Toyota Stalking, er...um, SPOTTING with Charlie™ (Cars, vans, SUVs, Lexus, Scion, and brochures)!

2004 Camry LE; As I have said many times before, I do not go out of my way to photograph 2002-2006 Camrys. These days, only the nicest ones and those that are customized or unique in some way make the cut; This is one of those nicer examples. I started running towards it excitedly because among other things, it seemed to have all of the original wheel covers! It was not until I went to the passenger side to take the third picture, that I realized the car had one El Cheapo Plastico Wally World special...

Other than the single mismatched wheel cover, this is still one of the nicer totally stock 2002-2006 Camrys I've seen; I have a 2003 Camry brochure that another TW member gave me, and according to that brochure the base LE trim (Which this 2004 model has) was available with many of the same options and creature comforts as the SE and XLE models, including a sunroof, the JBL stereo system, and even V6 engine. According to that same brochure, the biggest difference was that the 4-banger LE Camry did not come standard with 4-wheel disc brakes, and front disc/rear drum models did not have ABS. LE V6 models came standard with 4-wheel antilock disc brakes, and the SE and XLE models came standard with 4-wheel disc ABS brakes regardless of whether they had the 4-cylinder or the V6 engine. I have become quite good over the years at determining whether a sunroof is factory or aftermarket/dealer-installed; There's not easy way to explain it, but aside from the fact that sunroofs were just not common on LE 4-banger Camrys, I can just tell by looking at this car that the sunroof was installed after the fact! Anyway, it is my opinion that Camry styling really took a downturn with the XV30 (2002-2006), but this generation was still a hell of a lot better looking than the XV40 (2007-2011); I did not know this until I looked it up just now, but the while the XV40 was only sold through the 2011 model year in the US, it continued to be sold in other countries until 2013. I almost never take pictures of XV40 Camrys anymore, unless they are RARE manual transmission base models, or they meet my criteria of being customized or otherwise unique in some way...


March 26th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

You learn something new everyday! I did not know that the Camry XV20 (1997-2001 model years in the USA) was ever available as a wagon until I found this picture on Wikipedia while researching how long the XV40 was produced! It was never sold stateside, and this was the last generation of Camry to be offered as a wagon due to declining wagon sales; This particular example is purported to be a 2000-2002 model, specifically a "Conquest". The badging also indicates that this is a V6 model, and I'm assuming it has the same V6 as North American-spec models; As you can see by the license plate (and location of the steering wheel), it was spotted in Australia, specifically Roseville in New South Wales according to the photo info (and photographed on October 25th, 2011)...

I am hoping that people start importing these into America under the 25-year loophole in the coming years (If they've been building the wagons since 1997, then the oldest ones are already legal as of this post)!

 

Going back to pictures that I actually took myself, here is the second red 1st Gen Solara that I've seen in less than a week! The one I saw at Walgreen's last weekend was a 4-cylinder model, while this one is obviously a V6; The 4-banger example had a booboo on the back bumper, but this one is in far rougher shape. With certain late 1990s and early 2000s Toyota models, I will not bother taking pictures unless the vehicle is in at least somewhat decent condition; However, Solaras are getting harder and harder to come by in any condition (1st Gen convertibles? Forget about it!), so I've lowered my standards a bit...



Even the 2nd Gen models are becoming less and less common, because they were not one of Toyota's better-selling models (research shows that the 2nd Gen 2004-2008 model sold below expectations), and shit happens as the years go by; The newest Solaras are now 14 years old as of this post, and insurance write-offs for various incidents are probably the leading cause of dwindling numbers. As for the 1st Gen, I have no idea what sales were like, but I get the impression that they sold better; Most of the 1998-2003 Solaras I see in the wild are in good condition and seem to be cherished by their owners, but again they are getting so hard to come by (at least here in Southeast Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast as a whole) that I will take pictures of the shitty ones; To be fair, while this one is in need of a paintjob, I would not classify it as "shitty"!


