Hello i asked this question but in the wrong place sorry mistake so I'm reposting here scotty are the 2012 thru 2017 all the same engine 2ar-fe and transmission 6 speed ? And if so because of the shortage the prices on used are higher so I'm looking at some 2018 Camry's so my question is which would you go with I want the 2017 Camry or 16 but the 2018 2019 have the cvt your thoughts please happy memorial day
here scotty are the 2012 thru 2017 all the same engine 2ar-fe and transmission 6 speed ?
The answer is Yes to both. The 2AR-FE (which is the I4) is the same. There was also a V6 engine option, so you had 2 choices.
Avoid model years 2012-2014, some (transmission) issues with the 2.4L mated to the 6-speed AT. See below: If you can, stick to the last few years of that generation which had fewer issues (ironed out), so model years 2016 or 2017.
2018 was the first year of the whole new generation Camry, and they went to 8-speed AT (jury is out on the longevity of that transmission), but there was a TSB issued for that transmission in 2018 (so you’d want to make sure that was addressed if you bought it). See below:
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/camry-transmissions/
Forget about the CVTs. The 2018-newer Camry’s are sportier (handle better, if you care), and I personally like the styling, and has more tech (presumably more things to go wrong). But if you don’t care about all that and want a point A to B car that will last as long as possible (or at least give you the best odds - we can’t make guarantees), then stick to 2016/2017 Camry.
Also, see below playlists for more insight from Toyota Master Mechanic The Car Care Nut:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeFzfl0Q8rQXWBaEZdyV1v5u1VIuESa-P
Also, for model years 2018-newer the I4 switched to the new Dynamic Force Engine (A25A-FKS) and jury is out on longevity of that engine as well. The V6 would be a better choice (more true and tried) than the I4 for this new (current) generation.
Just FYI: Camry does not have CVT transmission.
I personally like the newer Camrys better but the 2015-2017 models are proven to be very reliable. The newer Camrys only have a CVT if you get the hybrid. The regular ones have an 8 speed automatic. This is just hear-say so idk if it’s legitimate but I did hear that with the 2018 Camrys, some Uber drivers have had the transmissions fail at 130k-170k miles but they were idiots who didn’t change the transmission fluid. I have a 2019 Camry SE that I drive a little hard and I’m at 53k miles so far and it’s running excellent but I’m also over-maintaining it. I changed the transmission fluid at 40-something thousand miles and I plan to do it again at 65k miles and every 25-30k miles after that. I also change the oil every 5k miles instead of the recommended “every 10k miles” which I think is a load of BS
