The Toyota Camry Wagon is THE Japanese Family Truckster
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
- Sooo happy I got to shoot CamWags! Such a happy little car. Shoutout to Jack for meeting up to shoot!
------------------
Can I review your car?
Shoot me an email with some basic info at: thatgearhead@gmail.com!
-------
- Instagram:
/ thor.xc90
/ casper.s60r
/ 5vz.tacoma - Auta a dopravní prostředky
You're lucky to have a Toyota Camry station wagon.
Great video bud! You were extremely detailed and really brought positive light to such a quirky and almost forgotten yet timeless car
Thank you so much!
Got one,I love her.She's just an honest,reliable, well built car.Great video
Peter, from Australia.
They’re great little cars!
So, I needed a new car back in 1999 since my late dad's 1983 K-Car wagon(!) he gave me finally was sold to a high school kid.
I bought a 3 year old 1996 Camry Wagon that came out of the south with the 4 cylinder 2.2L engine with just 42,000 miles on it . White, beige interior, black roof rack, gorgeous and with the gold badges all around. Even found two extra CAMRY gold badges and stuck them mid line on the front doors near the hinges. Looks original And yes, they are GOLD PLATED! $32 on Ebay. I have been driving it ever since and still own it down here in Florida. Has never seen snow, salt, etc. and is solid as a rock. In the same condition as this video! The interior is "eat off the floor" clean, the rear hatch and engine hood hydraulic lifts were all replaced new (a very cheap fix), everything works as new (yes, even that pesky power antenna motor that I replaced only ONCE in 25 years. All power windows work perfectly (replace just ONE a few years back) and she sports a new windshield. She also has two sets of original Toyota wheel covers, not those cheap ones you can get at your auto parts store. Finally, I have her running on my favorite tire of all time...TIGER PAW AWP II WHITE WALLS! i put a little "beefier" tine on her as well Great handling and essentially a Michelin tire since they now bought our Uniroyal a few years back. I did spring for a new Kenwood BlueTooth radio head just to keep up with the times, ya know!
Then....IT happened after 258,000 miles (my goal when I bought it was to rack up enough miles to get me to the moon...about 243,000 miles). Just changed the oil and was coming back home when it started to rock and roll. Got it home only to have to tow it to a great Toyota repair shop I found near me. Failed the engine block test. Bummer. Opened the top of the engine to do the repairs and was told by the mechanic because of excessive wear he found in spite of the care it has received over the past 25 years, that it was better to find a new engine or a rebuilt one. Scoured the entire US and found nothing out there since so many Camrys had a ton of miles on them and were not good candidates for a rebuild. Found some high mileage used engines that had more miles than mine. My mechanic suggested I try to find a good "grandma's car with anything less than 100,000 miles on it. OK....back to FB Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.
And then, I hit pay dirt. A guy in Miami (I am from the Tampa/Clearwater area) was selling his 95 year old dad's 1996 Camry COUPE (complete with sunroof) with only 67,000 miles on it. Since it was the only option at the time, we bought the entire car, drove down to Miami with a flat bed U Haul behind our Sequoia(!) and got it home. The car was a MESS having sat unused for a long time, quite dirty in the engine bay, and according to the shop, some kind of black OOZE was found in the transmission pan. But the engine sounded fine (seller said he has all the service records from his dad who only drove it within a 5 miles radius from his home)...but hell, only 67,000, certified one owner miles. Got it to the shop, they dropped my engine and the one from the donor car and took the best elements of my car with the best stuff they could pull off the donor car and did a full gasket re-seal on the donor car after a full pressure wash. Looks like new! My mechanic is a Toyota specialist and dialed in the engine far better than original. Even sounded like a turbine engine with that proper "whine". We were able to pull about $4,000 worth of parts from the donor car so we were already ahead of the game. The whole process took about 5 weeks to complete, but I had my car back, perhaps better than ever.
So, off on the road I went to check MPG and overall performance. Two, 100 mile mostly highway trips showed the car now getting about 32 MPG when my original engine could only must about 20 in the city and maybe 21 highway. Also had the auto transmission service done (full flush, screen cleaned, etc.) and all new fluid with a special additive to keep the seals like new and reduce wear (the original trans was rebuilt at about 211,000 miles). Car shifts quickly with ZERO slippage. And the pedal to the metal power has increased significantly.
