At $3,000, Is This 1989 Toyota Camry All-Trac An Alright Deal?

Today's Nice Price or No Dice All-Trac represents the last Camry to offer AWD until that significant feature was reintroduced on the XV70 generation in 2021. Let's see if this old-school edition's price puts it on solid ground.

While the styling of most of BMW's present automotive lineup could best be described as polarizing (or maybe even wackadoodle), the company should be praised for still offering sedans and coupes in this crossover and SUV-crazy market. The 1985 BMW 635CSi that we looked at yesterday hailed from an era when the Bavarians had a handle on how to make coupes both grand and elegant. That model's timeless style still impresses today. 

Unfortunately, our car's massive 236,000-mile history and some possible shenanigans with its registration tags being out of date sullied our interest at the seller's $8,000 asking price. When all was said and done, that fell to the tune of a 64% 'No Dice' loss in our voting.

In the late 1980s, Toyota introduced a high-performance AWD edition of its Celica coupe to meet the homologation requirements of WRC Rally rules for racers. Called the GT-Four in other markets, the AWD Celica came to the U.S. as the All-Trac Turbo. Offered across three models, all the All-Tracs were powered by 2.0-liter 3S-GTE inline fours with turbocharged induction. Today, those can be pretty dear.

Here's a fun fact: the Celicas of the late '80s and '90s shared a lot of under-the-skirt componentry with the model's sister sedan, the Camry. That egalitarian practice led to today's car, a 1989 Toyota Camry All-Trac, which shares the AWD system but not the hot motor of the rally-racing Celica. Instead, the Camry received the non-turbo 2.0-liter 115-horsepower 3S-FE four and, at least in this car's case, a four-speed automatic. This would be the only version of the Camry to feature AWD until Toyota reinstated the option in 2021.

Here's the good bit, though: all of the Celica All-Trac Turbo parts should bolt easily into the Camry. That was proven back when these cars were new, as Toyota's performance branch, TRD, did just that on one car sold to the California Highway Patrol for evaluation. According to lore, that car had a bigger turbo and a higher boost blow-off, so it made somewhere in the neighborhood of 290 horsepower.

The seller of this Camry claims to have bought the car "as a project," and includes a picture of one of the CHP Camrys in the ad as inspiration for the next owner, should they have a similar desire.

According to the ad, there are a modest 119,000 miles on the All-Trac, and–this being a 1980s Toyota product–that means it's likely just barely getting broken in. It's a two-owner car, and while the seller touts that the original paint is in "excellent" condition, we can see significant peppering on the nose and several chunks taken out on the base of the trunk lid. This era of Camry also has those black rubber bumpers that age poorly and leave scuffs on pant legs when brushed against.

Overall, however, this car looks to be in solid condition, with a gloriously red interior featuring cloth upholstery. Oddly, though, the seller only offers a single shot of the cabin, and it's of the back seat. Another consideration in the cabin is that this model year has the motorized mouse shoulder belts in the front, which are a major pain in the butt. Another issue, albeit a repairable one, is some work needed under the hood to fix what are described as "minor leaks" from the transmission and power steering. Or, just park over a sheet of cardboard in the driveway.

On the plus side of the coin, the car is claimed to be all-original, wears handsome factory alloy wheels, and has maintenance records going back to 2001. It's also extremely rare, as the All-Trac was only sold between 1988 and 1991. Today, you seldom see any second-generation Camrys on the road, much less AWD ones.

That all makes this a weird and weirdly intriguing opportunity. And at $3,000, it won't break the bank to pull the trigger, either. But is this car interesting enough to command even that paltry amount of cash? After all, what would someone do with it? Daily drive it? Unless living in an area with frequently wet, muddy, or icy roads, the added complexity and weight of the AWD doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense over a two-wheel-drive version. Alternatively, this could be a suitably weird hang at a Radwood or Japanese-only car event.

What do you think? Is this Camry All-Trac a solid contender at that $3,000 asking price? Or is it just too out of left field to spend even that much?

You decide! 

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Hit me up at robemslie@gmail.com and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle.