1996 Toyota Camry LE 2.2 from North America
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
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.
24th Mar 2014, 17:48
An 18 year old Camry is the nicest car you've ever owned?