After about 1,000 miles, I drained the oil after using Auto-RX (great stuff) to clean any minor sludge issues (there were none, according to my mechanic), and then filled with the following "cocktail": 3 quarts of Mobil 1 High Mileage Full Synthetic oil, 1 quart of Marvel Mystery Oil and one pint of BestLine Nano Diamond Technology Oil additive (more great stuff...USE it!). This is what will go in the car from this point on (I only drive this car about 7,000 miles a year now so she will get two oil changes each year to keep her running clean! I also use ONLY either WIX (NAPA GOLD is WIX), K & N or Mobil 1 Oil filters (NEVER FRAM). I use the car with all the rear seats in the down position so it functions like a small cargo or mini van. TONS of space back there. And as a side issues, the stereo system sounds like a concert hall since all the sound absorbing seats are now out of the way. A bit of serendipity.
Next goal is to get it to 500,000 miles. Total cost of the repairs, $6,000.00 and that includes the purchase of the car ($2300). Try to buy a decent car for THAT little. And I should tell you not a week goes buy when someone will ask to buy my Camry. Either at parking lots, on the road, or one guy who drove right into my driveway as I was detailing the car. I kid you not. So, fellow GEEKSTERS, take heart. You now own something that others always wanted. Like getting to date that prom queen back in high school. They call that KARMA. Enjoy.
I call that a win! It’ll definitely hit 500k!!
Your story made my day!
@@BernonCars Happy to oblige. By the way, the black gloss painted pillar that separates the rear door from the long back window shows the same wear adn paint fail due to closing the door via the pillar that mine did. Easy fix to get it like factory. Sand the pillar down carefully (150 then 220 grit), steel wool it smooth then tape off everything around. Use Rustoleum dark auto primer. Two light coats. Let dry for 30 minutes. Then two coats of Rustoleum professional gloss black paint. Stuff is like STEEL on the pillar and looks like factory. Total cost? $12.00 Happy motoring. Dr. Z (Lou)
Ahh I see!
In my opinion, the 3rd gen Camry is the Pinnacle of the economy car. The combination of outstanding build quality, surprising comfort, easy smooth driving, simple but functional features that probably won't break on you, and of course it's LEGENDARY reliability.
Before this, stuff was too stripped down, uncomfortable, and at this point probably falling apart, and anything after is either overburdened with complex features, or will just fall apart after 5 years.
For sure
The 4th gen kept some of the qualities of this third gen but with much better styling...if you don't get the wagon. Best looking Camry wagon was the 2nd gen.
In Australia we've seen some of these Camrys with up to 700,000 kilometres on them and still going
Just found one in SF with 182xxx and got her for $500 from a nice older lady that’s been garaging it for the last year. Taking it car camping this weekend for sure :D thing rides smoother than my 2010 Impreza lol
Good find!!
Great informative video. I just purchased the same car as in your video. It has 134k miles on her.
I had two Camry's, one was assembled in 1988 and was equipped with the 2.0 diesel engine, and second - an 1995 sedan with petrol 2.2. Both of them were super reliable and fun to drive 🥰
Oh nice! Very cool!
This is a great review man, cheers!
I am still daily driving my 94 V6 wagon with 221,000 miles on it. And at that mileage, it gets 21mpg combined. It is a very comfortable daily driver with amazing utility.
Sweet!!
Do you still have the car? I’m looking at a 92 V6 wagon sitting at the same amount of miles. Any complaints?
No, not weird looking! That is a hot wagon. 👍🏾
I agree
My parents bought one of these, slightly used, in all white during the mid 2000’s, between two late 90’s Chrysler minivans. Although I was too young to remember much about our example, I can remember just how cavernous the interior was, and how we would go camping with all of our equipment and 7 passengers. I particularly remember my oldest brother wanting to have “his space” and even periodically sat in the rear facing 3rd row.
I have a 2000 Toyota Solara 5 speed manual with the 2.2 engine, definitely makes the lack of engagement problem go away. I love these cars
Seems like a fun little car!
Thanks Bern! My 2016 Avalon just ran into transmission issues and needed something right away to get me by so I decided to go with this. Great video and review man!!
