Drove a 2000 Camry for 14 years. Aside from excitement, it was the absolute perfect car. Easy to drive, decent power, reliable, low maintenance, it was just there for you.
Yep, that is what makes a car like this so great, especially for enthusiasts. Have a fun bike/car for the weekends or track days, but commuting to work in rush hour traffic to pay for the fun stuff? A reliable car that will get you from point A to point B and back everytime, with no drama, is a stress reliever. Plus, putting miles on one of these to commute is stress free. Not wasting sticky tires on the daily commute alone is worth the price of buying one for daily use. Plus, after a long day at work, I just want to get home. A reliable, comfortable cruiser is the way to go , IMO. I save the fun stuff for fun times, and use the boring stuff for boring times.
I still see this era of Camry about once a week in Washington DC, and I always have to do a mental double-take: "Damn that car is going on 25 years!" Indestructible.
My mom loved her Camrys. I think she had five in a row, all second hand. Her last was this same generation, maybe the next, and she took such good care of it. When she passed in 2022 we gave it to family friends whose daughter had just gotten her license. It’s still going strong. Miss you mom.
My dad had one when I was an infant. In 2003, he hit a deer in the middle of the night. Even thought the car was badly damaged (he was unhurt), the insurance company didn't total it because they knew it would run forever. I bet it's still going strong after it was fixed and sold.
This is all you need. Your SUV or truck is pointlessly huge, dangerous for other road users and pedestrians and bad for the environment. Weight is the problem.
My 1995 has the same powertrain and trim with 452k miles. Bought it as a disposable beater thinking it would last a few months and it's still going strong eight years later. These are legendary.
My neighbor, when i lived in Maryland, had one of these with 548k miles on it. The guy drove it from new until he retired from his job. His boss mentioned at his retirement, I've had a lot of cars over the years but Mac has only had one. Only major thing he replaced was the radiator.
This gen was my dad's car since near new. Had it for over 15 years and 300,000 miles. I have fond memories of this car, and I'm thrilled to see a review of it.
Something about those taillights makes me feel super nostalgic. I remember seeing these everywhere when I was a very young child and for some reason those taillights stood out as a distinct memory for me. It makes me happy still seeing these around every now and then.
I know exactly what you mean! For me it's the 8th generation (2000-2005) Chevy Impala tailights that I distinctly remember being behind at stop lights all the time as a kid
100% agree - there's something about the taillights, and the entire backend, that just looks perfect to me. Toyota took no risks with the design. This is still my favorite generation of Camry.
My uncle Bill and his wife Carol had a white 94 Camry DX with the blue interior for YEARS, he beat it to death and it kept on going. Finally he got diagnosed with narcolepsy (after hitting the trolley in Chula Vista for the 3rd time) and they took his license and the old Camry sat in the garage for another decade till he passed. I'll never forget that beat up old Camry
My second car was this generation Camry with the v6 and it felt spry at the time! One quirk was the foot-actuated emergency brake that made snow drifting particularly exciting! It was leaps and bounds better than my first car, a Pontiac Grand Am from the same year.
My parents have a 4th gen Camry from 1999 with the V6, it actually looks the same as the one Doug flashed on screen. It has 275k miles on it but it still runs smoothly, is relatively quiet inside, and the AC stil blows cold. They still drive it around and I still use it when I go visit them. These things are indestructible.
Except rust at least. Had one in the Northeast US and had tons of rust problems with this car, to the point where it just wasn't worth maintaining. Car I replaced it with was 10 years older but had rust protection on the bottom and had no rust.
My first car, in 2003, was a black 1994 Camry XLE V6 with 180,000 miles on it and I LOVED it. It had leather seats, a 6 CD changer that was in the trunk, and every other option available that year. My aunt sold it to me for $500. I put a new stereo (when the built in CD changer stopped working) and subwoofers in it and I was the coolest.
My first car was a 1989 Toyota Cressida with the blue velvet interior and the weird telescopic AC controls. I’ve always wished you’d do that car just out out that feature in your top quirks of the year 😆
I have a 2001 Avalon that is similar, and I love that this era of toyotas had flat door handles, and just like this camry it the design feels so simple and elegant that I almost feel like I'm driving a luxury saloon.
