Toyota Camry

Anthony Fontanelle asked:


Car rental company Avis will be expanding their fleet of eco-friendly vehicles. The company announced that 500 hybrid vehicles will be added to their fleet. According to information released by the car rental company, the 500 hybrids will be Nissan Altima units. These will be delivered to selected branches.

The addition of the 500 Nissan Altima Hybrid units will give customers of the company the choice between a Toyota Prius and the Nissan hybrid. Interestingly, the Altima Hybrid is designed using the powertrain design of the Prius. The Prius and the Altima Hybrid will be part of Avis’ Eco Rides selection.

The Altima is a midsize sedan while the Prius is a compact car. The difference between the two hybrid cars is the interior space. With the addition of the Nissan Altima Hybrid to the fleet, Avis is giving their customers a choice.

Incidentally, the Nissan Altima Hybrid was recently adjudged by Edmunds as the second best hybrid sedan in the market. According to the online source of auto information, the Camry Hybrid is better than the Altima overall. But in the fuel efficiency tests undertaken by test drivers for Edmunds, they found out that the Altima Hybrid is more fuel efficient than the Camry Hybrid on city driving. Overall though, the Camry has a better gas mileage when highway mpg is considered.

The choice of the car rental company of the Nissan Altima Hybrid may be because of its superior city driving gas mileage. The roomy interior of the Nissan Altima will also appeal to customers of Avis. This roomy interior is complemented by the high quality of materials used inside the car which includes the floor mats which are comparable to the Subaru cargo liner in terms of practicality. According to the company, the reason for the expansion of their hybrid car rental fleet is twofold.

Becky Alseth, the senior vice president of marketing for Avis Budget Group, Inc., explains: “In addition to consumers who wish to make their rental experience one with minimal environmental impact, we expect a substantial number of customers are thinking of purchasing a hybrid vehicle, and want to try the Nissan Altima or Toyota Prius for themselves to see how it performs.”

The purchase of the 500 units of Nissan Altima Hybrids will give the Japanese automaker a boost in promoting the hybrid car. With Avis’ wide reach, consumers will be exposed to the Nissan Altima Hybrid. The expansion will benefit both Avis and the automaker. With the promotion of the hybrid vehicles, Nissan can expect an increase in the number of visitors in their dealerships.

Aside from the Toyota Prius and the Nissan Altima Hybrid, Avis also offers other vehicles which is a part of their ‘Cool Cars’ collection. The collection includes the Eco Rides - the Prius and the Altima Hybrid. Other vehicles includes what the company labels as ‘Joy Rides’ - the Ford Mustang, Mitsubishi Spyder and Eclipse, Dodge Nitro and the Magnum. The ‘Ultimate Rides’ includes the Hummer H3, Cadillac CTS, Chrysler 300, Lincoln MKX, and the Chrysler Crossfire.

“All of our Avis Cool Cars can now be specifically reserved by individual make and model, and if that’s the car you reserve, that’s the car you will get,” said Alseth. “We look forward to adding more exciting and exotic vehicles to the Avis Cool Cars collection in the coming months.”



Raymond

Nick B asked:


I have a 1989 Toyota Camry and my brake lights do not work. I checked the fuses ( all of them! under hood and inside driver panel) also replaced all the bulbs with new. I still have no brake lights and the dash light indicator continuously shows a little car with the back light problem. What can I do? I would like to know if there is a stop switch attached to the brake pedal and if so how do I check it and/or replace if it is bad. Can I get a diagram and directions on this part…I think it is called an actuator switch? Also, if anyone has any other useful information as to what may be the culprit please let me know. Possible a relay or a link?

Kathleen

Smiley Webb asked:


The main question and perhaps why you are reading this article. Should you buy a Hybrid car in 2007 or 2008? The answer to that question really relies on you as their are many reasons to buy one and many not to buy.

Hopefully by reading this article you’ll be better informed and with the information presented here and in other areas of research you will decide whether to purchase a Hybrid Car now or in the future.

Starting off I’m going to give you some information that I’ve picked up from different auto makers, Wikpedia, Consumer Reports and other online and off line sources.

With that said I decided to give you a little history and background information concerning the electric powered car.

Did you know as far back as 1901 the hybrid car was being experimented with. It’s true a gentlemen by the name of Ferdinand Porsche designed a Hybrid car named the “Mixte”. This Hybrid used a gasoline engine powering a generator the generator powered hub motors with a backup battery pack for backup redundancy.

