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I Drove A Toyota Camry Today...

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Old 06-12-2009, 12:30 PM
  #26  
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My wife's Camry doesn't feel usafe at all. It's very happy at freeway speeds. I'm not going to try to slalom at those speeds in that car though but I find no fault in it compared to any other car in it's class.
Old 06-12-2009, 12:37 PM
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^ I'd agree I've driven some waay shittier cars down the hwy then a 09 camry..it cant feel too unsafe
Old 06-12-2009, 12:42 PM
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I drove a 2001 highlander that has the same chassis as the camry. ... Most unpleasant experience. And no, I did not get used to it even after four months.
Old 06-12-2009, 12:42 PM
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Lol @ everybody.

Comments on the Camry: No comment.
Old 06-12-2009, 01:25 PM
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where is renisis and his rotary camry when you need him
Old 06-12-2009, 01:26 PM
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Old 06-12-2009, 03:27 PM
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I heard renesis se3p drive a Camry, can anyone confirm?
Old 06-12-2009, 04:57 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Renesis SE3P
Lol @ everybody.

Comments on the Camry: No comment.
I talked to Renesis SE3P earlier today and he said he'd post some useful comments about the Camry as soon as he had some free time this evening. Keep hope alive!
Old 06-12-2009, 05:06 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by kvndoom
I talked to Renesis SE3P earlier today and he said he'd post some useful comments about the Camry as soon as he had some free time this evening. Keep hope alive!
I know of a certain rumor that keeps surfacing about Renesis and the Camry, but am unable to put any correlation together.

Please keep us posted.
Old 06-12-2009, 06:05 PM
  #35  
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I drove my coworkers Camry once because he thought something was wrong with his alignment...then i told him to contact some dude named Renesis se3p because i heard he drives one.....
Old 06-13-2009, 12:23 PM
  #36  
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I think the non-luxury mid-size segment is the easiest to shop if you're in the market.

For driving experience, you go with the VW Passat, and the Mazda 6.

For quietness/refinement, you go with the Toyota Camry.

For bang for the bucks, you go with the Hyundai Sonata.

A Honda Accord is combination of driving and refinement, without the quietness because at highway speed, the new Accords aren't nearly as quiet as I'd expect it to be.
Old 06-13-2009, 12:33 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Rhawb
I drove the previous generation Camry and it was exactly the same. Apparently the general American public looks for a car with severely numb handling, "guess and check" steering inputs, and brakes that are unsure of themselves. It was actually a little bit scary to drive, it felt like if I had gotten into trouble, I would have been unable to save myself. I'd have to just brace for impact. Why would people want that!? That was just plain awful, but people eat it up! What the hell, America?
dude, couldn't have said it better myself...my gf used to have an '04 camry (now has a nice mazda 3!!!) and i never felt more unsafe in a car. steering and braking were a COMPLETE joke. highway driving was just downright scary...

Last edited by 2tone; 06-13-2009 at 12:42 PM.
Old 06-13-2009, 12:34 PM
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^renesis se3p will tell you different
Old 06-13-2009, 12:43 PM
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I haven't driven a Camry. Only been in them as passengers. As a passenger, they seem really floaty and soft, especially the last generation one. I didn't get that feeling from the latest one, but it was a Hybrid model so it's probably dialed differently than the generic LE model.
Old 06-13-2009, 12:46 PM
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on his 3rd rx8
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^shoot renesis se3p a PM, he drives a camry
Old 06-13-2009, 04:02 PM
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Yeah I hate camrys. I remember test driving the solara coupe when it first came out. It felt like the car was not even moving when I drove it. I know these cars aren't built for speed/performance but why completely numb EVERYTHING? What purpose does it serve to intently make a car totally numb to the road? I'm sure the new camrys are much worse.
Old 06-13-2009, 07:43 PM
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Back in 06 I had a new one as a rental car for about a month and echo Rotarygod's comments. It is an affordable, reliable point A to B car. It is pointless compared to the RX8 and would probably fall off the track if anyone was stupid enough to take it there but it is ideal commuter car. For most people though it gets the job done. I do remember thinking it was the most boring, soul less car I have ever driven.

And by the way, even a 5 spd stick in it doesn't make it any more exciting. My boss has an 02 and it just looks out of place. He had to special order it from Japan because they don't make them in stick shift here.