I am sorry but I disagree. This Camry is classical and will always be iconic in my view, but your 2001 Avalon (first gen models) was and continues to be one of the more uglier sedans that the Japanese sold in the US. I never got to drive one from that era. I suspect it drove really cushy, maybe better than this Camry, but I could never get over the “grandma’s car” look of the Avalon.
Retired Tech Here, Timely Oil Changes, And Timing Belt Service, Had Several Customers With 300k On Their Cars! Solid Value Here! Thanks For Your Report!
Love this car but I unfortunately wrecked it by accident in 2023 when I rear-ended a small truck, Thank god it was only at a low speed. We've owned that Red '93 Camry since I was 9, but the brakes became faulty maybe? Needed new brakes? Anyway yeah, we (my family and I) couldn't afford to fix it so we replaced it with a 2000 one.My dad still owns his '99 to this day! I love Camrys! This design I wouldn't call dull either. To anyone thinking that, they can stick their thoughts were their butts don't shine! The eff word to those guys!
Interesting to hear this from someone in their 30s. The 3rd and 4th generation Camry’s felt like a Lexus compared to contemporary Chevy Lumina, Ford Taurus, and Chrysler LX cars. You could also get the Camry with manual transmissions and V6
I'll agree the Camry rode like an ES300 bc that's it's sister car but not a GS or LS lol. The Taurus, GM midsized cars & LX cars all had very good riding suspensions too. The Taurus actually had a better ride & handling combination than it's bigger sister, the Lincoln Continental.
@@crabhab No lol You're entitled to your opinion, but that's just not true. Also keep in mind, there were always two sizes of midsized American cars to choose from, a large and small midsize car, whereas with Camry, you only had one choice in the middle of the midsized sedan size category. For example, Lumina/Malibu, Intrepid/Stratus, Taurus/Contour, Grand Prix/Grand Am etc.
I used to own a 1996 Toyota Camry XLE with a 4 cylinder engine. Got it from my parents in the year of 2000. It was the most reliable car I have ever owned. All I did was the basic maintenance and put gasoline in it. However, the 4 cylinder was extremely slow. I wanted to own the 1996 XLE V6 engine, which is the same engine as the Lexus Es 300. The V6 engine was extremely smooth, and good power. If I can find a 1996 Toyota camry XLE V6 with 5 speed manual, then I would consider it. The Toyota Camry overseas came with better options such as automatic climate control and power folding mirrors.
It is an OverDrive "OFF" button. A lot of brands did this.. Pushing button will turn it into a 3 speed. Really it's feature is just to prevent hunting between 3/4 if you're in a long hilly sections, or a speed where it's slightly annoying.
I bought and sold a lot of these at wholesale auctions in the late 90'S to mid 2000. Great car and if I would be in the US I would bid on it and most probably be the last bidder. Best wishes to the person who will get it. Great review from when life was normal.
Can we talk about the fact that the material quality of the back seat area was top notch? The doors have soft touch material from top to bottom and there’s fabric inserts on the door! Now days the backseat doors are all hard plastic! And even the front doors are only soft touch on the upper portion, today. The entire lower portion is hard plastic. Also, the trunk is lined with quality carpet! Now days they use cheapo carpet. And did anyone notice that the little storage compartment under the stereo is felt-lined???? Quality was not overlooked in the 90’s. These were common place features back then.
My grandparents on my dad's side had one of these for a brief period in between owning a Sentra of the generation that was sold in Mexico for so long as the Tsuru and a Maxima that my granddad drove until he willingly gave up the keys when he got too old to drive. I think this generation is starting to get cool because it represents a bygone era when you could get something like a Camry in wagon or coupe form, and there was also a super touring race car version which is very cool indeed. For all the talk about how boring the styling is, the design of the taillights has really started growing on me lately. When you see the touring car in full racing livery, you start to recognize the shared DNA with the ST205 Celica of the period. At least I did.
I love the reviews of typical daily 80s and 90s cars as much as all the exciting new crazy stuff. Always interesting to have that view of how much has changed
The 1997-2000 Camry was really good. It looked like a Peugeot 605. The only thing people like was the champagne colour. The SE had a firmer suspension. In modern times, the 2018, 2019, 2020 Camry LE was arguably excellent especially with 39mpg on the highway. The Camry and Accord of 90s replaced the Impala and LTD of the 1970's. I almost bought (new) a 2001 V6 Camry with a 5 speed manual. It was reasonably quick but I ended up buying a 2001 BMW 330i MSport with a manual. It was alot quicker and handled alot better and I still have it today.
