2005 Toyota CAMRY, a winner for all

No Vehicle would appeal to everyone but the TOYOTA CAMRY is a crowd-pleaser. It is quiet, comfortable, nimble, and affordable. I see them everywhere. After six months of driving this one, a used 2005 LE Model, and many test drives of others, I really like it and look forward to being in it whenever I can find an excuse. I only regret that the local Toyota dealer kept up a campaign of Bait & Switch whenever I was looking for anything advertised or used. So, it came to pass that a good friend of mine happens to own a used one and she lets me drive it. I, too, had considered buying this exact model from Enterprise but I simply did not want to have to finance it.

The Toyota Camry is so well executed that many survivors of the car dealer wars find the Toyota to be the ideal buy. There is not much to add to a vehicle that, year after year, delivers almost anything a buyer could want without those endless options Detroit historically has tacked on just for you. With the Camry, Toyota has created a hit with mass appeal to a very large market segment. By being ready to deliver your selected car out the door, purchasing is simplified to trivial details such as color, engine size and entertainment. Your task consists mostly of simply finding the one you think you want. And, of course, pricing and financing. For those of us who think of the hidden costs of ownership, most of the problems that contribute to our collective angst have been addressed. Let us look at what changes have been made to ease the buyers burdens:

Fuel: This Camry runs on 87 Octane Gasoline; which is usually the least expensive grade. This fuel is readily obtainable. The best part is the low quantity needed to travel from point-to-point. Since this Camry leads a sheltered life in or near the Napa Valley, typical driving is a mix of about 20% Highway and 80% Street. Mileage is fairly constant at about 28 MPG. Although prices fluctuate widely in this area, the fuel budget is based on about 10 Cents per mile. These numbers result from Eggshell pressure on the pedal 99% of the time.
The 1991 4 Cylinder Camry Sedan I drove until it was wrecked in 1998 would turn in mileage of more than 30 MPG so the 2005 design is slightly less efficient.

Insurance: Current Policy costs the owner $611.00 per year. At an average rate of 8,500 miles per year, the cost per mile is about 7.2 Cents per mile.

Maintenance: Examining the first 30,000 miles as if new, there should have been 4 each 7,500 mile and was one 30,000 mile maintenance interval. The 7,500 mile Check costs about $100 at the local dealer. The recent 30,000 mile Check cost $442.00; including a charge to repair a slow leak tire. That The original tires are worn out and would cost about $500 to replace. Thus, the estimated cost to the owner for 30,000 miles of driving would have been about $1,250 or 4.2 Cents per mile.

Total Major Operating Costs: $6,420 or 21.40 Cents per mile

Of course, an owner can postpone all maintenance and pass it along to the next buyer. That is a gamble that depends upon the astuteness of the buyer. Everything saved in that fashion may be lost in a foregone resale price.

REPUTATION and some INSIGHT

Contrasting with the hard facts above, SUBJECTIVE characteristics vary with every person. What is important to one is irrelevant to another owner. One only needs to look over the other two dozen reviews of the 2005 Camry to see the truth in these premises.

Reliability Is Best - I have driven several cars in my short life and all of them have been a burden on the pocketbook. I had a 1991 Camry 4 cylinder once upon a time. It was garaged in a backwoods town in the Sierra Western Slope. I became great friends with a couple of local mechanics. It was lost in a single car crash into a narrow ravine, the life of the driver was saved by the structural integrity of the car. It was an economic calamity because that 1991 Camry went 32 to 35 mpg! Fuel cost less than half what it is today! But I earned about the same then as my retirement pensions pay me today. It would take a while but I could rank my former prizes by pride and by cost. I guarantee that the results would differ considerable. And, I am ashamed to relate what brands I drove.

Resale Value is High. A claim that is difficult to quantify. The Kelley Blue Book says so and so do sales persons and celebrities; so it must be true. I have studied the resale values of several vehicles and have observed the effects on prices of high average miles driven, where driven, condition, and model. I would rather say that there is a very lively effective resale market for the 2005 Camry.

Styling is Lame! Whaaaaaaat? This car is sleek but so are most others in its class. It is so low, in fact, that I bang my head on the window frame if I am not careful when entering the drivers cockpit. The safest method by far is the Butt First Feet Last entry. I noted someone was unhappy with the earlier Camry rear light shapes; that the new Circular Layouts were overwhelmingly more appealing. I can only comment that circular tail lights are found on giant trucks and many other vehicles. My Dad drove a 1935 Buick Straight Eight that had a round tail light. It happens that the Camry headlights are round with a surprising feature: The low beam light pattern is flattened out to a point about 10 feet off the pavement. So, distant drivers do not have to endure the higher beam pattern when approaching me. High beam, on the other hand, is dazzling and should be used with respect for the other drivers.

