Toyota Camry in-depth review, cost, selection advice. Engine and gearbox life, which engine should I buy?

The eighth-generation Toyota Camry was on sale in Europe from 2011 to 2018, during which time the sedan underwent two restyled models in 2014 and 2017. The Camry needs no introduction in Europe , it's known and loved for its reliability and secondary market liquidity.

In this article, I would like to talk about prrestyling sedans 2011 - 2014, which now can be bought from 10 000 USD, but buy a sedan at the bottom of the market is not worth it, it is usually a sedan after a bunch of owners, restored after serious accidents, with restrictions or with a criminal past, Camry is in the ranking of the most stolen cars in Europe, so before buying an additional check all the numbers on the engine and bodywork will not hurt. Sedan, at a real mileage of 100-120 thousand km, after one master, worth from 850 thousand, depending on the year, the engine and configuration.

The body of Toyota Camry of 50th generation has double-sided galvanization and there must not be any serious rust, even on first years of production, which were used in megapolises, where roads are heavily watered with reagents. Rusty body panels on Toyota Camry are the sign of low-quality bodywork.

Suspension Camry front and rear wishbone, running gear survivable and the first major repairs start after 150 thousand kilometers, for the other hand spare parts for fifties Camry body are not expensive and a lot of quality non-original at affordable prices. Ground clearance is 160 mm.

Interior of the Camry is spacious and made of quality materials, so Kamri is one of the most popular cars with medium-ranking civil servants. The front and rear seats are electrically adjustable and have memory function. Interior trim, depending on the configuration can be fabric or leather, leather if the owner is not taking care of it, to the mileage of 150 thousand miles, can be quite worn down, to fear this is not worth it, the more for the price of it can be restored in the studio, but the virgin appearance of leather seats, the car with mileage 150 thousand miles should be alert, as not uncommon that mileage will be summed up, and interior podkrasivayut and restored, not honest sellers.

There are three petrol engines installed in the sedan:

In-line four-cylinder gasoline engine capacity of 2.0 liters and 148 hp, fuel injection is distributed, the timing chain in the drive, which is replaced at the sites close to 200 thousand km. cylinder block and head aluminum, the engine is equipped with VVT-i system on the intake, hydro-commensator valves no. Declared service life is 250 thousand km, but in practice, with good maintenance of these engines go much longer. The transmission is automatic 4-speed.

In-line four-cylinder gasoline engine with a capacity of 2.5 liters and 181 hp, fuel injection is distributed, the timing chain in the drive, the chain also survives and does not bother the owner an early distension. The cylinder block and cylinder head are cast aluminium. The engine is equipped with hydro valve timing and a VVT-i system. Engine life is 300+ thousand km with good maintenance. Transmission is six speed automatic.

Senior in line Camry, V-shaped, 6-cylinder petrol engine, with distributed fuel injection, has a capacity of 3.5 liters, which capacity, depending on the year of release can be 249 or 277 hp. The cylinder block and cylinder head are cast aluminium. The engine is fitted with hydro-compensators and VVT-i on the intake and exhaust side. There is a chain in the timing gear, which serves about 200 thousand km. Engine life with good maintenance 300 + thousand km. The transmission is six-speed automatic.

As for gearboxes, with the engine capacity of 2 liters. and 2.5 liters, automatic box goes with adequate operation for about 250-300 thousand km, but with the engine 3.5 liters is not so smooth, and often fails at 100-150 thousand km.

Let's summarize: a good prestyled Toyota Camry XV50 costs 21 000 USD, for this money many people buy popular foreign cars B-class with no actual comfort, they are not comparable with Camry in reliability, and having bought new foreign cars B-class and driven it for several years, the owner loses about 30-35% of the value, while Camry, in a few years, if it is in good technical condition, can be resold with minimal financial losses. Optimal version in my opinion will be the version with a 2.5 litres engine, two-liter Camry engine is not enough, and the version with a 3.5 liters engine, the problem with the boxes, and the transportation tax for it is already a significant amount.