My high school teacher still has this car to this day. Classic Green Pearl, well-maintained. Just gorgeous. And already have like 500,000 kilometres too. Only difference is that it's a Japan spec and it's a 98 model year
I was a 16 yo lot kid at at Toyota dealership during this era, when the 97's came out. The V6 was pretty solid and both the 96 and 97 redesign were super solid. I think their basic styling allowed them to age well, especially considering how out of date the Taurus looked after a few years. Whenever I see one of these old Camrys around town they always look pretty great, 28 years later! Well done Toyota.
@jamesb9780 is true, but It didn't age well at all.. if we are talking about a 1996, the only car that aged good , even a little (minus super luxury brands) would be a bmw 3 series.. even acura and honda & even a benz are aged like ish.. maybe.. just maybe a 1995 acura legend coupe would make the cut as well.. maybe ...
This exact model year, trim, and color was what I had for my first car! It got up to 280,000 miles and I sold it on, surely is still roaming the streets.
I feel the same way about the VW Golf, Mk IV and MkIII. Most parents in Europe drove some of those (when I was in school, they were 10-20 years old) and even the poorer people were able to afford those. The TDI engines needed very little maintainance and I believe many european guys have their first time wrenching on a car on some VW of that era, fixing some typical issue - fallen down windows, weird electric issues. Even tho my dad abused the Golf a lot with a trailer, it never left us stranded and was always there. I learned driving stick on it and will never forget all the memories we had with it. Also, these engines were wayyyy faster than anything sensible from that time. If some european guy buys a first car, it used to always be a TDI, because they were super cheap (not any more), very reliable and good on gas and insurance. TDI is what made diesel so popular in europe. My first own car was an Audi A4 1997 TDI with quattro, I loved to do hoons in that thing.
In Australia there was no beige colour offered on this Camry. This model was sold here from 1993-1997, and the majority sold lacked power windows. A sunroof was never offered at all.
I worked at a Toyota dealer's bodyshop when these were current.... every second car through the shop was a gold Camry like this one. I think I'm having a "Shining" moment here....
This generation of Camry is severely under appreciated. It’s not the fastest nor the most exciting car to drive, but it’s reliable to the end. Compared to newer cars they are relatively fun to drive in my opinion. They are slowly disappearing from the roads due to the age, as the oldest are 33 years old. They are simple, easy to maintain, and a relic of when cars were built to last. Yes they do have their known flaws, like EGR valves that fail prematurely, they tend to leak oil, and the ECM tends to fail, but they all are fairly easy to repair due to the fact so many were made. These cars are the Chevy Bel Air for Millennials and Gen Z. I hope to see these cars as future classics, and not get forgotten to time.
My mother had a 88,92 and 97 and she love the heck out of those cars I even got my drivers license the 92 I don’t think I should’ve got rid of that car because it never let me down except one time when the distributor failed but that was it.
I have some great aunts who bought and only drove Toyotas. One of them bought a brand new Camry from the this generation. Another one bought a Corolla from that time period, and the other bought a third generation 4Runner. Every single one of those Toyotas are still their daily drivers, even today.
Greetings from good old Germany! Our 1987 Camry 2.0 GLi with its 3S-FE engine and 5-speed manual transmission still runs without any problems since then. The 3rd and 4th generation I loved to drive too, but the 2nd generation is my favourite.
It was Thanksgiving 2000 when our 1986 Chevrolet Nova (actually a re-badged Corolla) blew its timing belt en route to our grandparents and shredded the engine the day after its 120K checkup (the shop forgot to replace it, which should be done every 60K). After a short adventure with a rental Grand Cherokee ("Oh wow, this thing's huge! I can barely climb into it!" said 11-year old me) (it was the last rental car in Port Chester, NY), we got a new car. It was a gloriously red 2001 MY Camry LE. Coming from no power windows, locks, CD, AC, intermittent wipers, airbags, or anything, it was like riding a limousine. We kept that thing for 18 years. But finally, the punishment of teaching two maniacs how to drive, with the resulting damage, and the rust that it let in, sent the car into a slightly precarious state. Even though we barely had 200K on it, we decided to jump while we still had some re-sale, and before anything risky might happen. Our 2018 Camry is black, and damned if that infotainment isn't way too complex for this 34-year old geezer (I should really pair the Iphone whatsit to the thing at some point). But still, no matter how much I miss the old car, I wouldn't go back. The hills in our area make the hybrid system a god-send. All I have to do is ride the re-gen down hill. Its a LOT easier than worrying about wear and tear on the brakes.
