When my family's 1993 Hyundai Excel died from a failing transmission, and our 1994 Buick LeSabre fell apart at 104,000 miles, my family decided to go cautious on a "new" car, one that was well-known for long-term reliability. I'm the "researcher" of the family, and when I saw a dark green 1999 Camry LE four-cylinder in a used car lot for $8000, it stood out like a diamond in the rough. That day, April 18th, 2005, we bought it.
My Preferences
For those who know me well, I cannot stand all-show-and-no-go; that is, anything that even remotely mimics a vehicle in the
Fast & Furious movies. I prefer practicality and fuel economy over looks and performance. I usually drive around town most of the time, and we make good use of a vehicle's trunk space. We don't like having to replace parts every other month, and safety features are key. I like anti-lock brakes, and convenience features like air conditioning, four doors and power windows/locks/mirrors are almost mandatory for us. The Camry fits our needs almost 100%.
Exterior
In short, imagine a cross between a Ford Tempo and an early-90's Taurus, facelifted to look modern. Ta-da, the 1997-2001 Camry.
OK, despite the fact I think it looks like an older Taurus, the Camry is in my opinion the nicest-looking sedan in its class for the time. There are a lot of horizontal lines gracing the vehicle's exterior, giving the illusion of a long, wide, low car. It looks both aerodynamic like most of the 1990's "jellybean" cars (when car companies thought aerodynamic cars had to have round everything) and angular (the rear contrasts quite dramatically with the car's curves everywhere else).
The four-cylinder models ride on 14-inch steel rims, V6 models on 15-inch alloys, and in my opinion they do not look as small as they sound. I prefer the LE's hubcaps compared to the CE's since they give the car much more personality.
Overall there is nothing to get excited over. However, some may say it's so bland it's beautiful. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
Interior
The predictably bland-but-tasteful design scheme continues on the inside. The HVAC controls are placed right where the driver's hand falls, the heater knobs large enough for big hands, and the radio is placed immediately above them in an easy-to-locate spot. On Camrys with the standard radio, there's a nice cubby space underneath for a good amount of stuff. In front of the gearshift are two 120-volt outlets for cigarette lighters or other accessories.
The dash is well-designed with bold, easy-to-read gauges and intuitively-placed control stalks to the left and right of the wheel. The cruise control switch is placed on the wheel itself, and is much easier to use than the turn-signal system in similar GM vehicles.
At night the interior glows a dull green. This color is used so often it's quite sickening, but because it matches the exterior of our vehicle I don't mind it.
Interior Comfort
The Camry seats up to five people, and the cloth seats are soft enough to easily accompany short and long drives alike. I would have loved lumbar support for the driver's seat since occasionally I can get a backache (available but not included with this car). Lateral support, for those who like to be held in place, is seriously lacking, though this is expected in such a vehicle.
To help keep passengers happy, Toyota has added some pretty nifty features. For example, heater vents are placed under the front seats to help circulate air in the cabin. Each heater vent on the far sides of the dashboard can be turned on or off, or tilted to assist in defrosting the front windows. To help warm up the car, the transmission will not enter Overdrive until the engine has reached an acceptable operating temperature.
The air conditioning, heating, and rear window defroster all work quickly and efficiently (though under a certain temperature, the car will not allow the A/C compressor to activate). In warmer climates the interior can get pretty chilly with A/C, while in colder climates the heater can do the opposite in the same amount of time. The defroster is strong enough to melt two inches of snow off the rear window, too.
Driving
The Camry I drive is equipped with a 2.2-liter, 130-horsepower four-cylinder referred to as the "5SFE". For cars sold in states other than New York, Vermont, Connecticut, and states following California's emissions laws, that number is bumped up to 133. All LE four-cylinders are mated to a four-speed, electronically-controlled automatic transmission, as with most XLE V6's. Base CE's have a five-speed manual with the automatic being optional.
