1988 Toyota Camry review from North America

Oil Leak from the Main Head Gasket.

Cracked power steering line.

Exhaust rusted out.

I originally bought the car from a used-dealership through a friend. It was intended to be temporary. However, despite the problems that the car came with (major oil leak, cracked power-steering line, and rusted out exhaust, as well as the vents on the dashboard had been busted out), the car drove almost like it was brand-new. When I'd originally purchased it, it had a little less than 200,000 miles on it. However, I was living on the Gulf Coast when Hurricane Katrina hit and I wasn't sure if my car would be able to make the trip to Jackson, Mississippi. I am not good with cars, and in truth, I am very hard on them and I didn't think that I'd maintained it very well. I'd recently gotten new tires and that was it. I didn't have time to get anything else done before Katrina was predicted to hit (we left the same night that we found out the hurricane was coming). I packed as much of my stuff into my car as I could and prayed for the best.

I was absolutely astonished. Not only did my car make the 160 mile trip very well (with the exception of me loosing my power-steering cap ^_^), but it even out-performed my roommate's much newer Blazer. And my car even went on to make the same 160 mile trip 3 more times on only one oil change. That was when I fell in love with my car! However, I wasn't certain if it would be up for the next big trip, which was making a much longer trip to Dallas, Texas.

Yet again my Camry shocked me. It make the 400+ mile trip with relative ease. The only thing that happened was that my AC went out on the way there, which was an easy fix. I only needed to recharge it. I have put considerable miles on it since I moved to Dallas. The exhaust is almost completely rusted out, though a mechanic friend of mine stated that it was probably due to exposure to the salty-air from living on the Mississippi Gulf-Coast for so long.

This car has been wonderful. It still has the oil-leak and the cracked power-steering line, but I was sure to keep fluids in it. It needed a new battery and brakes, but this amazing little car still ran like a dream. It had a smooth idle and amazing handling on the road. I didn't have any new problems with the car the entire time I owned it, even after 300,000 miles. No, the ultimate demise of my Camry was that someone broke into and tried to steal my stereo (a cheap one at that)and was unsuccessful. Out of spite, I suppose, they popped my hood and proceeded to ruin my engine. I could fix it up, but the damage was already done and costly. No, I finally had to let my car go, with great regrets.

I still own it and I am torn between trying to sell it (it needs a lot of work) or putting it in the garage and trying to get it fixed up. It won't be neccessary as I'm getting a 1991 Mazda Miata.