I'm glad you enjoyed!
Fun video Bern. Cool old Camry Wagon!
Thanks Ben! 😁
Nice review. Well researched and clearly and accurately delivered.
I remembered seeing the 96 wagon at a car show of the same year. I agree it was the best generation of Camry. I love my gen 8 Camry (2019) as it's the fastest and funnest and best cornering Camry but, Man you can see areas in the interior where Toyota cheaped out.
Thanks Alex! For sure. There’s just something special about these old cars
I have a '94 2.2L and I lover her!!!
Yeah!!
I loved your review! Very nice!
Thank you!!
Very well done , I want an old Camry now.
Haha im glad!
I had a 92 n 94 wagon I love the crap out them n they where fast both v6
They’re great
My uncle had the exact same one. Was blessed to have experienced it… although I was like 6 😂
That's awesome hahah
Had one with backseats facing the rear glass
Sick!
Very thorough and informative review. Well done!
I may as well ask here; Can you lie down in the back with the seats down?
Thank you! I think so, the back of these is pretty big!
Okay 👍
my 1993 camry wagon seats remind me a lazyboy lounger while having the stiffness to handle the side Gs of mountain roads. do any upgrades since the 3 years you made this video? i was thinking air struts and wider offset wheels since i do the winding roads a lot.
Nice video. Thinking of getting one of these instead of an SUV. They tend to be rather difficult to find, though.
Thanks! For sure, they’re getting harder and harder to find every day, especially a clean one
I prefer the proportion and look of my 1996 Corolla wagon over the bigger butt Camry wagon. But that said, I'd prefer either over a modern car 👍🚗
Same here!
have the exact same car except mine only has 114,000 miles on it
Great review man great cars also
Glad you enjoyed it!!
This is one of my dads dream car and he got one and now I want to buy it from him to put a 2jz in it. It is going to be hard because it is front wheel drive but I will do it no matter what. Other wise GREAT video 👍
Thanks so much Bern!
Thank you Jack!!
Great video dude! I have a Toyota Camry 1995
Nice!! Thank you!!!
Great video very well described. However you quoted mpg figures for the 3 L
Thank you!
Dude! I watched this video a while back!
I can't remember if I commented or not. Saw your listing, I'll hit you up there.
Haha thanks!
I have a 1990 toyota camry dx and i haven’t got of it yet
When did Toyota make the Camry wagon?
Excellent and enjoyable video...
Thank you!!
Great review señor appreciate 👍 👏
Thank you!🙏🏾
I live here in Australia on Tasmania island. I had the 4th generation back in 2005. Great wagon. I almost bought a 3rd generation before I bought the 4th gen. It was only a month ago I finally bought the 3rd generation wagon. After all these years. I now have 3 cars and the wife thinks I’m crazy. Hard for one person driving all 3 cars. Oh well it gives me a break from amateur radio.😉 73’s VK7HCK Con
They’re all so cool!!
I'd rather this than a new Camry. I love this interior!
I used to have a 2001 Camry 2.2.... it was very rev happy and downshifted faster than any other car I've driven. Very Honda like!
My 2008 Canry 2.4 had good power but it sounded like a piece of yard equipment at low RPMs. Sold it after 3 months.
Me too honestly! I don’t care for all the tech in new cars tbh
@@BernonCars I had a 2011 Optima for over a year. I hated all of that tech after the first few weeks. LOL
Best choice car bruh
i got a 1990 camry v6 le. beige with beige interior.
Sweet!
Let him review it
Hello bro how many liter fuel take for 100 km in the city thank you
Great video Bro
Thank you!
Best camry Gen ever made, got the Lexus version of that bad boi. And its a manual transmission too.
And btw the 3rd camry came with 2 engines as u said, one being 2.2l 3SFE and the V6 is 3VZFE. While showcasing the engines u were right with the 4 cylinder but for the 6 cylinder you showcased the updated 1mzfe engine which came out in 95 instead of the iron block 3vzfe that lasted for two years (92-94) which was also available in manual transmission . Just a minor correction.
I agree! Ahh good eye on you noticing that!
Built during a time when Toyota (and Lexus) could do no wrong
Pure quality
What’s the name of the song in the intro?
