The Camry is the boringest car on the road - agree or disagree?

[Harlo]

Everyone (everywhere) seems to bag out the Camry as being one of the most uninspiring creations to ever hit the road:

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1919054

As Camry owners, what are your thoughts and comments?

I know that my Camry is a bit boring but hopefully reliability makes up for that?

[jeffy]

meh, its just a camry,

[cosmichobo]

110% agree

Ok, maybe there are more boring cars out there, but the Camry has to be the most common boring car...

Mine is the 2000 Conquest, silver, with a broken (permanently up) antenna... Even that doesn't make it at all unique - can be driving in traffic, or at a shopping centre and see other cars exactly the same...

This was my 2nd car...

The first was where I got the silver parts from...

It's certainly more exciting than a Camry... it took corners with glee, beat most cars taking off from the lights without effort (and without speeding or squeeling tyres)... Fun sexy thing...

[Andrew357]

meh, its just a camry,

But only yours is "The Camry".

[Hiro]

I hate it when people call cars boring - that implies that the car itself is physically making you bored. Take any decent road and there should be no such thing as a "boring" car, in fact chucking a barge around corners at twice the posted corner speed can be much more interesting than breezing through in a car with on-rails handling

[jeffy]

meh, its just a camry,

But only yours is "The Camry".

Touché

[cosmichobo]

I hate it when people call cars boring - that implies that the car itself is physically making you bored. Take any decent road and there should be no such thing as a "boring" car, in fact chucking a barge around corners at twice the posted corner speed can be much more interesting than breezing through in a car with on-rails handling

Yes, the Camry bores me in comparison to my old car... It's relatively boxy, no real sweeping lines, standard door handles, conventional headlights... More than that, as noted, and opening up the colour to any, and you can easily count a few dozen 2000's Camry's on any given day when driving around any part of the country...

Regarding driving a barge around corners at speed, yes, that could be fun... but driving a Zed with macpherson struts around a corner at normal speed feels fun...

[trentmeyer23]

Fun is what you make of it. As the old saying goes, it's better to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

[Hiro]

Yes, the Camry bores me in comparison to my old car... It's relatively boxy, no real sweeping lines, standard door handles, conventional headlights.

I would describe those sort of things with words like "bland", "inoffensive" and "run-of-the-mill" etc etc. "Boring" implies it actually _makes_ you bored looking at it (a lot of people would argue that you would already have to be bored to look at a Camry for any length of time anyway). It is a car designed to be used as a tool, heart-palpatating looks aren't meant to be part of the equation. It is like looking at a cordless drill and saying that it looks boring, yet when it excels at the job it was designed to do. I find it easier to call a sports car "boring" in visual terms if it doesn't quite back up the performance credentials with a racy body; you are looking for excitement and coming up short, hence the boredom, but a normal every-day car is almost never boring.

Actually, I tell a lie - the _ultimate_ boring car is one that is both uninspiring and lifeless to look at AND drive, such as something like most 90s Yank boulevard cruisers. Camrys aren't anywhere NEAR that bad.

[alan.chalkley]

I have two camrys and both are reliably boring and boringly reliable.

About as much fun as using the oven or dishwasher.

[trentmeyer23]

Just to add to this, we are talking bog stock, no mods Camrys.

[RAINS]

I drive one of the more recent models, I think they've stepped up their game in regards to the stereotype of the 'family car', a bit more luxury + sportier look. I'm quite happy, I reckon it's actually quite a sophisticated vehicle, if you look at it in detail.

[Andrew357]

Sophisticated maybe.

Not boring? No.

