Regardless of one’s personal opinion of the Toyota Camry, it’s a quantitative fact that the Camry ranks high as one of history’s best selling car. With well over 10 million sold worldwide and counting, it is a relatively rare sight to see a Camry that’s, well rare. Yet, every now and then it actually can happen, as was the case with this V20 generation Camry wagon, probably the first one I’ve seen since Howard Dean ran for president of the United States.
For those who don’t remember or weren’t aware, then-governor of Vermont Howard Dean was an early front-runner for the Democratic Party’s nominee for president during the primaries of the 2004 election. Yet Dean rapidly lost his momentum and chances for the nominee to Massachusetts senator John Kerry mostly in part to an unusual speech that ended with a high pitched scream — one that quickly became known as the Dean Scream.
Much like the V20 Camry wagon, the thought of Howard Dean hasn’t crossed my mind in many years, but nonetheless did when stumbling upon this DX wagon and its Dean bumper sticker while walking to Sunday brunch on a rainy December morning. Coincidentally, I recall having a whiskey drink called the Nakatomi Plaza… “Yippee Ki Yay” I guess.
Now as for this Camry, the V20 was the first of four generations to offer a wagon bodystyle, only two of which were ever sold in North America. Replacing the 5-door liftback bodystyle of the preceding V10 Camry, the V20 wagon offered greater utility with 60/40 split folding rear seats extending cargo capacity to over 65 cubic feet, though it lacked any additional seating beyond the sedan’s five.
Stylistically, the wagon shared all forward sheetmetal including hood, front fenders, front and rear doors with the sedan. The very vertical rear hatch — something common on fullsize wagons but less so on smaller wagons — did make for a distinctive if not unusual look, but nonetheless it gave the Camry wagon a more usable cargo space. Otherwise, the Camry wagon was nearly identical in terms of features to the sedan, which wasn’t a bad thing at all.
The V20 Camry was one of those right cars for the right times. While it wasn’t the flashiest, sportiest, or most luxurious, it offered value for the money, a long list of available amenities, and a healthy dose overall refinement and dependability that helped it become the logical choice of many buyers who would become repeat buyers. Toyota would sell over 1.2 million V20 Camrys in the U.S. alone, and even began building Camrys on U.S. soil during this period. I can’t say that many of them were wagons though, for the wagon was just something that couldn’t hold its popularity. Much like Howard Dean.
Photographed in Brattle Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts – December 2018
Haven’t seen one of these in ages. Look at all that unhindered glass space. I wonder if it spent most of its previous life outside the salt belt, it looks really clean.
Howard Dean must be shaking his head, having his campaign sunk by a goofy exuberant reaction taken out of context. How the world has changed.
Yes, and looking from that changed position in 2019, that clip seems like a cautious and wordy policy announcement.
I remember being so irritated by the reaction to that at the time.
The media were looking for nails to put in the coffin of his campaign, and came up with “This man’s not fit to be president – he made an unusual noise!”
FWIU it was a sound mixing issue, the crowd could hardly be heard in the clip that got all the airplay while in the room in the moment it was loud enough to need screaming over.
Had a 1990 wagon that went 373,000 miles before Ohio salt won
Pretty nice car to find on the street. A very handsome wagon with lots of room but still a quite reasonable size.
My mother’s last car was this in a sedan, 4 cylinder and automatic form and it was excellent in all measures. I certainly prefer a wagon and have for years typed “Camry wagon” in Phoenix and Denver C/L searches. Could one ever hope to find a V-6 manual?
Thank you for presenting the car.
Yes the v6 could be had with the 5 speed manual shift, very rare but some were built. Could also be had with all wheel drive at the time so the possibility exists for a v6 5 speed all wheel drive wagon, But I have never seen one and have been repairing Toyotas since these were new.
You couldn’t pair AWD with a V6 IIRC, nor am I aware of the existence of a V6 5spd wagon (sedan only), although I’m prepared to be wrong on the latter.
I could be wrong but I don’t think that the wagon was offered with a manual transmission and certainly not in combination with the V6.
There is one of these on the Jacksonville C/L that is a V6 with automatic transmission, it seems like it has been there for months.
If I was going to buy one of these wagons I would go for the next generation, preferably with the V6 but I would take the 4.
