16th Sep 2009, 23:01

The best solution for the poor driving characteristics of the stodgy and boring Camry is trading it for a Ford Fusion.

17th Sep 2009, 16:09

Good idea. Then you can be trading boring, but reliable and economical, for better driving characteristics and low reliability as well as poor customer service which Ford is oh so famous for. But hey, disposable cars aren't that bad for the first 100,000 miles, so if you're simply looking for a sportier ride, then buy the Fusion.

18th Oct 2009, 21:23

I 100% agree with the reviewer. Camry is all over the road at over 70mph speeds. Back end flies around and steering cannot stay dead center. Does not inspire confidence to drive long distance on highway. But still its very comfy, nice and quite. Good for short highway distances and in city.

19th Oct 2009, 13:23

Then you'll be driving a stodgy & boring Mexican Ford, eh?

19th Oct 2009, 19:21

Low reliability?? Consumer Report has ranked the Fusion two levels HIGHER in reliability than Camry since 2007.

20th Oct 2009, 22:21

The Fusion is also rated one full level above the Accord in reliability as well.

21st Oct 2009, 16:12

"The Fusion is also rated one full level above the Accord in reliability as well."

And it's also based almost entirely on the Mazda 6. A Japanese vehicle.

22nd Oct 2009, 12:51

16:12. So you are saying buy a Ford or Mazda before considering any Camry or an Accord?

22nd Oct 2009, 15:50

"1612 so you are saying buy a Ford or Mazda before considering any Camry or an Accord."

No, I'm saying that it's based on the Mazda 6, and is barely a Ford at all. I'd pay top dollar for a Camry or Accord before you could even GIVE ME a Ford.

The sentence above my comment that is in the quotation marks is not mine. I copied that from another commentor and stated the fact that the Fusion is basically just a Mazda 6.

22nd Oct 2009, 19:37

"1612 so you are saying buy a Ford or Mazda before considering any Camry or an Accord."

Well, it would make more sense to buy a car that is rated higher in reliability and costs less, so YES, I'd definitely buy a Fusion. I did, as a matter of fact. It's totally flawless and much better built than our previous Honda.

23rd Oct 2009, 17:40

So the Mazda is like a Ford, which I would buy well before any Camry, and lastly Honda.

23rd Oct 2009, 19:50

"I'd pay top dollar for a Camry or Accord before you could even GIVE ME a Ford"

That makes little sense at all. The Camry and Accord cost thousands more and are rated LOWER in reliability than the Fusion. It seems as if no one ever bothers to look at reliability ratings. A Buick and a Ford are tied for tops in J.D. Powers and Associates long-term reliability studies, and the Fusion is rated higher in reliability by Consumer Reports (and has been for three years). Even bankrupt GM's modest Chevrolet outranks Nissan's exclusive Infiniti line in overall customer satisfaction. Why pay thousands more for an inferior product and hurt the U.S. economy by doing so?

24th Oct 2009, 14:20

"So the Mazda is like a Ford, which I would buy well before any Camry, and lastly Honda."

Actually Mazda was a very mediocre car maker before Ford took over their quality control. Ford made it into a very good car. Pre-1993 Mazdas were pretty poorly made. We had one and the build quality then was pretty poor.

24th Oct 2009, 16:24

Regardless of the ratings, my personal experiences with Ford products has put me off of them for good.

25th Oct 2009, 10:45

We had a top-rated Honda. It was a nightmare of never-ending repairs until the engine finally blew up just before 100,000 miles and it was sold to a junk dealer. None of our Fords has even had a repair before 100,000 miles.

26th Oct 2009, 16:14

Congratulations. The exact opposite happened to me. I bought my Ford brand new, and had problems within a week. The alternator needed replacing (brand new?!?!) and it needed a whole new intake manifold at 30,000 miles. Then at 45,000 miles, I was left stranded on the highway due to the intake manifold again. It always had a reoccurring electrical problem, and the interior lights had a mind of their own. Finally, at 98,000 miles, the transmission completely failed. I sold it to a junk dealer and got about, oh, maybe $300 dollars.

Overall, I paid about $19,000 for the car new, then about $6,000 in repairs over the life of the vehicle (only owned it for 3 1/2 years) and then got $300 for it when it was broken. Worst car I've ever owned.

Bought a Honda after that, and I'm never looking back. I've owned Honda's in the past and I honestly don't know what made me buy a Ford in the first place. My first Honda had well over 350,000 miles on the original engine and tranny when I bought it. And my 2nd Honda had over 400,000 on the original engine, tranny, and even the clutch. My 3rd Honda went 200,000 miles on basic maintenance items only (replaced the brake pads ONCE, had to replace the muffler and the oxygen sensor after that, and went through 4 sets of tires. THAT'S IT.)

That you've had such good luck with Fords is nice for you. But mine never worked right if at all.

27th Oct 2009, 14:38

Gee, I guess that's why Ford's Fusion has topped Accord in reliability for the past 3 years.

27th Oct 2009, 22:26

Toyota Camry is made in Kentucky USA, this is pure American car now.

Who cares about corporate tax and profits, they employed American people at the factory.

28th Oct 2009, 09:41

"None of our Fords has even had a repair before 100,000 miles."

Well that is your experience, and I am not surprised that you buy Fords then. If a vehicle proves to be reliable for you, by all mean stick with them.

My experience is far, far, from that, and in my experience, you can keep your Fords, I personally would not.

28th Oct 2009, 18:35

"Toyota Camry is made in Kentucky USA, this is pure American car now."

As the excellent CNN special recently showed, Japanese car companies benefit the U.S. economy little. Toyota is not now, never has been and never will be an "American" company. It is a Japanese company. If you buy a Toyota you help roughly 4% of those in the U.S. who work in auto-related businesses. You HURT 96% of the rest. A handful of people in Kentucky may benefit (ever so slightly) from people buying the unreliable Camry. That's not much comfort to the tens of thousands put out of work by people who turn their backs on our own industries.

29th Oct 2009, 12:47

"put out of work by people who turn their backs on our own industries"

It is US Corporations who are putting these people out of work.

It is NOT the Toyota or Honda owner.

It is really offensive that a zealot can go on a web site such as this and attack hard-working Americans.

29th Oct 2009, 13:57

Gee, I thought it was like 10% to 90%.

Still haven't gotten anyone's point of view on their great domestic car companies practice of outsourcing their labor to Canada and Mexico. Doesn't that hurt the American worker too? Talk about turning your backs on the U.S!! At least Toyota doesn't pretend to be a 100% domestic company and then stab its own people in the back by letting Canadians and Mexicans build their cars for them.