1998 Toyota Camry consumer reviews

I have a camry 1998, ive been fixing it up and i love it. My car has only 115k miles and runs great. I am doing an all engine tune up also. Making this car great for racing asswell.

I bought my Camry LE 4 cycl new in May of 1998. During the first 3 months of the car had a rattle in the roof, which the resolved on the 3 attempt after replacing the insulation in the roof. The Dealer promotion was free oil changes for as lon as I own the car so I've kept up with oil changes, which is probably why the oil plug wore out. Dealer replaced the oil pan and for a reduced price of $140 so that should last for another 13 years. I've reached 110,000 miles and just replaced the timing belt as preventative so I'm not left stranded on one of my frequent road trips. I gave it a tune up at 85,000. other than tires and battery, that's it. Very inexpensive vehicle to maintain and the best car I've every owned. Oh yeah, I'm still waiting for the brakes to show ware.

I've had my car since October of 1998. I purchased it with 12K miles on it. It was the best purchase of my life. Other than the normal wear and tear, this car has been the best. Looking to purchase another Camry at this time, but I honestly can't part with my car. I have 283K miles on it now and still running strong. I have looked at other new cars, but keep leaning towards buying another 1998 car with way fewer miles. Maybe I got lucky with my current car, but I don't think I did. I see several 1998 Camry Toyota's on the road now in 2012!

I've been driving a 1998 Camry 4 LE for almost ten years and the only thing I can say is that this is a very good friend!

Perhaps the best car I ever had. Far superior than my old Accord. Besides needing new struts and new tires, this car is very reliable. The shape is also very good. Good gas milage and very cold AC system.

I've owned this car for about 3 years and it now has over 200,000 miles on it. One thing you will never have driving this car is stress. You never have to worry about it breaking down or costing a lot to repair. Mileage is between 24 city and 33 hwy. You really can't beat that with a stick. Put on some all season tires and through the snow you go. I live in Ohio and we've had some WICKED winters recently. This thing man handled them like a champ. Watch the fluids, rotate the tires and change the oil and you're looking at a quarter million mile car, easily. No it's not fast and it's only sexy if you're frugal, but it will hands down beat ANY American car from the 90's.

I bought my 98 Camry in 2001 and it now (as of 2-18-11) has 215,000 miles. It is the most trouble free car I have ever owned. It has only been in the shop for maintenance items. It still runs, drives, and rides like new - no shakes, rattles, or rolls. The paint and interior have stood up to the elements very well. I have gotten as high as 36 mpg (and yes, I know how to calculate MPG, as I do it every fill-up). However, on most road trips at 65 mph, I get about 34 mpg. Back and forth to work and errands (mostly in-town driving), mileage drops to 22-25 mpg. My car is the LE version and gray in color. My biggest complaint is that it is so plain looking inside and out. My next car will hopefully have more gadgets on it than this Camry, but I doubt I will ever own another car that costs me so little to own. BEWARE - The 1998-2001 Toyotas (both 4 & 6 cylinder motors) had problems with oil sludge in the motors; however, my 1998 Camry and 2000 Sienna van neither have had the problem probably because I changed the oil every 3000 miles, used quality oil (Valvoline), and used Toyota filters. If buying a 1998-2001 Toyota, be sure to check out this problem. If it has sludge problems, there is no fix for it. Forget engine flushes. Only an engine overhaul or new motor will cure a sludge problem. Anyhow, if you find a good 1998-2001 Camry, buy it even if it has alot of miles on it as long as it has been taken care of. Because of the oil sludge problem, I would be more comfortable with a high mileage Camry than with a low mileage Camry. A low mileage one has probably had the type of driving that contributes to the sludge problem. Research that on the internet if it is a concern to you.

Easily the best car we've ever owed. We bought it new and we still own it and drive it daily. We honored the recommended schedule maintenance up till 75,000 mile installed the timing belt then had a tune up at 112,000. The mechanic asked me why I was doing this......so we haven't had tune up since. We have only had to replace brakes once and several tires. We plan on driving this camry till it dies then we will buy another Toyota camry LE V6.

I purchased my 1998 Toyota Camry after years of frustration with owning Fords. After months of research I came to the conclusion that this vehicle would far surpass previous vehicles I've owned as far as reliability, but fell a little short. I bought the car with 39,000 miles on it, and figured I 'd have a great, reliable car for many years to come. Less than a year after I bought it the starter went out, not an expensive part to replace yourself, but still annoying....not long after that I had to replace the water pump (expensive) especially since the timing belt had to be removed to get to it. In the last month (almost three years after I bought it) It started leaking transmission fluid. I found out that the bolts on the tranny pan were loose and I need a transmission service to replace the gasket, refill with fluid, and tighten the pan up. I do believe that the small dealership I bought it from (now out of business), might have had something to do with the odd repairs, due to the fact that I had nothing but trouble with them once I signed on the dotted line, but overall my Camry has had more repairs than I expected and hopefully it was a freak thing and these cars are, in fact, really reliable. If you are tall it has great head room, and the power is good, but the trim is a joke (I also broke the drivers side door handle off on the inside and a door handle on the outside). But I've heard nothing other than great things about these cars overall, so as long as nothing else catastrophic happens to the car, I would recommend it.

Finally have to turn in my 1998 Camry with much sadness. First car I ever had that I kept over 80,000 and this now has 202,000!! Saved me the cost of 3 new cars. Best car I ever had. If you are buying it used with even 100,000 not a bad buy.