Which year camry to buy?

[twodoorcamry]

This is probably a really old topic, but I couldnt locate any old threads by searching...

Which generation or yearmodel camry is the best in terms of reliability?

Own a gen 3 now. Looking for a second camry. Could be another "old" one in fine condition or maybe a newer one...

How serious are the "sludge issues" of the gen 4s?

How good are the gen 5s?

engine options?

[carsrus]

gen 4 sludge issue isn't that big of a deal. If the oil was changed at least every 5k miles its 99.999% safe.

Personally im a fan of the 2.2 since its cheap to work on. However both the 3.0 and 2.2 are reliable. The gen 4 stayed identical mechanically through 97-01.

2002+ is crapola. Maybe like a 05-06 gen 5 would be ok since the kinks were worked out. Stay away from the 02-03.

Reliability wise the camry has been flawless until 02 when they decided to use the 2.4. The early 2.4 is a disaster.

[ONE_to_HATE]

At the price of an 00-01.. you'd be able to grab a 98/99 ES300 with a V6 and loaded.. so maybe live a little more?!