Hi,
I'm looking at buying a 91 Camry Prominent (speedo says 100,000k). During the test drive (with 4 passengers + driver) we noticed a loud thumping sound coming intermittently from various places at the rear. This occurred on cornering and driving over potentially straight roads while (on the straights) at speeds of around 100 kph.
The dealer says it's soft springs, and I've noted that on the net people seem to say these cars do have soft springs 'for a more luxurious ride'.
The Automobile Association (AA) have checked over the car and say it's safe, and the dealer has had their own people look over it and this particular problem wasn't found.
We did check the boot, and nothing large enough to cause this noise was found.
My question is - is this a common occurrence for cars of this age (or any age) with standard Camry springs - should I expect to be able to drive without the thumps with 5 adults in a car ? It didn't happen around town, or at all with two adults in the car... And are these cars only designed for 2 adults and 2.4 kids in mind ?
Thanks,
Andrew