Toyota Camry 1997-2001 review

Overview

Toyota Camry 2001.

Toyota Camry 2001 Interior. Click for larger photo

The 1997-2001 Toyota Camry was one of the best family sedans on the market.

The 1997-2001 Camry was available as a front-wheel drive four-door sedan or two-door coupe (coupe was sold as Toyota Camry Solara). The drivetrain choices included a 4-cylinder or V6 engine with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. The 1997-01 Camry had fully independent suspension with McPherson struts on all four wheels. Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) were available.

Inside, the Camry was comfortable and quiet, with simple and easy to use controls and straightforward instruments. The dashboard design was a bit plain, but everything was laid out well. Front seats were comfy, although somewhat lacking side support. The Camry offered decent head- and legroom in the front; the rear seat space was sufficient. A trunk was large and the split rear seat backs could be folded down for more cargo space.

On the road, the Camry offered smooth and fairly quiet ride. The steering was very light, without much feedback. The soft suspension absorbed road bumps and minor cracks well, but some body roll was noticeable when cornering. Overall, the handling was good, although not sporty.

In the NHTSA frontal crash tests, the 1997 Toyota Camry received four stars for both the driver and the front passenger, while 1998-2001 Camry received four stars for the driver and five stars for the front passenger. In the frontal offset crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the 1997-2001 Toyota Camry received "Good" overall rating.

• Overview
• Engine
• Pros and Cons
• Overall
• What to look for buying a used Toyota Camry
• Maintenance tips
• Specifications
• Photos

The engine

Toyota Camry 2.2-liter 5S-FE engine

The 1997-2001 Camry offered two engine choices:
The standard 2.2L 136-hp 4-cylinder DOHC engine was fairly economical (29 mpg or 8.1 L/100km on the highway), yet provided adequate power for most driving situations.
The 3.0-liter 194-hp 24-valve V6 engine (model 1MZ-FE) was very smooth and quiet with plenty of power. Both the 4-cylinder and V6 Toyota Camry's engines have a timing belt that must be replaced at regular intervals. Either engine is very reliable if maintained well.

Pros

- Good fuel economy (4-cylinder models)
- Smooth soft ride
- Comfortable, quiet interior
- Easy to maintain
- Good reliability history
- Easy to sell

Cons

- Plain interior styling
- Front seats lack side support
- Rear cup holder design
- Body roll at cornering
- Steering wheel wears fast

Overall

The 1997-01 Camry with its comfortable quiet interior, smooth ride and good handling was one of the best choices among family sedans. Although not completely trouble-free, the 1997-2001 Camry was fairly reliable and could last very long if maintained properly.
Check the 2002-2006 Toyota Camry review.

What to look for buying a used Camry

As a first step, check the used car history records. It may turn out that the car is not even worth a look. A history report may help you to uncover some of the problems the car might have in the past such as accidents, flood damage, rolled back odometer, rental use, etc. Read more here: How to check used car history
- If you notice blue smoke coming from the exhaust, even if it's just a small puff of blue smoke at startup, avoid such a car.
- Look for oil leaks.
- Knocking noise from the suspension on bumpy road may indicate bad suspension components (e.g. bad strut mounts).
- Check the service records if available; it's very important to verify that the car was properly maintained and oil changes were done regularly.
- Check for sludge under the oil filler cap with the engine OFF.
- If the "check engine" light is on, have it checked; some problems are expensive to repair. Read more What to look for when buying a used car
Check few cars to compare condition; it's worth to pay a little extra for a well-maintained vehicle in good shape.
Have the vehicle inspected by a mechanic of your choice before purchase, you want to know if the car has been properly maintained and doesn't have hidden problems.
- Some models may be costly to insure. Check the insurance quotes first.
- After you bought a car, check with Toyota dealer if all safety recalls have been performed.

Maintenance tips

- To keep your engine in a good shape change the engine oil regularly.
- Regularly check your parking space for leaks, and if you find one, get it fixed as soon as you can.
- Try to avoid overheating the engine, it may cause serious damage to the engine.
- Change the automatic transmission fluid regularly with original Toyota fluid.
- Whenever your engine is serviced, ask to check the PCV valve. A clogged PCV valve causes increase in amount of carbon deposits (sludge) inside the engine.
- If the cabin heater fan works only at high speed position, the heater fan resistor is the first part to check. There could be few other reasons for this problem, but from my experience, the heater fan resistor is the most likely culprit. Usually either the connector or the resistor itself gets corroded, causing this problem. The heater fan resistor is not very expensive part and is fairly easy to replace. You can buy the part from your local Toyota dealer or have them installed it for you; it shouldn't cost a lot.
- Use original Toyota parts, they are reasonable priced.
- Follow recommended maintenance schedule and keep all the fluids clean and topped up.
- If the brake pedal feels too low, the brakes need to be serviced.
- The trouble code P0401 is often caused by a bad VSV valve for the EGR system.
- Take care of any minor problem before it becomes a major one.
- Have your car inspected, at least once a year, in a garage on the lift to keep it safe.
Read more Car maintenance tips.
If your Check Engine light comes on while driving, read here what it means:
Check Engine light. If you already scanned your car's computer, check here: The Engine trouble codes and what they mean. If you want to download the owner's manual, check here: Where to find an owner's manual.

Toyota Camry specifications (2001 model)

Dimensions:
Overall length: Wheelbase: Overall width: Overall height: 4-cylinder model V6 model	188.6 in (4790 mm) 105.1 in (2670 mm) 70.1 in (1780 mm) 55.1 in (1400 mm) 55.3 in (1405 mm)
Seating capacity:	5
Cargo capacity:	14.1 cu. ft (.399 m³)
Engines:
4-cylinder engine 6-cylinder	2.2-liter DOHC 16-valve in-line 4 engine, model 5S-FE with cast iron block and aluminum alloy head 136 hp @ 5,200 rpm, 150 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm 3.0-liter DOHC 24-valve all-aluminum V6, model 1MZ-FE 194 hp @ 5,200 rpm, 209 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm
EPA Fuel Economy (US MPG, L/100km):
2.2L, 4-cyl engine, 5-speed Manual trans. 2.2L, 4-cyl engine, Automatic trans. 3.0L, V6 engine, 5-speed Manual trans. 3.0L, V6 engine, Automatic trans.	city: 21 MPG (11.2 L/100km) hwy: 30 MPG (7.8 L/100km) city: 20 MPG (11.8 L/100km) hwy: 29 MPG (8.1 L/100km) city: 17 MPG (13.8 L/100km) hwy: 25 MPG (9.4 L/100km) city: 17 MPG (13.8 L/100km) hwy: 25 MPG (9.4 L/100km)
Recommended Fuel:	87 Octane unleaded (91 unleaded for V6 models)
Fuel Tank Capacity:	18.5 US gallons (70 liters)
Engine oil capacity (drain and refill):
4-cylinder 5S-FE Engine (With filter): V6 1MZ-FE Engine (With filter):	3.8 US qt (3.6L) 5.0 US qt (4.7L)