Quiet; excellent fit and finish; excellent fuel mileage under any circumstances (typically 31-33 mpg at high speeds on highway (with 4-cylinder and auto); decent interior comfort and space; problems rare and minor; easy to maintain in home garage; decent acceleration for engine size; easy to handle and park--a great city car.

Standard tires were awful--wore out quickly and made snow or rain handling uncomfortable. Why do they do this on such a fine car? Replaced with good all-weather tires and it was almost like getting a new car. Abominable radio--replaced by Toyota twice to no avail, but I also tried top-of-the-line of 7 different different brands of radios, several antenna variations, an FM booster, and an interference filter, but nothing helped. My Mercury's radio does just fine in the same listening areas. Winter handling is still a bit iffy, but we have neither traction control nor ABS. I'd recommend both those options. Suspect the rear end is just a bit light and tends to stray.

Got a good discount ($4000 off MSRP). This car is almost seven years old and still looks new both inside and out. We take good care of it, but it is very easy to maintain. Muffler and battery, for example, are originals and still functioning well. If only they'd provide better tires and a full-sized spare. I got a Mercury van because it suited my needs better than the Toyota Previa (which I drove at work--it was grossly underpowered and expensive), but generally, Toyota is the first place I look for a vehicle.

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Second Camry and fifth Toyota for our family (son just bought 6th). The economy, freedom from trouble and durability are hard to argue against. I'd get the six-cylinder in a new one. A great small-family car, and resale has been fantastic on all our Toyotas (we got full asking price from the first looker with each one.) A short-lived affair with the 1990 Mazda 626 ended with an intractible auto transmission that floated shift points maddeningly.

reliable, has some nice design...

bad handling, under power engine, unconfortable seats, rear view mirror not foldable, 60/40 split fold down space is too small for real useage, ABS locks up all the time

It is a rantal car, till today, I have had little more than 4 weeks of behind the wheel experience with one of the most beloved cars... all I can come up with is "this car sucks"! It is solely a people transporter or some might say a boat to drive, no fun to speak of when driving. Yet, this boat is indistructable. Several times I tried to put the car in reverse when the car is coasting at 45MPH, the boat shakes as if it is going to fall apart while deacclerating but afterwards it still runs (although the car sounds a little louder than before...I think). I tried to run the starter while the engine is running, nothing happens. I runed the car with over-drive off all the time and I usually keep the engine rpm above 4K to get good power out of the car while keeping the gears low, even in cold start (so I can have the heater kick in faster). I have had about 250 miles on this car. I cannot say the car runs the same as when it was assigned to me... but hey, it runs and takes abuse, that's good enough... before this experience I never felt confortable suggesting people to get Japanese cars; I guess from now on I won't mind suggesting people to get it for the reliability sake, but I will never purchase something so boring...

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NONE in this price range

Velvet ride usually found on pricey luxury cars, the smoothest 4cyl on the market, adequate power, great look(I must be the only one out there who thinks so!) frugal on gas, rock solid reliability (best in world) and great resale value.

So-so handling, a little short on gadgets, no seat height adjustment and should come with 15" wheels.

Would absolutely recommend this car to everyone, when I'm driving it around, I feel almost regal because of its' poise and fluid ride!

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1993 Altima

Smooth, quiet ride, easy maintenance.
Good brakes

Over-soft suspension. Low bottom
Horrible dealers

I bought my Camry brand new in 97. Now it has 32K miles on it and still runs like new. The only maintenance I did so far were 4 oil changes. (I did the last 2 myself, after I figured it was SO easy.)

On the plus side, the car has nearly everything one needs from a family car: adequate room for 5 adults, enough power for non race-track usage, quiet ride comparable with entry level luxury cars, and, most important to me, unbeatable reliability.

On the minus side, Toyota dealers are scary. They are pushy and arrogant. The car's suspension is too soft that hard cornering can be a dangerous experience. With "help" of low bottom, this softness also makes the car vulnerable to dips.