March 26th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

Make no mistakes; I think that the Corolla is one of greatest cars in the world regardless of the specific year. With the exception of the AE86, however, Corollas older than about 1993 just are not that common (At least I haven't seen a whole hell of a lot of them); Why? While Toyota sells millions of them around the world annually, it is inevitable that a good number will get totaled and written off by insurance companies in the first decade of production. Corollas are undoubtedly popular vehicles and a good number also get stolen and sent to chop shops. The ones that are not destroyed or simply disappear tend to succumb to rust; Corollas older than about 1993 enjoy a remarkably higher survival rate in places Arizona, California, and Texas. In the Northeast, where I live, most have succumbed to rust. The E100 first went on sale in North America for the 1993 model year, and this seems to be the cutoff for Corolla survivability where I live; I've seen and photographed countless E100 sedans over the years, but I believe I've only taken pictures of two wagons, one of which was a 1993 model that ran and drove a hell of a lot better than it looked!

At the start of my TW thread, you will see a 1991 Corolla wagon and a 1980s Tercel that I took numerous pictures of while visiting relatives in Northern California for Christmas in 2010; Both cars, along with a Previa that was not present at the time, belonged to my aunt and uncle's neighbor. That was back in December 2010, and by California standards that silver 1991 wagon in rough cosmetic condition (It had rust, because the Monterey Peninsula is wetter than the inland part of the state or SoCal); However, it only had like 100K miles, ran and drove like you'd expect a well-maintained low-mileage early 1990s Toyota to run and drive, and had no problem getting through California's stringent smog testing. The A/C, which had never been converted from R-12, still worked!

Again, that was back in 2010; Almost 12 years ago as of this post! I was nowhere near as obsessed with "Toyota stalking" as I am now, and I really got into it starting in like 2015 or so; That silver 1991 is one of only two E90 Corolla wagons I've seen in over a decade! The second is a red one of an unknown year (no license plates on it and I couldn't read the VIN plate) that likely ran, but didn't seem to be roadworthy based on its condition; I spotted it on the backlot of Sloane Toyota in Glenside, Pennsylvania back in January 2022. It was restorable for someone who loved that particular generation of Corollas and had either lots of automotive knowhow or an unlimited budget, but I got the feeling that it was headed for the junkyard...

 

These pictures were taken almost twelve years ago, and over three years before I joined TW; They were posted on Facebook, and then only hard drive on which they were backed up shit the bed in July 2012. I scavenged the pictures from Facebook and posted them back in December 2017, and these next few posts are copied directly from my thread on TacomaWorld...

 

Okay, so according to the original post, the Tercel was a 1988 model..

I came across this car while visiting family in Monterey for Christmas, back in December, 2010! My aunt and uncle's neighbor inherited it from a deceased relative who bought it new; I've been back to my aunt and uncle's house twice since then (January 2015 and October 2017, respectively) and the neighbor no longer seems to have it. At the time, this was a 22-year old, previously elderly-owned Toyota with less than 40K original miles! On top of that, it had automatic and A/C! Perfect starter car for a millennial just learning how to drive!




Just look at how clean she is under the hood!

 

More pictures of the engine!

 

Moving onto the interior...

A bit dusty, but in pretty good condition!

 

If I remember correctly, I came to the conclusion that this car did not have air-conditioning from the factory and that this was actually a dealer-installed A/C system. The owner, again my aunt and uncle's neighbor, gave me the keys and let me fire the car up. Despite it being in December, it was warm enough in Monterey when I took these pictures to determine whether or not the A/C was working. I cranked up the A/C and it was not blowing cold. I'm guessing that the compressor and other major components were in working condition and it just needed a Freon charge...

Also, I'm 99% sure this car still R-12 and had never been retrofitted to R134a...

If were to have hypothetically bought this car, I know plenty of people who have a sizeable stash of R-12 and I could have this A/C cranking out finger-numbing air in no time!