[nikki1970]

Are Camry's boring? point of view is relevant here. I have had some pretty average cars over the years, heres my list going way back. First was a ford escort 1300, then a 4.1 ltr ford cortina, xd falcon 4.1 as well, then xf ghia 250 mpi, mazda bravo 2.6 mpi, then Daewoo cielo 1.8 ltr. Well thats a 22 year range of the pov range of vehicles all higher mileage and never been impressed with them.

then i got my first Toyota Camry 2.2 ltr CSX. I guess its what presses you buttons when you drive but the very first drive i was sold. And this is very much rated against the very average pedigree I had driven, but the Camry is smooth driving, albeit predictble, but i call it reliability, the best fuel economy and fuel range i had ever experienced (albeit very poor comparisons) at 150k the ride is still tight and smooth and I feel secure and confident of the cars ability. The 110k zones didnt faze this 4 cyl either, I want to over take and bang the 4 cyl picks the gear and no mucking around it does the job well (albeit I drive alone alot and low weight). I still love the factory stereo with the tweeters near the mirror which i reakon are cool as and the climate control still works faultlessly.

so I put up with the guys at work not admiring my ride and silently know they have never driven one but still knock them for beeing so common and they will never know that such a common car and average price to boot can still give a Qaulity ride that i love.

I now have as well a Toyota camry Conquest V6 2000, I only drive this one on the weekend and I still have to try very hard to control my right foot. The power is so responsive and smooth I feel like a P plater every time I drive it.,

summing up Camery's maybe be numerious, but to me never boring.

[private number]

Are camrys boring? Id say yes.

Do they have potential? Id also say yes.

Now that ive done the above and a list of mods, its more fun to drive. However by "fun" i mean corners better, sticks to the ground better, braking is way better, interior i find better now that i mixed and matched, and its fun seeing peoples reactions.

Thinking with the same state of mind, do i find the accord euro boring? Yes.

Does it have potential? Yes

In my eyes, this si the perfect P plater car. Why?

1) Has potential if you keep an open mind

2) Cheap to run

3) Good on petrol

4) Big car to drive your mates around

5) Not powerful enough to kill yourself doing stupid **** with little experience

with the above being said, im going full license soon. mwahaha...........

Edited August 14, 2012 by private number

[prometheus]

My answer is; Who Cares !

I had my 1996 CSi 4cyl Camry for 14 years until it got written off in March this year.

One thing I do remember that when I bought it, 2 years old with 32 000 klms on the odo was how smooth and quiet it was.

Of course as the years and wear and tear set it, it did get rougher and noisier but it never let me down.

The boot was huge and with the back seats folded down I could fit a big bike (minus the front wheel; this came off and went in the car) in it and drive to some great cycling spots. Can't do that with my current 2011 Aurion Touring.

It was simple and easy to maintain and despite being a fairly simple design didn'y age badly and looked quite decent when given a clean.

As far as power goes; despite the Aurion Touring having DOUBLE the power of the Camry, I still barely get to work (or back home) any faster than I used to.

With traffic (mostly suburban driving), lights, speed limits and the ever present threat of being stung for speeding the extra power is almost pointless.

Buyers remorse perhaps? Who knows.

[Hiro]

One of the best things about the widebody Camry was the cavernous boot....I remember a hiking trip to the Snowys with 5 people in the car and 5 85L hiking packs in the boot :D

[prometheus]

Yep, the boot in the Widebody was a beauty.

[aem]

Taxis are the most boring ont he road.

[Andrew357]

Taxis are the most boring ont he road.

Many of which are Camry, Aurion or Prius based.

Reliable but boring vehicles.

[Hiro]

Taxis are the most boring ont he road.

Many of which are Camry, Aurion or Prius based.

Reliable but boring vehicles.

Down here they're still predominantly Falcons and Commodores.....but the odd Prius and Camry are appearing

[Andrew357]

Camry Altise and Hybrids, Aurion ATX Prodigy and Presara (Silver Service).

Plus a host of VW variants as well.

We really have a bastardised range of vehicles up here :P

[aem]

The ratio of falcons/commo : camry taxis are like 100:1 if not less in Sydney.

[Andrew357]

The ratio of falcons/commo : camry taxis are like 100:1 if not less in Sydney.

I see.

[Adamsy]

I guess it depends which model camry your refering too really. lol