I'm a wagon fan in general. Thinking about throwing in the towel on my Mercedes '84 300TD. I have owned two Toyota's in the past and had great success with never having to work on them. I'm looking into the 90's wagons now to hopefully get a more reliable long term ride than I have now. What is the general opinion of reliability of these wagons? Are they easy to work on? I don't mind doing some of my own repairs but really want to get a car that I can pay cash for and not have to constantly work on like my Benz.

 

Are you located in the USA? This makes a difference in Camry models, engines, etc.

Someone I know had a diesel sedan of about the same year which drove a good distance thus have some idea of your current car.

You state you want a reliable long term ride, can you define this better? The Camry is reliable but not trouble free. One need only review posts at this site and sites like Toyotanation.com to find what can and does go wrong with the car.

In my opinion the Camry appears to have a mileage zone where parts fail and wear out requiring repairs. Once repairs are made the car is then good for many more miles. It is not like some cars (some being name brand luxury models) where the same part or area fails again and again and if having the dealer do the work will break the owners bank.

What type of repairs are required on the Mercedes? Does the same part or area keep needing repairs?

Has the Mercedes repairs reached its peak and now going down, as in you replaced all the parts that could break or wear out and can look forward to many miles of repair free driving at this point?

Is part of the issue parts cost as being Mercedes dealer parts or are you using aftermarket?

I think the Camry station wagon was built from 86 to 96 and within this range spanned several generation of models. Wikipedia has info but take note this info includes non-USA cars also which can add confusion.

Years and mileage aside these were sound cars with the 95-96 being the best years for the Camry in my opinion. I had at one time thought of buying a station wagon of these years.

Suggest you do some research as engine models changed over the years. I would avoid the 3VZ-FE V6 engine only because it was offered for a just few years in US Camry. Better to get the 1MZ-FE V6 or 5S-FE 4 cylinder which was more widely sold.

The Mercedes being a luxury car would be more comfortable driving, have better sound proofing, etc. I can't remember the MPG the car got. The Camry is a lower cost family car with the 4-cylinder being the economy MPG engine and a V-6 being performance but the car is not a hot rod.

Although well built cars you may not have the same luxury when driving the car, if this is an issue the Mercedes may be the better car.

I doubt either any Camry engine is going to last as long as the Mercedes which can go 500K miles for some owners.

If you do look at Camry higher suggest you give it a complete inspection and make sure it has had ongoing maintenance done. Make sure the auto trans fluid was changed or it can fail at around 130-150Kish miles.

The Camry is easy to work on and simple in design. The 4-cylinder engines have better access as they take up less space in the engine compartment.

The V6 cars may have come with standard rear disk brakes. Edmonds.com would have the standard features and options for the various years. I don't think side air bags were offered until after 96 but you can check this out.

If doing your own maintenance take note 4-cylinder models through 95 did not have ODB-II but a simpler on-board diagnostic system not requiring a code reader.

I think the 94-95 V6 engine cars had an ODB-II hybrid system requiring a wiring harness adapter thus making reading codes not possible with a standard reader.

Given the number of Camry's built used parts are not a problem to find at reasonable prices. The station wagon did have a modification to the brake system which compensated for the vehicle load weight and of course a different body.

 

Thanks for the feedback, that is super helpful. I'm going to look at a '93 v6 (does that have the 3VZ-FE?) It's on the pricey side ($5k+) but it only has 79k miles and looks to be in pristine shape. I am in the USA. If it does indeed have the less desirable engine, that makes me less likely to pay the premium for it. Performance, comfort and style matter less to me than affordability and trouble free use.

 

Good question on engine model. Not sure if both 3VZ-FE and 1MZ-FE were offered in 93 Camry.

The 3VZ-FE was for sure offered in Camry from 92-93. It has the same displacement (3.0L) of the more widely used 1MZ-FE but has a cast iron block and aluminum 24 valve head. The engine is taller then the 1MZ-FE as it was designed for trucks and SUV's. When installed in Camry the engine needed to be tilled back toward the firewall to fit.

The 1MZ-FE and 3VZ-FE are different engines with no parts compatibility.

The 3VZ-FE is in some ways better in performance and design then the 1MZ-FE. The issue is it was not as widely used in the US, major parts are harder find, kind of an orphan compared to the 1MZ-FE.

Edmonds.com allows viewers to appraise their car. The $5K seems to be high, but the wagon has its own following.

I suggest if maintenance is an issue to look at the car even if too pricy just to get an idea of the layout, engine room space, etc. Look at Camry with 4-Cylinder and 1MZ-FE engines even if not station wagon to see engine room clearance with these two engines.

Ask at Toyotanation.com if both engines were offered in 1993 plus you will find posts on the 3VZ-FE to become educated on this engine.

If the seller does not know the engine model you can find photos of both engines on the internet and compare to what you see under the hood.

 

I decided to buy the car. It's in really good shape and looks like it has the low miles that it does. (78k). I'm sure I'll be on the forums a good bit now asking advice on stuff. Thanks for your help.

Byron