buying a used Camry

That is about all that you can do, just make sure the mechanic is competent.

Carfax is not foolproof, but I have found it to be helpful in avoiding a waste of time with test drives of wrecked and salvaged cars, if nothing else.

The Camry is a great car. The only downside to the buyer is that they hold their value well, but there is a reason for that.

Pat

A sore subject around here, but SOME people are a bit leery about some of that period regarding an engine sludge problem.

I really know little about the issue, have not researched it at all, and don't know if it is a true concern or not. But, since I have seen the issue raised here, you might want to find a reputable source and research it further and see if there is any reason for concern.

That reminds me... any major recall notices for Camrys, 1998-2002?

Check on the NTSB Web site.

Opps my bad. Had the wrong agency

Thanks a bunch!

As has been noted, pay attention to the oil change history. Also pay attention to the cooling system service history. This is often neglected and is often a contributing factor to head gasket failure.

These were the questions I used:

"I'm calling about your car for sale"

Are you the Owner of the car? (deal direct with Owner only)

Why are you selling

Are you the original owner

Does it have a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder engine

What color is it

Does it have a sunroof (moonroof)

What is the mileage

What kind of condition is the paint

How about the interior

Tell me about the maintenance. Have you replaced:

Timing Belt - when, where (by whom), receipt? Struts A/C oil changes - how do you keep track of mileage for oil changes transmission oil/ filter change

Are service records available? (showing accurate odometer readings)

Smog Certificate, Pink Slip

Has this car ever been in an accident

Private residence required: i.e., always meet only at their home.

Mechanic check:

C.V. Boots struts frame damage oil leaks brakes radiator Air Conditioning (check power window operation) (antenna) (lights)

This is the first thing that came to mind for me too. Our Camry will probably last forever because I follow the recommended oil change schedule AND use synthetic oil.

To potentially save yourself the mechanics fees, pull out the dipstick and see if there are any deposits on it (as well as noting the condition of the oil). If the oil is thin as water and black it would indicate to me poor maintenance, and I'd thank him for his time and move on.

Also, insist on at least two keys if it has a transponder. If he doesn't have two insist he have another made before you buy it. Without two keys to program them yourself, it's very expensive to have another made by the dealer.

Good luck! Camrys are a good choice!

Joseph

I googled this a little, and found soemthing about an IAC valve needing cleaning every year or so. Is this the limit of the engine sludge problem with the Camrys? Has this problem been fixed in later Camry models?

I googled this a little, and found soemthing about an IAC valve needing

cleaning every year or so. Is this the limit of the engine sludge problem with the Camrys? Has this problem been fixed in later Camry models?

IAC valve has nothing to do with sludge. Sludge is mostly limited to the V6 motors anyway.

Camrys weak point is the steering rack, steering hoses have them checked for leaks. The older ones 97-2000 or so may have noise from the front shock area going over bumps, it was corrected around 2000 or so I forget exactly. The older ones can have this fixed with the new part out now. Check CV boots, oil seals will leak on the timing belt side of the engine, look for blue exhaust smoke on cold start, fix with high mileage oil. Make sure everything electronic works on it.

Never bought a used car from a person before, what's customary as far as borrowing the car to get it inspected by a mechanic?

Buy it, with the option to return it if the mechanic finds something wrong?

Give the guy a deposit, then have the car inspected?

What if the mechanic finds something wrong, I decide not to keep the car, and the owner accuses me or the mechanic of 'damaging' something?

Should I draft a contract with the help of those Nolo do-it-yourself law books?

Thanks,

Mike

I bought a 1997 Camry XLE about a year and a half ago it had app 144

Things that had to be done....

New struts all around, new strut mounts on front. Installed Monroe SensaTrac struts, they work great except they are a bit stiffer than the stock ones. I don't mind it too much. And the price was right... buy the first one and get the second one half price. Did the job myself. See below about ABS light....

ABS light now on... this is because I did the job myself, however, I learned by reading this newsgroup that some shops will screw this up too.. When I installed the rear struts, the ABS sensor wire is just short enough that you have to stretch it a bit to take the strut out of the bracket at the wheel area. Disconnect this wire and pull it out a bit rather than breaking it.... Now I gotta fix my left side ABS sensor... I will look into the ability of splicing this wire.

Needs new steering rack, it's leaking on drivers side. PS pump also leaking a bit. Presently using Lucas Power Steering stop leak, but it's awful thick, and when it gets cold 0 Deg F or colder, pump makes noise for a few seconds on a cold start. The joys of living in the frozen north...

Automatic shifter is very stiff going from D to gear 3 and 2. A guy at work that has the identical car told me that his shift cable broke at some point and was very expensive to fix.

Front passenger side window up/down switch works well when window has to go down, but doesn't at all sometimes to bring window back up, in this case I have to use the driver door switch to bring it back up.

Rear driver side door won't open from the inside. Something's broken inside door, just haven't been around to fix it yet.

That's my adventure... other than a few small things, this car drives great, has lots of power, and no evidence of sludge buildup in mine. Checked underneath valve covers just after I bought it.

I do my oil changes every 5000 Km. I was us>