1999 Toyota Conquest Buyer's Guide: Specifications, Maintenance, and Pre-Purchase Advice
Decades on regional roads leave scars. While mechanical components survive rough treatment, chassis corrosion and suspension wear require close inspection before handing over cash.
Metal preservation varies widely. Common rust spots appear behind the rear wheel arches, inside the lower seams of the rear hatch, around the battery tray bracket, and beneath the rubber seals framing the front windshield. Trapped rainwater rots the bottom corners of the A-pillars, sending water into the cabin footwells. Lift the floor carpeting during your inspection to verify floor pan integrity.
Walk around the car and evaluate the chassis posture. Heavy suspension bushing wear is virtually guaranteed on cars with untouched control arms. Worn lower control arm bushings cause unstable braking and vague steering wander. Listen for dull metallic clunks over potholes, indicating blown top strut mounts or disintegrated anti-roll bar end links.
Use this pre purchase inspection checklist before negotiating:
• Cold Startup: Verify the engine block is cold before cranking. Check for blue exhaust smoke indicating worn valve stem seals on 2E engines or ring blow-by on high-mileage 4A-FE blocks.
• Cooling Circuit: Open the radiator cap (only on a cold engine). Inspect for brown silt buildup. Look for radiator end-tank hairline cracks, which frequently fail on aging copper-and-plastic factory units.
• Gearbox Engagement: Cycle through all gears while driving. Downshift rapidly from third to second gear to test synchronizer wear.
• Wiring Integrity: Check under the dashboard for tangled aftermarket alarm splices and bypass relays, a notorious cause of roadside electrical failures.
• Unibody Alignment: Measure panel gaps between the front fenders and hood to confirm the car has not suffered unrecorded front-end collisions.
