i might buy a 95 camry...

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As long as the car has been serviced regularly it shouldn't be a problem..I still would have it checked out thoroughly to make every is OK at either the Toyota dealer or a very trusted mechanic. The 100 or so bucks you spend on checking it out could save you tons of money in the future.

The 4cyl is Ok but on the highway fells a bit underpowered. My buddy had one and had no problems with it for 150K miles.. He had it serviced every 5K miles just using Dino Oil [5w30] from the dealer.

He ended landing a job 80 miles away so he sold it for something more powerfull. He traded it in for 05 Town Car just recently..For all that highway driving the T.C. isn't bad on gas he said.
 
It's a solid, if uninspiring, car.

There were many made, and a plentiful supply in the boneyards if you need body panels. The aftermarket has inexpensive replacements for all lights and lenses, as well as the frequently broken exterior door handles.

The engine is very reliable. It's a non-interference engine with a timing belt. It's reasonable to use a 100K mile belt replacement interval, or even longer, unless the oil pump seals are leaking. Always replace the timing belt tensioner spring when you do the belt.

A potential problem is the ignition coil, which will fail without warning. If you are unlucky the shop will replace the more easily reached ignitor, $450+ list price, before replacing the coil buried inside the distributor.

Another area to check is the exhaust down-pipe flex joint. It's right up front on the 4 cylinder, so easy to 'ground' on the curb when parking. A crack is non-critical and it easy to replace.

Almost all of the routine service is very easy to do, with great access from above. The exception is the block drain plug for coolant.
 
take a flashlight and look into the valve cover for cleanliness of valve train . Could be a tip off . GOOD LUCK
 
Originally Posted By: djb
The exception is the block drain plug for coolant.


Why bother? Just flush with water till clear and then add 1/2 of the capacity with concentrate coolant, then fill the remain with water and call it a day.
 
Very boring, but reliable car for the most part. I know a lady who has one. She is over 400lbs and the only trouble she has had has been the driver seat frame and shocks/struts for obvious reasons. Otherwise, she has the dealer maintain it and she has about 160k miles on it now. She is looking for a new car now and I think she is asking $1500 for the car. It will need new shocks and struts again and the seat sags a lot, other wise a clean car.
 
Originally Posted By: djb

A potential problem is the ignition coil, which will fail without warning. If you are unlucky the shop will replace the more easily reached ignitor, $450+ list price, before replacing the coil buried inside the distributor.
I plan to replace it with an aftermarket coil and an MSD box.Anyone ever do this?
 
Originally Posted By: daves66nova
Originally Posted By: djb

A potential problem is the ignition coil, which will fail without warning. If you are unlucky the shop will replace the more easily reached ignitor, $450+ list price, before replacing the coil buried inside the distributor.
I plan to replace it with an aftermarket coil and an MSD box.Anyone ever do this?


The ignition coil is inside the distributor. The HV output goes directly to a contact button on the inside of the distributor cap. To use an external coil you would need a specially designed distributor cap.

I'm not a fan of this design. The advantages are that it is compact, and it eliminates the HV coil wire. Despite being simpler, it's not a win for long-term reliability. The coil is in a closed space with no airflow. The outside of the distributor is cooled by air that has flowed through the radiator and over the exhaust manifold. It's difficult to access the coil to test it, and there is no room to use a larger, less-stressed part.

The coil isn't very failure prone, but it is a weaker point on a car that doesn't have any notorious problems.
 
Originally Posted By: Stanley Rockafeller
Ask yourself this: Do you really wanna buy a car that competes with a fax machine for the title of having the most "sex appeal"?


Yes!
 
I had to replace the ignition coil once on my 92 Camry. I remember my mom was driving and car just stalled out at the stop light, could not startup again. Found it was the ignition coil, replaced it and no problem. I think this was back in 2004 and the car had around 130,000 miles at the time.

Another thing might be the EGR related issues. The PCV valve is positioned in a way that oil can easily be passed into the EGR valve. So its important to keep the PCV valve clean and functioning properly. If you are getting a check engine light code 71, it could likely be the EGR valve modulator or the solenoid.
 
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Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Originally Posted By: Stanley Rockafeller
Ask yourself this: Do you really wanna buy a car that competes with a fax machine for the title of having the most "sex appeal"?


Yes!


Then a 95' Camry is as close as you can get
LOL.gif
 
See if there is any record of the timing belt being changed. If not, consider walking away unless you're prepared to have it done immediately.

My boss's 94 Camry snapped a belt and somehow took the water pump with it. (Personally, I think it happened the other way around, but just relaying the story as it was told to me).
 
My aunt had a 96 Camry with 300k+ miles after selling it (easily), solid cars. Since its old, I'll check/change the following:

-Timing belt/waterpump as Viragobry mentioned
-all belts/hoses
-PCV
-Brakes
-spark plugs
-dist. cap and rotor
-batterry
-all oils
-coolant
-suspension
-tires

*Ask of maintenance records.
 
Originally Posted By: ViragoBry
See if there is any record of the timing belt being changed. If not, consider walking away unless you're prepared to have it done immediately.


That's not the best advice.

A dry timing belt on a Gen 3 Camry with 4 cylinder 5s-fe might last 200K miles. When it breaks, it just leaves you stranded.

It would be good advice for a e.g. a BMW M20 engine. Most of these engines are about 20 years old. The past handful of years have been peak breaking age for original and replaced-once belts, despite the recommended service period being 60K/5 years. With that engine, a broken belt destroys valves and likely cracks the head.

Originally Posted By: ViragoBry

My boss's 94 Camry snapped a belt and somehow took the water pump with it. (Personally, I think it happened the other way around, but just relaying the story as it was told to me).


Yes, that's almost certainly what happened. A bad water pump will shred the timing belt. There was probably a warning noise for a few weeks first...
 
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