1992 Toyota Camry SE from North America - Comments

Windshield cracked around 145000 miles spent $170, timing belt and water pump needed replacement at 156000 miles spent $300, hood latch and hood cable needed repair at 152000 miles, spent $150. Regular oil changes every 3000 miles is all that I have done.

I have a Toyota Camry SE, six cylinder, 3.0-liter engine, 5-speed manual transmission, which develops around 185 bhp. The car has been very good performer, I have owned a few other cars, Buick lesabre, Mazda 626, Subaru legacy to name a few. I always have enjoyed owning different cars and making my own assessment as to how they perform. Thus far, I am very pleased with the performance of my Camry; the car feels very strong and well built. The quality of craftsmanship is very high. The road holding of the car is good even on wet surfaces. The car is very reliable, but parts can be expensive to replace. My car has a very tight steering also the brakes are not as efficient as on other cars, I will have to take it to a dealer to get things sorted out. I plan to ride this car for some more time and enjoy it. This is highly recommended car for anybody looking for power and reliability at a very affordable price. Overall, an excellent value for money spent.

I read your review of the 1992 Toyota Camry SE with great interest, since we have had that same model, with 5-speed, since I bought from next-door neighbor 4 or 5 years ago with 91K miles. Now has 123K, and has needed no repair work, but 2 weeks ago, we were sideswiped on the driver's side (other driver cited) and the estimate for repair is $4023. Both insurance companies have opined that it is "totaled," and worth only $3600. I have searched the 'Net for 2 weeks and have been unable to find a '92 SE with 5-speed in great condition, which this one is (was!). Some literature suggests that very few of all Camry's produced in 1992 were SEs, as it was introduced very late in the model year. It and the DX were the only Camry's available with 5-speed. To make a case with the insurance companies, I'm trying to find out: 1) how many Camry's were mad in 1992, and 2) how many of those were SE's with the 5-speed. The '92 was/is one hot machine, with special performance suspension, quicker steering ratio, higher final drive ratio, sport seats, spoiler, and had larger tires on alloy wheels. The SE was certainly NOT a garden-variety Camry, and this specimen was cherry. I want to get it fixed, not totaled, but it may take data like I mentioned above to convince the insurance companies that the SE was (and is) special and worth the basically cosmetic repairs. Yours wouldn't happen to be for sale, would it?