Then in 1915 an electric car maker a manufacturing company by the name of Woods Motor Vehicle designed a Hybrid aptly named “Dual Power”. This car had a 4 cylinder internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The electric motor below the speed of 15 mph independently powered the vehicle drawing power from a battery pack. At speeds above 15 mph the gasoline motor kicked in to increase the needed power requirements.

Here we are in 2007 with Hybrid cars that aren’t much better than their 1900 counterparts, granted they can achieve speeds of 100 mph compared to only 35 mph back then. But if you take a closer look the technology was here even in 1901.

The regenerative braking system , the concept of most todays HEVs, was developed by electrical engineer David Arthurs around 1978 using off-the shelf parts and imagine this a Opel GT.

Fast forward to 2007 and the choices are many and it looks like from all reports that the Toyota Prius is the best all around choice. This baby has a total combined rating of 55 mpg and city driving of a whopping 60 mpg with a price tag of 22K - 24K. The Prius also has the best emissions standards of all the others. At this time it seems to be the leader of the pack and the most bang for your buck.

I decided to add some other average Hybrids to give you a comparison to the Toyota Prius.

Saturn came out with a line of Hybrids recently and they now have a mid size car named Aura. Gas EPA estimates for the Aura are 24 city, 32 highway. Not the best but comparable to the other Auto Makers. MSRP for the Aura is 22,790.00 not too shabby!

Updated for 2007, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a 4-door sedan that can carry 5 passengers. This hybrid vehicle is powered by a standard I4, 2.4-liter hybrid engine is a 192-horse engine. This hybrid vehicle achieves 43-mpg in city driving and 37-mpg on highways. The Camry has an automatic trans and the overdrive comes standard.

The 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid has been complemented for its impressive interior and consumption. However, many users have complained that consumption strives to obtain what is advertised by the company. Its been said that the Camry only achieves 34mpg maximum.

Toyota has stopped at nothing for this hybrid vehicle but it comes with a price, and it’s expensive. Sold at an average of $29,000 in showrooms. This vehicle is a nice option for those that want luxury and also to save on gas.

A huge hit in 2006 and its gotten better for 2007. The 2007 Ford Escape is a 4-door SUV vehicle that can carry up to a maximum of five passengers. This hybrid vehicle comes in two styles, the 4WD and FWD.

This SUV hybrid is powered by a I4, 2.3-liter, 155-horsepower engine. It has achieved 36-mpg in city driving and 31-mpg on the highway. Both styles come with transmissions that are variable speed automatics.

I hope you have enjoyed this article and that it has been informative!



Jason

Lucia asked:


My Camry was just diagnosed with a problem with the neutral safety switch. I like to save some money by having the part adjusted by the autoshop. Is it possible? Or should I have it replaced? I can get a part from Auto Zone and have it installed. What’s the best way to go?

Cheryl

Anthony Fontanelle asked:


Earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show, the Saturn Aura was named as the 2007 North American Car of the Year. This distinction gave the Saturn brand a boost in terms of popularity among car buyers. This award also leads to Saturn using a new marketing campaign which pits the Aura against the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry.

The distinction shows that General Motors is serious in its effort to revitalize the brand. And recently, the North American Car of the Year winner was given a hybrid version called the Saturn Aura Green Line. This hybrid version of the Saturn Aura competes directly with the Nissan Altima Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

The introduction of the hybrid version of the Saturn Aura is aimed to give the brand an environment-friendly reputation. This is of utmost importance in a market where fuel-consumption conscious buyers are increasing. The call for cleaner vehicles has also reached a lot of car buyers which are now looking for vehicles which produces less greenhouse gases. The Saturn Aura Green Line is more fuel efficient than all other variants of the midsize sedan which are all equipped with V6 engines.

One of the most notable advantages that the Aura Green Line has over the Nissan Altima Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid is its exterior design. Thanks to General Motors’ relationship with European car manufacturer Opel, the Aura exhibits an exterior styling that one can normally find in a European car. The low roof profile and aggressive stance gives it a look that younger car buyers are more often than not attracted to.

Based on the Opel Vectra, the Aura boasts of adequate interior space which according to its manufacturer is better than that of the Camry and Altima Hybrids. With Honda announcing that they will discontinue production of the Honda Accord Hybrid, these three fights a three-way competition in the midsize sedan hybrid segment of the North American auto market.

