The image of the Camry has been rather rehabilitated, thanks to the most recent generation’s excellent dynamics as well as the passage of time. But there was something stereotypical about seeing this older Camry in traffic with these bumper stickers. Sadly it wasn’t sporting “the Camry dent”.
On The Go Outtake: Reinforcing Stereotypes, Once Again
– Posted on April 23, 2021
CC Effect: There’s a 2002-04 Camry parked on a street near me that sports a “student driver” sticker.
Our younger son is still driving the 2004 Camry we bought new; it has over 210,000 miles and has never had the infamous dent.
I followed a RAV4 yesterday with identical “new driver” and “please be patient” stickers, but no pétanque stickers.
I see so many of these stickers here in the Bay Area. It’s really rather baffling
Spotted a similar “Rookie Driver” sticker on a car just yesterday.
It was an awfully odd choice for a newbie… The latest generation Mustang GT with the powerful Coyote 5.0L V8.
I guess it was go big or go home for this individual.
My seventeen year old is driving my Mustang … but it is a 1992 with a very mild four cylinder engine. The car gets an amazing amount of attention and random admiration.
They should hand those out at Cars & Coffee…
Alright, enough of this nonsense.
No stereotype where I live.
Camrys are driven by every kind of person you could think of. (Except enthusiasts who have toy money) These are still thick on the ground here in the rust-belt because they’re tough enough to deal with the terrible roads, extreme hot and cold, salt/slush, with minimal expense.
They outlast all the trendy stuff, all the small diesel pickups, the pretentious VWs, the overrated Subarus, the fast and flimsy Mopars. All. Of. Them.
The rest get recycled into Chinese refrigerators while these go on and on and on and on.
This is the real-deal-no-f’ing-around-tough-ass car. It’s drivers are smart and don’t need to apologize for anything.
(Your experience may and probably will vary)
With vintage Oregon license plates?!?
Those Pacific Wonderland plates debuted in 2010 at 9P-0000 for the Oregon Sesquicentennial which happened in 2009. They are still issued in 2021 and are up to 9Z-6400.
And a lot of patience’s needed following this car.
I feel like The Camry Dent web page is up there with Left Lane Prius and 11 Foot 8 on randomly hilarious automotive internet findings
My sister in law is offering a 240,000 mile Camry of that vintage for free to family before selling it. (My mother in law bought it new)
I passed.
That generation of Camry did nothing to improve its image among enthusiasts. Fine car, still a quality piece, but the beached whale styling just screamed “55 and over!” (not mph) and “55 and under” (not years). Now, as ownership is transitioning to the youth as their safe reliable first cars, expect them to be raising ire and accumulating the Camry Dent for different reasons.
Just yesterday I had a nice refutation of stereotypes. An Acura TSX holding up left lane traffic for miles, drifting about in the lane like a little kid’s bowling ball bouncing between the gutter guards while furious motorists piled up behind them. Moments before, an early-aughts Crown Vic, former queen of the Chuck-a-Rama early bird brigade, took charge at a merge, piloted by an apparently attentive, assertive driver. When attempting to analyze who not to get stuck behind at the traffic light, these occurrence complicate the calculus.
Please retrieve my alternative-perspective comment from the trash.
Or not.
I’m paid either way.
Wait
I’m not?
I’m giving away this gold for free?
–
BTW, where’d LtDan go?
Also wondering where Rplaut went. Haven’t seen him in a while.
Maybe they’ve joined Carmine on
The Island Of Lost Commentators?
Comment went “poof” like my hopes and dreams. 😲
Dad was nearing 80. State took his license away because of the way he was driving his Camry. When I worked at LAX, most likely car to be driving the wrong way on the one-way loop roads, Camry, usually white in color.