Purchase 93 Camry?

A local car lot has a 1993 Camry XLE V6 for sale. Only 49k on the clock. Car seems very nice, interior very clean. Seems like a good buy, Carfax is clean, body is rust-free.

My parents had a 92 Camry XLE V6, I credit it with turning me on to imported cars, even though Camry is made in Kentucky (Except the one I am looking at, it and the one my parents had were made in Japan). Unfortunately, it was stolen two years after we bought it.

I know these are good cars and after looking over this one, I realize that even Toyota doesn't build cars quite like this anymore ( this 93 has a high quality feel to it, more so then the last Toyota Camry I was in.)

What can I look forward to maintenence or repair wise on this car? I know about timing belts, the supposed oil sludge problem,etc.

I know my parents had A/C problems and wheel bearings, that was about it. I also know parts are a bit pricey for this car. But they are such good cars that my wife and I are looking at one as an option to leasing another car.

Thanks in advance.

First of all the oil sludge problem does not apply to this generation (generation 3) Camry. That problem is on the generation 4's (97-2001).

Second, I think this will be a good car for you, especially with only 49,000 miles and being made in Japan. However, don't expect it to be without a few problems. It is 12-13 years old. Some things can wear with age, along with mileage. Things made of rubber and plastic come to mind. Overall, I think it will be a good car. I would just varify the mileage before purchasing and ask to see if there are any receipts for previous maintenance done to the car; probably not with a car on a used car lot.

INHO.

Mike

That's hella low mileage for the age. If the fit & finish & build quality are just far above what the "normal" high quality gen3 is, then it is probably one of the few Camry's built in the Tsutsumi Plant & brought over.
(That's the plant that makes JDM Camry, windoms & Lexus ES's among now defunct cars).





Warm the engine up & have a compression test done. Normal is 178psi, low is 142psi, more than 14 psi difference between cylinders on the same bank spells impending problems. (If they're all 160-170+ you're in good shape).
The head gaskets are fairly weak. There's a life long Lexus recall on them, I'm not sure about Toyota. Call a Toyota dealer & find out your service history.
That's about it. The engine, minus headgaskets, can take 450bhp without modifications. It's a very overbuilt engine. Maintenence is little.





The maintenece schedule has changes a few times over the life of the engine. Currently the 3vz-fe installed in the ES 300. (Same thing)



Schedule A = (Towing, hard driving, Dusty, rough, muddy, or salt spread roads, repeated short trups less than 5 miles & outside temperatures remaining below freezes, and extensive idling and/or low speed driving for long distances):

Oil & filter replace every 3750miles / 6 months (Whichever comes first)
Air filter Inspect every months & replace every 30,000miles / 36 months
Spark plugs replace every 60,000 miles / 72 months
Timing belt & water pump replace every 90,000 miles / 96 months.




Schedule B = Normal Conditions
Oil & Filter every 7500 miles / 12 months
Everything else is virtually the same.











Tho Toyota still doesn't advicate the use of synthetic oils, you need to if you're doing the suggested longer than 5,000 mile oil changes.
Mobil 1 synthetic is about the best you can buy anywhere & Toyota oil filters (Denso) have a very high filtration rate.










Check the CV boots to make sure they're not torn. Take a flashlight to the back of the engine & see if anything back there is leaking oil. Nothing major if it is, just something you'll want to fix. Again... Compression, or leak down test before you buy it.

[QUOTE=Toysrme]That's hella low mileage for the age. If the fit & finish & build quality are just far above what the "normal" high quality gen3 is, then it is probably one of the few Camry's built in the Tsutsumi Plant & brought over.
(That's the plant that makes JDM Camry, windoms & Lexus ES's among now defunct cars).





Warm the engine up & have a compression test done. Normal is 178psi, low is 142psi, more than 14 psi difference between cylinders on the same bank spells impending problems. (If they're all 160-170+ you're in good shape).
The head gaskets are fairly weak. There's a life long Lexus recall on them, I'm not sure about Toyota. Call a Toyota dealer & find out your service history.
That's about it. The engine, minus headgaskets, can take 450bhp without modifications. It's a very overbuilt engine. Maintenence is little.





The maintenece schedule has changes a few times over the life of the engine. Currently the 3vz-fe installed in the ES 300. (Same thing)



Schedule A = (Towing, hard driving, Dusty, rough, muddy, or salt spread roads, repeated short trups less than 5 miles & outside temperatures remaining below freezes, and extensive idling and/or low speed driving for long distances):

Oil & filter replace every 3750miles / 6 months (Whichever comes first)
Air filter Inspect every months & replace every 30,000miles / 36 months
Spark plugs replace every 60,000 miles / 72 months
Timing belt & water pump replace every 90,000 miles / 96 months.




Schedule B = Normal Conditions
Oil & Filter every 7500 miles / 12 months
Everything else is virtually the same.











Tho Toyota still doesn't advicate the use of synthetic oils, you need to if you're doing the suggested longer than 5,000 mile oil changes.
Mobil 1 synthetic is about the best you can buy anywhere & Toyota oil filters (Denso) have a very high filtration rate.


Thanks to all who replied so far. There are no maintenence records with the car, but with such low mileage, there isn't a whole lot to mess up really. Well, OK, there is. But I usually do a full fluid change on any used car I buy within the first week. I do realize this is a 13 year old car, there will be some issues. But even if repairs cost $1000/year, it's still cheaper then buying or leasing something new.

As for the use of synthetics, I am a firm believer that they extend the life of whatever they are used in. I had a Ford Focus that I bought new and when I sold it 45k later, 40k of which was on Mobil 1, the car ran fine and didn't use a drop of oil between 7500 mile changes. My 04 Lancer is currently running on Amsoil 5w30 and it seems to be running slightly better over Mobil 1.

I will be sure to look at rubber and plastic things ( seals, hoses,belts) for wear or replacement. The car seems really nice for it's age, according to Carfax it had 3 owners who didn't drive it much at all.

My wife currently has an 03 Legacy. Nice car, AWD is killer, fuel mileage is not (17 around town, wife is not a leadfoot). The lease is up on it soon and rather then lease another car, I am trying to convince her that this ( or a similiar car) is a good alternative and we will actually own the car and we can bank the monthly payments.

She is soured toward the notion because I bought a 93 Ford Aerostar for work 6 months ago and it's been nothing but problems, the new tranny being the kicker. I drove it 15000 miles in 3 months though, we'll be lucky to do that in a year with any car we end up with. Plus, the Aerostar isn't built half as well as the Toyota.

If it seems too good to be true....

Checked out the Camry further today. Ran OK, no major problems. But the steering wheel, with the car pointed straight, was still cocked at an angle, a perpetual slight left turn, but the wheels were going straight. The overspray all over the radiator and front confirmed the car was damaged in front and in back too. Three different tires on the car too ( one Goodyear, two cheapies up front and another no-name on the right rear)

Really nice otherwise, very clean. But a no go, especially since the dealer wants an unreasonable $5900 and probably won't go below $5500, let alone the $4500 the car is worth considering the new information. Even at $4500, still questionable.

Used car, take care, buyer beware.

Thanks to all who replied

What do you mean overspray?
The Camry platform has a fairly bullitproof suspension geometry. Get a good alignment done. You can just get some cheap tires & go all the way around the car.

When you go back to the dealer, be sure to bring up the fact that the same condition Lexus ES 300 costs $500-$900 less than they're asking for a Camry.


Then ask the person to go check to see if the manager is smoking crack.