Thoughts on New Camry ?

pgp

Member
I just started thinking of a new car. Does anyone have any comments on them, say 2015 to 2018 ? The looks of the new Camry SE is interesting. I hear they are not the most exciting to drive but are very dependable. How is the paint? Thanks
 
Are you thinking about used? Car dealers are so desperate to sell these days that a used Japanese car is a terrible value. I was looking at a Honda a few weeks ago and they dropped almost 4k off sticker right off the bat. I`ve seen cars at CarMax for more than they cost brand new.
 
I probably will go used, I do like the 2018 SE looks, it`s growing on me.They seem to get good mpg with the changes they made. Maybe in a few years, since it`s a new style-makeover year. I might look into a 2016 for a few years and then get the newer style. I used to keep cars a while, then they were not worth much. it`s a toss up I guess
 
That`s they way it was with our Buick too. We payed for a new one what used ones with 12-15k miles were going for. It was a no brainer. Get the full warranty, no wear and tear. All for the same price. I had no intention of buying a new car (never do) this time it was a better deal though. Two years old now and still less miles than most of the used ones had for the same price.
 
It’s been that way for quite some time. Used stuff is nearly as much of more than new. You get a better financing rate if you need it on new and you can pick your color

It’s so competitive to sell cars now a days and the pricing is all over the internet it’s easy to take an hour or so and look at all the dealers online with in a couple hours drive and find the cheapest price. Take that to your local dealer and have them meet or beat that price.

Trade in is about the only thing that they vary a lot in


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FWIW one of my friends has an 18 SE and he likes it. Sure it’s not an RS4 or M3 but it’s a great daily driver with no drama down the road or expensive repairs


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I`ve had a couple as rental cars. They are nice. Can`t speak to the paint. Good, basic, no thrills transportation. Nothing wrong with that.

The car that has my attention is the new Kia Stinger. Nothing on the used market yet, but for basically the same price as a nicely equipped Camry you can get a 250+ HP, RWD or AWD, car - or you can go crazy and get a 365 HP RWD/AWD car. Worth a look if they fall into your budget. There are some horror stories on the paint, but I can find those on any new car out there.
 
2015 Camry SE owner here, been almost 21K trouble free miles. 3 oil changes, a couple tire rotations, and that`s it. If you can spring for it get the V6. While the 4 cylinder is adequate, you have to wring it out to get anywhere fast. The SE model gives you a little stiffer and predictable suspension, but it is still a little hum-drum. But if you`re looking for reliable transportation, it`s the car for you.
 
Nizmo- I`m glad you chimed in with a user`s perspective on the V6. With today`s hyper-performance cars being so mainstream, it`s easy to forget that cars like your Camry actually have more performance capability than most drivers and will easily trounce a whole lot of yesterday`s Serious Performance Cars. Put a good driver in a V6 Camry and an average guy in [exotic] and see what happens.
 
Oh the V6 is a rocket ship for sure! In a strait line it`s capable, but even with the SE trim cornering can be sketchy. I have to remind myself it`s not the GTI driving around the mountain. Although alot of the problem is the factory Bridgestone tires. I`m sure with proper rubber it will be better. The I-4 is adequate for most people, but fuel mileage might surprise you, as we struggle to get 30mpg not even beating on it. The transmission is always trying to lug around to get economy, but I believe it does the opposite. I`ll stick it in sport mode with 4-5th gear lockout if I`m not on the interstate.

The stiff seats really bug me and start to get uncomfortable after an hour driving strait. I might just be used to the seats in my VW. Everything else about the car seems fine to me.
 
Nizmo- Heh heh, yeah...the GTI does make for a rather dramatic Sensible-FWD comparison, huh?

But yeah, put better tires on it and it oughta be better.

Not all that surprised by the mpg, but then I don`t really know from reasonable mileage since either the A8 or the Crown Vic would be our "economical" car :o
 
Nizmo- I`m glad you chimed in with a user`s perspective on the V6. With today`s hyper-performance cars being so mainstream, it`s easy to forget that cars like your Camry actually have more performance capability than most drivers and will easily trounce a whole lot of yesterday`s Serious Performance Cars. Put a good driver in a V6 Camry and an average guy in [exotic] and see what happens.

Average guy would get all the women so... I get what you`re saying though lol.
 
showbbq- Heh heh, well...I always took pains to keep gals from knowing about my "real" car(s) until we were, uhm...very well-acquainted...as IMO anyone who`s impressed/influenced by somebody`s [stuff] isn`t worth knowing. And anyhoo...these days most anybody with a Credit Rating can drive pretty much anything he wants, at least for a while. A [fancy car] doesn`t really tell you much of anything about anybody, or at least not anything positive.
 
