I plan to buy a camry for a every day car but am unsure which one.

[susanring]

I plan to buy a camry for a every day car but am unsure which one.

Is a 5 speed manual better for a every day car in terms of GAS?
Also, they are FWD so there is a timing belt. How often and how much do they cost?

What are the maintenance and costs? Is it high?

Which year should I get?
What are the mpg’s

[Jimnist]

Well, if city driving a lot and in peak hour/lots of traffic, driving a manual may get tedious. Not sure about fuel economy though.

How the engine was designed with either a timing belt or timing chain doesn't have an effect on whether the drive power is at the front or rear. Recommended service interbals are every 5 years or 100 000km's. Not sure about price, but u can call a local service centre for a quote.

Maintenence costs will depend on how much home servicing you do.

Can't tell you which car or year model to get, that's up to you. But, i can say if you have your eyes set on a manual transmission, it may be hard to find (they're pretty rare here in Australia), especially on the newer models. MPG is miles per gallon; how far the car will travel on one gallon of petrol or gas. The higher the better.

[HomeGrown]

I would recommend getting the newest, lowest-mileage Camry your budget will allow. As Jimnist stated, the fact that it's FWD has no bearing on the fact that it has a timing belt. The 2 are totally unrelated. That being said, the Toyota engine is not an interference engine, meaning a broken timing belt is merely a broken timing belt. It will not cause damage to the engine as many other brands will.

A 4-cyl. 5-speed is preferable to automatic if you really want to squeeze max mpg out of it. But if you're specifically shopping for a Gen 2 Camry (1987-1991), overall condition and mileage should be first and foremost of importance. My 4-cyl auto faithfully returns 30 mpg combined city/hwy driving, not necessarily taking it easy.

[GregElliott]

Originally Posted by Jimnist

MPG is miles per gallon; how far the car will travel on one gallon of petrol or gas. The higher the better.

lol. I think he was asking for a number...

[aych]

i have no complaints to my 88 LE automatic box, it gets about the same as the manuals out there, around 34mpg?

[TBayToyotaBoy]

If you replace the t-belt and water pump yourself, it'll only cost around $200 for parts (or less, if you go with cheap aftermarket brands). If you pay a mechanic to do it, you're looking at $500 (average) for the job. There should be a little sticker on the upper timing cover (black plastic casing, on the left side of the engine) telling you the date and mileage of last replacement. If you're looking at a car an the sticker says it's been a long time since replacement, you'll want to get it done to be safe.

Good luck! Any Camry from 1987 to 1996 is good in my experience, never had one newer than that so I can't comment on 97 and up.

[cbaileyevo]

the only reason you should think of getting a manual is if u like driving one. no other reasons for these older cars

[Kep]

I have had a 1990 3SFE and a 1995 5SFE. Both are the 4 cyl models. The 1990 actually got better mileage (avg 30 mpg) but I think the 5SFE has some valve seal leaks so that may be contributing to poor mileage (26 mpg). A manual transmission will give you better mileage than an auto if you drive like a pro but for most of us the automatics do just as well and for some of us the auto transmissions do better! An auto transmission is the way to go in stop and go driving. If you're buying a high mileage used auto transmission you are buying someone else's problems (or not). If the tranny was poorly maintained you may need to replace the tranny and that is a lot more pricey than having to replace a manual transmission. (I believe about 5 times as expensive.) Maintenance records (when you can get them) showing tranny fluid replacement every 30,000 miles would make you a lot more comfortable with any automatic.

Kep

[malayan]

Way cheaper & Easier to fix

150k or under. Manual Tranny

You will have it for years to come..