2001 Toyota Camry LE review from North America
"A piece of crap lemon"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Transmission was never very smooth and while it was under warranty I brought it to the dealer where they said it was normal. They let me drive other Toyota's and admit they were all the same. Well soon after warranty expired the transmission went. Very expensive, the mechanic said he hates changing transmissions on Toyota's due to the difficulty of the design, but he says that it is very common for them to go on Camry's.
Computer kept going nearly every 25,000 miles. Which is really no big deal, only costs about $200. The problem is each time it left me stranded in the most unfortunate positions and locations.
Engine locked up at 81,000 miles and was told I needed a new engine or total rebuild. Costed another arm & leg. At this point I had it and decided that Toyota's are crap.
General comments?
I purchased a Toyota due to all the great reviews they receive in magazines. I'll have to give it to them, this car was very reliable the first year and nothing went wrong. After 1 year things started going on it. That's one thing I didn't understand, just because a magazine says it is good, they are only giving their opinion of it when it is new. Well a car does not stay new forever, and longer term durability is very important and something that no magazine talks about. I found this car is crap and is not durable at all. I have had Pontiacs almost all my life, I keep cars a while and put 200,000 to 400,000 miles on Pontiacs with no problem. I'm going back to GM, thank you very much.
Recommended reviews
| Lemon |
| Poor performance, good MPG, average reliability |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 2 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 0 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 0 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 87000 miles |
| Previous car | Pontiac Grand Am |
| Date of Entry | 22nd September, 2003 |