I've been looking at buying a car for a while and I've always been a big fan of the Japanese philosophy. Cars that are built to last and cater to the user. Particularly the camry but in recent years toyota has been making some questionable decisions such as making their engines smaller from a 6 cylinder to a 4 cylinder and going from a 3.5 liter to a 2.5 plus I believe they are going to be switching to CVT transmissions. These changes are making me apprehensive to buy their newer models am I right to be nervous and look into possible other makes or should I trust Toyota's engineers as I myself am not?
in recent years toyota has been making some questionable decisions
No, they haven't. The government has enacted unrealistic laws that car companies must obey. Yes, reliability has slipped as a result, but Toyota's hands are tied.
look into possible other makes
like what? Toyota (and maybe Honda) is the only company that doesn't make garbage. It's still the best option.
Yes, Toyota is moving away from bigger engines like V8 and V6, to more inline four or inline four turbo.
Yes, Toyota is incorporating more CVT than automatic.
The reason behind this is due to emissions regulations. So most car manufacturers will be making similar moves towards smaller engines, hybrids, and electrification.
If you can find a used Toyota V8 or V6 and/or automatic transmissions, in good shape, that would probably be better.
But the inline 4 and CVT from Toyota is projected to be more reliable than almost any other make. Honda would inline 4 and CVT is probably a good reliable choice too.
The current new Camry still have 8 speed tranny without CVT. I drive a '21 SE. haven't had any issues. The only thing I don't like is the thin paint.