I actually saw a first generation lift back about 1-2 weeks ago. It was an interesting orangey copper over….gold, or was it silver?
Next post below by Magnum reads, “… 5-speed manual standard on sedan, not available on wagon”. However, it was available on the next generation V30 wagon. I sold Toyotas at a Calgary dealership in 1993. Young couple with kid wanted a Corolla wagon with a 5-speed manual. They wanted to camp, kayak, etc. Convinced them to order the larger Camry wagon (with the dual rear wipers) with the 5-speed/4 cylinder. Took a few months, but they were glad they waited. V6 5-speed manual V30 wagon? Don’t know.
Looking at this low resolution version of the Camry brochure from 1989 (http://importarchive.com/brochure/toyotacamry1989_01) and this one from 1990 (http://importarchive.com/brochure/toyotacamry1990_02), this is what I was able to discern:
– AllTrac was only available on the Sedan. Not the Wagon.
– AllTrac was only available on 4-cylinder engines. No V6 AWD.
– You could get a 5-speed AllTrac sedan, but only in the DX trim. Stepping up to the LE got you the automatic standard.
– The 5-speed was standard on the V6 DX Sedan. Looking at the *1 note next to the S on the option page, it says “5-speed manual standard on sedan, not available on wagon”
– LE V6 sedans also go the automatic standard.
Brian beat me to it, but indeed, AllTrac AWD was not offered on the wagon, only the sedan.
I know it has been quite a while but AllTrac was definitely offered on the wagon, as there is a facebook marketplace listing for one near me. I’ve never seen one other than that though
I know one isn’t supposed to mention this in polite company, but surely I’m not the only dullard out there who has always thought the V20 a decently handsome car, with a good hint of BMW E 30-ness about it?
Ah. Silence. I’ll move on then. Ahem.
Btw, is the fish/house sticker a Boston thing, perhaps some gentrification issue somewhere, or have I again shown my age-related irrelevance by missing some universally-known ironical NetMeme thingy?
I think this gen Camry is fantastic looking, but I’m a self admitted Toyota-fan, they could do no wrong in the 80s and 90s as far as I’m concerned (aside from rust proofing those Tacoma frames).
You are not alone in thinking this is an attractive car. It was nice inside too. One of Toyota’s home runs in my opinion. My biggest beef on this car was with the passive restraint automated should-belts/manual lap-belt, but otherwise I think it was an exceptionally good–and good looking–package.
This generation was my Father-In-Law’s first Camry, and he was madly in love with it–after the Dodge Aries that preceded it, this car was a stellar example of “things done right.”
I’m definitely not a Toyota fan, but I do think these seem like classy, solid cars. My childhood neighbours’ grandpa had a wagon just like the one in the brochure shot, it was always spotlessly clean and seemed very plush.
They were rare cars in the UK, and once they rusted away I didn’t see any for years until I moved to Perth, WA. (Not Washington)
Perth was crawling with base model 4 cyl beater sedans of this generation, which probably tainted my view of them until I saw this piece.
“is the fish/house sticker a Boston thing, perhaps some gentrification issue somewhere, or have I again shown my age-related irrelevance by missing some universally-known ironical NetMeme thingy?”
I’m not familiar with it, either, but an internet search suggests that it is a saying adopted by historic preservation societies in at least a few different seaside communities, including the island town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, which is where it looks like this particular bumper sticker originated. You get one of these stickers if you join the Nantucket Preservation Trust; the small writing on the bottom of the sticker is their web site address. See the links below:
https://www.nantucketpreservation.org/support/membership/membership-benefits/
http://www.capecodphotoalbum.com/nantucket.html
(scroll down to see an image of the bumper sticker)
Ah, thankyou for that, MCT. My searches for “fish” and “house” had only come up with smelly houses or thereabouts.
I love these Camry wagons, they did the Wagon thing better than those based on the XV10 (’92-’96). We missed on the Gracia/mark II Qualis wagon that followed sadly, that is a very handsome vehicle as well IMO. I likewise have not seen one of these in quite some time, and rarely do I see the sedans either, although I do occasionally spot them in traffic or on craigslist. These have very poor rust proofing, the fenders and door cards get absolutely annihilated in the salt belt. By contrast, the ’92-’96 Camrys are some of the most rust resistant cars of the 90s it seems, right up there with the Germans and Swedes IMO.
