Faults:

This car was generally very reliable and user friendly, but due to my driving style at the time, it was blowing smoke and using over a litre of oil per tank of fuel at 110,000klm!

It required a set of (very hard to replace) engine heater hoses at 60,000klm, cooked by continuous high speed operation.

I went through a set of Toyo Trampio tyres in around 8,000klm, including rotation. This was again due to continuous high speed operation and hard cornering.

The synchro on 2nd & 3rd gears was also pretty well shot at 120,000. Again due to my efforts at extracting the most possible performance out of this amazing vehicle.

General Comments:

Back in 1983, the JB Camira SLE was just a little bit fancy! While competitors like Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota were still offering a sodden rear wheel drive experience in the mid size class, the new Camira was high tech, high flying and high time according to Wheels Magazine in 1982.

It came with a very 'european' front wheel drive transaxle, compound crank rear axle and an air of quality, breeding and aplomb that the others could only dream of in 1983 (and totally blitz as history will tell).

Whilst only endowed with a paltry 1.6 litre 'camtech 4', it provided willing and more than competitive performance compared to the two litre engines from the opposition of the time. I constantly revved mine to 7200 rpm (redline 6400). This endowed the Camira with true supercar (4 cylinder in 1983 wise) performance. 52kph in first, 95kph in second, 142kph in third showed a clean set of heels to any of the others at the time. This resulted in short engine life, but gave many people a surprise, with absolutely no modifications except the fitting of heavy gas shocks all round and Toyo tyres.

The interior was beautifully laid out, and in the SL/E the tweed cloth seats were both supportive and comfortable over the long haul. The stereo was loud and clear straight out of the box, and the 5 speed was typical slightly notchy, but overall positive.

This car was possibly one of the best high speed point to point vehicles on the road at the time. It could maintain very high road speeds over a very mixed selection of surfaces; always right on the money for balance and poise. With more power, it could have been a true classic, but alas, exploiting that wonderful chassis exposed a need for more grunt. If you drove it like it wanted to be driven, it was sublime, just not very long lasting.

I would have rebuilt it and created a turbo classic, but instead I decided to work the Datto 1600, but that's another story.

Faults:

I purchased a Camira unseen off a workmate. He had a mate whose dad died, and the 1983 JB was mine for 1000 bucks with 10 months registration. 109000 on the clock. I have an 80 Series Toyota 4wd and a Commodore I, so needed a work car, as I work in a quarry, and the Toyota was too good for dirt all day, so this Camira is great. I use it for everything; rather than use my good cars, I use the Camira care free; no one would ever steal it.

I put good oil in it, keep an eye on your water hoses, and this car will never let you down. It's grown on me, does not look dated, and if you don't want to be noticed, get one. Mine is very newish, and I treat it kindly. I enjoy driving it; the 1.6 engine has plenty of power, and feels like it'll go forever.

Faults:

The only major drama has been replacing the water pump and engine mounts. Simply general wear & tear items.

General Comments:

The car is very underrated.

Mine did have a few bugs that were not ironed out at production. Like ill fitted trim on the doors and console.

Easily fixed with a little tender loving care.

Most economical car I have ever owned. Can easily get 650 kilometres out of a tank of go-go juice.

Faults:

Battery replaced.

Distributor cap cheaply replaced.

Rusted in the doors, not bad enough to be bothered fixing it.

Cassette player stopped working.

General Comments:

Overall, a pretty good car which is very versatile and reliable.

The 1.6L engine delivers quite a bit of power and offers superb fuel economy (approximately 4.5L per 100Km).

The interior is reasonably comfortable and is very spacious. The boot/trunk is huge!

Faults:

Nothing yet!!!

General Comments:

Reliable (apparently I'm the only one who thinks so), cheap, family sedan. Good for first time car buyers.