Should I buy this 1998 Camry?

[deedoubleukay]

I've been posting this question to a few Camry/Toyota bulletin boards. Apologies if you've seen it already, but I'm trying to cast as wide a net as possible.

I have a good friend selling his 1998 Camry LE v6. 170k miles. Selling for $1100. He's told me he's kept up the maintenance on the car, and I believe he's trustworthy. He tells me the issues with the car are that the valve gasket cover leaks, but that he simply changes the oil every 3 mos and its fine. The only issue is the mess from the leak, which isn't something I care about. It's also coming up on a scheduled timing belt change (every 90k I believe).

So, given the issues above, is it worth it at that price? I only need the car to drive to/from work, only about 10 miles. Anything I'm missing? Is it crazy to think that I should be able to get to 250k miles without too much of a problem?

[BMR]

I'd say buy it.

Did he keep up on the transmission oil changes as well?

The engine is non-interference, so if you don't change the timing belt and it breaks, there's no risk of major engine damage.

The valve cover oil leaks are messy, but not a big deal. Worst thing about it is that if it's bad enough, it drips onto the exhaust and slowly burns off, giving off some stinky blue smoke. The front cover gasket is a 20 minute job. The rear takes 2-6 hours, depending on how pokey one is. The rear one is usually responsible for the aforementioned burning oil.

Given reasonably good maintenance, they're often good for 300k miles or better.

[oopssorryy]

Buy it, you'll have fun with it. With a bit of love that car will amaze you.

[hill8570]

Hard to tell from the description (is it a rust queen...has the transmission fluid been changed on a regular basis...does the trans fluid smell burnt?). If you pay someone to do the timing belt, it'll run ya around half what you paid for the car, so take that into account. At that time, I'd consider having the valve gaskets replaced, along with the oil seals under the timing cover and the water pump. You can go for a long time with a drippy valve cover, but I'm not a big fan of oil constantly seeping onto my injectors and such. Not a crisis, 'tho.

See if the motor mounts are OK -- take a look at the rubber on the dogbone (right up top passenger side near the wheel wheel) -- if the rubber on the dogbone is trashed, it's telling you the front and maybe the rear motor mount is shot. Kind of a pain to replace.

$1100 sounds like a good price for a V6 '97, assuming everything else is in good condition.

[OceanView]

What else can you get for $1100 that you know the history on?
This car is reliable if the previous owner kept up with maintenance.

I say buy it.

[carsrus]

Do it. Put 500$ in parts into it and you should have a reliable car. If you cant undertake any work yourself then pass up.

Its a piece of cake to work on. Even if you lose the engine or transmission these parts sell like hot cakes. You'll easily make the 1100 back parting it out.

[deedoubleukay]

Thanks guys. I posed the question to my friend, and he says he's changed the transmission fluid semi-frequently - 2003, 2005, 2007. He hasn't changed it since then because he hasn't driven it that much since then.

[97toyotacam]

It sounds like your friend is hooking you up on a worthy investment. Consider how long he has owned the car, 2003 is taking it back. You can either make the money back after you fix it, or have a really reliable car. If it even lasts you one year at that price the way it is, then your stoked.