I love how much ground clearance they have, and no low-hanging bumpers either. The perfect hiker’s companion that can handle much rougher roads than I think many would think. Compliant and durable suspension as well, classic Toyota.
Oh man, I had a friend in college who would beat the tar out of his 87 sedan out on back roads. They really did have a usable amount of ground clearance. I learned to drive stick shift on a 1990 V6, so I’ll always have a soft spot for these. Too bad they are going extinct.
Yeah, around here these rusted. Many would be Swiss cheese, but still chugging along. 92+ lasted until owners were simply “sick of them” and wanted a new used car.
Mother got a used ’87 in 1989, but by ’94 had rusty chassis.
“…it is a relatively rare sight to see a Camry that’s, well rare.”
Funny you should mention that, because there’s a 1988 Camry that lives near me. I’ve driven past it hundreds of times without ever looking closely, but last week I happened to glance at the trunklid and was astonished that… it’s an All-Trac. Wow!
This is the StreetView image of it; someday if I feel like writing a Camry article I’ll stop and take pictures.
I do like these wagons, and one thing about this generation of Camry that I’ve always appreciated is the interior. Very functional, high-quality materials, and comfortable. I especially like the durable (but not punishingly cheap) upholstery in the DX models.
“someday if I feel like writing a Camry article I’ll stop and take pictures”
Take it from a veteran, take the pictures now. Then if you someday feel like writing the article you will have them. Many has been the time I have put off photographing something only to have it disappear.
Good point!
+2!
This is an example of how living in California tends to give one a skewed perspective as to which cars are “rare”. Because it’s really not all that uncommon to still see Camrys of this generation on the road here.
And one of them lives near me, too. The owner even repainted it a year or so ago (although it looks to be a backyard paint job), which would seem to indicate that they have no plans to get rid of it any time soon.
Totes McGotes. 👍
I don’t think anyone’s made a gearshift boot like that in some time.
Here’s your gearshift ! Boing!!!
That gear shift boot looks like it’s the same design as the one in my 93 Corolla wagon. When it gets below 30 F the boot becomes so stiff that when you shift the inadequately small plastic tabs holding it in place pull out and the boot detaches from the floor and flops around on the shift lever. One of the few annoying flaws in an otherwise excellent design.
I have mixed feelings about these. I got a rental Camry sedan of this generation (90-ish) while we had our 88 Accord. I discovered immediately that I was a Honda Guy instead of a Toyota Guy. The Accord was so engaging to drive while the Camry was kind of stultifying. It was like a GM car (if GM had been able to build anything that good by then). Purely subjective of course, but the car and I did not bond.
The wagons, however, could make me a Toyota Guy (I like to think so, anyway). I love wagons and always found these attractive. I would absolutely love to try to bond with one of these today.
The bumper sticker is fascinating to me. Most of the bumper stickers I have seen (at least those that would co-exist with a Howard Dean bumper sticker) go with
living thing > inanimate object. This one goes the opposite way. Being a fan of old houses but not seafood, I would prefer to avoid the gutting of either one.
It was very different from an Accord. But I prefer to compare it to a Mercedes rather than a GM car. Like the Mercedes W123/W124, it was no overtly sporty, and the steering was rather dull. But its structural integrity and the sheer quality of every square inch of interior reminded me quite a bit of a Mercedes, even if the stylistic choices were different.
You beat me to the Mercedes analogy!
I really like this wagon and really admired the clean crisp lines of the second-gen Camry after not being terribly impressed with the boxy first generation models. The high point was the luxurious (for its time) cloth interior and, as noted above, so much better assembled than my 1984 Regal. My cousin had a 1987 Camry wagon that served her very well until the late 1990s, when rust from salt air exposure on the Jersey Shore finally did it in. It was the ideal family car for a mother of two young kids and of a scale that is seemingly far more practical than one of today’s crossovers.
Great find and thank you for sharing. When it comes to Camries of this vintage I might see two to three a week in Oregon and almost never the wagon.
I did not know about the Dean Scream since I could not vote until 2007 and only then did I pay closer attention to presidential elections.
