Well, my car (2001 Toyota Camry) began sounding like the Canyonero a month or two ago, and it was only getting worse. It was idling high and made enough of a racket when the accelerator was depressed that I suspected the exhaust system.
I discovered much to my dismay this weekend that the exhaust system section containing the catalytic converter was holding on by a paper-thin sheet of rust. The gap was letting in air which threw off the O2 sensor and caused engine to apply more fuel – hence the high idle. Replacing the offending section lowered my idle and quieted things down dramatically.
I’ll be interested to see how the repair affects my mileage. I already know how it affected our bank account… ouch…
Still, after 7 years and over 80K miles, we haven’t had to put that much money into the Camry. And I’m generally satisfied with its performance and minimal maintenance requirements. So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.
I’m glad to hear the car has lasted that well for that long, as a new (1-year old) Camry owner myself. The car’s reliability is a main reason I bought it.