Improve handling on old car

[akboss]

My wife has a 1996 toyota camry that we have recently decided to keep on the road - it runs beautifully and still looks great. The problem is that there is lots of on-center play in the steering, and the soft suspension has little directional stability at speed. Are there any upgrades I can make to the factory shocks/springs/suspension or steering that will deliver a better response but not compromise the ride quality drastically?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Oh, and because its a '96, I'm hoping to spend as little as possible!
Thanks.

[MagicRat]

Old car??? Imho, anything from the '90's is not old and is not designed to be poor handling.

If you want a challange, try improving the handling of a 1970 Lincoln sedan. Their bad handling was built-in.

It's likely that your car does not need any 'upgrades', it merely needs the steering and suspension restored to it's new, factory original condition.

Suspension and steering have a way of wearing out very slowly. The resulting deterioration in feel tends to creep up on you. You don't notice the deterioration until, one day you simply realise the car handles like a 1955 DeSoto with three flat tires and a bent axle.

You need to get the car compeltely assesed for wear and misalignment. The struts, bearing plates, control arm bushings, ball joints, wheel bearings, sway bars and bushings, tires and rims all need to be checked out for wear, looseness and damage, both front and rear.

The steering rack, rack mounting bushings, tie rod ends and steering column couplings also need to be checked out.

You will probably need to replace multiple items, especially the ones I have highlighted. then get a 4 wheel alignment. Also, have the chassis checked for straightness... to make sure it is not bent.

[akboss]

wow, I appreciate the thorough analysis! You guy's aren't kidding around on here. Much appreciated and will work my way down the list.

Cheers.