1989 Toyota Camry V6 | Retro Review
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- čas přidán 24. 03. 2021
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Many will say that the V6 in the Taurus SHO is the prettiest V6 of this era but this Camry's V6 is a work of art as well.
Show 816 | Original Recording 1.12.1989
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...only if you make John Davis apologize for saying Cam-Ray so many times!
You make money off the ad revenue like everyone else.. and youtube doesn't charge to post, so what's your overhead?
@@rustbeltrobclassic2512 you see ads?
@@bendavis9733 i see them too. What sorcery are you using to avoid them??
@@thethomasj1795 just the rock auto teaser. We don't monetize
I can’t believe Toyota misspelled Camray on their cars.
@Mike M Glad you liked it :-)
I remember people having these cars when I was a small kid and the V6 Models were always further distinguished by their larger tires. Back then looking at the owners, there was always a sense of pride apparent whenever anyone pulled alongside you in these cars, especially the A s i a n owners and I think I now know why.
It’s because they knew all along that they weren’t driving Camrys, no that name was being designated specifically for 4-Cylinder Models & only the 🥱 less sophisticated and more frugal Toyota owners were unfortunate enough to be driving something like that 😝!
No, Sweetie these individuals owned The LE AND V6 Model cars which were correspondingly more upscale, affluent and deserving of the moniker “Cam-Raaaaay” Hunny! They had 💴 money and didn’t mind flaunting their wealth to whoever was lucky enough to get an up close and personal view of the highly coveted, invite only, and exclusively upscale Member of The Cam-Ray Club; Those Doggone Pretentious Cam-Ray Owners 😡
But seriously though, those doggone cars have bulletproof reliability. My sister owns a ‘18 XSE 4-Cylinder and my niece is now 12, I have no doubt that if her moms hold onto that vehicle it’ll still be in well enough mechanical condition to be her very first car. I think the aforementioned owners knew back then that their cars were something special and their pride that I spoke of was developed as a result.
Now watch Top Gear. "Hondaare", "Mazdaare" (I bet Jaguaare started out as Jaga/Jagua as well)
@@miljororforsprakpartiet290 In Europe, they pronounce Mazda as "MAZZ-duh"; here in the USA, we pronounce Mazda as "MAZ-duh".
@@theKevronHarris same in Canada.
I always wanted one of them fancy camrays.
Lol
We had a 1988 4 cyl growing up. Everytime we pulled up next to a v6 version, my dad would be so envious of the bigger engine and faster acceleration. I didn’t realize how slow the v6 was...but I guess it’s all relative.
It was mostly my moms car. She never liked it bc she thought it was flimsy and unsafe. I think that was the general perspection of all Japanese cars back then.
@@Rahul-op3ry it's called vernacular
@@Rahul-op3ry You can't see he's mocking the pronunciation, not the grammar?
John it’s CAM-Ree! Only one a in Camry 😂
Take a shot every time he says “camray”
...And I'm dead.
I went through a bottle and a half of Jameson.
I can’t get off the floor
ok i will
WASTED!!!!
As far as I can tell, sometime between 1989 and 1992, John switched from saying "Cam-ray" to "Camry"
Thanks for sharing this major information
Maybe he got a note from the Toyota PR department.
@@oambrosia Perhaps. 'Dear John, You are the only person on the planet that calls our family mid-size the "Cam-ray." Please stop at once. Sincerely, Toyota'
@@TurboMan942 It's a cease and de(say)st letter.
@@TurboMan942 😂😂
John decided he’d say his interpretation of the name as many times as he could
He says camray at least 30 times I counted
@@JoeyIgnacio 😂😂😂
I'm trading in my old Stingry for one of these new Camrays.
Lol I see what you did there 😂
😂 this comment deserves more likes
😂
i can’t get over him saying cam-ray, lol wtf never heard anybody say it like that
Murray Franklin buying a car. Arthur Fleck: how about a Camray Murray? Murray: No I think we've had enough of your Japanese imports. Give me a K car.
And the sho. Not..s..h..o but sho. “Hey, man, what you got under there?” “A sho!” “ !!! You dumb ass jive turkey!!”
Yea, that's got to be a first. I've noticed a few 80s reviews where John has some... interesting pronunciation choices. The one that stuck with me most was when he pronounced the Mitsubishi Galant with a silent "t."
That's my thoughts too! Is it camry?! Or camray?!
