GTP Cool Wall: 1996-2001 Toyota Camry

  • Thread starter Thread starter White & Nerdy
  • 92 comments
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1996-2001 Toyota Camry

  • Total voters
    104
  • Poll closed .
Mark II Blit
I'm always happy to clarify, especially since my post was quite ambiguous :)

It is indeed arguable whether a manual would improve the Camry V6, but it would make it one of a kind in Europe.
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I actually think it was a pretty good car with the V6. It seemed pretty gutsy with the manual. It was keeping up with my friends Pontiac GTP which isn't too shabby.
 
Now that I'm older, I can appreciate the Camry for what it is - an excellent, reliable, perfectly comfortable commuter car. There certainly could be arguments made that this is the finest of the Camry models, building directly off the solidity of it's predecessor, but before totally selling out like it's successor did.

The cars looked pretty good, certainly a strong indicator for mid-'90s styling. The performance was pretty decent as well, SE models with the V6 would blow most things away from a green light. Although it was kinda sad that they forced the coupe to become the Solara (I find the previous Toyota Camry Coupe quite desirable, even today), it was nonetheless near the pinnacle for most Japanese vehicles sold in the US.

But, the thing is, I can't muster much more than a "Meh." As positive as my opinion may be, Accords and Altimas of similar vintage were much more interesting mechanically speaking, and for the most part, were a good bit better to drive. The Camry simply is what it is, an acceptable car from most angles, being everything to everyone who buys them. Nothing wrong with that.
 
I voted cool.

It's not awful at what it does, and it makes no attempt at pretending to be something else. Only the drivers do that.
 
YSSMAN
Now that I'm older, I can appreciate the Camry for what it is - an excellent, reliable, perfectly comfortable commuter car. There certainly could be arguments made that this is the finest of the Camry models, building directly off the solidity of it's predecessor, but before totally selling out like it's successor did.
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You're just saying that because you drive a somewhat sportier Camry.

:p
 
I've always kinda liked the simple, sort-of-sharp styling of this generation of Camry, and I agree with what Liquid said. It gets a Meh from me, because it's not quite Cool. I wouldn't mind driving one, if it had a manual...
homeforsummer
I've not driven a Camry, but I have a hard time believing it'd be made more fun (and certainly believing it'd be more cool) by giving it a stick. All it'd really do is make it slightly less good at what it was designed for, which is to bumble about with minimal fuss to anyone who owns it.
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In highschool I was among the first of my group of friends to learn to drive stick, and I never complained about playing the role of chauffeur, so although it wasn't mine, I frequently drove a friend's manual 1988 Camry. It was a fun little mule, thanks to the stickshift. There's no such thing as a tedious drive when I'm shifting gears myself -- that's why I always volunteered to take the wheel.

I'm not sure why "I prefer manual transmission in almost all cases" and "I'm better than everyone else" need to be mutually inclusive viewpoints. Or why such a preference is considered unjustifiable.
 
Camrys are certainly very reliable and sensible cars, and it would be one of my first choices if I were to pick a daily driver.

Does that make it cool? Absolutely not. In my eyes, the Camry will never be able to pull off cool. Visually, no Camry has anything about it that captures your attention. "Oh wow, look! There's a Camry!" is probably one of the most unused phrases in the English language.

If you take care of a Camry, it takes care of you. Sure they're not fun to drive, but then again, they're not supposed to be. But even then, you're not a "dullard that hates cars" if you drive one. Sometimes you just need something dependable to get you from point A to point B, and this car will definitely accomplish that task. (Assuming you don't wrap it around a tree or pour sugar in the gas tank. Bonehead stuff like that.)

But, as I stated before. Camrys will never pull off cool. This generation is no exception. Given that there's a Meh option available however, I don't have to hit this car with an Uncool.

MEH
 
Wolfe
I'm not sure why "I prefer manual transmission in almost all cases" and "I'm better than everyone else" need to be mutually inclusive viewpoints. Or why such a preference is considered unjustifiable.
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Preferring a manual is one thing, thinking everything that doesn't have manual is somehow bad just makes you look shortsighted and pompous.
 
YSSMAN
Now that I'm older, I can appreciate the Camry for what it is - an excellent, reliable, perfectly comfortable commuter car. There certainly could be arguments made that this is the finest of the Camry models, building directly off the solidity of it's predecessor, but before totally selling out like it's successor did.

The cars looked pretty good, certainly a strong indicator for mid-'90s styling. The performance was pretty decent as well, SE models with the V6 would blow most things away from a green light. Although it was kinda sad that they forced the coupe to become the Solara (I find the previous Toyota Camry Coupe quite desirable, even today), it was nonetheless near the pinnacle for most Japanese vehicles sold in the US.
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I agree with this.

But I'll give it a cool.
 
Uncool...but, my final vote will be a "meh" because my best friend had the rebadged Lexus variant. She loved it, but unfortunately an idiot rear-ended her and totalled it.
 
I think the car is ugly-ish. On the typical scale used in these polls, it would fail pretty hard. If practical is cool, I'd rate it pretty high.
 
Yeah, if you drive something like this my friends and I will probably think you're the three-letter 'F' word.


Seriously uncool.
 
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The epitome of perfection.

A great build quality coupled with stone dead reliability made this the peoples car of the 90s, it helped build every single modern nation today. Without this car we wouldn't have KFC or Chinese food, and say goodbye to cheap bacon. This car drove the bacon industry.

Plus Jesus drove one, sub-zero.
 
The suspension is so soft in the rear uuuggghh...

But my friend had one with the V6, and Manual. It was a strong running car, with exhuast the engine would sing the most beautiful tune. Cool!
 
Antonisbob
Yeah, if you drive something like this my friends and I will probably think you're the three-letter 'F' word.


Seriously uncool.
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Fun? Well thanks, but just wait until I get the party snacks out:

werther.jpg
 
No, he had the Accord after he had the Camry, because he needed an estate car to transport his dog about in, don't you remember that bit?
 
Bopop4
The epitome of perfection.

A great build quality coupled with stone dead reliability made this the peoples car of the 90s, it helped build every single modern nation today. Without this car we wouldn't have KFC or Chinese food, and say goodbye to cheap bacon. This car drove the bacon industry.

Plus Jesus drove one, sub-zero.
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Ask Bopop here about the Chevy vs Ford fights he saw on Facebook haha. It's like Antonisbob here, unless you act decent. If you try and show off you'll get picked on hard.
 
Antonisbob
Yeah, if you drive something like this my friends and I will probably think you're the three-letter 'F' word.


Seriously uncool.
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But should ratings really be based on this? It's about what you think abut the car, not what a bunch of uneducated (auto-wise) people think about it.
 
GranTurismo916
But should ratings really be based on this? It's about what you think abut the car, not what a bunch of uneducated (auto-wise) people think about it.
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It's a lost cause, I'm afraid...I've seen so many utterly inane excuses to vote a car cool or uncool since I've started voting in these things that Antonisbob's post fits right in, tasteless as it is.


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Anyway, I voted Seriously Uncool because this thing's about as exciting as a toaster...and this is coming from a guy who has no problem driving a dinky little 80 hp hatchback.
 
Sure, it'll probably last forever, but so won't the owners; zombies. This isn't the Walking Dead, so seriously uncool.
 
Custom878
Meh, I prefer the early 90s model.
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This, they were a little more squared off and very slightly aggressive. I give it a meh, it's not uncool because at least it'll get you to all your parties and such.
 
Uncool; there's too many of them to be seriously uncool. But they are terrible.
 

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