1990 Toyota Camry 4WD 4 cyclinder 2.2litre from North America

Summary:

A very sporty car worthy to take on any Souped up street racer

Faults:

First problem was the timing belt blew at 125,000 km.

The knob adjusters on the seats are difficult and annoying to use.

The rear Differential Shattered the pinion gear bearing and damaged the whole assembly. $300 to replace the whole unit used.

The head gasket Blew at 290,000 km.

General Comments:

The Only real problem I've seen with this car is that the exhaust manifold gets to hot and it has burned the paint on the hood. Besides after 12 years of all season driving the wheel wells had very minor rust on them.

All around this car is a sports car hiding in a family sedan shell.

The power that this 4 Cylinder puts out is amazing. I was amazed that I could get thrown back into my seat with this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st December, 2002

1990 Toyota Camry CSX 2.0L 16v Electronic Fuel Injection from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A low cost reliable bargain

Faults:

The radiator had a hairline crack in it, I replaced the radiator and hoses, costing me AU$250.

One of the front wheels was out of alignment, and this caused uneven tire wear. As a result I replaced the two front tires and re-aligned the wheels, costing me AU$200.

General Comments:

Very Fuel efficient, typically doing over 10Km on a liter of petrol.

Perfect for transporting a lot of stuff.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th October, 2002

1990 Toyota Camry DX V6 from North America

Summary:

Sports car masquerading as family sedan, but be prepared for rust

Faults:

There is a big rust problem, the passenger side rear door hinge has rusted through. Now if the door is opened it sags on the one good hinge. You must lift the door to close it.

There is lots of water entry into the trunk every time it rains.

The rack of the rack & pinion steering has died. I can steer it fine, but have no power steering.

There is a slight smoking and burning smell because there is a slight oil leak at the manifold gasket. My mechanic is keeping an eye on it.

Had to replace the transmission fluid pan gasket at 110000 miles. Leaked.

Left turn signal must be fiddled with to use. Buzzes when turned on.

Electrical system is going bad. Warning light for "lights" comes on and all the lights work. Sometimes indicator lights don't work. Dome light and buzzers work when they want to.

General Comments:

Despite numerous body/electrical problems with age and wear, this car's drive train and suspension will not quit! It drive like a bat out of hell, and I can easily do 100mph on the highway. When I put good Italian sport tires on it the turn radius tightened up and it sticks to the road like glue.

The upholstery is worn and old, but is still much more comfortable than that found in newer cars. The suspension is smooth and cushions bumps well. AC & heat/defroster work great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th October, 2002

30th Oct 2002, 17:37

Does yours redline at freeway speeds? Mine's got the V6 with a 5-speed (rare on Camry's) and it's a beast around town, but I'm disappointed that it can't do the 150 that's on the speedometer..

27th Nov 2005, 08:18

Mine will do 200km/h, that's the stock 2 litre 4-cylinder with a manual transmission.. No faster than that though.

With some firmed-up suspension, intake, exhaust, and extractors this car could probably do 7 second 0-100km/h times.

However, I am selling mine and getting a R33 Skyline GTS-T. It will be a lot easier to get power out of.

1990 Toyota Camry DX 2.0, 4 cylinder. from North America

Summary:

Reliable, generic, overall a mixed bag

Faults:

FYI I got the car with a used engine in it (app. 85,000-90,000 miles on it).

When I got the car, I had to put in $500 because the car was shaking like crazy and had no power. Turns out it was a cracked intake manifold, there were a bunch of dead old gaskets that needed replacing, and I had a head gasket leak (which remains to this day as it would be $600-$900 to fix)

I had to patch up a number of rust holes. They weren't bad for a Camry of this year however, but the rust is already coming back.

The rear passenger door is not functional. The door rusted out quickly at the hinge. A used door at a junk car place is at least $100. Worth it in the long run, but I have yet to fork it out.

I replaced the muffler.

The left blinker refuses to engage and instead makes an annoying buzzing sound.

The overdrive will not engage until the car is well warmed up. I am not sure if it is a common Camry design, but at any rate it is annoying when you start right up onto the highway and can't get over 40mph without over-revving the engine.

Engine stalls after lengthy highway driving.

Noticable lack of performance, increasingly in hot weather.

Often shaky. (most of these might be attributed to head gasket leak)

General Comments:

With the head gasket going out, the car is performanceless and begging for lots of cash to go into it. I'm not satisfied, and am getting rid of it. Camrys in general are wonderful cars. I've just managed to find a sadder car of the bunch.

Being foreign and all, these aren't the cheapest cars to keep on the road. What they have going for them is reliability, which keeps you from putting all the cash into them. If you aren't lucky enough to have such a deal, it hurts to keep going.

Common problems: rust, money, aesthetic appeal, room (for a family/cargo friendly vehicle anyway)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 1st July, 2002