Toyota Camry: A Smooth Ride

I don't own a Camry. I have a cute little Mazda MX-3 that I adore. Unfortunately, I wrecked said Mazda a while back, in a little town out in the middle of no where in Ohio. My poor little Mazda had to be left behind to be repaired. My parents live not far from that area and let me take their 1999 Camry back to Kentucky to drive while mine was being fixed. I had it for about two weeks before I had to reluctantly hand over the keys.

I'm not going to claim to be an expert in the area of car buying or mechanics or any of those technical things. Instead, my review will be based on some of the things I think are important in a car.

The Toyota Camry comes in three models, the CE, the LE, and the XLE. The CE model is the least expensive, and the XLE is the most expensive. My parents chose the XLE model after driving the different Camrys as well as the Honda Accord and several SUVs. They preferred its ride over all others. They've been very pleased with this purchase so far. This was their first Toyota, and they even bought another, a Toyota truck, a year later because of their experience.

Plus, the Camry is made in Georgetown, Kentucky, a small town not far from where I live. We are supporting the local economy, right?

Interior and Exterior

The design of the Camry is very sleek. It's streamlined and sporty looking, especially for a four door car. You can get a spoiler as an option, but this is not on my parents car.

The Camry comes in a variety of colors that would suit anyone, from white to black to blue to green. My parents' car is a pretty champaigne beige. The finish is shiny and bright.

The interior is also nice. The cloth interior is standard, but my parents chose a beige leather interior. The leather is soft and supple. It's very comfortable to sit on.

The interior is also very roomy. Our family of four adults (although my Mom and I are both really petite) drove on vacation together this summer, and we were all very comfortable. My Dad and brother rode in the front, and my Mom and I rode in the back.

Safety features include side impact airbags and day running lights. One neat feature with the lights is that, at least on the XLE model, they turn themselves on when necessary and go off automatically. This may not be the most high tech thing for seasoned car owners, but I thought it was pretty cool. :) It comes standard with a CD player.

And of course, the all important cup holders...2 in the front, and 2 in the back!

Performance

The first thing I noticed when riding in the Camry was how quiet the car is. My own car is kind of loud. When my father turned the key, I was shocked that it had even started. It makes for an easy ride, especially when you are going a long distance. The ride is also very smooth. In fact, I think it's the smoothest car I have ever ridden in.

The LE and XLE models come in a 4 or 6 cylinder engine. It shocked us when my Dad got a 4 cylinder, but they are very pleased with that. It has a lot of pick up and moves quickly enough for the driving they do in it. The engine is 2.2L, whatever that means! :)

As far as gas mileage...the website says 23 city, 30 highway. I didn't really pay much attention, but I remember driving it on a four hour trip back to my home without having to stop for gas until later on the next day. That didn't seem too bad to me.

Their car is only about a year and a half old, so reliability has not become an issue yet. However, before, they drove a Chevrolet and had so many problems with that within the first year. Their Camry is way ahead of that at this point. :) They had one minor problem with the leather part on the back of the seat pulling away, but the dealer fixed it quickly and without cost to them.

So far, they've been so pleased with their Camry, and I enjoyed driving it so much that I may also look into one. I need a new car, and this would be perfect for my job that requires driving a couple of times a week to attend hearings. It's so comfortable that these 6am trips would be a joy. Well, maybe not a JOY, but you get what I mean :)