Camry? Camry Camry Camry.

"RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire" (ricerocketeer2) 02/24/2014 at 21:25 • Filed to: None

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I picked up my friend's well-maintained 4-banger auto Camry a few days ago. It has summer tires, stiffer/lower suspension, and a TRD muffler, but it's still a rolling pile of beige. I don't hate it, I think. Ramblings below.

Driving impressions: it's entirely normal. Quiet, comfy, good visibility, decent turning radius. The steering and throttle response are slow and mushy, but that makes the car more sedate to drive. I suppose I'm responsible for maintaining it now but I'm doing so for the sake of the primary driver (hi wifey!) and not the car. I don't hate it ... but I don't care much for it either.

To make space for the Camry, my RSX is going into storage. It's loud, stiff, and the turning radius is a joke. I've tried to hate the car for its faults and logically, I really should sell it.

I can't. And I won't. For all the same reasons my dog won't give up the sock that he chewed up. It's mine, dammit. It's got special ricer bits that cost way too much and were hard to find, it makes rude noises in public, and driving it makes me happy.

Anyway, wifey has requested navigation, a backup camera, and a higher ride height. If anyone in SoCal wants to trade their stock Camry springs for a set of Tein S-Techs, lemme know.

Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire 02/24/2014 at 21:35

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As much as the Internet loves to hate on Camries, they're really just cars in the truest sense of the word: a metal box on four wheels that moves. I've driven a 2003 (?) and it's not terrible at all, just horrifically boring. If it were a word it would be "meh."

Boxer_4 > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire 02/24/2014 at 21:48

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Based on the Motormax model, I'm guessing you got a 4th gen. If you don't, well...

We had one for 13 years, and overall it was a good vehicle. It wasn't the sportiest thing in the world, but it made up for it in longevity and reliability. The 5S-FE is a pretty resilient engine, too. It's a non-interference engine, so there are really no concerns about being timely with the timing belt replacement. The only issue we had was a valve cover gasket leak at 120,000 miles, due to the angle at which the engine sits.

As for the springs, depending on how many miles are on the struts, it might just make more sense to go ahead and replace them. The struts on that generation Camry tend to wear out every ~90,000 miles, and probably sooner if they are on there with lowering springs. We went with Monroe Quick Struts on ours, and had no complaints. The ride was firmer and the handling was stiffer. The car also sat a good 0.5" higher than stock, which was nice, because this generation Camry has some ground clearance issues stock.

Boxer_4 > Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him 02/24/2014 at 21:51

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The fifth generation (2002-2006) was a big step down in driver enjoyment. The third generation (1992-1997) was great, and the fourth generation (1997-2001) was still pretty good.

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Boxer_4 02/24/2014 at 22:45

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Yep, 4th gen. Same color as the Motormax model, and the aftermarket 17" wheels almost look the same size relative to the body. My friend had it for 14 years and maintained it well.

Like yours, his struts went and he got a set of Tokicos to replace them, and he also did the valve cover gasket after that started to leak. The Tein springs he installed dropped the car an inch from stock so those have to go.

Originally we'd planned to sell/trade the Camry for something nicer in a few months, but it's dead cheap to run, maintain, and insure. After it gets higher springs, a backup camera, and maybe less blingy wheels I think we'll keep it around a while.

Also planning on some Hello Kitty paraphernalia to keep the wifey happy, and to annoy the previous owner.

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him 02/24/2014 at 22:51

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I'm all for appliance cars for people who need them. I'm still amazed by how deliberately inoffensive the entire car is, but I know my priorities are horribly misplaced when it comes to cars.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire 02/25/2014 at 02:27

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Hey, it's a car, and as long as it gets the job done reliably, safely, and inexpensively, it frees up your time / money / frustration for more Jalop-y toys. Like your RSX.

Loved the dog-and-sock simile, btw.

PG; the scalpel wielder > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire 02/25/2014 at 06:40

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i have a similar dc5 story... but no camry yet. perhaps an mx5 is on the cards. show me yours?

what hav you done to it

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > PG; the scalpel wielder 02/25/2014 at 11:46

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Basic bolt ons, KPro, Vibratechnics engine mounts. Had a supercharger for a bit.

Kinja's being horrible about image uploads today — let's see if these images work:

PG; the scalpel wielder > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire 02/26/2014 at 02:12

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wow.. supercharger! is that the Rotrex set-up?

at the moment I have Gruppe-M intake, buddyclub headers, mugen twinloop, whiteline sways, hardrace camber kits, coilovers, Cr Kai wheels, mounts...

all of the JDM :p

pic is before the coils go in (thats what im doin on sunday :D)

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > PG; the scalpel wielder 02/26/2014 at 13:03

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Roots blower from Jackson Racing. Kept breaking stuff though, and it ate tires and gas. Plus the USDM RSX doesn't have an LSD ...

Also have a Mugen twinloop! It's a bit restrictive for forced induction setups in case you ever go that route.