1986 Toyota Camry review from North America

We got the car because it was listed as being good for it's crashworthiness, and because "it was a Toyota" (supposedly durable, and cheap to own). The wife and I subsequently redubbed it "The shudderbug"; and aptly so.

The factors which evolved that contributed to its renaming were:

*Unidentified and elusive EFI problems, from two months out;

*An "interference fit" engine compartment/drivetrain relationship which prevented the economical replacement of worn engine mounts; and.

*Hideously expensive "normal" front-end wear issues which lead to an almost insane shaking at highway speeds.

The engine mount/EFI situation got so bad, it eventually was impossible to idle the vehicle in drive without shaking all of the interior console works into a blur. The din was unbearable.

Additionally, the driver's side rear door mysteriously ceased operation, from inside as well as out. Fortunately, there were three "good" ones left.

Eventually the "rubber band" (timing belt) broke, it coasted to a stop, and we left it for the next poor sap to remove the engine and transmission for replacement operations.

It was, after all, "a Toyota"!

Next to an ill-advised Fiat Spider purchase by a relative some years earlier, this car was the worst piece of junk our family has ever owned.

"Just say no"