1989 Toyota Camry LE review from North America

The previous owner had new calipers, lower ball joints, rotors, and an outer tie rod end replaced at about 110,000 miles. I just replaced the brakes which was a hassle free job.

A few months ago she blew a soft plug (freeze plug) on the engine block and all my coolant sprayed out overheating the car. The tow was the most expensive part of that as the fix was about 5 bucks plus the cost of new coolant.

I had to put a new exhaust system on it, converter back after it fell off one day.

During the beginning of this winter I had next to no heat so I changed the thermostat and back flushed the radiator and heater core. The thermostat turned out to be fine after all, but the heater core was severely corroded. I back flushed it at the hoses near the firewall and it works great now. It was a semi-tedious job because of the tight spaces. I think that the problem resulted from the antifreeze being too diluted before I owned it.

On the outside, there is some rust near the fenders and quarter panels. Also, I have a damaged floor on the passenger side that I think resulted from the car bottoming out sometime in the past accelerating corrosion. I currently have a torn CV boot that needs attention as well.

I love my car. The engine has a ton of power and runs smooth. The automatic transmission shifts just fine. All the toys on the inside work including the cruise. The sound system is kind of weak, but adequate. The handling is excellent even with worn tires. A very comfortable and fun ride. My two favorite features are the power button when you need (or want to show off) that extra kick, and my sunroof witch came standard as this is an LE model. It makes all the difference in the summertime. I will baby this car forever!