One quirk of the Camry Station Wagon was that it had two wipers for the tailgate. I don't think I ever saw another auto maker do that. The Camry Station Wagon is kinda cool. Also, good examples of it can still get 6-8k. I used to have a 1997 Camry as a beater. It had numerous issues, but it just would not die. Amazing car. Decently comfortable, too.
My dad had a '93, he bought for about $1,400 in 2015...it had konig monsoon 5 spoke rims, a performance air filter on it's I-4 engine, optional trunk light bar, tinted windows, and front strut crossbars a previous owner had installed...sadly, the brakes were shot and locked up on me while driving it irresponsibly and it spun around, stripping the transmission where the CV axles go in, and ripping 1 tire. Sad to see it scrapped, it had barely any rust-amazing for an Iowa car. Still have the rims if anyone is interested, and the optional gold plated Toyota and trim badges I removed at the salvage yard. I really miss that car, it would have lasted my dad a decade more if I hadn't been driving emotionally (Burger King forgot my fries with my meal, and I rushed back while on my lunch break, nearly killed someone who narrowly avoided me as I spun about 720° at 45mph. Those low profile tires really made it handle generally good though, but they were bald and the worn out brake pad fused to the rotor causing the lock-up. 🤦🏼 Yeah, I was an idiot... I'll admit. One of the stupidest things I ever done, the fries weren't worth it. Even the look on the girl's face running the cash register when I barged in demanding my fries wasn't worth it. The guy who avoided me was pissed, I'm pretty sure he was about to kill me, he had a young child with him in his car. Lesson here, don't let your emotions drive your vehicle, I got lucky nobody was hurt. 🤦🏼
I had one of these and I loved it. First car I owned. They’re well built and will last forever if you take care of it. I drove mine up to 170k miles and it still looked brand new. Sold it to a friend who put another 100k miles on it.
I had a friend back in high school that that same body style Camry and at that time it had 400,000 miles on it, that car ran very well and was still getting she said about 34 miles a gallon
I had one, same color, same year, same powertrain, same trim (wagon, though)! Awesome car, great to drive, reliable indeed! Finally decided to hedge my bets and sell it at 180k miles. Great memories! A car for someone that needs nothing more than transportation!
Absolutely INSANE seeing a Camry in this good of shape. 19K miles on it is so low! And here I thought me buying my 2002 Camry with 86K miles on it was low. I still own that car, and I've considered selling it to get a GR86...but man this thing has been with me through thick and thin. I'd hate to abandon it.
My grandmother had a 94 4 cylinder in emerald pearl, my dad had an exact color/year with a 6 cylinder. My dad's car was trashed by vandals and my grandmother gave him her 4 cylinder and she bought a 95-white model with the 4 cylinder. My pop had a 96 emerald pearl corolla stick which was handed to my parents. and in 2021 when he broke his back he gave me his 2010 classic silver corolla with a 5 speed stick. love the car to death. Recently crashed it and rebuilt the front end. I Shall cherish my 2010 till it rots out.
Forgot to mention the trunk pass through that added more versatility for cargo. I bought one of these from the original owner with 270k kilometers. I drove it daily for 7 years and it made the move with us from Ontario Canada to Orlando. I currently drive a 2011 Camry and if I were shopping for another car I’d be bidding on this. I think the 1996 was easier to work on. Great cars.
I drive that same model but has really nice leather, it takes away the dullness alittle lol,drives good in the snow and has been reliable over the time ive had it
You should make a Cars and Bids video about all the enthusiast vehicles you have not sold on the site. The Bronco Sport comes to mind -- it's Doug score was 55,, but not a single one has ever been offered on Cars and Bids.