FYI, Five Thirty Eight did a pretty comprehensive dive into the “Dean Scream” and concluded that he had already lost his chance to be the Democratic nominee before the infamous speech:
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-dean-scream-what-really-happened/
Toyotas are practical. Wagons are practical. So the people who buy Toyota wagons are very, very practical!
Over the past several years, I have wanted to buy a Matrix. But the people who bought them new rarely ever sell them. Any Matrix you see for sale has at least 180K on it and is pretty well used up.
Last time I saw one of these was when it pulled away from my house in like 2005. My then wife’s former best friend had stopped by to visit. This was her ride (that later she ended up living out of, but that is a story for another time). It was even the same color, IIRC. She drove that car all over the country in her vagabond lifestyle.
Prior to that, she ran her boyfriend’s ’92 Celica into the ground, after owning another Toyota with a hatch on the back that died on her. That car was one of those goofy looking cars from the early eighties with a bank machine on the back… a Tercel wagon, maybe? That car was in its usually seen, ubiquitous cream color.
I guess she had a thing for Toyotas that you could easily load from behind.
Personally, I liked the next generation(*?) of Camry that came out after this one. In coupe form, thank you very much. ;o)
(*?) – it may’ve been a refresh of this platform. I’m thinking a ’96 coupe, not the more recent Solara, although I like them too.
XV10 is a new platform IIRC, although Toyota reuses a lot of things (they are masters of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”). Their rear multilink IRS for example, seems to have retained its basic format and shape from this generation camry right up to the final K-platform 2017 cars.
Can’t think of the last time (here in salt belt) I saw one of these.
Back in the day, friends who owned these then were level-headed models of practicality in every way, though somehow different from the cohort who bought Volvo wagons. Was the price differential very substantial?
“Level-headed models of practicality”. I like it! My friend (who like me had owned a Volvo back in the mid-seventies) described the Camry as replacing the Volvo 240 as the car for people who don’t like cars. A little harsh, but in Berkeley, California that was pretty accurate.
Very much so. For ’91 a base Camry wagon MSRP $14,158, and a 245DL MSRP $19,795.
Great find and post, Brendan! I had to listen to the “Dean Scream” just now, as I had almost completely forgotten about it. LOL!!
About the looks of these Camry wagons, the more-upright angle of the tailgate always seemed to clash (hard) with the slope / angle of the rear-door window frames. Something always looked a bit “off”. I do like this generation of Camry sedan, though.
I’m pretty sure the wagon was available with a stick shift, as I was interested in one but by the time we finally pulled the trigger on a new Toyota wagon, in 1993, only the Corolla offered the 5 speed/wagon combo. And while I found this gen Camry to be very handsome, the next gen wagon rear end just looked awkward to me. Oddly enough, the ‘93 Accord wagon was auto only (at least in California) but the next gen Accord wagon reintroduced the manual option here.
Next generation V30 wagon was available with 5-speed in Canada, but you had to order it, as no dealer would stock one. See my reply above to Howard Kerr.
Still see a few sedans and I’ve also seen a wagon around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7LuHW4BIlU
… and some even came with a variable wheelbase!
Its a Camry, so I can’t really muster the energy for Dean-style primal scream.
Nice find, though.
great comment! 🙂
I had the fancy version of the brochure car, gray with red interior. Didn’t care for the digital dash (or automatic seat belts) but it consistently got 30-35mpg mixed from the 2L(?) DOHC four/automatic. Comfortable, reliable car. Bought it with 120K and in the 70K miles I put on it the alternator took a dump; that’s it, no other repairs.
They didn’t rust in CO and the All-Trac sedans were pretty popular here. I still see probably ten per year of this generation Camry on Denver roads. I remember Consumer Reports got some flack for writing that the new ’87 they reviewed had “clean styling.” Consumer Reporters apparently aren’t supposed to notice such things.
I rented one of these wagons when new to drive all my worldly possessions to graduate school in 1990. I had a buddy to ride shotgun. Only when I turned it in did I notice the sign that rental cars couldn’t be taken out of state. “How did you put 900 miles on it in one weekend?” “I drove it in circles around the Beltway”.
Wow I read this article this morning & then saw one of these wagons in the Lowe’s parking lot 2 hours later !
I say the first company to build something this clean and open with all the safety and modern conveniences wins my vote. You hear me Volvo?
Bonus points for hybrid, AWD and lifted versions.