CleanSC

I also have some experience with the ES and it's been much more consistent than the Camry's. The ES330 seems very well built albeit the most unnattractive Lexus ever made in my eyes. My girlfriend has one and I'm sorry, it looks like a catfish. She LOVES it however and I'm fine with it as I know it's a great car. It's white and I nicknamed it "Moby" and the name stuck -- she calls it that now, too.

The latest ES I haven't taken apart but I did drive one for a week. It seems to be very well built -- much more so than the Camry that's built here. And built in Japan or not, the new ES350 is one hell of a car. That engine and ride are pretty damn impressive. I was caught totally off-guard.

I haven't followed its track record so if it's had problems, that's a real shame.

shern

iTrader: (6)

I put my 19 year old sister-in-law into a 1996 Camry LE late last year. Except for the passenger side axle that snapped at the CV joint (Yes!), it has been trouble free.

The only issue is the damn thing leaks like a sieve depending on how warm the engine was when shut down and the temp outside. I believe it's the lower crankshaft seal or the oil pump seals. I understand it's pretty common. Not looking forward to fixing it, but the time is coming.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I have a 95 Camry LE and a 94 Accord LS as daily drivers right now. Had the Camry for a while, but it is giving my a lot of problems at 120K miles so I'm ditching it and got the Accord. Anyway, the Camry does make a good daily driver. Nothing special, it just gets the job done. I lived with replacing the starter since that was easy and only cost me $150. I lived with the frayed wires in the trunk lid area that cause me to have no reverse lights since many cars have that problem with the wirings in constant movement. I lived with the neutral/park position sensor going bad causing the car to not start sometimes unless you jiggle the shifter. However, now that the tranny is starting to slip for the first 30 seconds upon start up when it is cold I think it is time to say goodbye to the Camry.

toy4two

the real shame is all the Japaneese cars were better back in the 90s, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. All the cost cutting, growth, and using globally sourced parts made by the cheapest bidder is really hurting Toyota.

Family has a 1999 Camry V6, in gold like every other Camry on the road, nice comfy ride, decent get up and go from the little V6. Excellent all around vehicle, does everything well, just doesn't spealize in any on trait great, brakes are good, handling is good, space is good, comfort is good, economy is good. They nailed everything middle of the road and did a good job.

CleanSC

Hahaha well they need maintenance too, fellas.

Shern: That leak is almost always the cam and front main seal. The job is not that bad, it's the same as the timing belt. It's not hard, you just need a nice full morning or afternoon to take apart the front end of the motor. While you're in there, change the timing belt. Waterpump, too depending on the miles.

CK, has that tranny ever been serviced or looked at? The previous owner may have ignored the vital tranny services that everyone seems to forget. Automatic transmissions NEED regular maintenance or you're screwed. Maybe stop it by a tranny specialist and get an estimate. Hell if you're lucky, it only needs some fluid and sensor. Fat chance, right?

I've never owned a car with less that three pedals so I can't help ya much with any experiences in the slushbox department. But I have had customers with over 300,000 miles on their original motors and trannies. Take care of them and they will damn sure return the favor.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Previous owner was my father and mother in law and they bought the car new. Car was serviced regularly at Toyota. The car is in otherwise good mechanical shape aside from the worn suspension that was mentioned above in previous posts. I'm not going to bother dealing with it since I already have the 94 Accord that has only 75K miles and running well, and I have my other cars to worry about. At 120K miles on the Camry I'm not willing to invest a lot of money in it. The longest I've had any car was 4 years.

stoked

iTrader: (1)

My parents bought a new Camry back in 1987...followed by a new LS400 in 1992. The Camry then got passed on to a sibling and a 1992 V6 XLE and a 1993 V6 XLE joined the family line up. Both were great looking cars, but once the transmissions went at around 130k for the 92 and 140k for the 93, it was a big repair bill...both replacement transmissions only lasted 12 or so months and shifted very hard. I have heard of so many owners who lost transmissions....this was the end of our Camry days! The LS still has the smoothest tranny and just passed the 300k mile mark. We maintain our cars well, and after both transmissions went at close to the same time...we assumed they were no longer useful to us. The interior designs and comfort put the 92/93 Accords to shame (we two of those too-lots of siblings)...good thing Honda caught up.

CleanSC

Well then there ya have it.

Put a 5-speed in it.

CK, is that car a V6?

LexFather

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Nope. Its the 4 cylinder model. Hunter Green one just like the one 1Sick posted above.