I just replaced egr valve and lift sensor which cost around $340 and from what ive been reading 1990s camrys egr system is a very common problem with them and causes the cel to come on, i dont know what the emmisions requirements are in your state, but in Mass 99 and older only has to pass safety inspection. As for price on timing belt depending on what you want done with it ive found its pretty expensive. Its recomended to also replace the water pump when doing timing belt because in the v6 camrys its roughly a 5 hr job and the water pump is located right there so as a prevenative precaution this too should be done. Also your cam and crank seals can be done then too. I was quoted a price of $474.75 in labor and $89 for timing belt, $86 for water pump, $12 each for 2 cam seals and $25 for 1 crank seal, so roughly $725 before taxes. If you have a mechanic that will allow you to purchase the parts yourself and only charge for labor i have noticed while researching these parts that they are available for cheaper prices, but i have no clue of the difference in quality. Also as far as getting repairs at a toyota dealership you will be charged top dollar, however during my research ive found that the overall quality of parts and work is good. So i guess you need to decide how much your willing to invest into it. Just curious what did you pay for it? I realy like my xle v6, but unfortanately when my father purchased it for me the salesman wasnt an honest guy. He paid $2500 for it which would have been fine even with the high mileage, but it had several issues and it cost me $1100 just to get it in inspection order. Now i just put another $1050 into it yesterday and it seems to be running worse, idk whats going on. Good luck. Theres tons of info available here as well as a bunch of ther sites!
Hello and Thank You for the information. Yes, I have been reading the same things as well regarding the EGR System. Living in Phoenix, I am preparing for the vehicle for a typical Arizona summer by ensuring it won't break down. This vehicle has been phenomenal thus far and I cannot find a bad review about it anywhere. (Cheap to insure and operate as well). All in all, my out the door price was the best part of $7k including tax, title and tags. To me, this is a minimum investment providing a maximum return as these vehicles can easily get to 250k miles. I see what you mean by going to the Dealership. They really do gouge you and I have two trusted places which I know won't screw me. AAA Auto Repair in Scottsdale and another place in Fountain Hills AZ. There are also plenty of videos on You Tube for easy repair items for the DIY'ers. This is going to be a nice little hobby/interest of mine to see how long I can keep it running.