1991 Camry DX potential owner - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

kaizoo · 04-10-2007, 05:09 PM

Hi:
I am about to buy a 91 Camry Dx, Auto, 4 cycl with 129k mile for $1700. There are a couple thing that i know will need attention: The right outter boot is torn and cv makes noise, so new axle, the hose from the power steering leak, so replace the hose, Oil leak leaks from top end behind the spark plugs, most probably valve cover gasket replace, a slight wobble in drive, replace tires.
The seller is unable to tell me if the Timing belt was changed or not. The question I have is, should I buy the car? what if I am driving and the timing belt breaks, would that ruin my engine. Additionally, should I do other maintenance stuff the car.
thank in advance guys!

geoff5093 · 04-10-2007, 05:33 PM

I cant say whether or not you should buy it since I dont know what it costs to get those repairs done, but I will say that the engine is a non-interference engine, so if the timing belt breaks the engine will be fine, although you may be stranded someplace.

***HomeGrown*** · 04-10-2007, 06:38 PM

What's the body like? I wouldn't touch it unless the body was perfect, and even then they'd have to come down a bit. By the time you add in the repairs, you'll be up to the price of an "exellent" car. The repairs it needs aren't unreasonable for that age, but none the less expensive.

IMHO, KBB pricing is to be taken with a grain of salt. But with only a $600 spread between "fair" and "exellent", I'd definately be looking for one in truly exellent condition.

KBB Pricing for private party seller:

Excellent $2,470
Good $2,145
Fair $1,725

WVcamry3sfe · 04-10-2007, 09:21 PM

for that price you should NOT buy that car. It is not worth 1,000 dollars with all those potential problems listed. With bad tires just alone, it is not a full car. New tires to have them installed on your car can cost up to as much as 400 dollars for just the cheap tires. I got my car, same as yours 4cyl auto for 1,100 dollars, and the engine was in perfect running order, no leaks. The tires were acceptable on the car when I bought it to drive around on for about a year before I needed new ones. So in all honesty, a car with bad tires is NOT a complete car, and that should be taken into consideration.

***toyomoho*** · 04-10-2007, 10:53 PM

If you are going to do the maintenance yourself, the cost of parts for the axle and timing belt is reasonable. If going to a shop, start getting quotes, as things will add up fast. As HomeGrown states you may be able find an excellent car for whatever money is needed in repairs on this car. Make a list of parts, tires and labor costs (if applicable). Then add this to the asking price and look for used cars in this price range, see what you find.

Also if an automatic, check the fluid to seek if it is dark and has a burned smell plus coolant condition. The wobble may or may not be tires.

Tommy · 04-11-2007, 02:16 AM

All in all, thats not that much work for a car thats 17 years old. But with that, remember its 17 years old. 123k miles is pretty good, Id say offer him $1200 because of the timing belt, thats the only major one id be worried about, and any car owner should know when it was done last.

It also depends on the market in your area. Here, its impossible to find a gen2 with less than 200k miles, so seeing one with 120k means it would fetch $2000 here. If there's a lot of low mile cars there, then the car will be worth less.

Kingdom934 · 04-11-2007, 02:42 AM

Hmm..

Depends I suppose where you live. If low milage Camry (on hawaii, over 100K is quite high since we're on a...island) is rare there, then I'm not suprised why it's selling so high.

I do have to admit that $1700 is a tad high for the oil leak, bad CV joint, leaking PS hose, valve head gasket, and tires. For all I know, my uncle paied something around $120 (he got 20% discount, it was approx $180) for the power steering hose.

If the body is excellent condition and your willing to put in money in the car, I'd say go for it, although $1700 is (again) a bit high. Although here, most Gen2 camry are rust bucket, especially the ones down by the north shore.

kaizoo · 04-11-2007, 10:38 AM

Thanks all you guys.
I am confused now. The car is clean i.e. body and interior are good. My thought is if I fix it right and say have to spend $800 doing it will it be a good car to have as far as reliability for years to come say 3-4 years.
Thanks Again!

***HomeGrown*** · 04-11-2007, 11:29 AM

I'd say yes, as long as there aren't any underlying serious problems that show up. 129k miles is relatively low mileage if it's been cared for well. My wagon has 3x that many miles on it, and it runs & drives great. I have no idea as to the history of the car. It seems as though it's had "reasonable" care throughout it's life.

Kep · 04-11-2007, 12:35 PM

Taking a view towards the worst case scenario suspect that the wobble is the front end suspension and that the oil leak is the main seals (though your head gasket and spark plug gaskets are more likely). Other than that it sounds like you are evaluating it right. In the Houston area $1700 would be a good price. With the unknown oil leak and wobble I'd still try to get them down to $1200. If it is a Las Vegas car you probably don't have any rust issues. If my concerns turn out to be the case then your $800 figure is going to be low unless you are doing the repairs yourself.

Run a carfax on the VIN. If it runs well and drives OK I'd go ahead and get it. I guess that I'd be most concerned with the wobble and power steering hose since those could be safety issues. Next would be the CVC axles then the oil leak and the timing belt (unless the oil leak is heavy. CVC joints seem to be able to go a long time after they start chattering.)

And there is one added bonus if you do buy it. You get to become a regular contributor and reader of this forum!!

Kep