I felt it was a little larger than I wanted in a car to kick around in so when I went for a test drive I didn't have high hopes since it was newer and more expensive than the price range I was shooting for and also it was red, not my favorite color. I sold the almost all of the remaining shares from my Walmart Stock bonus paid out from 5 or more years ago so it's basically free with the price appreciation since I received those shares. The sales taxes owed will come out of pension money I get monthly from a job I worked nearly 20 years ago. For 2026, I'm expecting pension payments from 3 prior jobs, but they only total about $600 per month. Not huge money, but better than zero, for sure.
In less than 5 mins of driving, the car had me sold. It was smooth, powerful, comfortable and quiet, ticking every single requirement including ones I didn't know I had.
After a week of driving the car across the country, the idea that Toyota can build a base vehicle that can be sold as a Lexus with extra features, sound proofing and structural rigidity makes plenty of sense and the likely reason why this car has been so popular over the last 2 decades.
The SE, XSE and TRD Trims appear to be very popular on the road, but in my mind make the least sense. Why buy a Camry as a sport sedan where the firm suspension gives it an uncomfortable ride? Compromises in car purchase decisions are driven by costs. Most people can't afford more than 1 car so they try to make it satisfy multiple desires such as family hauler or back roads sporty hoon mobile. It's why Jeep sells more 4 door wranglers and also why limited use short bed pickups with 4 doors are all over the place.
I've seen some owners complain about the XSE suspension being "shitty" but I suspect the firm suspension just makes for an unsatisfactory and uncompliant ride. I've owned a lowered Audi 200 Quattro, a 2013 Miata Club and an 88 Acura Integra where rattling your teeth over a bad road is just the normal trade-off for better handling.
Camry has a long reputation for being crazy reliable, but I question that for my car since it has so many complexities that there's no way this car can be working 100% in 10+ years with my DIY maintenance, but the lane centering assist and adaptive cruise control is something I had no idea I would become a fan about.
It's not perfect, the GUI of the dashboard screens are not horrible, it's terrible in the snow with the 235 all season tires and some of the desirable options are not separated out into various option packages. Sure, it's nitpicking. I love this car, I even like the color these days.
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