Toyota Camry: 94 Camry

Detailing Dude wrote: 

I have one of these cars and am pleased with it. It has 150K miles and
has not had much maintenance. Check the CV axle boots since they tend
to wear out rather quickly. The strut tops are clunky when it's cold
but stop making noise when warmed up. Some of the 94s have leaking
valve cover gaskets, but mine is leaking somewhere else low, possibly
oil pan.

Before you buy have it looked at by a mechanic you trust.

"Detailing Dude" <biz> wrote in
news:PoTpb.4213$j_4.3847@lakeread05:
 

Have co-worker with one of these. He got good use from the vehicle but did
have some fairly extensive oil leakage repairs done including rear main
seal replacement. Am not sure I would recommend the 4 cylinder of this era
camry. Just my opinion.
dc

My Japanese made, 94, 4 cyl Camry is bone dry as far as oil, or any other
type of leak is concerned. The car just turned 150K miles this week, and
about the only common Camry malady it has suffered is bad valve stem seals.
Still on original alternator/starter, and just this year the CV boots
cracked. Transmission shifts very smoothly, and it still looks great inside
or out.

Some other leaks not listed that seem common are oil leaks around the
distributor shaft, and from under the oil cooler. (just under the oil
filter)

The lack of craftsmanship of my wife's 2003 KY built Camry as compared to my
94 Japanese Camry, is very evident. For example, the front left door edge
rubs/binds against the quarter panel on opening/closing, causing the quarter
panel to flex. and the rear spoiler adhesive has lifted, leaving a gap. In
fact, not one body panel is well fitted, by Toyota standards or anyone
else's.

If you do decide to buy an older Camry, IMO, a Japanese made Camry (JT in
the VIN) that had good maintenance, is the only way to go.


"doncee" <net> wrote in message
news:127.4.22... 

Platil wrote: 

Mine was diagnosed with same problem three years ago and it turned out
to be a PCV valve.
 

I'm not sure I agree with that analysis. My 94 has was made in USA and
my 97 was made in Japan. My 94 is far superior in craftsmanship and
quality of components than my 97. I think the design philosophy changed
with the 97-2001 models and carried into the 2002 and beyond models.
They started using cheaper materials to save 2 cents here and there.

If your looking at the Ford and Chrysler
newsgroups your looking at what I call
"throwaway cars". With the problems
these cars have suffered over the years
I would never buy one!
Get something that will last a while and
have some resale value. A Chrysler with
80,000 miles is worth zip.

I hate to say I agree, unfourtunatly, I own a 95 Ford Taurus and an 01
Caravan.
I perfer Nissan and Toyota but, it's a long story.

Anyway, this will be my sons first car and I want to get him something worth
having, hence, the Camry.
Just want to make sure it won't nickle and dime him to death.

Thanks
Cecil


"ROBMURR" <com> wrote in message
news:aol.com... 

I wish mine was a PCV valve problem, but it was not. In fact, I changed the
PCV valve about every 20-30k miles, along with a TB cleaning at about the
same interval.

The fit issues so far with my 2003 Camry are a pure lack of assembly/sheet
metal stamping quality. This link http://tinyurl.com/tmra will show you the
defect where the door binds on the quarter panel. The door is lower than
flush, and this "spur" of sheet metal flashing makes contact. Once the
paint wore off, the defect became evident, and it started making noise, and
a popping sound.

I am about as a dedicated Toyota owner/enthusiast as you will find, but this
US made 03 Camry that we ordered has put a big dent in my confidence, and
belief in Toyota quality.

I do agree with your cost-cutting assertion though. My wife is a purchasing
executive for a huge OEM/aftermarket auto parts company, and it is amazing
what saving a few pennies can do, but you should see what gets "shipped" to
save on scrap and keep the reject stats in-line.


"badgolferman" <com> wrote in message
news:boasv0$1ckhpj$news.uni-berlin.de... 

I have a 93 Camry 4 cylinder. No big problems with it at 160,000 miles.
Something that is annoying but can be lived with is when the automatic
transmission is in Drive, and you are stopped at a light, there may be
vibration in the steering wheel. There is a TSP for this, but it didn't
help a whole lot. If you can live with it, fine, but check it out.

"Detailing Dude" <biz> wrote in message
news:PoTpb.4213$.. 
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