1998 Camry 4Cyl Auto bought for $500
 

I went to the Bargain Corner, the under $1000 section of classifieds in our paper, and found a $500 1998 Toyota Camry. I rushed to see it and bought it on the spot. It is the Cashmere Beige with a tan interior. The interior was terrible as the seat covers had cigarette stains, but not burned through the fabric, it was only charred. The carpet was ruined, and needed replacing. The door panels were dirty but completely undamaged and unstained, so I cleaned them to like new with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. On ebay I found a set of New OEM Toyota Seat Covers for all seats and bought it for $52 and $13 shipping, they will arrive Friday. I bought new carpet from Stockinteriors.com, they do excellent OEM copies with high grade materials, and only payed $124 after shipping, it should arrive Saturday or Monday.

The engine has a rod knock, but consumes no oil and doesn't have any leaks or head problems. In the next 3 weeks it is going to be pulled, rebuilt, and put back in. So within a month this car is going to be mechanically like new, and physically like new, or new.

May I note that it has absolutely no body damage or rust of any kind anywhere, and I have stripped the car to the floors.

RE: 1998 Camry 4Cyl Auto bought for $500
 

dam...thats really good deal.......r u plan to mod ur camry

RE: 1998 Camry 4Cyl Auto bought for $500
 

Sounds like ya got a good deal on it.

RE: 1998 Camry 4Cyl Auto bought for $500
 

Sorry, I don't plan to mod it. I bought it at first to fix and make about 2 - 3 grand. Then my mom said it reminded her of her 2001 Chevy Malibu LS (Which she and I loved) and now it is going to be her's to drive day in and out. I already have too many cars, and I love them too:

1973 Triumph GT6 MKIII with 52,000 miles (Toy, was direct competition to its era Porsche 911) paid $440 in 2004
1973 Honda ST90 K0 with 3,500 miles (Trail Bike, use as road toy) dad paid $40 in 1981
1991 Lincoln Town Car Executive with 82,000 miles (Daily Driver) was given in 2004

I like Toyota a lot because my first time driving a Toyota was my friend's mom's 1995 4Runner SR5 Gold, and she had the manual. That thing was a blast to drive, I didn't speed or anything, but it was smooth running and I loved the little oddball features like the roll down rear window. I have a lot of respect for the Japanese way of building which is to build affordable and build well and they will return to buy again.

This Camry is going to have an easy life being driven by my mom for errand running. She drives well and easy, and she knows what to do when something goes wrong. This car, like all of my cars is going to be getting Valvoline with FRAM Tough Guard heavy duty filters, and have all maintenance done like it was built in the seventies.(Change oil - 3000mi, Change Plugs - 12000mi, Air Filter - 12000mi, Rotate Tires - 4000mi, etc.)

RE: 1998 Camry 4Cyl Auto bought for $500
 

Good call on the car man. You can never have too many daily drivers.

RE: 1998 Camry 4Cyl Auto bought for $500
 

The seat covers came and they are new, with no smells at all or stains. I also got the carpet on the same day and they look great. This car isd going to look great inside.

As far as the engine goes, The exhaust manifold and first pipe is removed and I'm working on pulling the Oil Pan to see whats going on down there. If we have to pull it, then it will be pulled. Hoping its just a rod cap.

The body needed minor work, but it had no rust. The bodywork is 50% done and the work that I have done, is in primer. The work that hasn't has been ground down to metal and is ready to be fixed. When done, I am just going to spray the entire car in its stock color. Going to prime, paint then clearcoat with a professional spray gun, no cans.

RE: 1998 Camry 4Cyl Auto bought for $500
 

SWEET!!

RE: 1998 Camry 4Cyl Auto bought for $500
 

put a 3MZ+SC in that car and make it a sleeper! give the Lincoln as a daily!! lol.. hell.. for 500.. it doesn't seem too expensive to spend another 4.5K on it... it'd still be a great deal!