I'm looking for a reliable (#1) back-up car with good mileage (#2).

I'm new to this part of the forum and wanted your advice on selecting a 1995-2001 Camry.

Looking through craigslist, I see a lot more Gen 3/4 Camrys with > 200k miles on the odometer compared to similar vintage Corollas. What do you think of that?

Suggestions about mileage, features, common problems, etc would be great.

I read that 1995-2001 5S-FE get 23-28 mpg, while the 1MZ-FE get 17-25 mpg. The Corollas get a bit better mileage.

I drive about 5,000 miles per year, primarily in the city and have a one-person business of buying and selling furniture and other small-medium size items weighing no more than 70 lbs. Specifically, I've been happy with 4 cylinders (I can't recall the last time I had a V-6). I also don't need rapid acceleration (0-60 in 3 seconds, LOL) or towing capabilities (the largest item I ever hauled was a 200 lb tool chest, but that was a one-time situation). With those mileage ratings and gas at $3 per gallon, I don't see a large difference in my gas bill, but I wanted to hear your real-world experiences with this era's mileage.

A wagon would be great, but I've gotten by with sedans. I notice that there are on occaions Camry wagons that all seem to be V-6s. Does that sound right?

Thanks in advance!

 

The last wagon made in 1996. Offered engines were 4 and 6 cylinder. Thought the stick shift option ended in 1991. The wagons tend to bring a premium as they are less common and some seek them out. The 4-cylinder is adequate unless you're in big hills, pulling a trailer, loaded down with passengers (and in hills), etc. If just you and 200 lbs of tools the 4 cylinder is fine. The 4 cylinder has the advantage of having more room in the engine compartment to do maintenance.

The 4 cylinder is bullet proof unless overheated or over revved. The V-6 is also a great engine listed as one of the 10 best engines build.

Your stated MPG's are accurate. Expect 26 mpg overall for 4 cylinder and say 23 for the 6. The car takes regular gas.

The Camry Generation 3 ends at 1995 and Gen 4 runs between 1996 and 2001. The basic car and engines models remained the same but slightly improved such as going to distributorless ign.

There was some engine oil sludging issues on cars after 1997. See link below:

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news...ettlement.html

If concerned about sludging remove a valve cover and look for sludge on the drive train.

The Camry of the years you are interested in are solid cars. However they did need ongoing maintenance and parts did wear out.
Can private message list items to check when looking at cars.