Car Disabled for 12 years

[Dave]

I have a 1989 Toyota Camry sitting in my driveway that’s been disabled for 12 years. I live in SoCal so it hasn’t been subjected to brutal winters but it has baked in the heat for a decade. Although, the body of the car seems in good condition.

I’m thinking about making it road worthy again. What are the typical challenges I’ll face? It has about 140,000 miles on it. Do you think it’s worth the time and expense? It appears it broke down due to a fusible link box that became corroded. I’m having trouble finding that part.

What would be a checklist of things one might expect to be problematic for a car that hasn’t been driven for this long?

Dave

Topic

[A . Spruce]

I’m no mechanic, not by a long shot, but the short list I can think of would be:
1 – Fuel system from tank to intake manifold. Old fuel varish, rust, plugged lines, fouled carburetor/throttle body/injectors
2 – Brakes – fouled lines, caliper pistons, wheel cylinders, crusty/deteriorated hoses, master cylinder
3 – Electrical – from typical corrosion to rodent damage.

As for the car being worth the repairs, check out Craigslist, NADA, Kelly Bluebook, etc., for similar year and apportioned vehicles vs the cost of repair. California also has bullshite registration laws that if the vehicle wasn’t put into non-op registration when taken off the road, then trying to reregister it now could be an expensive nightmare.

Tally up the cost of repair/registration against a currently roadworthy example and you will have your answer as to whether or not it’s worth your time, expense, or hassles to undertake this project.

[Author]

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