I had a 1998 Camry V6 and one of the engine warning lights came on after about 75K miles. It was fixed when dealer replaced the charcoal canister. Fortunately, it was covered by the Federal Emissions warranty, which I believe is eight years or 80,000 miles.

I used Mobil 1 synthetic oil for every oil change, and my engine ran perfectly the whole time I owned it (11 years). Those engines were prone to sludge with conventional oil, unless the oil was changed religiously per manufacturer maintenance specifications.

 

im sorry i shouldve mentioned its the inline 4 which is supposed to be more reliable. so mark, i guess what youre saying it pay special attention to the engine. it has a pretty good owner history with one owning it for 18 years.

 

'97 will be a gen4 (are you located in the US?). You'll get sludging problems but not nearly as bad as the V6; beyond 100K valve stem seals will be shot and cause oil burning. These engines are pretty damn bulletproof, but one thing they do not tolerate is low oil (well, almost any overhead cam engine, really). Beyond 100K they like to leak as well. Keeping your oil topped up is cheap, fixing valve stem seals and leaks is not. Check your oil every 250 miles and get an idea of how much you're burning; most I see with shot valve stem seals burn about a quart every 1-2K, the worst I've seen burned a quart every 200 miles.

For the sludge, use a good filter, synthetic oil, and change the oil on time. Also, change your pcv valve and grommet with OE ONLY every couple years, and check hoses for that as well (replace if hardened).