Potential Camy Purchase - Advice Needed

[iinh3]

I have a son turning 16 in April, and I'm starting to look for a 3rd car. I currently drive a 95 Camry LE wagon with 5SFE and previously had a 93 LE sedan with 5SFE. I'm leaning toward a 3rd or 4th gen Camry with 5 SFE as a 3rd car.

Are there any model years that are preferrable over the others for any reason? Alternatively, are there any model years to avoid? Is there any reason to stay away from the first model year (92 & 97) of either generation?

I'm comfortable doing most of my basic maintenance and getting more comfortable with advanced maintenance thanks to TN. I would like for my son to get comfortable doing his own maintenance as well. It seems like 5SFE is a good platform for that.

Any input would be appreciated.

[jtex2717]

I would get a 95 or 96 Camry with a 5s. Possibly even a coupe. They are sporty looking and great for a first car. He will have fun with it and they soo easy to work on. Esp if it was well maintained by the previous owner.

[LynchburgCSI]

I'll suggest the 5s-fe for a new driver. That's what I had as my first car. Note that the 1996 5s-fe was the only year with OBDII diagnostics (V6 camrys had it from 94 and up). Some people like it, others don't. I'd also stay away from 4th generation camrys. The lack of an oil cooler from 97-01 CAN lead to sludge issues if not babied. I also am not a huge fan of the way they look and the fact that they seem to cost a bit more right now. That's just my opinion though.

[Mister_Perkins]

92-96 Camrys are great

Just make sure the car was taken car of with no weird sounds, ticks, etc.. from the motor.

Take it to a mechanic and have it lifted up and inspected before purchasing too

[Mike Gerber]

I would also make sure the car you pick has ABS brakes and dual air bags. Since this is your son's first car, you would want him to be as safe as possible. Dual air bags became standard with the 94 model year Camry. ABS was also an option on that year. They might have been an available option on earlier years (I'm not certain) but 94 is the first year where dual air bags were standard and ABS was also an option.

Mike

[bigbird]

if your just planning on driving it, then stay away from coupes, or 5 speeds (unless you just perfer the driving of a 5 speed). 5 speeds are not any more reliable then the auto tranny if used for A-B driving and the coupes have coup specific parts that are not only hard to find, but more expensive. instead, i would go for a gen3 V6 sedan. The sedan is MUCH more common and easier to find in good condition in low miles for the same money. reliability is about the same between the v6 and 5sfe but the added power is a world of difference. which leads to gas mileage. because teh v6 has so much more power then the 5sfe, it requiers less throttle and flogging to perform simple menuvers. this doesnt make it better then the 5sfe, but your talking about maybe 5mpg difference.

I recomend gen3 because the engines are nearly identical, the car itself was built better than the gen4 (not by much though), and you can get more for the same money.

[RichieRichJP]

Originally Posted by LynchburgCSI

The lack of an oil cooler from 97-01 CAN lead to sludge issues if not babied.

That can easily be remedied by swapping out the coolant pipes from an earlier model 5sfe, as well as the oil cooler.
But you have a point though - people typically want to buy the car (to be ready to drive) and not have to fiddle around with it.