At $7,500, Is This 1994 Toyota Camry Wagon A Legendary Deal?

Toyota’s Camry is famous for being unflappable, if deathly dull. Today’s Nice Price of No Dice ’94 is a three-row wagon edition, making it one of the most interesting Camry models Toyota has ever offered. Let’s see if its price tag earns our attention.

Ford first offered a GT performance and trim package on the Mustang in 1965. That was the pony car’s first full year run, having been introduced in April of the previous year, and it saw several minor updates to the model, in addition to the new hairier-chested GT option, which cost a whopping $165. A GT option remained part of the Mustang scene until 1970, after which it was muscled out of the way by the Mach 1 and BOSS 302 models.  As we all know, the less said about most Mustangs of the 1970s, the better, but when performance returned to Ford’s pony car lineup in the 1980s, so too did the GT name.

That history wasn’t enough to inspire much love for the 1986 Ford Mustang GT convertible we lassoed yesterday. Although the ad claimed it was 98% restored, the images clearly indicated that the final 2% might pose challenges. That didn’t bode well for the car’s $14,000 asking price, and in fact, it ultimately fell in a decisive 84% ‘No Dice’ loss.

While the Mustang is arguably one of the most American cars built for Americans and spinning out of Cars & Coffee events all across America, it’s not the only car to, at the very least, aspire to be a native son.

Today’s 1994 Toyota Camry wagon was designed expressly for the American market. As such, it’s wider than the concurrent Japanese market model. These cars were also built in the U.S., at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky manufacturing plant. Topping that off, this generation of Camry is also comically over-engineered, as it was designed as a sister car to the Lexus ES 300, sharing many of that upscale model’s fancy-pants features under its more mundane bodywork. That pairing didn’t just affect the Camry; Ford benchmarked the Camry when developing the third-generation Taurus, which resulted in that car being heavier, more complex to build, and more costly than it needed to be. All that backstory, however, means that this Camry should still prove to be rock-solid and a quiet, comfortable ride.

Well, it should be comfortable for four. Reasonably so for five, and manageable for seven. That’s because this generation of Camry wagon (which, sadly, would be its last) offers three rows of seating in its mid-sized dimensions. Yes, there are plenty of compact crossovers that do the same, but the Camry flips the final row rearward, giving its occupants the hindsight denied to everyone else in the car. That bench is upholstered in vinyl, but the other two rows are upholstered in soft, comfortable cloth that should remain warm in winter and cool in warmer seasons. When not in use, the two-seat third row folds into the floor, freeing up the space above for copious amounts of cargo. Another trick feature of the Camry wagon is the twin wipers on the rear hatch . That allows for greater coverage and some dance moves when in operation.

At the other end of the car is Toyota’s stalwart DOHC 3.0-liter V6 and four-speed automatic transmission. That combo pushes 188 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. The ad omits any mention of the car’s mechanical condition, but this is a ’90s Camry, which makes that omission less egregious. Mileage is provided, and at 143,000, it shows that this car is just getting started.

Part of that mileage was apparently racked up in Midwest travel. According to the seller, while the car is now in residence in Grosse Point, Michigan, it spent the entirety of its life beforehand in sunny, salt-free California. That means there’s no road rot at all, providing an undercarriage and engine bay nice enough to do caviar bumps off of.

The bodywork above all that is clean, showing only minor wear, and, oddly, two dark stripes on the top of the front bumper. Those may be scrapes or the residue of tape from those goofy deer whistles people sometimes put on their cars. Happily, the plastic wheel covers appear not to have suffered any mishaps or fading of their silver paint.

As noted, the interior is tidy and clean, with unmuddied floor mats, manual A/C, and the factory AM/FM/cassette stereo. This is a new enough car to have dual front airbags, but that’s it for the cabin. Some wear is evident on the shifter, but everything else appears to have held up to Toyota standards.

Toyota sold far more sedans than wagons in this generation of Camry, a partial reason (the Highlander being another) why the bodystyle was dropped with the model’s next refresh. That makes this, if not exactly rare, at least an odd-bodkin of a car. With three rows of seats, seemingly decent condition, and legendary Toyota quality, it should also be getting our Spidey senses tingling. Now we just have to address its $7,500 price tag.

What’s your take on this classic Camry wagon and that $7,500 asking? Does that feel like a deal for a rust-free car, especially in the rustbelt buckle that is Michigan? Or is that too much, considering how many alternatives (cough, Highlander, cough) there are out there?

You decide!

Facebook Marketplace out of Grosse Point, Michigan, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to James Smith for the hookup!

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