The same can be said for most of the US car models today; at least for me. But there was a time:

http://www.gmphotostore.com/products...1237&display=0

 

American companies have been scratching their heads for years about why Americans love Camry's. It is quite simple and some of you have said it indirectly.
It is the best value for your dollar than anything else out there. They are reliable, relatively comfortable, and last a long time. It fits our wallet in many ways but reliability and ability to last is a wonderful value. Now I have never owned a Camry, why do I want to be like the common crowd?
It has been shown that the American public does not necessarily like the best driving car but want the best value. A good example is the old BetaMax and VHS battle. Who won? VHS as we all know because it was viewed as the least expensive and best value for their buck.
Enough of a rant, I like Toyota, best cars I have ever owned, not the best looks or handling mind you, but the only cars I have kept for 10 years plus on every count. Whereas my American purchases, I could not wait to get rid of them as soon as they were paid off.

 

Yes, I am aware that they compared an AWD Fusion against the FWD Camry and Accord, but Ford's claim is that the cars were all have similar prices ($30K) and therefore can be compared. But that is beside the point.

As for the Camry being a "transportation module" or "appliance", the same can be said of the Accord. The Camry and Accord compete for the same customers, and they are always being compared against each other and they trade places on the top of the sales numbers list every year. Neither the Camry nor the Accord were designed to perform or for handling, they are both good, reliable "transportation modules" (for lack of a better description). But from the graph, one would conclude that the Camry is a really bad car when compared against the Fusion and the Accord (at least in the areas being compared). I would expect the Camry numbers to come a lot closer to the numbers for the Accord, even in the areas being compared. I just cannot believe the Camry numbers are less than half of the Accord numbers -- even when rated by drivers who are obviously biased towards the Fusion.

But why???

 

I had never driven a Camry until getting one as a rental car last year. After a few miles I couldn't help but think, "It's just like an American sedan. No wonder they're so popular." If I had closed my eyes I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the Camry and the Buick Centuries that I often get as rentals.

They're all

 

There must be a reason why they sell so many.

 

people used to like those nice looking old Buicks!!!
What were they called ???Streetmasters,???
With the portholes on the front fenders,???

 

The reason was quality at a reasonable price. It hasn't been that long since they were at the top of the charts, report after report from JDPowers and Consumers Report for well built cars that an average person could afford. This was at the same time when the big 3 were really putting out junk. I suspect almost all their business these days is repeat customers who don't even look at other cars.

 

I've never owned a Camry, but I did own a Toyota 4Runner. I traded it in with 110,000 miles on the odometer and I'm sure another 100,000 miles left in it. In the 7 years and 110,000 miles that I owned it, I abused it, neglected it, drove it hard and never really took care of it. In spite of that, it was the most reliable, trouble free vehicle I've ever owned. It was absolutely bulletproof. If I'd have taken care of it the way I take care of my S2000 it would have run for 2,000,000 miles. As it is, it was running fine when I traded it in.

I mention this simply because this is exactly what is right about the Camry too. It, like all other Toyota products is well built, reliable and well worth the price. Is it a sports car? No. Is it fun to drive? No. But that isn't what America, except for a few of us, wants. America wants a nice, comfortable reliable bullet proof car.

And Ford has it all wrong. Those who want a performance car wouldn't consider a Camry anyway. And those who want what Camry brings to the table would have no interest in a Focus. Ford, of course, feels that if you knock the best selling car, it makes your car look better. Maybe to Ford, but the car buying public doesn't feel like buying into that lie anymore. The proof of the pudding is in the sales. And Camry outsells everything else.

 

[QUOTE=WhiteS2k,Mar 29 2007, 01:08 PM]

 

Ford and GM didn't have very many good things to say about the Tucker automobile in the 40s either. But fortunately Toyota has a bit more political power and capital than Tucker did.