The Car Is Not Exciting, Is Slow Off the Blocks, and Cannot Get Out of its Own Way. Of course it is all of these things. I find that the 2005 Camry NEVER passes another car but I observe the Speed Limits. Nuff Said. Pacing some of those other cars is VERY exciting. I had no trouble cruising with the Big Dogs because the Camry 4 cylinder is pretty competent on the straightaway. The Interstate between Napa and Sacramento, a distance of some 55 miles, is nice and wide and smooth. The speed limit is 65 mph but the actual velocity observed can be as high (or as LOW, depending upon ones viewpoint) as 85 mph the 2005 Camry speedometer tops out at 140 mph, implying a seemingly wasted 75 mph void in performance. A couple of weeks ago, I encountered 5 vehicles that had only touched each other at high speeds but 4 had burst into flames 4 dead. Imagine that kind of gamble and the inconvenience to the other travelers the Interstate was closed for hours. Then, there are the organ donors who love to surprise everyone and drive motorcycles through the gaps. At 85 mph, distances covered are about 125 Feet per SECOND. Now that is exciting. Fuel efficiency is affected adversely by high speeds but that does not seem to bother anyone. But some of those drivers yell at the pump and that unfairly translates into a discredit of the Camry and many other cars.

BUY AMERICAN! Some people are still afflicted by Patriotic Impulses and Guilt. The Toyota Camry is assembled in Kentucky, U.S.A.; using Genuine parts. A certain percentage of those parts may be of foreign origin but there are considerable duties charged if a completed vehicle is imported. In essence, this is a Foreign Car built in America.

DESCRIPTION

2005 Toyota Camry LE
4 Door Sedan with belts for 5 Passenger Capacity; 2 Front Bucket, 3 Rear Bench
Built 12/04 Toyota Manufacturing of Kentucky, Inc.
First owner Hertz Auto Rental
Purchased Used March 2, 2006
Odometer reading at purchase: 24,470 miles
Advertised Price: $15,995 Price Paid: $16,983 Cash

Current Odometer Reading: 31,496 Miles on January 17, 2007

FEATURES
Power Steering, Brakes, Windows, Driver Seat, Side Mirrors, Door Locks (4).
5 Speed Automatic Transmission with overdrive.
Anti-Lock Brakes (4)
Tilt Steering Wheel
Air Conditioning.
Cruise Control
Theft Deterrent Door Locks and Engine Immobilizer
Remote wireless entry keys with panic button
Stereo AM-FM Radio with CD Player. (Some models have Audio Cassette players)
Seating: Front Bucket, Driver Side Electric Controls, Front Passenger seat can be reclined and moved front to rear (manual). Rear Bench Fixed, 60/40 split, fold-down cushions with folding center arm rest (with cup holders) Vinyl seat covers, matching Vinyl upholstery.

The design center has provided generous storage areas in all 4 doors, seatback map pockets, dash & console storage cubby holes. Generous supply of ashtrays.

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: Length 15.77 feet, width 5.9 feet, Height 4.9 feet (Unladen)
Wheelbase: 8.9 ft or 107.1 in
Capacity: 900 pounds (Occupants Luggage)
Towing Capacity: 2,000 pounds (no hitch on this car)
GAWR 4,200 Lb Payload (Passengers and Cargo) 900 Lb Max

ENGINE
Model: 2AZ-FE 4 Cylinder, in-line, 4 cycle, Gasoline (V-6 Available)
Bore: 3.48 Stroke: 3.78 Displacement: 144.1 Cubic Inches.
Transverse Mounted
Fuel: 87 Octane Rating, Unleaded Gasoline.
Fuel Tank Capacity: 15.4 Gallons (18.5 L)
Motor Oil: 4.0 USA Qts, API SL, Energy-Conserving or ILSAC Multigrade 5W-30
Liquid Cooled, various specs, (check availability before changing)
12 Volt nominal electrical system
TIRES Continental P205/65R15 - Inflation 29 psi
Spare: Full size, same size.
Note: Toyota lists two other tire sizes: P215/60R16 and P215/55R17
Both require different rims and are specified for the XLE Models
Check with a service center or reputable dealer before Upgrading
Cargo Space includes Spare, Wrench/Handle and Scissor Jack

ENGINE HORSEPOWER RATING
I could not find horsepower ratings in the Owners Manual, so I Googled it and found a very informative site:

http://www.internetautoguide.com/reviews/45-int/midsize-cars/toyota/camry/2005/index.html

That site is a review of Toyota Camry/Solara ; which provided the interesting fact that the California version of one of the Engines is rated at 151 Horsepower, not the 160 HP mentioned elsewhere. I have driven Nevada Camrys several times in the last couple of years and cannot say I noticed any difference in performance. Perhaps because owners can criss-cross State Borders at will, the exact horsepower is not emphasized except in sales brochures. For the record, the California number is at 5,600 RPM.

