CAMRY DRIVERS

[gossy]

Hi all,

Why are we labelled as cardigan wearers?

Read my whole rant at auscam.

[lateralus]

it's to do with the fact that, traditionally, camry's were an almost sterile car, almost oblivious of indiviual characteristics or any modern styling influences. for this, they were either a popular fleet car, or great for the older, more conservative driver that wasn't impressed by performance or modern, or even epic, design.

because they came across as being objective, and also ridiculously reliable as compared to other cars in the same range, they became a perfect choice for someone who wanted to get them from point a to point b without much fuss or attention. in my experience, this attitude is very popular with the older generations who drive a car because its a car and its reliable, not because they love it. take one look at the fashion cues of a baby boomer (or around that era) to get my drift.

see the stereotype now?

camry's now are away from that image, and will continute moving away from it. however, a lot of ignorant people still label camrys, and their drivers according to the sterotypes developed throughout the 90s (which sadly continued into the millenium with the avalon).

i guess the stereotype was even more pronounced given the contrast between the conservative camry driver who wanted reliability, and the moronic holden/ford bogan who wanted to smoke up their tyres.

that's how i see it.

[akuma]

i guess if you where a queer camry driver youd take that as a complimate, but i never heard of this saying. everytime someone sees my car, its either "hot" or "sex" or "mean"...

[Milgram]

Whilst I am a big fan of Toyota and swear by my Camry, their strong points are things like quality, reliability, resale and low running costs making them a good "point a to point b" car. These cars are not sex on wheels and traditionally fleet managers and Generation X are the ones interested in reliability, low running costs and quality.

A car enthusiast and Generation Y is into gimmicks, latest design trends and style - the Camry does not really fit the bill for them although the image of the Camry is improving with every model. Fortunately, the Australian market has some 50 manufacturers offering products and therefore the market is able to make their choice accordingly.

I have worked for a rival manufacturer and jealousy also plays a part in the labelling of Toyota drivers. There are folks out there, true car nuts, who refuse to believe the market is voting for reliability and quality over performance and style. These people are quick to point out the majority of Toyota sales are now fleet, sales that once Holden and Ford held without question. I have talked to people in fleet sales and many businesses are moving over to Toyota because of running costs, reliability and most importantly, resale value. Its becoming a bit of an uphill battle against the big T and if you look at their 2008 sales, the gap between Toyota and Holden/Ford is growing each year.

[DJKOR]

Like lateralus said, it's all about stereotypes. Camry's gained popularity with those that wanted something that was cost efficient, reliable, and got them to where they were going. It just happened to be that a larger percentage of the market that were buying these cars were older people. They weren't overly concerned about how fast it got them there and how stylish the car was. Then as the years went on, the people made stereotypes, and they stuck. How many stereotypes can you think of that will never really change? It's just the way people are.

We have had a Camry in the family since 1992 (which also was my first car), and I had always seen the Camry to be a car that was pretty basic, but did its job. I remember the introduction of the Camry Sportivo in 2002. When that happened, I had completely changed my mind about the Camry. The styling of the Sportivo was quite good in my opinion and I actually saw the Camry as a car that I wouldn't mind driving. As the years go on, the Camry is improving quite a bit in the looks department and is actually quite appealing to younger people now. It's just that it will always carry that stereotype and people just don't understand.

[Whip Cracker]

I'd say what everyone's stated... coz it's not made for looks or performance... in it's stock form anyway :P

I'd quite happily show you some specced Cammas that'd make a Commo or Falcon look like a bush-bashing Colt :)

[eastcoastdrifter]

nothing wrong with the indian mercedes