Gots me a Camry, yo!

[Dumpy]

Finally sold our Malibu, and didn't take a huge hit, so for 3k we got a 98 Camry with 142k on it in pretty decent condition. Needs rear struts and I just installed a new stereo and speakers. The drive home was almost 3 hours and we have been bumming around town and have only burned 1/4 tank! It's funny because everyone on the forums say that changing things are impossible, and are such a PITA. Guess they haven't worked on e Jeep! Just changed the gear shift indicator bulb, which is $100 at the stealership in 15 minutes, and that's only because I had to go to the basement and got a 40 year old J Truck gauge bulb. People on the forums said it took the 2-4 hours! Same with the rear speakers (which mysteriously simultaneously die) took my 1 hour 45 minutes because I had to wait for the drill to charge. Folks said this was an all day job. I could definately do it in 30-45 minutes now. Its amazing how folks just CANNOT function is things take a little time and effort to accomplish. New struts (already assembled) are in the mail, and I'm thinking an hour tops. We will see.

[Stuka]

Most Toyota owners know nothing about cars. Hence why their times are so stretched out.

Newer toyotas are horrible though. To change a headlight in a Prius you have to remove the fender and a bunch of stuff inside that area. Dealership charges like 6 hours of labor for it.


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[mrtazwrench]

We picked up a 97 camry last fall with over 200K on it, we needed 3 rear shoulder belts 97 was the first year camry to have it. I fixed a bunch of oil leaks, timing belt water pump etc, then the speed sensor failed those stick into the trans like they are welded in, I had one in a corolla that was the same and got away with just changing the electrical part. It needs the struts yet like yours. I used to work at toyota so I can do about anything on it no problem.

[Dumpy]

Cool! I got all the struts changed and it drives like new. I do have an oil leak but no cue where it's coming from. Not bad. Looks like its been leaking super slowly for a while on the timing cover side. What could that be? I'm digging the oil filter on top.

[Brizio]

Congrats! Pics??? I friend of my sweet half has a 2006 (I think) Camry, and it looks a good car for a daily driver use, I drove it once.

[DarkMonohue]

Most Toyota owners know nothing about cars. Hence why their times are so stretched out.

I agree and disagree. Owners of new Toyotas buy them so they don't have to worry about how they work, but older cars and their owners vary. In the MR2 world, things are very different. Most mechanics take a lot of shortcuts, and the usual shortcuts will kill those cars, so if you don't learn to work on them yourself and do the job right, the car will die.

To change a headlight in a Prius you have to remove the fender and a bunch of stuff inside that area. Dealership charges like 6 hours of labor for it.

Well...I don't know about that. First-gen cars are no different to change than any other car. On a second-generation Prius, you normally remove the bumper, not the fender, and it only takes a few moments. The dealership I worked at charged about half an hour, IIRC. I do not know what is required on the latest version, but I can't imagine you have to remove the fender.

Cool! I got all the struts changed and it drives like new. I do have an oil leak but no cue where it's coming from. Not bad. Looks like its been leaking super slowly for a while on the timing cover side. What could that be? I'm digging the oil filter on top.

Oil filter on top? So it's a 5S-FE (four-cylinder). There are a few seals on the front of the engine. The cam and crank seal are obvious, and should be changed whenever the timing belt is replaced, every 60K miles. The oil pump is driven by the timing belt and it also has a seal that should be changed and an o-ring between the oil pump cover and housing that also should be changed. These often get ignored or overlooked by people not especially familiar with that engine.

I am one of those hard-headed OEM nuts and very strongly suggest that you use genuine Toyota parts on this car. Sometimes they cost more, but that is because it costs more to build a quality component than one that is built to sell at the lowest price, by which I mean most aftermarket parts. Cheap parts will not perform as well or last as long. Buying on price is a real false economy. In particular, I would insist on genuine Toyota parts for the thermostat, tune-up parts (plugs, wires, cap, rotor), and gaskets, especially the head gasket. Those are critical, and aftermarket will fail where OEM will not. OEM oil filters are not expensive and their anti-drainback valves are a lot better at preventing that death rattle at startup.

Also, check the spark plug wells for oil. The tube seals eventually leak and often get ignored. This can lead to a misfire as the spark energy grounds out through the oil rather than firing the spark plug. If you do replace the tube seals and valve cover gasket, again, use OEM parts. Do not forget to put a small fillet of sealant (Toyota FIPG 00295-00103, or Hondabond, Right Stuff, etc) at the corner where the cam bearing cap meets the cylinder head. The valve cover gasket cannot reach all the way into that corner and needs a little help from the sealant.

[Trailscape]

I had an '03 Malibu that I traded for an '02 Camry. Now, I loved the Camry but the 4-cyl seemed a little weak for Colorado where the V6 in the Malibu actually got better mileage.. It rode so much nicer though. Fairly easy car to work on as well. It seems things didn't become overly difficult until closer to mid-2000. I traded the Camry for an 02 Tundra, which is a whole other ball of wax that I'm currently trying to prepare for an extended road trip.

[Dumpy]

Thanks for the heads up on parts! I'm planning a timing belt, water pump, and seal change in the near future, probably when the wife is on her week-long break between semesters. as for the interval, I thought it was 90k for that model. The PO claims to have changed it at 84k, and i don't know how long ago that was, so I plan on doing it anyways. I'll make sure to check the plugs, and, as it was recently tuned up before I bought it, it will be super easy to tell about the oil. If I can get a good 4-5 years out of the car, that would be great!