOOOO nice to start the car at 1200 instead of 2000 rpm!