Another strong selling point for the Saturn Aura Green Line is its price. With a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $22,045, the Aura Green Line is the second least expensive hybrid vehicle available in the market today. The hybrid vehicle with the lowest price today is the Honda Civic Hybrid which is much smaller than the Aura Green Line.

A drawback with the Aura Green Line is that it uses General Motors’ “mild hybrid” powertrain. This means that it uses the same hybrid components, complete internal combustion engine parts even to the Saturn fuel tank cap but it cannot run on pure electricity. This is a disadvantage since the Camry Hybrid shuts down its internal combustion engine on low-power operations and uses only the electric motor to produce the power needed.

With the Camry Hybrid using its electric motor to drive the car during low speed operations means that it can save more fuel than the Aura Green Line. But compared to the other variants of the Saturn Aura, the Green Line is more fuel efficient. With its inexpensive price tag, the Saturn Aura Green Line would surely attract the attention of hybrid car buyers looking for inexpensive hybrids.



Tom

popejayp asked:


I am looking to get a camry hybrid and was wondering if regular vs premium would make a difference. Right now I have a acura tl and I have to use premium or it doesn’t get as many miles, looses power and makes a funny sound. With gas prices going so high I need a car that isn’t costing me over $3.50 a gallon for 21 miles.

Marc

Tom Bailey asked:


The 2007 Car of the Year award is given by Motor Trend Magazine to Toyota Camry. This is the first year the Camry has won the award. The award went to all Camry variations including the hybrid. Said car is the hottest-selling car in the United States.

Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief of the auto magazine, “The car is innovative yet has a broad appeal. The Camry is the one car rival automakers all wish they could build. It offers something for nearly everyone - performance, efficiency and roominess - at a price point most Americans can afford.”

According to Motor Trend magazine, “The Camry beat 26 other models that were totally new or redesigned in the year prior to Jan. 1, 2007.” Entries include 10 cars from Japanese automakers, 6 American models, 5 from Korea, 4 from Germany, and 1 each from United Kingdom and Sweden.

MacKenzie noted that Camry won in a very strong field. He added, “There have never been more choices available to American car buyers. That is a fact of life in the 21st century.” Toyota Camry is a midsize car manufactured in Georgetown, Kentucky. 2007 Toyota Camry parts underwent significant upgrades and redesigns to boost appeal, comfort and performance. Camry is consistently ranked as on of the most popular cars especially in North America.

Through October this year, the automaker reported 350,481 sales of Camry. So far, it leads all cars in the United States. Next to Camry is Corolla, which has recorded sales of 330,995. This information was divulged by Autodata Corp.

Motor Trend staffers evaluated the entries according to their innovation in engineering, design, safety and technology; their performance and quality; and whether the vehicle delivers value to the consumer. Last year’s winner was Civic, which boasts its sophisticated Honda Civic parts. In the previous month, Mercedes-Benz performance parts in the GL450 were commended since the model was awarded the sport utility vehicle of the year.

For this year’s competition, Camry’s competitors for the Car of the Year title were Chrysler Sebring, Honda Fit, Kia Rondo, Volvo C70 T5, Saturn Aura, Volkswagen Rabbit, Nissan Altima, and the Mercedes-Benz S Class.



Lawrence

hmr1979 asked:


I am DESPERATELY trying to find a speedometer cable for my 1988 Camry (mine is defective). I have tried junk yards etc. but i have been out of luck. Can anyone tell me where I Could find a speedometer cable for my 88 Turbo Diesel 2.0 L Camry? I thought yahoo might generate some answers for me, thank ya!
Thanks for the reply so far. Here is what I have done and each have said they did not have it.
Called: Auto Zone, Orilleys, Ad. Auto parts, SEVERAL junk yards. None has it.
I am located in Texas, however, the car is in Madagascar. I am going to find this stupid cable one way or another, it’s going to be my missioN! lol

Monica

CrYsTaLiTe627 asked:


My Camry is overheating and I am assuming it is the water pump. I already changed the thermostat and that was no help. When I turn the heater on to cool off the engine, it blows cold air or the temp of the air outside most of the time and seldomly hot air. I bought a water pump, but I am not sure if this is something I can do?

Rita

GoRun123 asked:


I may be getting my moms old camry as a car. It runs great but is old and used as far as paint and interior goes. What kind of things could make it look good? I might repaint it or would rims look any good?

Marcia