1996 Toyota Camry LE 2.2

Summary:

The nicest car I've ever owned

Faults:

The car was in need of general maintenance when purchased.

The fuel filter was the original and was replaced.

The distributor cap and rotor were clogged with carbon deposits the size of pencil erasers, and was replaced.

The headliner was sagging and I reattached it.

It had the original plugs and wires, which I replaced.

The air filter was really dirty and I replaced it.

A few of the exterior and interior moldings were starting to come off of the vehicle. I was able to reattach them and they work fine now.

There is a slight shimmy on sharp high speed turns to the left. I will deal with this at a later date.

General Comments:

We were happy with our purchase. The vehicle was extremely clean and was cared for appearance wise.

We thought the car ran great at first, but after we replaced the majority of the maintenance items, we found that the car is really fast and quite powerful for a four banger.

I'm 6'6", 335 lbs. and I find the car is really comfortable for me to drive with plenty of leg room. This is one of the reasons that we sought after the Camry to begin with.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd March, 2014

24th Mar 2014, 17:48

An 18 year old Camry is the nicest car you've ever owned?

In reply to 24th Mar 2014, 17:48

17th Jul 2017, 20:43

Don't underrate a 1996 Camry. I used to look down on them. I have driven the Paseo, Celica, S-Class, C-Class, Chevy Cruz, and Volvo C70 convertible. The 1996 Camry LE, 2.2L, 5 speed manual is better than all the cars I have driven, except a Mercedes Benz and the Volvo. And it's comparatively fast, and is very quiet and comfortable. Unless you are into expensive sports cars, a Camry is a very, very good idea, and very highly recommended.

However, if you do buy a second hand one, expect to pay quite a bit because you will usually need to replace the main oil gasket and the ignition system, which is of course, expected for any car over 120k miles.

1996 Toyota Camry LE 4 cylinder

Summary:

I would buy another one, but I'd make sure I maintained it

Faults:

I bought the car with 150,000, and 2 weeks later the check engine light came on (solenoid was broken).

3 weeks later, the brakes got so hot that it melted the plastic rims on the tires. Needed to replace the master cylinder and the brake pads.

1 week later, the check engine light came on again and it was the catalytic converter. Now it won't pass smog... $800.00 and still fixing it.

Obviously, the people didn't maintain it and I'm getting to pay for all the damage caused by lack of care.

General Comments:

I love the car, as it's very comfortable to ride in, stereo sounds great, and it rides well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th May, 2010

20th May 2010, 19:34

I agree, you probably bought a Camry that was not well maintained. I recently purchased a '96 Corolla. It has 177,000 miles. However, the person I bought it from had all of the service records. My Corolla was very well maintained, no problems as of yet. I love it.

21st May 2010, 03:00

A faulty solenoid, brakes, and catalytic converter are all wear-out parts, not caused by lack of care, and to be expected on a 14-year old car. You cannot expect perfection on a used car that old with that many miles on it. And all things considered, having just those few problems is really not that bad. Imagine the costs you may have incurred with a '96 Ford, Chevy, or Dodge! You'd be probably talking engines and transmissions.

21st May 2010, 14:49

Or a newer low mileage Honda or Toyota low mileage with trans failures and engine sludging. We bought new GM.

In reply to 21st May 2010, 14:49

21st May 2010, 19:47

What was the point of posting that exactly? I can't afford a new GM myself, or any new car for that matter. If I could afford a new car though, the last car I'd be looking for is a GM.