Interestingly enough, the only thing he replaced in 100k miles were the tires. The breaks were still original because he said he just down shifts at stop lights and stop signs. I would say his driving is 50/50 highway and stop and go so it is not like he is driving all highway.
Old 06-14-2009, 12:32 AM
  #43  
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Not all Camry's have been barcaloungers on wheels. The 1990-1994 generation was highly regarded by the car reviewers. I believe many reviewers thought it was better than the Accord of the era for driving dynamics.

Unfortunately, the following Camry generation was a 10 steps backwards. Low-rent in build and driving dynamics.

Last edited by CarAndDriver; 06-14-2009 at 12:35 AM.
Old 06-14-2009, 12:50 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by 2tone
dude, couldn't have said it better myself...my gf used to have an '04 camry (now has a nice mazda 3!!!) and i never felt more unsafe in a car. steering and braking were a COMPLETE joke. highway driving was just downright scary...
You know, it's not even that I'm expecting a sports car out of the thing - I drove my girlfriend's base Mazda 3 A LOT and never felt unsafe in that car. Steering was direct, braking was predictable, and I never felt like the tires were going to just fold up beneath me and go home. The Camry drove like such a marshmallow that it felt like steering away from an incident would result in HEAVY understeer, the indirect steering would point me in the wrong direction, and braking would come too late. None of this may be true, of course, but when you can get both confidence and a smooth ride in modern cars, why would you EVER invest in the dreadful Camry? It has to be a case of people simply buying what they've always bought in favor of shopping around. I can't imagine drivers taking out a Passat, Fusion, Accord, Camry, and/or Mazda 6 and actually picking the Camry. I believe it's simply been outclassed at this point in time - the only reason to pick the Camry is the marshmallow factor.

Last edited by Rhawb; 06-14-2009 at 12:52 AM.
Old 06-14-2009, 01:24 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by Moostafa29
... something to get them from A to B.
My wife and I watched an interview back when Toyota's CEO gave his vision of the "new direction" that Toyota was going to take and these were his words exactly. It was a while back....right before they stopped making the Spyder and the Celica...you can't even buy any of their cars in a stick without the dealer bitching about it (I had one even tell me it's a faux pas to have a stick)

My first car was a '91 Toyota 4Runner...made back when they made real cars. I would never buy a Toyota today.
Old 06-14-2009, 01:51 AM
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Se3p has a camry? NO WAY!


02-07 sucked. The v6 was alright but the car was too high, too heavy, heck even the auto climate control sucked ***. If you want a nice car from point a to b get a Used g35 sedan that looks better and has a better feeling overall.
Old 06-14-2009, 01:53 AM
  #47  
on his 3rd rx8
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i assume he drives a "4 cylinder"...but i could be wrong
Old 06-14-2009, 01:59 AM
  #48  
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I personally don't think there is anything wrong with a Camry. Would I own one myself - probably not.

Opinions are based on what you expect in a car. For someone looking for a good commuter, easy to drive, quiet cabin, comfortable ride, decent gas mileage and room for 4 (comfortably), the Camry would be a good choice. It does have a very soft suspension and very light steering but like RG said, when you drive it everyday, you get used to the feel of the car. I haven't personally owned one, but I've done my fair share of driving in a few.

To re-iterate - would I buy one - Probably not!
Old 06-14-2009, 05:57 PM
  #49  
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I think someone already mentioned it, but after you own a sports car, I think it is true that it is very difficult to go back to an econobox. While thinking about getting a new car, everything I've driven has felt like toal crap compared to the 8. I thought I might like the Genesis Coupe but after test driving one of the 4-turbo and the 3.8 V-6 I came out absolutely hating both. You can feel that the car is nothing but another lead sled when you drive it and I was not impressed with it in any way. I'd consider a Mustang before that thing.
Old 06-15-2009, 11:34 AM
  #50  
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The worst driving experience I had was in a Kia Rio base model rental. I was under 21 so thats all they would give me while I was having work done on my car.

This car had no acceleration. I honestly was afraid to get onto parkways because I had to pedal mash to hit 50, forget 70+ everyone does around here.
Didnt notice bad steering feel, nor bad suspension for what one would expect but it had the worst tires I have ever felt on anything ever. Grip was non existant.
Stopping before turning was a requirement, and I had to stop hard just to get some weight over the front wheels. It was a quite horrid experience.


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