New to Toyotas, trying to buy a Camry

[JKetzer]

Hi. I'm new here, and maybe this post isn't where it should be, so please correct me if I'm wrong...

I'm new to the Toyota product line - I have a general knowledge, but I've never owned one, and the closest I am to any of them firsthand is my best friend's '96 Geo Prizm, which I understand is mechanically identical to the Corolla.

I found a 1999 Camry V6 with a 5-speed (pretty well optioned out - leather, sunroof, etc.; I don't know the trim line, but I believe it is an LE) which looks to be in very good condition from the pictures I've seen on the Internet and from his telephone description. It's got 84k on it and the owner is asking $7.5k. The Carfax report shows that it was in two accidents, but not the severity. I do not believe the current owner is even aware of this, but I have not yet brought it up.

The car is about 500 miles away from me, and I haven't yet had a chance to see it in person. This Saturday, the owner will be passing through a nearby city on business and has offered to meet me there so I can look it over without having to buy airplane tickets.

This sounds like a pretty good deal on a fairly rare vehicle; as it stands, if this car is as he has described it, I plan to buy it. What do I want to be watching for when I check out the car? Any other thoughts, newbie flaming, etc?

Thanks in advance...

-J.

[Camry005man]

Check the engine, look for the leakage, how do you feel when you testdrive it, look at the body if any rust. Listen to the engine if there is anything strange noise.

[drunken_panda]

Find out how bad the accidents were. If the car pulls to one side or has abnormal tirewear could indicate the accidents were not repaired correctly. Peel back the carpet in the trunk and see if the paint color matches the front under the hood behind the head lights.

[RICO8458]

buy a camry that is 3 years old. go for the 2003.

[JKetzer]

Thanks for the replies.

Is there a thread about common 4th-gen Camry problems? I did search but could not find much, except for some complaints about squeaky front strut mounts and something about black foam in the a/c system.

Is the motor-sludge problem common to all Toyota motors or is it specific to the I4? Can I gain much information from removing the intake to look inside the throttle body, or is that a waste of effort?

I'd like to get it up on a lift and pull the oil pan, but that's a little impractical in this case.

The police reports about the accidents provide so little information as to be basically meaningless:

Accident Reported
Involving right rear impact
with another motor vehicle

on 2/29/2000, and...

Accident Reported
in Passaic County
Involving left front impact
It hit another motor vehicle
It hit a median barrier
Left front primarily damaged

on 8/19/2001.

Those two accidents worry me more than anything else just because I don't know how to ascertain the severity of the damage. Beyond checking the color of the paint and seeing if it looks and drives straight, I really don't know what else to look at.

Thanks again.

-J.

[BlackCamSe]

The 5SFE engine is pron to sluge.....take off the oil cap and and smell the oil and if the cap has all black gooey stuff and smells burnt then u have a bad sludge problem.

[toyomoho]

Some V6 engines also had a sludge problem, so don’t rule it out. One could assume that many problems effecting Gen2/3 series might affect the Gen4. There have been many threads on TN about what to look for on a Gen2/3 car. I would be concerned about the accidents and how good the repairs were.

Other engine/trans check issues; trans oil for burning, who knows when it was last changed. Radiator top and bottom are plastic and can crack/leak. Half-shaft boots splitting. Engine oil leaks including the back of engine. Worn engine mounts.

[MetMan22]

make sure you check to make sure that there was a 60 and 75 K service done on the vehicle...particularly, make sure that the fuel pump, alternator, distributor cap and wires are in good working condition.

Timing belt should have been replaced at 60K.

Check the brakes, pads and rotors and the tires...at 84K, car should be ready for it's 3rd set of tires. And check the tie rods for wear.

Check complete exhaust system from front to tailpipe for leaks, loud noise, rust,
etc...

Run the AC at different speeds to check for unusual sounds, make sure heating system also works.

Hope this helps!

Kevin

[99blackle]

when i bought my camry 99 i4 le, everything was fine and dandy with it... no engine probs till now... but i found out later that a part of the exhaust had become faulty... and to replace it meant replacing the whole exhaust with gaskets and bolts and all.. cost me around 1000$ .

FOR SURE take it to a lift and check everyything at the bottom..accelerate the car to rev it while its up... see if u get some funny "muffly" noise from the front part of the exhaust right under the engine...

thts my two cents

[skewe]

take it to a mechanic

pay $50 for a check as that will be one of your best investment

u know that you will have to change your timing belt, misl belts and maybe the water pump @ 90k.

Cost, about 600-700 for a v6

oil leak is the major one

[marc780]

I dont know about the used car availabilty in your area, but Here in So cal, supply far exceeds demand, so i may be way off base for your situation. But you have the bucks and they have the goods, and if things are not how you want them, I'd keep lookin.