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Hi Jack,

I'm looking at buying a Camry as a second car. We have a Toyota IST which we use daily but I want to buy a second car for the weekend as my partner is known to disappear to St Lukes for 6 hours at a time shopping! I like the wagon better than the sedan but I have these questions:

1) The NZ New ones are built in Australia- any issues with that? In the past I have heard some workmanship issues on Fords and Holdens out of Oz
2) Which is the better engine 2.2 or 2.5 V6. I like the 2.2 but wonder if it will be underpowered for such a big car
3) The automatics are 5 speed autos which are rare for that era. Any watchouts with them? I want to buy a manual but there aren't that many in the market
4) What does the Qualis and Gracia badge mean- is it like a Ghia version of the Camry?

Are there any other known issues with these cars?

Thanks
Ben

Hi there Ben,I have had a 2000 2.2litre camry for the past 5 years.I have found it to be a brilliant car.I get 700ks around town and can get 8oo on a trip.60 litre tank.Power from the 4 cly engine is more than adequite I feel.Have had no problems whatsoever with the car.Try to find the facelift model (larger head &taillights) they look a lot better.Not too sure about the 5speed auto trans though thought they were 3 spped with overdrive switch?

1. No problem with Australian built cars - good quality.
2. The 2.2L engine works well in the Camry body - it is reliable and is the preferred choice. The 2.5L V6 performs better for heavy towing but it requires the high octane fuel and maintenance costs will be a lot more.
3. Not aware of the five-speed auto'box you refer to but I know the manual gearbox is a five-speed unit. The auto transmissions are four-speed autos and are known to be reliable.
4. No. In Japan the Camry was also badged as the Gracia and MarkII Qualis.

The Toyota Camry is known to have good reliability but you need to ensure that the vehicle has been serviced on a regular basis.

Thanks guys,

TjHull : when did the facelift model start from? I've seen a 2001 and 1998 on trademe and they look pretty similar

Hi Ben, Sorry about delay in responding just noticed your response.I thought the facelift came in 2000.The most noticeable feature is the taillights,they are larger than the previous narrow ones.Hope this helps. Cheers Tom

Thanks Guys,

I've test driven a couple of Camrys and they seem to be nice. Just waiting now for the right one in a wagon.

I also like the look of the P11 Primera. I've been looking at a few of the manual ones and they seem to come in a SR18 and SR20 engine models. I'm leaning toward the 2L for the increased power but I'm wondering if that is in fact the more durable engine. I remember hearing that one of these Nissan engines had issues with the number of waterpipes in them and that the coolant was hard to drain.

My budget is 4k and ideally I'd like a manual with more power than a 1500cc

The P11 Primera 1.8L and 2.0L engines are both reliable when they are regularly serviced. The biggest problem with the Primera is the CVT transmissions. If you can find a model with a conventional auto or manual transmission then you will be ok. Not aware of any issues with draining the cooling system though and any good mechanic should find it easy enough to work on.

Mate,do yourself a favour,stick with the Toyota.