Yo CF, 1988 camry 4cyl
 

I am the new proud owner of a 88 Camry 4 banger. I recently inherited the car. I have been driving a Silverado for the last 5 years so it looks like I'll finally get a little break for my wallet. The car has 200k miles on it. It runs pretty strong, however it needs some TLC. I believe the head gasket could be leaking, the starter seems to get stuck with the sprocket shaft extended, and the car definitely needs new struts. I would really like to get another 100k miles out of this ride. Here are my questions.

Is it reasonable to fix this vehicle and expect to get 100,000 miles out of it?
Could it be fixed up to the condition that would allow for road trips?
I am somewhat mechanically inclined, can I repair the head gasket and starter myself?

The car has had a lot of maintenance performed on it with its previous owners so I don't expect it needing too much work, and it has never been crashed.

Thanks for any help you can shoot me.

What makes you think the head gasket is bad?

If the engine and trans are good it is very possible the car can last another 100K but you will be doing some maintenance as parts were out.

There should not be a reason you can't do road trips. Do suggest before you give the car a complete once over to check brakes, suspension for excess play, etc.

If the trans is an automatic and the fluid is dark suggest changing it. You always want good fluid, red or reddish in color not dark or black.

Pickup a Haynes shop manual that cover 1983-91 Camry. Or try your library which may have manuals to photocopy or check out. For the head gasket you will need a manual!

Pulling the starter is easy enough. Before replacing the starter find out why sprocket does not retract. Is the problem the starter or is something on the engine binding on the sprocket.

Replacing a head gasket is more difficult but can be done. And if you don't have the cash perhaps the only route as a mechanic will charge a good deal. Much of this repair is labor.

If the first time you need patience, much more time and making sure you can confidently put parts back together in the right position.

First determine if the head gasket is bad. There are a few tests you can run for this.

you need a special tools for that.