First off - welcome to Toyota Nation.
-Most Toyotas are great cars. However, apparently like yours, both my previous 94 and current 96 Toyota Camry 4 cyl. cars had / have slight oil leaks - a common problem. I will soon be changing the engine timing belt, water pump, pulleys and while it's apart, the various gaskets to stop the oil leak, but until then, guess what, I check the oil every week and have a plan for the repair.
The 1st thing you do
before buying a used car, is to check all the important fluids, and look for major leaks. If the car is very expensive (> $1,000), pay a mechanic $50 to check it out before buying it. Money well spent. If the Seller won't let you take the car to be checked out - keep shopping for a different vehicle.
You probably don't want to hear this, but you need to. Moral of story. The 1st thing you do after you buy a used car is the
required maintenance - change (or have it done) the oil and filter, air filter, maybe wiper blades and check the antifreeze, brake fluid, and transmission fluid, etc. If the previous owner was
responsible, these
should be all good to go (but often, there's always some people that fail to do the required work.
Why is this???).
Then,
keep checking these fluids every few days until you gradually learn if / how much your used car leaks and/or uses anything. Most used cars leak a little something gradually. Some high mileage used cars leak and/or burn up to 1 qt. of oil between oil changes (3,000 miles). It doesn't matter if your 16 or 116, male or female - if you drive a car, you need to know these
basics. Just keeping the fluids at their proper levels is cheap, and is often the only thing you'll need to do to get many miles from most vehicles, especially a Toyota! If you have your fluids changed at a shop, some places will provide free checks and top-offs between changes. If you do it yourself, you will quickly learn about any issues you should know about. Usually, before a part gives completly out, (and leaves you stranded) there are signs - like smells, noises, unusual mechanical behavior, etc.
Preventive maintenance may seem like a waste of money, especially if you're younger and don't have a lot (of money), but instead, it's even more important. It is usually easy to do, cheap, and doesn't require many tools or much experience. It saves you a lot of money, reduces the risk of breakdown (and tows), and (I think) fun. Before I knew anything about fixing a car, I first learned by doing the regular maintenance. This gave me confidence and helped me when it broke down and I learned how to replace the common parts that eventually fail. I gradually acquired tools and became quite proficient at repairs, saving a lot of money. This has allowed me to own more than 1 car, and to be self reliant.
We wish you luck with your car, hope you learned something, and will love Toyotas as much as most of us here do.
94 Camry Mechanical Issues
Linear Mode