I think he’s doing that on purpose. It’s really annoying. And I love Jon
My father had a 4-cylinder version of this car and he also called it CAM RAY.
Your father likes cohesive design
That would have been the cause of many family fights in my family
90% of this comment section-CamRAY
Legend has it that John Davis is still searching for his CamRAY’s voltmeter
Somewhere out there, a little old lady from Pasadena has one of these cooped-up in her garage in pristine condition with 34k miles on it.
Take my money, grandma! 😂
No kidding. 10 years ago I picked up a 1990 corolla with 28k miles. Only has 90k today
I just bought one last year!
@@DStabs720 - Wow, what a find! Strangely enough, those Corollas looked a lot like these 2nd gen Camrys stylistically and were equally bulletproof.
Very true. A hard loaded all white with white wheel covers with about 30k miles and a Billy Graham cassette still inserted.🤣
@@hellkitty1014 - Sounds right up my alley! lol
When “Camrays” had a manual (v6 too!) and LE was the top trim
This generation Camry was absolutely awesome
*Camray
It's the best looking model in my opinion. I still see them on the road today.
I had the 4 cylinder wagon. Very smooth ride, slow at high altitudes. Transmission went out at 35,900 miles
@@busman7228 auto? My manual wagon is still going strong at 450k
Years ago, my uncle was selling his Camry and offered it to me. I had a truck and said no, maybe I should've reconsidered.
Not only has the Camray evolved over the years, so has it’s name…
With the 4 valves per cylinder and double CAMS the Camray quieted down and became a Camry.
Those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it
I'm happy to say the Camray name is no more on Motorweek
The cam-ray never disappeared me, im a diehard cam-ray fan
How many times can he say CamRAY in one review. It’s like he’s trying to get people to say it the wrong way.
Stop trying to make "Camray" happen, John. It's not going to happen.
@@timothyhh lucky for us he finally pronounce it right in the XV10 Camry
@@timothyhh LOL he tried his best tho, gotta give him credit where credit is due.
29 times.
Aargh, so aggray-vating!
My grandma had her 1991 stolen from her driveway. It was recovered only a few towns away abandoned on the road side. Fired right up after sitting for months. Truly impressive. We did notice a set of luggage keys in the car that showed up after the theft. They worked in the doors and ignition. 😂
All Toyotas of this era were notoriously easy to steal. One half of a pair of barber scissors could get you into any of them.
I always wanted to pull the emergency release leaver so badly that mom told us as kids that if we did the roof and doors would exploded off the car 😂
Dad's get a lot of credit for messing with kids like this, but clearly Mom's are no slouch in the tall-tale humour department either!
I just checked out a bunch of 1980s Camry commercials and they all pronounce it the normal way so no idea where Cam-Ray came from.
The six cylinders in a traverse mounted engine means that it really difficult to reach the back three spark plugs.
How profound.
I never did change them three rear plugs on my '94 1MZFE in my V6SE coupe😭🙏🏽☠️
Still can’t believe that The Crocodile Hunter was killed by a wild Camray. So sad RIP
"Crikey, this Camray's rully byoodaful! I'll poke it to see if there's a voltage and oil pressure gauge here somewhere.."
"Punch it, Margret!" 😂... The Camry of this generation was and still is the most bullet-proof car on the road. Plain as the interior was, it was still very comfortable, and had everything you needed no matter how short or tall you are.
If I got $10 for every time John said "Camray" I'd be the richest man in the world
If I had $10 for every comment that calls out his mistake I'd be richer.
@@SgtKaito If I had $10 for both, I could buy Mars
@@dealwithit3704 Well played.
Now u have 69 likes!
I counted at least 30
Cam-ray? Am I hearing this right?
Almost as bad as his pronunciation of testarossa
Have i and everyone else i know been saying it wrong? He says it so often so im second guessing my cam-ree way of saying it.
Took a couple times of him saying it for me to be like wait is he saying Cam-ray
reminds me of his use of TAHR-us for Taurus
It's because it comes with a V6 Four Cam-reh.
@@Golbez1991 nah that'd be a Car-meh.
I was going to comment on how cool it is to be seeing this old video. Instead, I'm just going to say "Cam-ray".
Oh yes just what I needed a Camray review.
This v6 24v sounds a hell lot better than some of the more complex engines today.
OMG if he says CamRAY one more time!!! 😂 I swear he was trolling or lost a bet because he went out of his way to say it as many times as possible 🤣
Seriously though!
