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"
Sir if you had bothered to maintain your vehicle then you would not have experienced those problems. You may find that you are better suited to a Brand New Vehicle that you can get away with not doing a great deal to for the first 30,000 Miles. I do not see how you can blame Toyota for any of your problems when you openly admit to not replacing parts that have worn out.
The manual says to change the timing belt every 80 thousand miles, no wonder it broke at 135 k it still lasted almost twice as long as it should have. I would have paid you 1000.00 dollars for it with the low miles. My camry has almost 400k on it and I may need a new motor soon and I love this car and will continue with the recommended maintence and even engine replacement.There`s not a more comfortable reliable car out there for the money and AC still workes great and aftermarket thousand dollar stereo. Cruising!!!
Having owned an 83 Camry for eight years (87-95) I'm shaking my head at your description. It's not that I don't believe what you're saying, but you don't understand all the facts. First of all an "interference fit" refers to piston/valve overlap. Honda has this system whereby the valves in each cylinder have to be fully seated before that piston comes up to top dead centre (TDC). If the timing belt breaks in such an engine the pistons will smash into the valves causing a lot of damage. The Camry does not have an interference fit, so you can break a timing belt and still crank the engine over without smashing the valves. I know this from personal experience. Also you don't have to remove the engine and transmission to replace the belt.
As far as the door problem... why not get it fixed?
Sure, any car can be a lemon, but the first generation Camry is probably one of the most reliable and all round good cars that's ever been made. So I'm thinking that we're not getting whole story here.r.o
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