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sean sherry

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Having never bought a Japanese Car in my life , always European , I first was attracted to the redesigned Camry Hybrid because of he technology. How did Toyota get a dual planetary gear System to behave like a CVT ? And the G11 drive motor to rev to 17000 RPM. I'm still not sure I understand it . Then, after I drove the Car, the handling and the quietness convinced me.
A plus, a big plus, was, I was able to extract a $2000 discount on a newly released model !!! It has been absolutely faultless for now at 9000 Ks. Compared to the 5 new Mercedes..2 new BMW.s..a.new VW Bettle . Though 2 new VW Turbo 6 speed manual Golfs were 100% reliable.
 

Patrick_R

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Good points Sean.

This car just shows the reputation of Toyota will be perpetuated.

All the families I know that have had & still have Toyota’s, have sworn by them since the 70’s.
 

c107

and 111/116/124/126
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Good points Sean.

This car just shows the reputation of Toyota will be perpetuated.

All the families I know that have had & still have Toyota’s, have sworn by them since the 70’s.

I think the reliability is a big factor. I know people who swear by toyotas because they almost never break down. My brother in law has a corolla and he bought it after experience with a Holden Astra
 

Patrick_R

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He would be so happy after the Astra.

I know people who are on their 3rd Astra since the name started with Holden in 1984, which was a re badged N12 Nissan Pulsar. They currently have a 2018 model, and they have been very lucky, as each one has been faultless.

Saying that, I know people who have had nothing but trouble with their Astra’s since the 80’s also.

So hit and miss with quality & reliability.
This is where Toyota shines.
 

Michel

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It would be interesting to see why Camry buyers buy Camry’s

I've been an American (Chevrolet and GM) and Mercedes-Benz car buyer forever (bar a couple of Fiats purchased in my youth overseas).
However, a couple of years ago my eldest son Albert convinced me to buy a Camry Hybrid for Paula to drive, replacing her CLK convertible that was written off... (part of the convincing was that it had a rare beige interior option-ha).

I have to admit, it's been flawless and a pleasure to drive...
Super quiet thanks to noiseless Bridgestone Turanza tyres and very economical when driven correctly (4-4.5 litres per 100 kilometres.
 
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sean sherry

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Compare Camry Hybrid with new Corolla Hybrid.
The first thing to notice is the lack of Torque from the 1.8 Engine Even though it is a smaller car it is sluggish compared to the 2.5 Lt engine in the livery:) Camry.
It needs at least a 2 Litre Engine. Or a Turbo.
But in it's shopping basket market, it is fine.
 

c107

and 111/116/124/126
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Sorry I never took any. Car is back with Hertz now an I am in Florida now. I don't have a rental car on this leg of the trip....

while i had the car I did manage to stop off on the way to the airport at a junkyard and pick up a few W126 pieces. Junkyards here are cheap and much larger than in AU, so more likely to have something interesting. the main one I went to had 3x124, 2x126, 1x123, 2x140 and a few newer C classes.

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This would have been a nice 300CE in its day, in 199 Grey/Black and a grey interior. Somebody had covered the wood trim in 'carbon fiber' plastic contact.

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Most of the stuff I got came from this 90 420SEL. Interior was stripped, but I got some of the rear door pulls I was looking for, and the long lug bolts. The front and rear interior door handles on the W126 are the same so when the drivers one gets worn and hangs down, you can grab one from the rear of a parts car that should be in much better shape. These were not perfect but should be ok.

Also got some of the plastic bits that mount the front side cladding trim that are broken on my SEC from this car.

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Was good to see how the under dash is setup on a W126 as I will need to change the vacuum flap units on my car.

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This one, a 300SD Turbodiesel was very complete, just rusty underneath. Interior looked good but it was a heavy smokers car.

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even had service history to 140k miles (had 180k). I grabbed the 300SD owners manual, mostly for novelty purposes.

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This 300CD was rusty as all hell.

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fred flinstone car

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Some of the stuff I got. there are two more door handles and a bit more trim stuff out of shot. Also some more of the long lug bolts soaking in coca cola to clean them up a bit.
 

Styria

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It's always interesting to see what's on the other side of the world. Wrecking yards can be quite a revelation, and you often wonder how they can make money especially if a lot of the stuff and parts are crushed in the end.

Some years ago, I spent three boiling (hot) days at Pick 'n Payless dismantling as much as I could of a 6.9 they had in the yard - they did not realize the significance of the car they had on hand. The hot wind was blowing a gale for the whole period, I did not dare leaving my tools unattended on account of the vultures hanging around as I had to carry all my tools in a wheel barrow the yard provided. Getting a lot of the parts enabled me to get a basic exchange service going for suspension and other parts. Well, it was the start of it. Great pictures Bryce, and good info. Regards Styria
 
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