First time Camry buyer needs some help

[mikev727]

Hello,

I am considering purchasing a 1995 Toyota Camry. My concern is that the car has 170,000 miles on it and its being offered at $3,000. To me that seems like allot of miles but I've always heard about the reliability of the Toyota brand. I am going to be driving to and from work in Dallas, I suspect the round trip will be less then 50 miles.

I would like to know what you guys think

Thank you

[360glitch]

$3000 may or may not be a good deal. What are the details on the car? LE? XLE? V6? Leather? ect. Also, how long do you plan on keeping this car?

[mikev727]

Its an LE V4 4-door no leather. I would like to get three years out of it if possible.

[Mike Gerber]

With a car this old and with that many miles on it I would be sure to take the car to a professsional tech and pay for an hour or 2 in labor to have him check the car out thoroughly, before buying it. Make sure he starts with a compression check. It may be well worth the money in the long run IMHO. If the seller refusess, invite him/her to come along. If he/she still refuses, find another Camry to look at.

Also, look up the value of the car on a website like KBB.com.

Mike

[toyomoho]

Camry has certain items that can wear out or need replacing with this many miles. If you can DIY on repairs, the costs are reasonable. If needing a shop they can add up fast. One major item is automatic transmission problems if the fluid was never changed.

As suggested if you do not know auto mechanics have someone knowledgeable in Toyota’s check the car over

[felonyr301]

for a i4 engine and that many miles on the car $3000 is a lil bit too much talk him down for a better price or look at other camry's. I bought my 95 for like 2200 with 142,000 on it and it's a i4 with no leather and that was a year ago.

[marc780]

Originally Posted by mikev727

Hello,

I am considering purchasing a 1995 Toyota Camry. My concern is that the car has 170,000 miles on it and its being offered at $3,000. To me that seems like allot of miles but I've always heard about the reliability of the Toyota brand. I am going to be driving to and from work in Dallas, I suspect the round trip will be less then 50 miles.

I would like to know what you guys think

Thank you

The price is a little too dear. Since it's a serious prospect, do a compression check or leak down test. If all looks good, just buy it, but negotiate something less. If the sellers balks, just leave it, because there are a lot of used Camrys around.

[beige97camry]

1997 camry 4 cyl in abilene texas asking price 44oo but seen them around 3500 on average with 120-140k. look in dallas morning news sunday paper to compare price, I say the price too high also, depends really on condition etcl. good luck. that year had sludge problems if oil not changed at regular intervals of around 3-4k, my 97 I bought new threw rod at approx 145k and I change oil every 3-5k since new.

[middleoroad]

i thought the sludge problems were only in v6s. $3000 sounds like a fair price if the car is clean and runs good.it is a good idea to take it to a mechanic you trust but beware the mechanic may take you for a ride.that 2.2 four is a gem,i had a 95 with a four and a stick and it went over 200k and usually got 30 mpg ave.

[Kingdom934]

Slightly high. If the car was kept in good shape (inside and out) with that mileage along with maintains records, $3000 seems fair.

Camrys of these age usually sometimes fall victim to problems due to lack of maintenance, one being oil changes and transmission fluid changes since they are so reliable to begin with, people don't maintain them sometimes.

Also, check the CV boots on the front wheels. If they are torn you might have to consider axles replacement if they start clicking.

[marc780]

The price sounds a little too high. (Even so, if i had just $3000 to spend on a car, that car would be a camry or maybe a civic or accord and those would be the only choices.) For this price, the car would have to be a cream-puff: trans good, (smell the atf dipstick if so equipped - fluid should smell new and not burnt and not be black), engine compression check shows a high reading (its a deal breaker so i probably wouldnt buy the car without doing it - easy to do on the 4 cylinder too).

Also stick your finger in the tailpipe (no bananas, axel) and see what color is the soot inside of it. Light grey is the best, dark grey to black is acceptable. Must be soot only and no trace of oil or anti freeze. (Clear water coming out tailpipe on cold start in the morning is completely normal, it is water vapor from the atmosphere. Water coming out tailpipe any other time, blown head gasket - the water would have coolant in it if this were the case.)

You have already seen its general condition and it is acceptable to you or you wouldnt have posted. I might pay this price but only if the other things i mentioned were good too. Otherwise i'd just keep looking.