1997 Toyota Camry Conquest review from Australia and New Zealand

Sometimes stalls on start-up during hot weather.

Gearbox is hard to change out of 2nd when cold.

Motor revs at 1900rpm on first start of the day (not sure if all Camrys do this)

Motor is always under powered in terms of torque, especially when towing a 6 by 4 trailer... even when empty. It isn't a good car for towing.

Not gutsy below 2500rpm.

Has to be revved out to 3000-4000rpm to perform well. But then it used way too much petrol.

Fuel consumption not that great for a 3 litre motor. Around 450-520km per tank.

Timing belt failed at 155,640km. Needed replacing.

Rear standard suspension was too soft, causing the car to handle badly. Easily fixed by replacing it.

Door seals leaked water in.

Gearbox whines and howls during slow city traffic.

Brakes were rather spongy and faded lots after a few pumps on them (or when they got hot anyway).

Mountain driving is not fun in this car, because going up hills you were constantly changing down gears (when loaded with 4 people)

Motor ran roughly on petrol below 95RON.

Front motor mounts recently replaced.

All 4 shock absorbers replaced.

Power steering pump replaced due to failure (mechanics did not know why).

Aircon has recently been re-gassed but has never been good anyway.

Interior not of high quality. Fabric on doors receded.

Generally somewhat reliable.

Freeway driving was a breeze.

Speed build up was generally not too slow, but needed to be revved hard to do this. Initial 0-100 times were 8.2 with no wheel spin.

My wife likes driving the car because she thinks it's easy to drive and it really is. It is also very comfortable in the drivers seat.