Used 2008 Toyota Camry Consumer Reviews
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What Camry should be!
Vladimir, 10/07/2016
2008 Toyota Camry LE 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)
30 of 31 people found this review helpful
The only reason why I bought the 2008 Camry was because I owned a 1993 Camry that lasted 300,000 mile without any major repair or problem. I bought it used in 2010 with 28000 miles, it was a lease return vehicle. 100,000 miles later, it still looks and drives like new and never had any major problems with it. The only thing I repaired in the car was the rear passenger hub bearing which cost less than $150. I just replaced the original brakes last year simply because I wanted to. I changed the tires twice and battery one time, usual car wear and tear. It is nice to drive, comfortable and quiet. The only this I probably don't like with this car is that it drives very light, too light for the size and type of car. Toyota contacted me for all of the recalls and they fixed those. They sent me extended warranties for the dashboard (cracks and warp dashboard) and engine (excessive oil loss), but never had to use them. We really need a van or SUV for the growing family, but we can't imagine trading or selling this car since it has been really great to us. Over all we really love this car, at this pace this one might reach 300,000 miles too.
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Best car I have owned!
Ron Mansfield, 03/05/2017
updated 03/07/2018
2008 Toyota Camry XLE 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)
23 of 24 people found this review helpful
Bought a loaded 2008 Camry XLE a year ago and l'm very pleased with my purchase. Roomy interior, smooth & quiet ride. The V-4 has plenty of power when needed. Love the JBL stereo, Bluetooth & moon roof. Failed the oil consumption test & Toyota replaced the pistons & rings at 180,000 miles. No other problems or complaints. Replaced the sun visors, added new Michelin Premier A/S tires & do regular maintenance. Very reliable vehicle with plenty of luxury features for the price I paid, overall it's a great car.
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SE V6 198k Mile Review and Maintenance Records
Ammar, 02/21/2019
updated 07/09/2024
2008 Toyota Camry SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
21 of 22 people found this review helpful
7/8/2024 Update: sold the car in November 2023 with 198k on the clock. I sold the car simply because I wanted to get it off my hands before rear suspension & motor mounts needed to be replaced. Also wanted to get back into a Prius. Here are some items that needed to be repaired after the last update. -Front rotors and pads @ 177k (started to squeal on the way back from a heavenly road trip to the mountains of Asheville NC. Didn’t replace brakes quickly enough as rotor dust/material was discharged all over right side of car - embedding into the paint. Be warned! Get the brake replaced before the pad wear indicator hits the rotors and starts to scream at you, ideally.) -Ignition coils (front 3 only) @ 181k (saved a ton of money ordering through Rock Auto for genuine Denso coils.) -Rear wheel hub bearings & front bank sensor 2 O2 sensor @ 188k (changed rear pads and rotors at this time, which also required replacement of the original right rear brake caliper housing due to piston being corroded) -Alternator died @ 189k The resale value on my car was impressive, and it was mainly due to the detailed maintenance records that I have kept on it, proving to the next owner that the fundamentals have been taken care of. 2/21/2022 Update: 172k on the clock now. Hit a huge pothole summer 2020 on I94 that created the need to do the first ever suspension updates on this car at 151k miles. Replaced the CV/axle shafts, front left lower control arm, front struts, and sway bar end links. Also went ahead and replaced spark plugs for first time. At 155k, as a preventative measure, I had Toyota replace the transmission fluid (synthetic ATF flush). They have a specific process that heats the fluid to the perfect temperature so that the fluid expands to the correct level. At 165k I had the original flex pipe near the y pipe break due to corrosion going through salty Michigan winters. Easy $100 fix at Mr Muffler, but boy did the car sounds like a freight train for a couple days! Aside from these maintenance updates, the car is still driving and shifting very smoothly. Also handles well in the snow with these all season Goodyear Maxlife Assurance tires I put on. Still very happy with this car 9 years later. 2/21/2020 Update: 148k on the clock now and the car is still running strong. My wife drives it daily and I occasionally jump in and yet driving my 2010 Prius all week. It honestly feels like a powerhouse every time I get on the highway and go to pass. 2/21/2019 Review: We’ve had this Camry in the family since December 2010 with 29k miles certified used from Toyota. I took over the payments from my dad at 47k miles early 2013 and have throughly enjoyed ownership. Very powerful V6, comfortable leather seats for long drives, great style, smooth ride, and good features for a now 11 year old car. It has Bluetooth (phone calls only - audio only by Aux cable), heated leather seats, sunroof, navigation, premium JBL sound system, but doesn’t have auto climate control like the XLE models. Also has a stiffer sporty suspension when compared to the XLE so its fun to toss around curvy roads. While the car was under warranty, I had a couple of issues worth mentioning. One was a sunroof issue which was quickly repaired by Toyota. The next one could have been more expensive - the infamous VVTi oil hose issue. It’s just a rubber hose that routes oil up from the engine block to the heads for lubrication. Toyota used rubber material that degraded under high heat over time. At the 81k mile mark, my original VVTi oil hose had degraded to the point where I lost 2 quarts of oil in ~30minutes or driving time. I noticed the light show in the dash just before I reached home. When I popped the hood, I noticed oil was everywhere and I feared the worst. I towed the car to the dealership and they quickly pointed to the problematic VVTi hose issue. They put in the new enhanced rubber hose, topped the oil off, cleaned up the mess of oil and the car was back on the road. I was lucky that I wasn’t on a road trip, and also lucky that there was no engine damage. Toyota has since repaired the issue and I believe most owners received the bulletin to get the updated, stronger rubber VVTi hose. Another issue I ran into at 107k miles was a faulty trans temp sensor. While driving through Michigan on a short road trip, the check engine light came on. 10 miles later, the trans wouldn’t shift past 3rd gear and started making a smoky smell. After pulling over and letting the car cool down, I continued another 30miles to my destination with no issues. Apparently when the ECU senses an issue, it moves into “limp mode” to force you to pull over. I had the car towed to my mechanic immediately where he diagnosed the sensor problem. ~$250 later the car was running great again with fresh trans fluid, filter and temp sensor. Aside from the 2 critical issues mentioned above which could’ve caused a bad situation on a long road trip, the other maintenance items above & beyond oil/tires/brakehave been infrequent. I’ll list them below: -Rear wheel bearing @68k miles -Upstream O2 sensor @ 104k miles -Front wheel bearing @125k miles Now with 136k miles on the clock, it still is very fun ride with great style and comfort. The 3.5L V6 engine in the car is also used in many Toyota/Lexus sedans and SUVs/trucks so it is a proven workhorse. Another plus is that it runs on 87 octane fuel in the Toyota’s, while most of the Lexus cars were tuned to run on premium 91+ octane. Despite the issues I’ve had in the past, I still have trust in this vehicle to drive across the country. Gas mileage has been average 22mpg in mixed conditions but I’ve also seen up to 27mpg on road trips - very close to EPA ratings.