Fuel Economy
The four-cylinder engine returns 22 MPG city and 30 MPG highway. For trip MPG I have been able to calculate up to 37 going from Middlebury to Burlington, Vermont, 31 MPG on the way home. Overall I get about 25. These measurements have been done using a
Linear-Logic ScanGauge II.
Fuel economy for the V6 will be a few MPG lower for both city and highway, as typical of a V6 versus an I4.
Acceleration
Around town the Camry shines. With its ample power and adequate torque, it is very easy to accelerate up to speed. For those with a really light foot, it is also easy to do errands without ever exceeding 2000 RPM. The engine emits a soothing hum under acceleration, and the transmission shifts almost transparently. Even with $400 worth of groceries in the trunk and three people in the car, the engine never acts strained or bothered unless pushed beyond what is reasonable.
On the highway, interstate, etc., the Camry is a different story. If you like power I would instead request the 190-horsepower "1MZ-FE" V6 engine (models with the V6 come with traction control and leather seating).
The four-cylinder will gladly pull you up to speed, but it is not hard to push 4000 RPM or even 4500 RPM if attention is not being paid. Once up to speed, however, the engine stays at a reasonable 1400-1600 RPM.
On hills the Camry likes to hold gears until forced to shift. I like it because it saves on gas. This can become a problem when trying to maintain a set speed in which the car will immediately snap into a lower gear, thus interrupting a quiet and refined ride. Second gear at 50 miles per hour does not sound too pleasant, especially with the engine over 4000 RPM.
One particular oddity I have to note is the automatic's tendency to act like it has more gears than it really has. When going down a long hill, one just steep enough to keep the car at speed without gas or brake intervention, the Camry may raise or drop its revs to balance the amount of engine braking being applied in Overdrive. While the transitions cannot be felt, it makes the car act like it has five or six gears. A blip of the gas pedal exits this mode and causes the car to resume to a more appropriate engine speed (from 900 to 1800 RPM typically).
Braking
The Camry takes advantage of its front disk and rear drum setup, enhanced with a four-wheel, four-sensor anti-lock braking system. Under maximum braking power, the ABS system intervenes uneventfully and keeps the car from sliding off course. On pavement the wheels barely make any noise, and on snow/dirt the ABS allows for some lock-up to help shorten braking distances. I have unfortunately had the chance to use this system a few times under emergency situations (for the love of God, put your dogs on a leash!), and in both cases I have been able to focus on steering while the ABS took over the braking.
In most cases, the driver will encounter a brake pedal that could be best described as responsive yet lacking in feel.
Handling
For a car with so many miles, the Camry still has some impressive handling traits. While the power steering is somewhat light to the touch, it gives enough feedback to give the driver information on what the front wheels are doing.
When pushed hard, the vehicle rolls a fair amount on its four-wheel independent suspension, yet it's surprisingly flat considering the car's noticeably soft ride. It loves to understeer, albeit predictably, and the front wheels chirp with increasing decibels as the Camry's limits are reached.
Reliability
Since owning the car with 92,000 miles on the odometer, this particular one I drive has gone through a lot of abuse--dirt roads, potholes, high RPMs, steep hills, muddy winters and mountain drives in the summer heat. Even that has failed to bother the car at all, and almost everything that needed replacement has been because they were due to be replaced anyways. My mother, who legally owns it, has replaced the rear shocks, a rear-left bearing, and a front-left ball joint. I replaced the spark plugs with platinum double-tipped ones (recommended by the manual and cost $15 each) and had some air intake sensor replaced after the car randomly refused to idle at start-up with a cold engine. Other than that, the Camry has far exceeded what I thought a car was like with over 100,000 miles on it, and it has given me the confidence that it will last another 100,000 miles or more.
Overall
I very much recommend checking out the 1999 Camry for anyone who wants a vehicle they don't have to think about. Everything is so well designed that you'd be hard-pressed to complain about anything. True, it lacks a sporty personality, and the four-cylinder engine will not please the power-hungry, but it will more than satisfy the practical person who wants to maintain an upscale reputation.
~Scott
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