I was thinking of a smaller car like I have now, I really like the mgp it gets even on mostly shorter trips. I had a midsize last time and miss it. I was looking online and decided to look at the Camry since I noticed a few of them on the road. The styling is a bit different on the SE, like some of the Lexus models, it`s growing on me. I see the Camry has a 4 that gets great mileage, that got me into looking at them instead of a smaller car.
 
Nizmo- I`m glad you chimed in with a user`s perspective on the V6. With today`s hyper-performance cars being so mainstream, it`s easy to forget that cars like your Camry actually have more performance capability than most drivers and will easily trounce a whole lot of yesterday`s Serious Performance Cars. Put a good driver in a V6 Camry and an average guy in [exotic] and see what happens.

Not to mention handling. I`ve said it before and I`ll say it again. We are living in the golden age of automobiles.
 
I was thinking of a smaller car like I have now, I really like the mgp it gets even on mostly shorter trips. I had a midsize last time and miss it. I was looking online and decided to look at the Camry since I noticed a few of them on the road. The styling is a bit different on the SE, like some of the Lexus models, it`s growing on me. I see the Camry has a 4 that gets great mileage, that got me into looking at them instead of a smaller car.

Might I suggest the VW Golf? It might look small, but the interior is surprisingly roomy and with the back seats folded down there is a ton of room to put stuff. The 1.8T engine is excellent and gets good fuel economy (the 2.0T in my GTI can get 38-40mpg on the highway). Right now you can pick up a new one for super cheap.
 
I would also pick the VW GTI. It’s got tons of useable interior space, a great warranty, and it’s a hoot to drive. They Camry (4 cylinder) would be too underpowered for me. The 6 cylinder with 300 hp would be nice, but then you lose the great gas mileage.
 
Do people cross-shop Camry vs. Golf? I`d think more "Camry vs. Jetta" since IMO you want a hatch or you want a three-box sedan. While I`d probably prefer the Jetta, I bet a Camry with the 6 would outperform it by a huge margin.

(Just FWIW, I`d probably be shopping Golf vs. Mini or somesuch, if only because of the dogs.)

Nizmo- IMO you have the best of both sensible-small-car worlds covered quite nicely!
 
Oh the V6 is a rocket ship for sure! In a strait line it`s capable, but even with the SE trim cornering can be sketchy. I have to remind myself it`s not the GTI driving around the mountain. Although alot of the problem is the factory Bridgestone tires. I`m sure with proper rubber it will be better. The I-4 is adequate for most people, but fuel mileage might surprise you, as we struggle to get 30mpg not even beating on it. The transmission is always trying to lug around to get economy, but I believe it does the opposite. I`ll stick it in sport mode with 4-5th gear lockout if I`m not on the interstate.

The stiff seats really bug me and start to get uncomfortable after an hour driving strait. I might just be used to the seats in my VW. Everything else about the car seems fine to me.
Nizmo, Do you have the 4 or the 6 ? Is the 30 mpg you are refering to city or hwy mileage? Thanks

I never cared for VW, I can`t say why ?
 
Nizmo, Do you have the 4 or the 6 ? Is the 30 mpg you are refering to city or hwy mileage? Thanks

I never cared for VW, I can`t say why ?

We have the 170HP 2.5 AR-FE 4 cylinder. Our "highway" is typically 55mph state roads, but I have driven the PA turnpike several times and it still netted around 30mpg traveling 80mph. I personally feel it`s underpowered, but I normally drive a turbocharged hot hatch, so I will say I`m biased. It`s kind of ho-hum till about 3K rpm`s when the variable valve timing kicks in.

I can understand not caring for VW, I used to feel the same way until I was shopping smaller sedans at the time I bought my 2008 Jetta. After that car I was hooked. I do suggest possibly taking a look, although I would avoid the new 2019 Jetta as they cannot get the new 8 speed automatic right. I guess a direct comparison to the Camry would be the Passat. Those have the detuned version of the 2.0T. A brand new R-Line (well equipped I will say) can be had around $19K. A new Camry SE is around $26K, while it is a nice car, I like a little more "bang for my buck." The only reason we bought our Camry is they had $5K off of it as it had been sitting at the dealer for about 4 months. Had we done it again we would have bought a 1.8T Golf (although after driving my GTI for a month it might be a GTI with a DSG, verdict is still out on that, LOL). But all said and done, the Camry is a great car, I just have different driving characteristics.
 
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