Camry/ES engine swap project!

this is "other car" related so i thought i'd stick it in the "other cars" forum

our camry got smashed about 6 weeks ago and after much screwing around over a fallen-through deal, we finally found a suitable replacement for it. our criteria were simple.

1. cheap, cheap, cheap.
2. preferably broken somehow, so as to ensure criterion 1.
3. broken in such a way that our smashed camry could be used to restore it for no cost (just time) if possible.

we looked at a bunch of camrys, but the ones still on the road today are mostly the 4-cyl version, and ours has a v6 in it. found a couple in need of a trans or engine for way more than we really wanted to pay, and were getting irritated until we found a very cheap lexus es250 with a bad engine. just so happens this engine is the same v6 as in our camry... so if the lexus is cheaper than the toyotas, why the hell not, right?

DH went and picked up the "new" car today, and is quite pleased with it. turns out the engine isn't as bad as we thought, either. it's getting a thorough evaluation tonight when he gets home, and if all goes well it will be up and running by this weekend!

pictures coming soon...

 

well, the car is here and it looks great! it needs a few things but i guess that's to be expected when you're starting on a new-to-you car. it needs a rack, some axle seals, might need some control arms that we may or may not be able to steal from the camry, a couple other things. and of course the engine from our camry needs to go in it. but overall it's not bad at all. we're quite excited.

we want to find a good rack for it before putting the new engine in if possible, it's much easier to change a rack with the engine out of the way.

thanks to everyone who helped us out, over half the cost of the car and getting it home was covered. thanks so much, everyone! it's a tremendous help as we're about to dive head first into more hospital bills soon.

 

crap, i just replied and it timed out on me.

the es and the camry both have a 2vz-fe engine, but the lexus has knock sensors and an o2 sensor, which the camry did not have. the steering is speed-sensitive (unfortunately, we can't just take the rack out of the camry ) and there are some other differences under the hood. looks like some of the suspension is different. it has airbags and abs, which the camry didn't have. i am glad to see DH in a car with those safety features.

inside it's a whole different car. full leather trim, factory cd player and pioneer sound system with amp, wood dash trim, just in general nicer trim, oh ya and a SUNROOF!

man, did we really get this car for cheaper than a camry with a blown trans? the more i think about it the harder it is to believe. like i'm gonna wake up and it's not true or something.

 

i don't know if it's a moonroof or sunroof. i didn't notice it till DH opened the cover.

TJ, we're hoping the same thing. should be a good challenge for DH, he's looking forward to it.

 

he's my dear husband, or a shortened term along those lines.