1992 Toyota Camry LE

Summary:

Great reliable car that will last forever

Faults:

Self-retracting antenna failed at 120,000 miles.

Radiator blew at 128,000 miles.

Oil leak at 130,000.

The exterior paint has started to chip and wear.

Transmission has some hesitation at times.

General Comments:

I'm seriously impressed with my little Camry. I got it at 115,000 miles, and it was my parents car prior to that, they purchased it with 70,000 miles. It just hit 135,000 miles, and I have no doubts that it will last to at least 200,000 miles.

While the 4-cylinder engine it has isn't going to win you any street races, its more than competent to get you where you need to go with, and with great gas mileage. My wife and I recently drove to Los Angeles and back, on one tank of gas --- 425 miles, and this car is 12 years old.

Don't let anyone ever try to talk you out of buying a Camry, its the best investment of an automobile you could ever make.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th April, 2004

24th May 2004, 16:01

All of your mechanical problems mentioned are similar to mine, except mine occurred sooner:

At 100,000 miles my electric antenna stopped retracting, my radiator blew, and as far as my power windows and door handles, all of them broke either just before 100,000 miles or just after to expensive to have all of them fixed so I just had the driver side window fixed.

I recently had my transmission rebuilt since it totally failed on me at 165,000 miles. It started out with just a small delay whenever I applied the gas, but eventually it got worse and totally crapped out on me.

The paint started to fade at 130,000 miles and currently, at 180,000 miles; I am having the car fully repainted and some bodywork done by sprayglo ($850).

Thanks,

JasonJ

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1992 Toyota Camry SE 3.0

Summary:

Excellent value for money

Faults:

Windshield cracked around 145000 miles spent $170, timing belt and water pump needed replacement at 156000 miles spent $300, hood latch and hood cable needed repair at 152000 miles, spent $150. Regular oil changes every 3000 miles is all that I have done.

General Comments:

I have a Toyota Camry SE, six cylinder, 3.0-liter engine, 5-speed manual transmission, which develops around 185 bhp. The car has been very good performer, I have owned a few other cars, Buick lesabre, Mazda 626, Subaru legacy to name a few. I always have enjoyed owning different cars and making my own assessment as to how they perform. Thus far, I am very pleased with the performance of my Camry; the car feels very strong and well built. The quality of craftsmanship is very high. The road holding of the car is good even on wet surfaces. The car is very reliable, but parts can be expensive to replace. My car has a very tight steering also the brakes are not as efficient as on other cars, I will have to take it to a dealer to get things sorted out. I plan to ride this car for some more time and enjoy it. This is highly recommended car for anybody looking for power and reliability at a very affordable price. Overall, an excellent value for money spent.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th February, 2004

16th Jun 2004, 11:56

I read your review of the 1992 Toyota Camry SE with great interest, since we have had that same model, with 5-speed, since I bought from next-door neighbor 4 or 5 years ago with 91K miles. Now has 123K, and has needed no repair work, but 2 weeks ago, we were sideswiped on the driver's side (other driver cited) and the estimate for repair is $4023. Both insurance companies have opined that it is "totaled," and worth only $3600. I have searched the 'Net for 2 weeks and have been unable to find a '92 SE with 5-speed in great condition, which this one is (was!). Some literature suggests that very few of all Camry's produced in 1992 were SEs, as it was introduced very late in the model year. It and the DX were the only Camry's available with 5-speed. To make a case with the insurance companies, I'm trying to find out: 1) how many Camry's were mad in 1992, and 2) how many of those were SE's with the 5-speed. The '92 was/is one hot machine, with special performance suspension, quicker steering ratio, higher final drive ratio, sport seats, spoiler, and had larger tires on alloy wheels. The SE was certainly NOT a garden-variety Camry, and this specimen was cherry. I want to get it fixed, not totaled, but it may take data like I mentioned above to convince the insurance companies that the SE was (and is) special and worth the basically cosmetic repairs. Yours wouldn't happen to be for sale, would it?