As a Brit when i see cars like the Toyota camry it always reminds me of US shows from the 90s as these were the cars you saw plus other similar shaped ones! Regards design id say the rear of the camry where the roof line drops down to the boot is the only nice looking bit of it
I honestly really LOVE the body style. It is seriously so good. Idk why but i have always loved this generation the best. It really looks beefy/like a tough car to me
My "family car" when I was a kid was a 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix SE. It was definitely "riskier" with the styling than this, and have a much cooler interior. Had it for 10 years before it was passed out to my sister, then sold when she got a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. Never had any issues with it other than buttons for climate control popping off (you just stuck them back on) and it made a loud noise when you turned the heat or AC on full blast. It also had the power antenna too lol
Hi Doug. Well, this is exactly that. a reliable, practical family vehicle. nothing more, nothing less. yes, it is slow and simple but today, a similar car, let´s say a VW Passat, it´s way better but with today´s tech, to mantain the car is far far more expensive. With a Camry or similar, you actually could just forget about the car for a long long time between services and just use it for thousands of kilometres without even thinking about the damm thing, and that my friend is the real success of a vehicle, and cars like this are amazing because of that. they work just fine even for decades without a simple serious issue. Well done Toyota.
I love shouting at the top of my lungs how many different cars are available on cars and bids using the same emphasis and enunciation as the great Doug DeMuro
My dad had a 1992 Toyota Camry that was purchased when it was new. The color was white and it had a car phone that came with the vehicle. It was a decent car and he had it for a while before trading it in around 2004 for a maroon Chevrolet Trailblazer. We would get another Camry for my mom which was a 2007 that was tan, but we had it for a year or two before trading it in for 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT in Polo Green.
9098 Camry with the highest trim level and leather, upholstery, etc. and a V6 engine. It’s a damn nice car if I had to buy an Asian car it would be it.
My dad had one bought it brand new in 1995 had the 4 cylinder, thing was bullet proof. Gave it to my big brother in 2003, then my big bro gave it to me in 2006. Regret selling it but it was bullet proof, it had 380k miles when I sold it. All on the original transmission and engine. Wonder sometimes what part of the world that car maybe in now.
My daily driver is this same car ! except mine was built in japan, got it at 40k miles now has 67k miles , bought mine for 3k out the door around 4 years ago. knock on wood it still has the original radiator, starter, alternator etc ! it had a capacitor or something get corroded in the ECU though.
Actually, "overdrive" is the 4th gear. Check it out, just turn off overdrive and count the shifts. Only three, OD is four. I inherited my dad's '99 XLE "gold pkg", 65k mi. Strange combination to have s fully optioned XLE with a 4 banger. Great car, it will be my second car and driven often for the rest of my life, I'm 63. You take care of this generation of Toyota's and they will run forever!
I had 92ym Toyota Camry 2.2 4 cylinder 130hp. It had 480tkm driven and it left to Afrika after my ownership. Reliable car but age did its job for it at the end.
I honestly dont understand why so many are ragging on the looks of this car. The reality is, all cars of this generation/era looked incredibly generic. You cant tell me that a 1996/97 Ford Taurus or Chevy Malibu looked any better. I'd actually say that the Camry and the Honda were easily the better looking vehicles on the road during this time. The only reason why we think it looks generic now is because of its ubiquity.
I could be wrong, but I think it was for this chassis and generation, but Toyota issued a statement because these things were so reliable that they would refuse to honor certain warranty things because these cars were on the road forever
I had a '99 Camry. I hated it so much but it just recently died and I am so happy. It died after 130k miles and super well maintenance. I replaced it with a '24 CR-V hybrid
For those who hung to them, it's not past tense. The 90's Camry IS popular, basic, RELIABLE family transport. While its erstwhile competitors are mostly now rusting in junkyards with failed engines, the Camry soldiers on.
I had a Ford Taurus in the '90's. Lagging transmission, went through a couple of radiators and water pumps, underwhelming at best. I wish I had gotten a Camry back then. Much more reliable. I will take boring Camry any day over a shoddy Taurus.
What I think is interesting is the expectations of consumers and reviewers in kind. This basic camry became the best seller, but now people lose their minds if a back seat doesn't have every feature on the planet, while people bemoan about ever increasing prices. People want everything for nothing and can't have just An Car.
