Looking at buying a 1999 Toyota camry 2.2 4 cylinder with 272000kms. In excellent shape but noise coming from engine. I have googled some answers alternate, vaccum hose, lifters etc. Any ideas https://youtu.be/eSfZi1HgPfc
Pay a mechanic to examine the entire vehicle. He can then tell you the source of the noise and provide an estimate of the cost to repair.
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The car is 21 years old and has a lot of miles. Why hasn’t the seller fixed the noise. I would avoid this car just as I would run away from a package in the mail that emits a ticking noise.
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I know that is best Car is only $600 pretty solid other than this noise. Added video. New tires on front , rad exhaust and muffler front catalytic converter back
It is a dealer probably trade in so as is. I am looking to keep msybe 6mths
@Mustangman it goes with this post: Noise from engine 1999 toyota Camry
Hey @cdaquila could you merge these two topics together? (isn’t this nicer than breaking up fights??)
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Sorry new to this 1st post
No worries 
our wonderful moderator Carolyn has already merged your two topics into one so the video is with the correct topic
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It may be worth a chance if you only expect six months of service from the vehicle. How do you intend to use the car? If you will only be doing local driving, it may be o.k. if you are intending to drive coast to coast or long road trips, it probably isn’t the car for you.
Have a mechanic check the car to be sure it’s safe. The concern isn’t whether the car uses oil but how much oil does it use? The concern isn’t whether the car was ever in an accident, but how bad was the accident? If the car tracks straight, you may be o.k.
Check closely for structural rustout under the car.
You don’t get a lot of car for $600. However, that is probably equivalent today for the $75 I paid for a car back in 1962. I used the car for 6 months and it was still roaming the streets 2 years after I sold it.
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That $75.00 in 1962 is $642 today.
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If they won’t let you (or you do not) take it to your chosen mechanic for an inspection and expert opinion, I’d recommend not buying it unless the $600 is money you don’t really need.
@old_mopar_guy. I guess my $75 1947 Pontiac I purchased in 1962 is equivalent to the OP’s $600 1999 Toyota. The Pontiac I bought had no rust and with some rubbing compound and wax,it looked like it just came from the factory. The interior was also in good condition. The manual transmission howled in first gear due to a worn cluster gear. I shifted to second as quickly as possible when accelerating from a stop. Also, the engine used a quart of oil every 250 miles. I had coolant getting into the oil. I suspected a bad head gasket, but found, when I pulled the head, that the engine block was cracked around one of the valve seats. I slapped the head back on and poured in some K & W seal into the radiator which sealed the crack in the block.
I would have kept the car had it been an inline 8 as the 8 cylinder Pontiac was more common. My Pontiac had the inline 6 flathead and I couldn’t find a good replacement engine. I replaced the 1947 with a 1955 Pontiac that was a disaster. In retrospect, I should have fixed up the 1947.
600.00 - just buy it and if you get 6 months out of it great. If it dies tomorrow then you made a mistake . Why does it have a 2009 plate on the front . New tires on front , any dealer should know that new tires should go on rear .
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Sounds like a bad alternator to me, but I’m not there to hear where it’s coming from.
I’d offer them $500 OTL (off the lot)
$500, they do all the paperwork, taxes, title transfer and what ever else they do where you live.
And you drive it off the lot, owning it free and clear, after giving them $500
Although it was difficult for me on my laptop to hear that sound well, there’s a chance it could be a rod knock. Whatever it is, as others have noted, do get it checked out by an independent mechanic before you hand over any money.
Also note that 1999 Camry was during the years that Toyota had engine oil sludge problems. They fixed it after the 2002 year.
This car could cost you a lot of money after you buy it.
Thks for the tips , I would definetly be offering less around $ 500 . This is a honda dealer not very interested in these cheap trade ins, don’t make them any money. I have a couple other cars to check out, will let it sit for abit.
Yeah, I noticed that too.
Actually some of these low priced trade in vehicles do make the dealer money. What they say they offered for it at trade in is probably a lot less then they really pay. Wash and vacuum , maybe change the oil and throw a couple of cheap tires on it . If it sells this vehicle could make them 2 or 3 hundred dollars. If it does not sell they will wholesale it with several other well used vehicles and break even.
Pontiac’s new V8 in 1955 was truly not a paragon of excellence.