2005 Toyota Camry MCV36R MY06 Altise

[camryMY06]

Hi all!

I'm buying a second hand 2005 Toyota Camry MCV36R MY06 Altise tomorrow! The cars I've driven so far have been family's cars, friends' cars, company cars, and rental cars... so this will be the first car I own!

Just a few questions:

1. Which insurer are you with and are you happy with them?

2. What kind of petrol do you use?

3. Where do you service your car?

4. What websites/books would you recommend for a first-time car owner? (I'm one of the few guys who is uninformed when it comes to cars and car maintenance & repairs.)

Thank you! :)

[lateralus]

Hi all!

I'm buying a second hand 2005 Toyota Camry MCV36R MY06 Altise tomorrow! The cars I've driven so far have been family's cars, friends' cars, company cars, and rental cars... so this will be the first car I own!

Just a few questions:

1. Which insurer are you with and are you happy with them?

2. What kind of petrol do you use?

3. Where do you service your car?

4. What websites/books would you recommend for a first-time car owner? (I'm one of the few guys who is uninformed when it comes to cars and car maintenance & repairs.)

Thank you! :)

insurance is a personal thing, the cost of it is specific to your circumstances so just hunt around for the cheapest.

i've got a v6 camry sportivo, which has the same engine as the altise, and i've been running it on shell v-power (98ron) ever since i've had it, and it runs very smooth. on average i get around the 11.5L/100km mark for combined city and highway.

servicing your car requires some looking around as the quality of workmanship differs greatly. a family friend services my car, so i havent been anywhere thus i cant really comment.

i'd recommend getting a copy of the haynes maintenance manual for the camry. although there's a lot of technical stuff in there, the first couple of chapters cover DIY maintenance which is very handy! there around $45 from repco, autobarn, supercheap auto, etc.

[Whip Cracker]

I'm much the same as Lateralus...

I have a 95 Camry although, I use AAMI for my Insurance... normally it's best with Insurance to check if you can get a bundled price with say, House Insurance... etc etc. Sometimes if your immediate family are through the same company, the price can change dramatically :) I only pay $500 a year on full comp insurance through AAMI and I'm only 22... it's insured for around 7k though (which is more than what it's worth).

I use Shell V Power... I find it responds best to this fuel... have tried many before... nothing compares to it.

My mechanic is a personal friend... he runs his own mobile mechanic business and used to work for Toyota once upon a time... he's up to speed on all the Toyota engines either way.

[Milgram]

1. Which insurer are you with and are you happy with them?

2. What kind of petrol do you use?

3. Where do you service your car?

4. What websites/books would you recommend for a first-time car owner? (I'm one of the few guys who is uninformed when it comes to cars and car maintenance & repairs.)

1. I am with AAMI. I suggest you shop around yourself, compare prices and packages and choose the company that offers you what you want at a price that is affordable for yourself.

2. I use Mobil 6000. I keep track of my average fuel consumption and total fuel cost, I'm currently averaging about 10.2L/100km. I own a manual V6 and my driving is generally 75% urban, 20% freeway and 5% stop/start city driving.

3. I went to the Toyota dealer for the first five services under my ownership (110-150K) as the car had been serviced at Toyota religiously by the previous owner. I found that $700-800 was not something I could continue paying as a part time worker/student and therefore I now frequent an independent mechanic who specialises in Japanese cars, namely Honda and Toyota. He is my partner's uncle.

4. I do not own any of the service manuals from Haynes or Gregorys but with the car just turning 10, I'm thinking it might be a good investment.

Edited April 20, 2009 by JMacca53

[mbruce]

I only have the 4cyl, but same model.

1. like others have said, really an individual thing, but FYI I am with AAMI seem ok, never had to make a clam, hope I never will.

2. Shell V-power

3. Servicing is done by my father who is a retired mechanic, and I occasionally ask my brother who was a mechanic with Toyota for a long while for tips etc. but any faults etc I take it to Toyota.

4. http://www.camrystuff.com/index.php?page=Gen5_Manuals (5.5 for you) this site here is very handy.

Edited April 20, 2009 by mbruce

[STYLSH]

1. Been with RACQ for about 6 years, never needed to make a claim though - CHEAP!. Now with Just Cars because none of the mainstream insurance people will insure it anymore with the mods :( . Never had to make a claim yet with them either.

2. I only use BP Ultimate or Mobil 8000. If I can't get either of the above, I use Vpower. I'm not going to touch Caltex Vortex Gold anymore because it made my car knock for some reason both times I used it

3. Been with Toyota for a while. Now I do the minor services myself. For major ones, I've just found a friend who can do it for me

4. TN, Solaraguy, and our famous american contacts "ADAM & KING" <-- Knows everything you need know with Camrys!

[jps137]

I have the same model V6 Altise Limited

As everyone has said shop around for your insurance (and shop around every year) we are with NRMA, we looked at packaging (house and Contents and car insurances with the one) and it actually turned out cheaper to have them seperated

I use Caltex 98 (I can't remember what it is called but the garage is two streets away so very handy

Dad used to race cars so I learnt a lot from him but due to being locked in with a dealers extended warranty plan we have to have it serviced at the Toyota Dealer that we bought it from

[Brash]

I have a 2003 Camry Sportivo 4 cylinder.

1. I am insured with YOUI, not sure how it is, havent had to make a claim but was cheaper than previous Budget Direct.

2. I use BP 95 unleaded seems to do the trick.

3. I do my own oil changes and minor work, but anything major i take it straight to Toyota.

4. www.camrystuff.com, is very handy.

[camryMY06]

Thanks everyone for responding!

FYI, I decided to go with AAMI because lots of people recommended them and said their service was good (somebody crashed into a friend's car before)... though I do hope to never have to make a claim. If I don't ever make a claim, though, I might be better off with Youi because they have the lowest premium for me... I'm tempted to go with them if finance tightens in the future.

I'll keep an eye out for Haynes or Gregorys manuals next time I'm in the shop.... and thanks to mbruce for the camrystuff.com link! I'm downloading the manuals now!

And... pardon my ignorance... what's the difference between MCV36R and ACV36R? And MY06 models and non-MY06 models?

[Whip Cracker]

MCV36R is V6 1MZFEs and the ACV36R is 2.4L 4 bangers if I'm not mistaken...

Haynes Manuals are by far the best in my opinion... very illustrative and easy to understand, as well as having lots of stuff covered too.

[camryMY06]

Thanks, Whip Cracker! Just opened the manuals I've downloaded from camrystuff and, yup, you're right! They're just codes for the two different engines.

[mbruce]

MY-06 is the face lift/upgraded version.

[Whip Cracker]

Hehe, no probs?

As mbruce said, MY06 is the "Gen 5.5".

Looks like ALL Gens of Camrys (can't say for Gen 1s though) had a ".5" series. There's an updated model in each Generation. Normally they just change tail lights, front lights... maybe a couple of extra goodies... etc etc.