How things change, a blue interior with tweed seats was considered 'bland' in those days. Now we get a choice of grey or black.
No tan? The CamRAY has red again.
And that if they give option 🙁
I loved my white -90 Camry 2.0 gli manual with a blue interior.
It was my first car and cost only 800€, but i still drove it 7 years and it was very reliable.
At the end it didn't pass the inspections because there was too much rust on the rear axel.
Climate and salty roads rape our cars.
I accually still have it and use it for hauling firewood on our property.
Everything still works, even electric windows and mirrors, 510 000 km in odo.
Those seats are great. They don’t wear out or fade.
More reliable than even the current Camry.
yup Toyota is riding on this reputation while cutting cost on quality now days.
Not the auto transmission on these v6 mine went out at 150,000 miles that's low fir being a Toyota
Without even checking the comments first, I just knew the viewers would have a field day with his pronunciation of "Cam - ray."
I'm going to dream of a CAM-RAY tonight!
I always wanted one of those. One of the sleekest body shapes ever designed. Obscured by its ubiquity. Plus the V6.
For all the camRAY jokes john and motorweek crew were instructed to call the car that way by the toyota dealers... Same thing went on with 80s mistubishi galant where they would pronounce it in some funny french accent gotta love japanese and their names..
I remember the Car & Driver (magazine) subtitle for their review of this car: “V-6 does not Hot Rod make.” I think that says everything in one sentence.
It doesn't seem like much now, but I promise you 153 hp in a family car was quite a lot in the 1980s
Hell yeah! I had one of these back in the day, and that thing felt like a rocket with the V6! It surprises me that it took it over 9 seconds to hit 60 in the video.
I know what you mean and so i agree.. at that time I was driving a 136hp Audi 100 and it was a beast! But nevertheless.. You cannot "promise" anything about the past. The PRO part implies future. Your Friendly English teacher here, no need to retaliate...leave it without reply if you do not care.
Exactly! Even the 5.0 in the Crown Victoria was only pushing 150hp. More torque, sure but it had 2 more cylinders and was almost the displacement of 2 of this V6.
Many cars were also lighter back then, so it balanced out.
Yes. Your average 1980s family sedan was a 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with a pushrod 2.5 litre Iron Duke making 90 hp... about 50 of which actually made it to the ground through the three speed slush box, open diff, and P185/70/R14 tires on steel rims.
I've seen a lot of Camrys everywhere including this generation all over South Carolina.
I used to in early 2000s up until 2004 when I moved to Texas. Now that I come back in 2017 I don't hardly see them. And the car that I got now is a clean mint condition 97 civic LX the junk yards don't have any of them Toyotas nor many of my year civics I'm thinking it is because of the government deal cash for clunkers. so many people traded these cars in dealers were made to pour liquid glass in motor to destroy it and send to junkyard. Junkyard was made to scrap it right away
My mom had a 90 Camry about 10 years ago or so. I still see them in the Midlands quite often.
@@aquarius8325 same here. I've saw a cranberry red one for sale on FB marketplace in the Orangeburg area with 92k miles in the DX-V6 spec.
The last Camry I saw of this generation was 5 years ago. Almost all of them have completely rusted away.
I still see dozens of these a year here in So-Cal and they're in very descent shape. Nice V-6 4 camray engine too.
As a kid that grew up on Night Rider in the 80's and mom having a '79 TA , I was a TA kind of kid. And foreign cars were strictly not only in our house but extended family didn't have them either.
That said I remember one of the neighbors having a loaded up v6 Camry, I thought it was a good looking car for being a four door sedan as I only preferred sports coupes and two door vehicles at the time. I also rode in it several times and thought it was quite comfortable, felt very solid and was very quiet. I was impressed as a teenager. These days I wouldn't mind one. I also have had a 2003 Camry I really enjoyed and a 2012 that was nice but didn't quite have the same feel that the 2003 had.
Love watching these retro videos to compare how technology has advanced. Thanks!!
Fun Fact: The name "Camry" is derived from the Japanese word "kanmuri (冠)" meaning "crown".
cool - where does the name Camray come from?
@@Bruehoyt Sunlight?
Isn't the Camry built off the design of the Toyota crown?
Toyota brought back the Crown
I've been waiting for this retro review for a long time and this second-generation Camry is my most favorite car of all time!!
I love them too. I have two, a 4 and a LE V6. Nice size, comfortable, with the LE V6 it was also very quiet for the time. But they also weren't cheap cars.