I am a little regretful that I didn't get a V6 model. Compared with the 4-cylinder version, it worthes every penny for the extra $2,400. It has stiffer suspension, better wheels (15" vs 14"), stronger rear brakes (disc vs drum), 200hp V6 engine, plus an intelligent auto transmission. When I drove my friends V6 I could easily forget that I was driving a family sedan.

All in all, this #1 selling car lives to its name. I would definitely recommend it to family car users. Get a V6, so you won't "regret" like me.

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Toyota Tercel, Mazada 626, Nissan Sentra

We have a basic model with a 4 cylinder engine. We find even with the car loaded with 4 people and baggage there is plenty of power. The car feels right, the finish is good and it behaves nicely. The controls seem to be in just the right places. I find the seats comfortable. We travel quite a bit on weekends to the ski hill, at the end of 3 hours driving I don't feel too fatigued or cramped to ski.

This car is too low! We have a steep driveway and we bottom out where the driveway meets the road and at the top where it levels out into our garage. Often when parking head in the scoop under the front bumper scrapes.

This is a really nice car except for the bottoming out problem. This problem may sound trivial, but I am considering trading the car because of this. It's aggravating.

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87 Nissan Stanza
86 Pontic

Runs smoothly and quietly. Car has adequate power with
4 cylinder engine. Amenities are adequate. Price is good.

Car bottoms out WAY too easily. CE has 14" wheels. I noticed
Toyota has upgraded LE to 15" and XLE to 16" wheels, so I
suspect this is a common complaint.
I just got the car, so I don't know if I should change the
wheels, or modify our driveway.
I think this is a problem Toyota should have addressed more
fundamentally than simply adding bigger wheels on the more
expensive grades.

I like the car except for the bottoming out problem.
We got a "loss leader" for $14969.00

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1990 Camry

Aweseom reliability
Maintenance costs are extremely low.
Awesome fuel efficiency (~30mi/gal)
Quiet engine at stand-still and high-speed
Car drives comfortably at speeds above 80mph for 3-4hrs straight. No sense of engine strain.
Oil/filter changing is easy and quick. I do it myself under 15 minutes.

Handling is not good compared to my other car (BMW 3-series). Quick turns at high speeds can cause you to drive out of control into a potential accident.
Uncomfortable seating for long drives compared to a Volvo 850 GLT. However, a little worse than a BMW 3-series.
Brakes are poor, again compared to my BMW and Volvo.

I would definitly purchase a Camry again for the reasons listed above in the strengths column. However, I may reconsider for a 6cyl for its better handling.
My wife drives this car every day at distances less than 3 miles, and there has been no problems. And she drives it hard, almost like a NY taxi driver. :)
However, I need a bigger auto that have the same strengths as a Camry.

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(1996)Volvo 850 GLT
(1986)BMW 3-series
(1983)Honda Accord

quiet/smooth ride, solid body structure, smooth automatic transmission

door panel squeaks(not solved by dealer!), small & narrow
tires, weak engine

Price/performance wise, I would not recommend this car.
For the same class, go for the Honda Accord - cheaper by $1000, stunning looks, and awesome engine.
Or if you want a smooth ride, go for a Volkswagen Passat.
Something quiet? Upgrade to a Lexus ES300/Infinity I30.
Nissan Maxima - sorry, can't live with its look.

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Toyota Avalon, Honda Accord, Nissan Maxima

Acceleration, Ride

Handling, Stereo, Features

This is a family car. Meant to move the family from home to the store or from home to granmas, 4 hours away. The highway ride is excellent, road manners in general are good. Avoid the sharp turns, though. This car has a handling limit well below anything I've ever driven. The acceleration with a manual and the V6 is outstanding. It's fun dragging with Integras and Eclipses in this boat. Don't llok for much in the way of amenities though. This car has the basics and nothing more. The stereo is weak, the heating and ac are average, and the seats have almost no lateral support, though they are comfortable for trips. The brakes are excellent with ABS. The styling is very bland, and the rear spoiler only makes it worse. The trunk is cavernous, interior room throughout is ample. All in all, a reliable, well built family hauler with some added muscle.

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Honda Accord

Reliable, low maintenance car, good resale value

Not as comfortable as some American cars, CD not that good

Great value for money, Good resale value, Reliable and low maintenance