I have the opportunity to buy an 1985 camry, 115k original miles, 1 owner, OLD LADY who worked for DMV (verified true)
vehcile runs, and drives, apparently no clunks, no exhaust leaks or anything visible.
1200 i can get it.
any issues i should know about, any known problems to pass it up?
I do not have anyone to check it out futher than my own abilities, which are limited as a fluid tech im not a mechanic.
Timing chain? belt? did these go the distance?
typical 300k mile camry, i know its OLD as time itself but oil is cheap if its leaking, i dont care about that, its only going to do 3.5 miles Up and back to work daily, 7 miles per day.
please help me scotty, and others
That's too much. As soon as you start putting mileage on that thing it will start falling apart.
I would offer $500
it i very old....makes sence.
Some perspective:
That car was built before my brother was born. And he's a 14-year tenured law enforcement officer.
You go back 4 more years, I wasn't even born yet.
I would pass on it. It is ready to retire. Antique status for sure.
I don't know why people freak out about driving old cars. When they were new people drove them every day and never worried.
What you have to consider here is how long has it been sitting and what shape it is in from sitting. The odds are good most or all the rubber components will need replacing, you can do it a step at a time if you're on a budget. Timing belt and tires would be top of the list. If it hasn't run in a long time old gas can gum up the fuel pump. Things like that. But as long as it's not rusted those should be the only real concerns.
These cars have no collector market that I am aware of but that could change in 10 years. The systems are basic and simple, there's no excess crap to break on them.
As long as it's not rusty or corroded and will go down the road I see no reason why you can't get thousands more miles from it.
The only other issue with it is going to be finding parts. Anything you can't get from a chain place you may have to find someone parting one out on eBay to get a hold of. These things ceased to exist around here probably 20-25 years ago. It may be worth researching to find what the most likely things to fail are and buying replacements ahead of time to have on hand when you need them.
Unfortunately, rubber isn't the only thing to wear out. Anything that moves does. And metal does also fatigue, sag, deform. Doors stop closing properly etc. Things that are not easily, or economically fixable. They become money pits, suitable only to owners who absolutely love them no matter the cost. Not for the casual driver.
I personally would buy it. If it is going to be just a work car with really short hops to work and back, I think it would do fine as long as you stay on top of maintenance. I would expect though some of the stuff to start breaking, anything plastic or rubber is probably getting fragile but as long as your drivetrain is solid and you can live with other things going out I wouldn't worry about it.