@@primusconvoy LE V6 is the best one!!
Take a drink every time John says CamRay. You won't make it to the end of the film.
Love me some old skool camray videos!
JD’s pronouncement of Camry is somehow even more annoying than his testarossa
Truth! LMAO! -Still gotta love him.
His version of Audi pronunciation then was also a killer lol ... He's still the man no matter.
I’ve been searching for a review of this for years from you, you finally posted it!
My dad had a brand new 87 Camry.... watching this brings back memories 🙏🏾
I love seeing these retro reviews! Keep it up. ❤
3:01 John: V6 with the Camry does not translate into sport sedan! LOL
Enter Camry XSE
Still not a sports sedan.
*Camray
I had a sweet, blue 1988 Camry All-Trac 5MT that was an absolute beast. Four cylinder but it handled the snow like a truck.
Cool, but this video is about the CamRAY.
@@doug6191 valid point. Darn autocorrect.
In 1984 I bought a Camry, 4 other cars were bought by other family members, Taurus, De Ville, and 2 Pontiacs. After 6 yrs, all those were traded away due to mechanical issue. The Toyota kept going for over 12 yrs.
My high school car i drove in the 90's. Will always forever be my favorite car ever!
John H. Davis: CamRAY
Steve Erwin: For some reason I don't like how he says that cars model's name.
My dad bought one of these new in 1989 (4 cylinder), and just sold it last month. Still worked perfectly after 32 years.
My mom had this one in the early 2000’s.
I thought it was a bucket cause it was old, wish I’d appreciate more as a kid. It was the first car I ever drove....I have a soft spot for this CamRAY.
The vehicle tested is an ‘88 model. You can tell by the 3-piece bumper design and that seat material was only available on ‘87 and ‘88 models.
Why is he saying Camry that way.
Because it's the right way. We've all been doing it wrong!
I bought this exact model in 2022, and I gotta say, this is interesting content considering it's a rare opportunity to see the past. the Camray thing bothered me the entire time but it's by far interesting context. Still by far the best looking Camry of all the years though. It looks good
when I was 6th grade these cars were everywhere. Every mom had one. They were exceptionally reliable and quick for the time. Cam-ray
2021and my 91 camry has 437 thousand miles. And still running great. This model is bulletproof
I used to see these all over. And I remember the commercials for the first V6 models. This would be the platform for the first Lexus ES250 the following year. Unfortunately, they pretty much evaporated in the road salt states.
My friend's mother drove one of these until at least 2000 when we graduated high school, but yeah, I can't imagine there's many left around now.
They're very rare acknowledging how popular and common the ES model is today.
Toyota's first Camry with a V6. FFS, John..........it's CAM-REE, NOT CAM-RAY!!!!!!!!
This is 31 yrs ago bruh calm down
32..lol
I had the ultra rare 1988 Camry LE AllTrac with the 5 speed. Baby blue, manual everything. Excellent car.
I had one of these! My dad bought it from an estate after someone’s death. It had about 35,000 miles on it then. I got in 2007 with 50,000 on it. I only kept it a year of so. It was a white, automatic V6 with a sunroof, black bumpers, and burgundy interior. It was near mint! I sold it because it only got about 18/24 mpg and my mom was offering her ‘01 Civic to me.
It was thirsty, but it was fast! 💨 I got my first and only speeding ticket driving it.
I believe Toyota's slogan was "The Fam-lay Cam-ray" lol
Because.. the near perfect rhyme “Family Camry” was just too normal?
In case anybody’s wondering, he said Camray 29 times: 0:39, 0:45, 0:49, 0:56, 1:44, 1:51, 2:07, 2:17, 2:20, 2:30, 2:43, 2:52, 3:02, 3:06, 3:25, 3:37, 3:39, 4:14, 4:17, 5:19, 5:32, 6:04, 6:09, 6:15, 6:19, 6:21, 6:29, 6:38, 6:54
thats some dedication right there
I have my 88 LE AC -R12 radio and tape deck still work. No rush rot. She's my baby. 108k
These cars are still on the road!
I still like the shape of this generation Camry . Why they didn't give it a tach is silly. There's still a few around which says something for how well they were made.
Options were very different back then. The difference between a DX and LE were considerable both cosmetically and features wise.
Even when it was brand new, it looked like a hoopty. 😂😂
That’s a beautiful engine! Sounds great too.
My grandpa had a 1990 with the 4cyl with close to 400k miles. I remember everytime we had to start it, we had to peck the started with a hammer. Good old days. Too bad the car rusted apart.
