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Hi, looking at a 2002 toyota camry wagon with 270k on the clock. After test drive oil cap smelt strongly of petrol. Is this simply a symptom of an engine with a lot of km's on it in need of an oil change and new sparks or of something more sinister eg head gasket issue. obviously a lower mileage vehicle would be better but i am on a budget and needs must. Asking $2.5-$3 - is that reasonable given the above issue? Given that the cars I'm looking at are all similar high milage do you have any recomendations of other makes/models -nissan? mazda?subaru? (needs to be a station wagon). Many thanks

It's likely that the smell is burning oil rather than raw fuel, and this is likely to be a result of an engine with wear - which at 270,000km is highly likely. An engine with this mileage is likely to have some blow-by, meaning some exhaust gasses are getting into the crankcase. It's unlikely to be a blown head gasket.
A Camry has a great reputation, but at this mileage some wear is unavoidable.
Obviously, in this price range there is always a risk, regardless of make.