1988 Toyota Camry DLX from North America - Comments

I have a 1988 Camry with over 350,000kms. It is a great car and as prev comments point out the interior in mine is great, only one rip from prev owner. Have not HAD to replace anything, but replaced, air filter, fuel pump, oil filter, radiator and timing belt. I would highly recommend Camry to anyone, It is cheap to run and is very reliable, only problem I have had (which was my fault) was when I ran it through a metre deep puddle which got a lot of water in engine. Had a check-up done after that happened and mechanic said it has the best timing a car of its age and for the ks on it was outstanding.

I have a Camry with 144,000 miles, bought new 19 years ago, gave it to my son and he gave it back to me after he bought a new car, and I have been extremely satisfied. Like all cars, a Camry requires regular oil changes and a little loving care. When the timing belt broke, at 133,000 miles, the car was considerate enough to go out just after we left the Santa Monica Freeway in L.A. and we coasted into a garage. Who says these cars don't have heart?

First the MB300 owner ought to check the zeros in his boast. 100 million miles will probably cost about the same amount of dollars to achieve. It's clear he's never owned a Toyota. My wife's garaged, ridiculously overmaintained benz was in the shop so often, we felt obligated to buy our mechanic a christmas present. I let her buy another turbo MR2 to talk her into getting rid of it, even though she's a leadfoot in those things.

As for the problems on this car, some obvious possibilities have been missed. For the brakes, missing shims, improper bleeding, or just doing pads where rotors are also required, could all explain the problem.

For fuel pump, don't blame Toyota. 90 percent of the replacements come from Mexico, Brazil and god knows where else. I've even seen dead pumps right out of the box.

Last item of note is the head gasket. If the head needed to be milled and wasn't, or if the bolts weren't properly torqued, you can have immediate problems with this type of fix. Although these things seem obvious, you'd be surprised at how many yo-yo's miss one or the other. I have been the recipient of both problems during my driving career.

As for the slipping timing belt when you jump a car, ask a first semester physics student if that's possible. Happy driving!

1988 Camry = best car ever!

This was the most amazing car that I'd ever owned. I bought mine knowing that it had several issues (read my review), and despite those problems my car still ran like a dream. I cried when someone broke into it and spitefully destroyed the engine. I have owned a '86 Honda Civic and while it was as good car, it was nothing compared to my Camry. If I had the money to get my Camry running again I would gladly forgo the '91 Mazda Miata that I'm buying from my Father, simply because I know that I can rely on it.

As a former automobile repair expert let me add some comments.

The Camry is well known for the brake pedal pulsation. This is not due to the rotors of bad design, but rather to the type of front wheel bearings. This FWD car is not using serviceable adjustable taper roller bearings in the front hub, the bearings are not adjustable and lubricated for life, so after 60000 miles or after the cv boot service with the axle bumped out with sledge, it cannot maintain its original setting. As a result the front hubs, the brake rotors and the tires are developing radial play which felt as jerking steering wheel, pulsating brake pedal and out of round front tires. The lifetime lubricated rear wheel bearing hubs have same life expectancy at least on the wagon s loaded close to the allowable load of 800 pounds.

My apologies for the long comment, hope it is helpful.

1988 Toyota camry FWD...

Lasted till 270k miles. Extremely satasified.

Guess what? It's still using the these parts that came with it from the toyota factory:

Timing Belt

Transmission fluid + filter

power steering fluid

brake fluid

oxygen sensor

fuel filter

spark plugs

distributor and cap

spark plug wires.

And it lived offa the cheapest oil and cheapest filters.

A few months ago the lil old oil leak leaked all out. Drove 50 miles with a few drops of oil (so little it didn't read on the dipstick). 50 miles later, it developed only a knock. Drove back with a gallon of oil in, and then it seized.

These cars were made to last. The 3SFE engines were built like brick walls. They'll never break unless you delibritely break em.

- ony.