I personally have a 95 Camry wagon, and the main thing that stuck out to me is the fact that yours has an actual handbrake. I wish mine had that but mine has a foot pedal with a pull lever to release it.
though it seems just by looking at yours, mine would have better positioning for the armrest and a bigger space in it, it also has a tiny square cutout below it.... no clue what to use it for other than putting my chik fil a sauce in for dipping lol
Haha interesting
the handbrake in this car threw me! I recently bought a ‘95 V6 and I have the foot pedal e-brake too. that little tray where the handbrake would have gone is useful for little things. a garage door opener fits perfectly in it.
7:08 I noticed you have no ABS module. how is the car without ABS? I'm thinking about taking a 6 hour drive to pick up a low miles 2.2. 95 wagon in cashmere beige too :)
Brakes felt pretty decent for an old Camry. I just wouldn’t make short stops in rain
ABS was a luxury option in the 1990s. Later in the 90s, it became standard in the higher trims like the XLE. The mainstream trims didn’t get it standard until the 2000s.
@@worldlinerai fortunately I bought that 95 wagon and it has 4 wheel discs with ABS. LE trim with the 5SFE. very pleased with it :)
@@drnubb762Do you still have it??
You are the next Doug
Haha I can only hope!
In terms of reliability how many miles can this get ? Some camries I have heard can go to 400.000 miles. Is this true for this year of Camry ?
With basic maintenance, these will last almost forever
Ive got a friend who still drives his , when I saw him last time. had 200k miles on it, this was 7 years ago, few days ago I drove past his house and saw it in the drive way lol , could be over 300k miles now ... I have a 2000 Camry , next model up , love it , 370k miles , all I've done to it in all these years engine wise is , water pump , timing belt just cause I had the water pump out , spark plugs and it's cables , other then that , nothing has ever changed , it's a beast , I can afford a newer car , mates keep asking why I don't upgrade , but they will never know , I've hsd it since new and I've gone everywhere with it and it's never failed whilst they have bought new cars had to do regular servicing and wasted so much time on up keep ... I'll replace it when the wheels fall off lol 😂 which is probably never
I'm looking at getting one of these. Any words of advice other than what's mentioned here?
I would get the v6 it has about 190hp compared to the 4 cylinder with 125hp. I have the 4 cylinder and wish I got the v6 . It’s still a great car though and I’ve been stopped in more than one occasion to talk about my car.
Same since I got into toyota market more coming from used to be honda head 🙃 since I'm currently driving a 2016 yaris
Best care 👍
Yes!
I really wish they continued to sell the wagon in the US. I would go buy my first new car tomorrow if I could get a 2023 Camry wagon in black on black.
That would be amazing!
Yep. The hatchback and wagon demand is low in the north american car market, compared to Europe. What car did you settle with?
@@Penelope416 People in US make no sense, they want best gas mileage or utility but not both. I will never buy a new car if I am not given selection. I will stick to having two old ass used cars that I alternate between lol.
I forgot just how awesome these are... too bad no 4G Camry Wagon in the states...
Think you can source a 5G Accord Wagon to film one day?
They really are pretty awesome! I really really wanna find any Accord Wagon LOL, hoping I find a friend with one!
@@BernonCars I used to dream about those. If all else fails try to find a CU2wagon!
Still available?
Sold!
I could film what it feels like to be sitting in the trunk of the trunk.
and tell your stature
Недавно купил Камри 10 универсал 95 г. В идеальном состоянии. Супер авто. Привет из Казахстана.
Thank you very much!
We have two Toyotas-Truck and this 96 Wagon. BOTH have horribly sloppy steering.
Interesting!! LOL
If I get another wagon - I currently have a W124 - it is likely to be another W124, a Toyota Camry or Crown wagon.
Great review. I totally agree about minivans…
Ooo the 124 wagons are fantastic! I reviewed a 4Matic, but I’m soon to be reviewing a standard one come spring.
@@BernonCars 4Matics can be expensive in the long run due to complexity. The pre-facelift W124s are the more robust, but with less engine options.
I look forward to your W124 review. You deserve 1000x the subs for your presentation and how your character comes across.
Engine and transmission is fine but everything else was falling apart.
The music was over your voice which was very annoying.