Newbie to camry - Opinions Pl.
 

Hello All, :)

I am new to the Camry community and I am here because I am contemplating on replacing my aging 1996 Taurus GL (is still doing great. I mean great) with an 02 or 03 Camry XLE (4 Cyl)


I do most avg mainteannce on my Taurus myself and parts are cheap too. So I first want to know how the Gen 5 (02 & 03) Camry compares on this front.

Some specific questions:

- Myself doing Oil change on the Camry? Is the filter easy to reach and replace? Is the filter expensive at the toyota dealer? Any good aftermarket filter?

- Tranny Fluid - Is it special / expensive compared to the Dextron / Mercon III or even the Mercon V? Does the camry have a stock tranny cooler tube upfront. So that one can disonnect the return line and do an almost complete tranny flush at home? Is the tranny filter a metal mesh?

- Any other fluids that are special and pricy? or difficult to change at home?

- Brake stuff. Rotors and pads. Are they expensive?

- Sparkplugs. Are they easy to replace? Are they again pricy and aer we forced to go with OEM plugs only?

- The 02 and higer Camry come with a timing chain right? So no issues with chagining that I would guess.

- Overall anythings I should look out or watch out for before buying an 02 or 03 Camry (mostly XLE but only the 4 cylinder)

thanks!