Asking my Camry Brothers for some advice.

[Mountainman2442]

Opinions wanted. I've been a happy Corolla owner for over 12 years now but am currently looking at a couple of '92-'96 Camry's to replace the wifes junk '02 Taurus (that should say something; looking at a 17 yr old Toyota to replace a 7 yr old F##d!).

Anyway, my experience is limited to the 7AFE. I'm planning on checking out a Camry with a V-6 (3VZ-FE?) and one with the 4 cyl (5SFE?) both with automatics. Anything specific to worry about on these engines? I know the 7AFE can be an oil user (mine is) but will keep going as long as it is monitored. My current '95 has over 204K and is still going strong.

I suppose I'm asking for advice based on experience as for specifics to watch for when I check these Camry's out.

Thanks,
John

[warlock]

the 92 and 93 have the 3vz the 94-96 had the 1mz. the only thing i can tell you to look for in ether is sludge. look in the oil fill cap. there is a hard black coating that flackes away over time that is norm but if the is a soft black buildup the oil wasnt changed very often. take it for a test drive and try and hit bumps or potholes on each side that will let you hear if there is something up with the suspention. try all the electronics if things on the dash dont work means someone pulled it out at some point and might of played with the wires. make sure you cheak the hose's going to the center of the fan and the power steering fluid. sence thay run off the same pump. other than that if it runs good its a good deal. i took mine to over 250000 and still ran strong. oh and if its hard to start and runs crapy at begining idel but picks up and runs smooth after a few secounds its the fuel filter just talk them down saying it needs repaired dont say its only a 30 dollar fix. thats the best i can do.

[Mountainman2442]

Sounds like they're quite similar. Thanks for the advice Warlock.

[the94camryman]

Warlock pretty much covered everything. I will add that if you do your own work, like oil changes, the 5sfe 4cyl is a lot easier to work on. Plenty of space under the hood to work. But yes, look under the oil cap, check all your hoses and belts, make sure its not burning or leaking oil and check for an exhaust leak (which the only thing with that is its just really annoying). The 5sfe has a little issue with vibration through the steering wheel, but there is a mod you can do with the next gen dog bone mount and that will pretty much fix that.
Both engines are strong, especially the 5s, but power wise the 5s might leave you wanting more.
As a word of advice, when you get the car, even if everything checks out, I would go ahead and change the oil and filter, tranny fluid and filter, fuel filter, and flush the coolant. Just a safe measure.
Good luck with your search!

[whip_cracker]

3VZs are a nice, strong engine, but are known for blowing head gaskets and overheating more than other engines. Normally this is due to someone not looking after the car as much as they should do.

If you're getting a 3VZ, let the engine run for a while in idle to see if the temp goes up. it should sit directly half way.

Other than that, as long as the owner looks after it... I can't think of much else that's already mentioned

[White95Cam]

I have the 4cyl and with so much room it is very easy to work on (not that it needs much). Regular maintenance is a breeze. The plugs can be a bit tough to change on the 6cyl but is it a smoother running engine (at idle). Since your ford had a 6cyl you might find the 4cyl lacking, but it has never been a problem for me. I can reach 65mph by the end of the entrance ramps and it will cruise all day at 75mph while getting 33-34mpg.
W95C

[Suprarush]

Definetly go for the 3VZFE for power. Ensure there are no oil leaks, make sure the braking is good (calipers aren't seized) watch for the electrical (master switch in drivers door) and rust on/under rocker panels depending where it was kept. The V6 is a thirsty engine and will definetly be an eye opener going from a Corolla.

And lastly the most important thing are the brake and fuel lines on these. In Canada they go at about 10-15 years of salt caked winter driving. About 8 hours of labour for this job.

[Retrospekt]

The 5SFE would probably be the better choice for your wife. She probably isn't looking for too much power, especially if she drove a ford before. It's easy to maintain and runs forever.

[SexieWASD]

Originally Posted by Retrospekt

The 5SFE would probably be the better choice for your wife. She probably isn't looking for too much power, especially if she drove a ford before. It's easy to maintain and runs forever.

The only thing decent about a Taurus is it's engine. They are tough little buggers, and durable too. The rest of those cars are absolute junk, but the engine ain't half bad, it's got some torque too (155HP and 185Ft Lb) The 5s-fe would be a bit less, but the 1mz-fe owns the Taurus on all fronts.

Sadly my opinion is that the 1mz-fe should only be bought if you have a thing for Camry's. I mean a used Avalon can be had for not much more, and they are very similar, except the ride in an Avalon is godly smooth, and at the same time somehow handles better.

[92_darkshad]

i personaly like the 5sfe i get good gas mpg and its a 5 speed
and im 18 its a good car and easy to keep up

[Gibson99]

one thing nobody else mentioned is on the 5sfe 4cyl they tend to get some pretty ugly oil leaks from the oil pump seals. this can be addressed in about 10 minutes while doing a timing belt change. just replace the "o-ring" and front seal, both of which are dealer-only parts.

i say if you liked the power of the taurus, you won't be satisfied with the 4cyl except in the fuel economy department. i have a 1mzfe in my 98 (same basic engine as the 94-up) and even though i have it supercharged, i still regularly get 20-22 mpg around town, and 25-26 on the interstate. i think that's right about on par with what the taurus can do, if i'm not mistaken.

[GaviN]

Oil leaks on the 4cyl... I had a couple of things fixed on mine, the main thing was a seal of some sort on the side of the timing belt. Also, the suspension can be a bit noisy. I recently replaced the all too familiar sway bar bushings.. Other than that, its excellent on gas. I know my Camry will run forever (269k miles and counting) but if something ever happened to it, I think I would go with a 3rd gen 6 cyl. My 4cyl is slow as hell picking up but I guess thats because I alternate between it and my other car 05 Altima SER 6sp.. But once its around 65mph+, it holds its speed well.