2005 toyota camry 4cy

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My son is looking at a 2005 camry 4cy with 127,000 miles. I'm not familiar with toyotas. Any issures or concerns? Anything i should look for? I will look at it before he accepts it.

Basically he can get it for almost free.
 
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Well... I may be wrong but check and see if the car is burning oil a fair amount... The 2.4 motors we're known to do that... And see if it is leaking from valve cover grommets... That is a issue with the generation of Camry before that one.... Like my lady's 98 Camry 2.2 L.

The wife and I got lucky... We got her grandmother's Camry that only had 66k miles on it... It was in mint condition literally... And perfectly maintained. Though it did have the oil burning deal.
 
Had a 2006 Camry XLE with the 2.4L and automatic trans. Car had approximately 137,xxx miles on it when totaled. I inherited it from my Aunt who bought it new and all it took was routine things -- brake pads, filters, tires, etc... She ran 5W30 PYB up until 75 thousand and then 5W30 PHM there after. I kept her same routine. Only thing I did was put new plugs, replaced the PVC, drain/refilled the trans -- car ran great and I still miss it till this day.
 
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My half brother has an 06 camry l4 with 280k miles without major repairs. It smokes when it starts but it just keeps going if that helps at all.
 
Take it
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Originally Posted by bullwinkle
A southern (assuming from NC) Camry, almost free, with likely zero rust? PM me, I'll go get a trailer & come on down if you don't want it!

Its in Nashville Tennessee. From his brother inlaw. I'm thinking it should be as rust free as NC, but really don't know the history of it yet.

Wondering if i should buy a carfax on it.
 
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I think that's the same engine in my 2004 Rav4. Easy engine to work on. I'd keep an eye on the valve cover gasket and the starter. Probably time for new spark plugs and check the coolant and serpentine belt.
 
Not that it matters much, but '05 was the first year for the 5-speed auto in the Camry. Always nice to have an extra gear for fuel economy. The 5-speed is just as reliable as the 4, IME.
 
IIRC, the oil burning issue started on 2007 model year, may be 2006.

So, 2005 should be good? or may be they are mostly out of year range covered by extended warranty.
 
I've done quite a few head gasket jobs on 2AZ-FE engines & had to Time-Sert the head bolt threads on more than a few. Then you have the oil burning issues.
HG issues may be a hot climate thing for all I know?

The 1MZ-FE/3MZ-FE V6's was the bulletproof engines for that year model.
 
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Toyota makes the best cars
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The Camry is awesome! The #1 car in America for a reason
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McDonald's is awesome! The #1 hamburger in America for a reason
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Originally Posted by clinebarger
I've done quite a few head gasket jobs on 2AZ-FE engines & had to Time-Sert the head bolt threads on more than a few. Then you have the oil burning issues.
HG issues may be a hot climate thing for all I know?

The 1MZ-FE/3MZ-FE V6's was the bulletproof engines for that year model.


I HATE the 1MZ
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It has a timing belt, impossible to get to the back of the engine, pulling the intake takes a week, and they tilt the engine backwards! and pile everything on top of it! The radiator cap isn't on the radiator but instead int he middle of the hood in a weird place

The 1MZ is horrible even for a transverse V6 which is inherently hard to work on. Nissan's early VQ30 at least has cutouts in the intake to access the rear spark plugs

Originally Posted by dishdude

McDonald's is awesome! The #1 hamburger in America for a reason
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hahaha funny, but Toyota actually does make good cars that last a long long time with no problems
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Time will show Toyota to have made the right decision not to use turbos like Honda did. The 1.5T is a fuel dilution nightmare! Once they get older and more of them have 200k, Toyota will definitely be the winner.

The OP's 4-cylinder Camry will be a good car
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The 2002-2006 Camry(especially the '04 & '05 4 cyl) were among the most reliable vehicles in the automotive history. This information comes from several publications based on many different factors.

However in 2006 is when Toyota started using a different piston rings in this 2.4L 4 cyl Camry engine and the 2.4L used in several other Toyota/Scion models and carried over into the next generation of Camry(2007-'11). This is where the oil consumption issues started.

Now, not every single engine experienced the oil consumption issue, just way too many for a Toyota.
 
If it was me, if it was nearly free, sure. But if I had to pay regular price, nope, those 2.4's have a bad rep. Not unless if I could live with the expected repairs on it, and be ok with the gamble.

But nearly free, why not. Wouldn't lose much if it died, would gain much if didn't break.
 
Almost free? Well of course take it. Around me they're $4-6k if they're in decent shape.
 
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