1992 Toyota Camry XLE review from North America

The things that have gone wrong with my 1992 Camry V6-XLE have all been minor. A taillight bulb burned out. A power door lock controller started being flaky and would sometimes 'stick' when unlocking the right front door lock, etc. These are all annoying but exceedingly minor problems, hardly even worth mentioning.

The car may soon need a new or replacement cylinder head or to have the head rebuilt, as it is starting to use oil (although I couldn't for the life of me figure out where the oil is going out of the engine... there is absolutely NO blue smoke that I can see, and the oil is not leaking onto the driveway). This is an ABSOLUTELY NORMAL condition for a vehicle that is now 15 years old and has almost A QUARTER OF A MILLION MILES on it... it is normal wear-and-tear and is consistent with the car's age and mileage.

I am convinced that this is one of the most reliable vehicles ever made, and that with proper maintenance there is virtually no limit to how long it can stay on the road and continue being driven.

I also believe that the key to reliability is regular and proper maintenance.

I use exclusively 100% synthetic motor oil.

I take my car in every 3,000 miles for a Lube-Oil-Filter according to the Severe Service maintenance schedule. Bringing the car in for regular maintenance gives the mechanics an opportunity to check for problems that are just starting to crop up, BEFORE they become expensive repairs.

I also always take the car in for maintenance to my local Toyota dealership -- the mechanics there are all certified, are factory-trained, and are older and more experienced. When they see a Camry come in the door for service, they know how to fix and repair it, and they already have the factory parts in stock.

There is no freaking way I'd trust my car's maintenance to some 19-year old kid at the local Jiffy-Lube who doesn't know the difference between a Camry and a Camaro.