Faults:

Water pump failed at 174,000. Independent shop replaced pump, thermostat, timing belt, hoses and fan belt for just over $700. I DIY oil changes every 3K.

Check engine light stays on. Independent shop put test unit on it & said the EGR valve is bad. Said this is common on this gen of Camry's & EGR is not really bad. Car starts & runs perfect, gets 28MPG in city driving, passes Arizona emission, just ignore the idiot light.

Some clunks & rattles from rear suspension due to wear & tear. Solution: Turn up radio.

General Comments:

Excellent (made in Japan) car. Carfax showed this car had been routinely serviced with no major issues. This is my daily commuter car. If you want performance, then this is not the car for you.

But it gets great mileage, is comfortable, is super dependable, and has the coldest A/C of any car I've ever been in. I live in Arizona, and it is HOT here. Cold A/C is very important, ranks up there with good brakes.

Maybe the problems with other Camry's are due to poor maintenance or where they were built.

If this car was stolen or wrecked, I would try to find it, rebuild it, or buy another well maintained Camry.

Faults:

Check engine light came on in my 2000 Toyota after only 35,000 miles. Went into the local Toyota dealership and was told that I need a new charcoal canister because mine has a leak, and that it would cost me $550.00.

Faults:

Driving in neighborhood on Dec 13, 2009. Smelled horrible burning odor. Saw smoke pouring out of engine compartment. Pulled over, shut down engine and removed keys and purse and ran. Called 911 and two fire trucks arrived to put out fire in engine compartment. Fire was burning below engine onto street. Car was completely totaled. Car had been well maintained.

General Comments:

Car had been unremarkable until the point of a total fire.

Faults:

Timing belt 95000.

Mass air flow sensor 110000.

Transmission service to clean metal chips and sludge 115000.

Spark plugs and first wires since buying the car 120000.

Blower motor resistor 125000 (only a $15 dollar part and free labor).

Front and rear struts 135000 (costs $1200 to repair) this may not happen to every Camry, I drive on dirt roads very frequently.

Fuel injector 150000.

Drivers door handle broke at 85000.

Dash lights went out at 160000.

Other routine things like tires, battery and brake pads and rotors have been replaced, but it's needed infrequently (tires every 65,000) 3rd battery at 165000.

General Comments:

Performance:

This is a great boring point A to point B car. The 4 cylinder is very sluggish and will keep up with traffic, but feels strained when going up large hills or when there are five people in the car. It also has very little passing power, 50-70 mph takes a very long time making merging onto highways stressful. The handling is secure and again boring. The steering is very light and the car has the steering feel of a Buick. However, it's a very reliable car and it gets 23 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway at 80 mph. Oh it also gets very shaky and scary to drive from 85-105 mph. It's also pretty good in the snow.

Interior: The front seats are large and very comfortable, you can drive for 4 hours and not get uncomfortable. Five adults can fit for a half hour trip comfortably. The stock stereo is nice, and the A/C and heat still work perfectly at 165000 miles. The trunk is also very large and the rear seats fold down.

Reliability: I listed a lot of problems above, but all that said I have driven the car 120000 miles with less than 4500 in repairs, and the car still runs strong and never hesitates to start. I also have really driven this car into the ground, and it still runs well; if these cars are driven by a safe driver, they can last to 300,000 miles with minimal work. However when something breaks it's pricey to repair at the dealer. ($750 for a new fuel injector and fuel rail and injector cleaning).