2005 Toyota Camry LE 2.4 from North America

Summary:

Perfect for me: reliable, comfortable and inexpensive

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

This car suits me very well. It is reliable, inexpensive to own, quiet, smooth-riding, comfortable and looks good if not flashy. I drive 25,000 miles per year, mostly work commutes, and am good about performing routine maintenance. Nothing has gone wrong with the car.

The complaints I have for the car are minor.

The car does not have a key unlock on the exterior of the passenger side door, which I found odd.

The car did not have a remote entry, so I purchased one.

The car has driver and passenger side air bags, but I prefer more, including side airbags.

I'm 5'8" and the car is comfortable for me driving with the seat all the way back. But if I were any taller, I think it would be uncomfortable on long trips.

I hope to keep this car a long time, but if I had to purchase another car, considering reliability and total cost of ownership, I think it will be hard to find a car that can best the Camry.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th June, 2013

2005 Toyota Camry LE V6 from North America

Summary:

Over 1 million km and counting!

Faults:

Nothing out of the ordinary. With this kind of kms, of course things have been replaced due to normal wear, but the car has never failed me. As a cab it has to pass a safety inspection twice per year.

It basically runs 24-7 with 3 drivers, and it still has the original engine and transmission (no rebuilds) even after 1,239,000 km as a cab!

General Comments:

I bought this Camry new in August of 2005 to replace my worn out Ford Crown Victoria cab that had served me well. I was looking for something better on fuel, and even with the V6 option in the Camry, it was still much better than the old V8 Crown Vic!

To date (June 2011), my 2005 Camry LE V6 has travelled 1,239,000 km (yes, over ONE MILLION km!). It still powers on with its original engine and transmission, which have never been rebuilt - it uses half a litre of oil between changes.

It's worn through about 15 sets of tires and brakes in mainly city driving, which is actually really good performance. Regular fluid changes are the key to any reliable car, and I'm good with that - changing every 5000 km.

I've had many other cabbies ask me about my Camry, and many of them now drive them too. The Camry is an exceptionally durable, reliable car that anyone can count on. When my car isn't on the road, it's costing me money, and break-downs are the kiss of death for repeat business. The Camry has been fantastic and has never broken down in all these kms.

My Crown Vic lasted to 930,000 km, and the transmission finally failed and wasn't worth fixing. The Camry has surpassed that by another 300,000 and the powertrain still feels good. The odometer is frozen at 999,999 km and I keep track of the additional kms via the trip odometer.

I'm sure I've sold numerous Toyotas based on my car to other cabbies and to people who ride with me. Toyota should send me a commission!

I recently replaced the drivers seat, and I want to see if I can wear this one out too... Two million hear I come!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th June, 2011

19th Jun 2011, 05:25

In Australia, 4 & 6 cylinder Toyota Camries, 6 cylinder Aurions and Prii have rapidly taken over the locally designed and built 6 cylinder Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores as the preferred taxi of choice. Falcon's usually got retired at around 800,000km, I don't think with the original transmissions though.

A few of the Camry's from around the same year as yours are being retired now, and they get sold off to private buyers for few $$ (in Brisbane they are easy to spot as they are usually bright orange, the white ones less easy spot, but the LPG tag on the licence plate will give them away too).

I don't know if the Camry's here get retired with the same kilometers on the clock or not, but I've no doubt they are capable of reaching over a million like yours. Someone told me they will go 500,000km on the original auxiliary drive belts too. I've often wondered how taxi operators in the US can afford to drive V8's all day, but I guess gas is cheaper than it is here, or maybe it was.

I don't know how long the Prius's will go yet, especially if they need a new battery or electric motor... but your Camry has done really well. Just goes to show that cars last longer if they don't cool down too often and are serviced well. You should get Toyota on it as an advertising selling point for their cars.

In reply to 19th Jun 2011, 05:25

15th Dec 2016, 08:07

Toyota makes a really good V6, which is probably one of the reasons why this car has been so reliable for so many miles/km.