Faults:

Manual steering rack was replaced at 420,000 km due to a bush inside wearing, and making a knocking noise when going over bumps. Mechanic said only the bush needed replacing, but it being a sealed unit, the whole rack had to be replaced.

Other than that, normal wear and tear replacement parts.

Alternator at 380,000 km, 3 batteries over last 7 years, tyres wear evenly to 50,000km, timing belt every 100,000km.

Needed a new water pump at 390,000km; I think it was damaged when the mechanic replaced the timing belt, cracked bolt housing on pump. Since the replacement of the water pump, have topped up the radiator with a mouthful of coolant for last 4 years/100,000km.

6 years after buying the car, have finally had the relay replaced; aircon will now run without overheating and be turned off, as only 1 fan worked. Both fans run now when using it with 45 degrees outside. Before, when the needle rose, it turned the aircon off.

General Comments:

One of the most reliable cars I have ever had. Has never missed a beat in 7 years, except when one of the HT leads was faulty. Even after driving 1500km in 1 day, averaging 120-130 km/h, it just keeps going.

Handles as good as any sports pack car, with good tyres, sticks to the road like glue. Can hold its own against sports cars 1-2 years old.

Relatively economical still after 22 years, 550 km almost on 3/4 tank, highway driving.

By the way, it is an S/wagon, auto.

Will hit 500,000km before end of this year.

Can sit at 120km/h forever.

Doesn't blow smoke.

Top up oil 1/2 litre every 1000km.

No oil leaks!

No rust!

Auto serviced once in 7 years, gears change perfectly.

Had a Ford Falcon once with 250,000km on the clock when bought, 6 years old. Front wheel fell off after 1 trip to Brisbane, bearing collapsed. Transmission replaced twice in 2 years. Full of rust.

Faults:

Leaks a little power steering fluid, but does not cost much to fix.

General Comments:

This is the best car I have ever owned. Yes it has high miles, but you cannot tell at all!

The transmission has never been rebuilt, and neither has the engine. It's funny that a car with that many miles has only had leaf springs replaced.

The front fenders are rusted through, but I am going to get replacements off of partstrain.

Faults:

Broken CV Axle needed replacement (Approximately $170.00).

Needed to clean battery terminals (Free, I used baking soda, water and a toothbrush)

After I cleaned the engine, some water had gotten into the distributor cap so I needed to pay 50 dollars to get that dried up.

I backed up out of my driveway and hit a curb... flat tire cost 90 bucks.

Nothing major to repair!

General Comments:

I originally bought this car (1988 Camry LE) for 800 dollars with 174,000 miles on it, and I don't regret one cent spent on this car.

I have taken a couple long road trips in this car (One was a 6 hour trip to Tennessee and the other was a 3 hour trip to Helen, Georgia), and it's surprisingly comfortable on the interstate.

The car is in wonderful shape, and my next car will undoubtedly be a Toyota. I get 30 mpg and fill my gas tank once a month. This car is easy to drive and it's really comfortable to ride in.

One day the car had to be towed to the mechanics shop because it wouldn't start (water had gotten into the distributor cap while I was cleaning the engine)...the guy who towed my car said he had the EXACT same car (same color, model... even the same hubcaps) and he sold it to his friend with 200,000 miles on it.

That friend of his STILL drives the car to this day and it has over 500,000 miles and it's STILL driving wonderfully. I look forward to saving thousands of dollars because of this Japanese wonder and driving it into the ground! ANY car that is a late 80s or early 90s Toyota that has a 4-cylinder engine would be great for highschool and college students.