There's only one "a" in Camry. Why does John keep calling it a "Camray?"
I love the sound that v6 makes under throttle
The V6 versions of these were quite well equipped in Australia, with nice alloy wheels, and they even had velour trimmed interiors! Very few of them are around now, sadly. There are quite a few four cylinder SV21s getting around, though.
My mother had one of these when I just had my license with no car, I would drive it around, lots of torque steer with that front wheel drive, but than again I was a young buck with a lead foot. Good car, would still drive one if I found a clean one.
I guess that answers my question of why a 24 valve four cam V6 engine only has 153 HP - any more and the torque steer would be unmanageable. That said, the 3.5 litre engine you can get in the new Camry has almost twice as much HP so I guess Toyota found a way to cope with the torque steer.
@@bghoody5665 What can I say.....yup! :)
When I was a youngster in 1989 I remember people lived life as it came. And also we’re half as critical of every little thing as people are today. Just saying
You're not kidding
Rose coloured glasses.
Only media bandwidth has changed.
I can’t watch stuff like this without getting gut punched by nostalgia.
@@BigBossIvan might be from the fiber one we eat on Saturday mornings now, in lieu of froot loops back then.
@@Bartonovich52 classic millennium reply
Maaaaan this car takes me back. There is a 1990 Cam-ray rolling around my neighborhood still. Same metallic light blue as my first car from my mother. I kinda want to buy it off the person. haha
I had two " Cam,-rays " 88 and 91. Both were the 2L turbo diesel 4 cylinder model. A grand car, very comfortable and perfect for the twisty back roads of Ireland 🇮🇪 👌
Not only does does he mispronounce it, but he makes sure to do it every. ten. seconds. I think it's some inside joke
right its too funny this had to be a bet or something like the Cat Game
It was deliberate. Certainly.
I remember back in the early 90s my mom was going to buy one of these. But my grandpa didn’t want her to because he worked at the gm plant. Funny how it turned out they closed that plant down with out a car and the she needed up buying a Chevy cavalier and it always had problems.
"I was in America a couple of years ago, filming at this place in Texas which is the biggest car dealership in the world. The frontage is a mile long. And I said to the guy who owned it, "What do you sell here?" and he went "We sell a lot!", and he mispronounced every single one! "I got Huundy, Mitsabooshy, Teeyoder, Neesun, Jagwaarrr, Bee Emm Dubbyer.." Every single one of them was wrong." -Jeremy Clarkson.
Now he can add "Cam-ray" to that list!
Love the video. My family had a normal 1986 Camry. We didn’t have enough money for the fancier Camray model.
Is this just a 80s troll video. CAMRAY CAMRAY CAMRAY
Camray..Camray...CAMRAY!
Call from Toyota Exec. after this aired, “ Hey John great review! Only problem is it’s a camRY!! Not Camray!”
Love how John is pronouncing Camry! This is before it became the top sedan.
When the engine is more advance that the chassis and brakes
I always liked Camry's chassis. Comfy ride even on the bad roads.
Rock solid 2,5 V6! Wish this engine was available in an Alfa Romeo 156.
@@magnussturesson1722 Are you high ?
I usually love these Retro Review videos, but jeez, it was hard to make it through that one with the constant mispronunciation of "Camry." Like nails on a chalkboard.
Agreed i did the same
That four cam engine rev was 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I have the Camry generation after this. I didn't know they were Camrays before, but it was very bold of them to make that name change.
been waiting for this john davis!
My uncle bought one of these new back in 89. He got it with the manual. Loved the sound of the engine as it revved up! Only downfall was the body construction. Thin metal and rust issues!;
Just amazing on how far technology came ! The Camry in 2021 is so much faster 🤯
Wear your Ry-Ban sunglasses when you open the Camray’s optional sunroof to let in some rys of sunshine.
Interesting seeing the beginning heritage for my 2015 Cam-ray.
Drink a shot everytime you hear camray, good luck being alive after 4 minutes. 😉
The 5 speed manual ones were honestly very fun n healthy as hell compared to alotta cars in the 90s, when I was in high school I drove a 5 speed one and, although NOT as awesome as the multiple Cressidas I had, it was VERY awesome as a sleeper when u was 16 years old in the late 90s!
My mother was a Camry fanatic and bought an 88, 92, 99. My favorite out of all was the 88. It’s was fully loaded with sunroof and PWR windows.