MAINTENANCE

Emphasized repeatedly as the responsibility of the owner. Although it appeared that the car was in very good condition, Seller did not disclose specifics nor was the Maintenance Manual provided. The local Toyota Dealer provided a schedule that showed recommended intervals of 7,500 miles. The seller has a reputation of taking good care of their fleet.

Experiences: On September 6, 2006, with 28,809 miles on the odometer, the car was taken to the local Toyota Dealer for a 30,000 mile service. Costs:
30,000 mile service: $336.08
Wash Vehicle: 0 (Drying not included, Glass spots were)
Repair One Flat Tire. 25.00 (Had been looking low)
Install Cabin Air Filter 32.40
Air Refiner (?) 33.75
Other (Labor) 66.15
EPA Disposal 6.22
Total $442.83

All four tires on the ground are starting to show the wear bars.
Replacements cost about $125 each or $475 installed (Les Schwab)

PERFORMANCE

INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER

Dials are printed white on a black background pleasant and easy to read.
Major Instruments Gauges, Left to right:
Engine Coolant Temperature, Tachometer, Speedometer, Fuel
Associated Warning Lights Seventeen (17) arranged all over the edge lighted panel.
Some lights are for entertainment (Door Ajar), others are meant to chill the blood (Check Engine) and they do.
A vertical set of lights on the right hand side of the Tachometer shows the position of the transmission shifter handle (P, R, N, D, 3, 2 -- L) . The Status of the turn signal stalk is presented by the usual Green Arrows, TDC (Top Dead Center)
A rectangular digital Odometer is located in the lower RH portion of the Speedometer. A reset knob is just to the left. This device records total overall distance, Trip A and Trip B. The knob allows toggling from one to the other.

Handling: Very smooth on the curves.

COMMENTS / OBSERVATIONS

This Camry had been driven as a rental, in the San Jose Airport region, a distance of more than 24,470 miles in the roughly 14 months between construction in Kentucky and resale in California. This cumulative, multi-driver usage implies almost 1,750 miles per month or 21,000 per year. Any observer at any airport will probably remember witnessing virtually reckless driving by employees in the rental car staging areas.

The difference between advertised and purchase prices was due to:
Sales Tax: $1,216.36 (8.25%)
Administrative Fees: 247.71 (1.58%)

Trunk length front to rear is 72 folded down, rear seats reveal a 35 in wide by 12 in vertical elongated opening through to the passenger compartment a user might be able to insert a 2 by 4 by 8ft board but it would interfere with the transmission shifter. 6 ft max cargo length recommended by this user.*

The Front Passenger Seat has little or no sideways restraints. This vehicle operates and maneuvers very well on a twisting road but passenger comfort will be nil after fatigue sets in from prolonged travel.

Due to the very low profile of the chassis and the relatively high seat surface, especially when the driver side seat is raised, I am only able to aim with my posterior, while folding meself into the flex position. The penalty for simply stepping in is a sharp rap on the skull (left side) by the window frame as I rebound from the seat cushion. Actually, I have learned how to step in; taking care not to do it too quickly.

GLASS: All four windows can be lowered below the sills which is a very nice feature.

This Camry was taken to the local Toyota Dealer for a 30,000 mile maintenance check. This is one of the BIG maintenance intervals. Cost: $417.83 or $0.096 per mile. The amount was a heart stopper and elicited threats from the owner. It turns out that the cost is quite reasonable.
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Footnotes:
*By comparison, my Ford Ranger Extra Cab has a 6 ft long cargo bed.

Last Fall, I wanted to move the Camry down the hill to a place safe from a threatening nearby wildfire. When I was ready to go, the Camry was not. I had left the so-called "Automatic" headlight control on Manual On instead of Auto Off - I discovered this goof after three days and that battery was DEAD! Mea Culpa but it could have been fatal. Be cautioned. (The winds shifted and spared the house.)
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Most recently, I have had trouble remembering how to use the Cruise or Speed Control. It is not intuitive. One needs to study it while parked and engine shut off.
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