When I got my new Camry last fall, I signed up on another Camry forum so I could exchange ideas and help with other like minded "enthusiasts." Unfortunately, that other forum seems to be populated by a small but LOUD group of Camry/Toyota haters. Seriously?! You'd think folks might have better things to do with their time? Several don't even own Camrys anymore. I guess they just stick around to make sure everyone else is as miserable as themselves.

I just wanted to some enthusiasm. Is that so wrong? I mean, if you just hate the car you have...sell the freaking thing and get that Hyundai Sonata that you can't stop raving about!

So, you boys got any enthusiasm here? Anybody really like their car...or, cars in general?

 

Hi,
I am an avid car enthusiast and I have an extensive background in the automotive industry. I try to attend SEMA in Las Vegas every other year and I drive a Camry.
I enjoy my car even though it is not a rocket. It runs well and when pushed, can have some fun.
I have done some minor mods to my car but nothing in the realm of power and performance. I have added fog lights, H11 to H9 headlight conversion, muffler tip, and I have acquired stock aluminum wheels to replace the steelies.
Nothing hard core, just dress her up a little bit.
What have you got going on?

 

Patonium,

Thanks for your reply. I spent a good deal of my working life in the car and motorcycle industry and am also an avid car (and motorcycle) enthusiast.

I realized when I saw your reply, that the idea of a car "enthusiast" has changed and evolved. I have always enjoyed working on cars (a little less so when I've done it for a living) but being able to "tinker in the garage" is a source of pleasure and fulfillment for me. I currently own, in addition to the Camry, an old 128 FIAT hatchback, a1970 Triumph TR6., and several motorcycles...but, I just really enjoy cars...street rods, classics, race cars...they're all great fun.

I live in remote northern Wisconsin and drive a pickup a lot for work. This isn't really "car country" up here - mostly trucks and SUVs - but there are some shows in the summer and some pretty nice driving roads for five or six months a year. I owned a VW GTI until recently and really enjoyed driving her around up here.

Unfortunately, my wife has been really sick for the past year and I found that I needed a bigger four door car to haul her to doctors offices and family member to and from distant hospitals. I realized I needed to grow up and find a real family car. I used to work for Toyota and the Camry was a natural choice because they are good solid reliable vehicles. I got a left over 2014 SE Sport four cylinder because I had driven one as a rental a couple of years back and was impressed with how improved they were from what I remembered.

The Camry has been a real trooper and I've rolled almost 9000 miles on her since late October. I'm impressed with this new AR motor. My car is quick, rather than fast, and isn't a bad car to drive. I'm not a fan of the electric power steering and find that one feature to be the least enjoyable in terms of driving dynamics. The one thing I'd really love, would be a manual gearbox, but that's not longer a possibility.

Because this is a daily driver, I've tried to resist the urge to hang a bunch of performance pieces on the Camry. I'm assisted in this by the fact that there is not much out there for a four cylinder Camry anyway. I put some Continental Extreme Contact A/S tires on her and have a K&N intake mounted up. I also got an HID conversion for the low beams cause it's freaking dark up here in the winter and I needed as much light as I could reasonably get. Other than that, it's your basic Camry.

Thanks for the opportunity to share some of my story.

 

jcme0557,
Thank you for your reply and additional info about yourself.
I find that you having a TR6 very interesting bcause my father owns one as well. His has been heavily modified, see the following link.
Supercharged Triumph TR6
Yes, my Camry is a four door machine like yours and I enjoy the 5 speed manual for sure.
I too, enjoy all things 'cars' and respect everything from Camaro's to Civics to everything in between. That's why I really enjoy SEMA.
I have also enjoyed motorcycles many years ago. I bought an '84 Honda XR250R for $35. The engine came in a 5 gallon pail! Later, when I was 15, I had an '87 Kawasaki Ninja 600R. After doing the foolish things that 15 year old's do, I sold it for money for a car.
I hope your wife is well and again, welcome to the forums.

 

Patonium,

Just checked out the link you included and your dad's TBI conversions. That's freaking cool! I have SU HS6 carbs on my 6 right now, but the ZS carbs are in a box and now you have my mind going...darn it!

Thanks! This is what I mean by being a car enthusiast!

 

You're very welcome!
I know that there are quite a few TR6's out there running his TBI set up (as well as many other side draft carb set ups) and they run great. Performance and miles per gallon as well. He has shipped his conversion kits all over the world with great success. He stays pretty busy and just finished a set up for a Rolls Royce!
Let me know if you need any additional info about it and I can get it to you.