 

Less than 40K original miles!

 

A radio was an extra-cost option on many Toyota models (including pickups and Camrys) back in the 1980s, and like the air-conditioner in this car, I am 99% this was a dealer-installed Toyota tape deck...



If I remember correctly, the radio did in fact work...

Unfortunately, while I did have my iPod with me, I did not have a car kit adapter or my trusty Bat Out of Hell cassette to really put this system through its paces...

 

Original owner's manual!




Anyone know if this dealer is still around...?

 

If I remember correctly, the original owner managed to do this not long before she died and that's what resulted in her family forcing her to give up driving...

I forget her relation to the woman she left the car to when she died...

 

Further proof of how basic this car is/was...

No passenger side-view mirror!

 

NOTE: These pictures were also taken back in December 2010.

This car was owned by the same woman who inherited the red 1988 Tercel, and while it wasn't as clean as the Tercel, it had low miles for its age and was in great running condition (I'd consider any older vehicle capable of passing California smog to be in good running condition)...




NOTE: The hood is only open because I opened it. This car was not broken down or being worked on. I do not know why I didn't get any pics of it with the hood closed...

I know that the owner did not inherit the Corolla from deceased friend or relatively, and I actually think she may have bought it new! I'm pretty sure this Corolla is a 1991 model. This woman and her husband also had a 1993ish Toyota Previa; They had a home in Monterey and obviously were not poor, so I don't know why they had three older Toyotas and no newer vehicles...

 

By the way, this one had just over 100K miles...

Chump change for an older Toyota 4-banger!

 

Unlike the dealer-installed air-conditioner in the Tercel, the factory-installed A/C in this Corolla was actually still operational according to the owner (I didn't start it, but this car definitely still had R-12)...

 

Here's the engine...

Not as clean as the Tercel's, but not bad for what was at the time a 19-year old car with over 100K miles!

 

Found more pics of the Tercel that I once again forgot about!




Do people even still steal gas?

 

And even more of the red 1988 Tercel! Once again, these pictures were all taken back in December 2010; For some reason, I didn't taken pictures of the 1991 Corolla's interior, aside from the odometer...

 

Going back to the present day, my favorite post-OBDI Corolla would have to be the 1998-2002 (E110) models; Here in Southeast Pennsylvania, these still enjoy a remarkable survival rate, and range in condition from "How could you treat a car like that and more importantly how did you get it to pass inspection?" to "Holy crap, that in good shape!" with many variations in between. Most of them are beaten to shit but seem mechanically sound. On another note, the E100 did get OBDII for the last year and a half or so of its production run (1996-1997)...

The red 2006 Corolla S below is an E130; The E130 debuted in North America in 2002 for the 2003 model year. Compared to the last two generations sold in North America, they are rather bloated in their styling; In terms of quality and reliability, they cannot be beat. They are great cars for people of all ages and backgrounds! The E130 just wouldn't be my first choice based solely on its styling; The biggest problem I have with Corollas from roughly the 1993 model year all the way through 2021-2022 is that so many of them are colors like Boring Beige or Refrigerator White, or other rather boring common colors like black and silver. Whenever I see one in a more unique color, especially red like the one below and actually in decent condition, I can't resist taking pictures!

 

2006 Corolla S


March 26th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

2013 Scion FR-S


March 26th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

2007 Solara SLE; This particular car proves my point about many Solaras not being in the greatest condition. According to Carfax, this one had over 194K miles at the time it was purchased by its current owner in February 2022; More than likely, the current owner bought it in this condition. This car has the 3.3L V6, which I believe is the same engine used in the Camry and Lexus ES of the same era...?


March 27th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

2005 Lexus IS300


March 27th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

1999 Camry LE


March 27th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

2005 Matrix XR


March 27th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

2004 Scion XB


March 27th, 2022:

Oaks, Pennsylvania

 

Appears to be a Camry...