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Not Toyotas Finest Effort
Detectivejojima, 03/09/2016
updated 09/11/2017
2008 Toyota Camry CE 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M)
44 of 49 people found this review helpful
The car overall is a good car for everyday transportation. Quiet, comfortable and reliable. Not exciting, nor fun to drive, but it does the job. Weak points are struts, which had to be replaced around 40k. Small leaks and very soft, just too soft, and not under warranty. Needed to replace power booster on brakes around 150k. First time on any car I've owned. Those are expensive fixes. Also, now at 175k mileage, smoke comes out of exhaust when 1st starting in morning, regardless of weather. My mechanic says oil burn, but oil does not drop between oil changes, so not much oil burn, if that is what is causing smoke. But still runs great, no other major problems and I guess it's been overall a reliable Toyota, but below my other experiences with my 5 other Toyotas over the years. Update: 9/9/17 - I recently sold my Camry, 7/10/17, as it was starting to smoke more on start-up, and was verified by my mechanic as oil burn. It also started to consume oil, approximately a quart every 2-3000 miles. The extended warranty ran out in October of 2016, so no warranty either. This, a Toyota Camry, that basically lasted less than 200,000 with meticulous care on my part. Very frustrating, as I always believed most problems with cars start with owners, but this was a design issue with the engine, and Toyota refused to acknowledge it. From the struts failing at 40k, the water pump around 48-50k, the power brake booster failing at 150k, and many other smaller issues that I never encountered with in over 40 years of ownership of 5 other Toyota models. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA DEALER RESPONSE. OF COURSE TOYOTA COULD CARE LESS, AS THEY SELL 400,000 OF THESE A YEAR, BUT WHEN YOU MAINTAIN A CAR AS WELL AS I HAVE, AND IT'S A DESIGN ISSUE, YOU WOULD THINK THAT A MANUFACTURER WITH THE REPUTATION OF TOYOTA WOULD STEP UP AND DO WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING, EITHER REPAIR OR REPLACE. THAT IS WHY I AM BUYING A NEW HONDA TODAY, 9/9/17, AS OPPOSED TO THE NEW 2018 CAMRY.
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Toyota Technician Fires Manufacturer
Ben, 05/04/2016
2008 Toyota Camry LE 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A)
36 of 42 people found this review helpful
There's a lot you need to know about this car before buying it. Firstly, if you DO buy it buy it new but Ideally lease it. Toyota has gotten incredibly shifty about their warranties and their reliability has dropped. I am reviewing this car based on owning it and also based on working on the brand professionally. In the year that I bought this car used, my dashboard has melted and been replaced by Toyota under warranty. My engine burns 1.5 quarts of oil per 12,000 miles due to faulty piston ring design. They will not cover it due to a lack of oil change receipts and the nature of it being purchased used. The gas pedal had a recall that was performed due to it functioning incorrectly. All Toyota Water pumps will leak antifreeze which is considered normal by the manufacturer. The sun visor in this particular model is held up by a metal clip and actually mine fell down while I was driving on the interstate one day. My radio was designed without the JBL option and you cannot upgrade after you purchase your vehicle. The wiring harnesses are not included and they will not allow it to be performed. The radio I was stuck with has major issues - as do many of them on that model. The cd players don't read properly and I went through five of them both new and used. You will be unable to do anything other than upgrade to an aftermarket radio designed specifically for this vehicle. The interior design of this build was built incredibly cheap and lacks durability in all senses. The alignment of the drivers seat is off to the right so eventually you will notice the left side of your seat wear out. The air conditioning system has a bad habit of growing mold and smelling like death due to evaporator moisture. Toyota's legendary paint has once again failed on my vehicle. The clear coat is paper thin and scratching everywhere. Also in newer vehicles, you will find stone chips and rail marks on every single car, even new ones. Trade in value has dropped horribly with this model and I'm financially underwater on this transaction. Toyota factory strut mounts are notorious for failure - especially the drivers side front on this model. The drivers side axle is also an issue and has a tendency to make noise and fail. The transmission software on these cars has been flashed several thousand times due to bad programming decisions and hesitations. Every time the car is at the shop there is a new recall open on it. My rear view mirror peeled in half and I ended up replacing it with one from a 1999 Toyota Camry. I actually have stopped working on new cars recently, due to the unreliability of the automotive industry of today.
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