General Comments:

My friend's dad had this 92 Tercel (2 door automatic transmission), and I needed wheels. So I saw the car, and that he didn't use it because he had a truck, so I asked him if I could, you know, buy the car from him, and he said "sure".

So he gave me a price of $1000 bucks, and that was OK, so I bought it from him when I was 18. I will be 20 this November, so I have had it for two years, and let me tell you that this little guy has not let me down once. It has never left me stranded or anything like that.

And let me tell you that the car doesn't have the best paint job. Like yeah it's got paint peeling off and stuff, and when I'm driving it and I stop at a red light, people in much more modern cars look at my ride and they are like "what's this guy driving" LOL. But I don't care what they think; in my opinion this car is a beast; it takes a beating and it still keeps going.

Economically, man this little car saves me a lot of money. I put in $15.00 and I have enough gas for 2 weeks.

I would recommend this little guy to ANYONE. Yes, it might not have what a lot of cars have (Bluetooth, GPS etc), but if you are looking for a reliable car that you can count on to take you where you need to go with no problem, then the Tercel is the car for you. It's the best car ever.

I am not planning on getting rid of it any time soon. I couldn't have bought a better car than this one. If you are a dad or mom and want to get your teenage daughter or son his/her first car, you've got to get him or her a Toyota Tercel. I don't know why people spend so much money on new cars nowadays that tend to break down easy after like umm 50k miles(or less), and that sometimes cost people way more money than the car itself, when they can get themselves a Tercel where:

1. It costs way less money (got mine for 1000).

2. They save you a lot of money, not only on gas, but on repairs and stuff like that. These cars last a long time.

I give this car a rating of 5/5.

Faults:

So far, of the 12000 km (7000 miles) I have done with the car, I haven't been let down once, except the heater blower, which has started to make funny noises.

The most significant problem is oil consumption, as with any old Japanese car, but at 1L per 1000km (a quart per 600 miles), it's still reasonable. I just make sure to check the level after a fuel fill-up.

There is a smell of exhaust gas when the car is sitting idle for a certain period, but turning up the blower speed somewhat attenuates the problem.

I did a tune-up on it when I got it (brake check, oil change, coolant change, etc.), and I changed the control arms, which were the only parts of the car that had started to rust (the car had been rust-proofed almost every year).

All in all, it cost me about 1100 CDN $

General Comments:

Performance:

It's not as slow as you would expect. Of course, that only applies to the manual version. It pulls very decently until 4th gear, which is at about 95kph or 60mph. Rev it hard enough and you will merge on the highway without problems. Another plus is that power delivery is instantaneous, unlike on big American cars where you have to wait for the engine to overcome its own inertia, or on Honda Civics where the engine has to be spinning at at least 5k RPM to deliver any torque. The top speed is 170kph or 105 mph, which is faster than many modern-day trucks, but you don't really need that feature on a daily basis. Don't expect it however to be a race car, and keep in mind that performance will vary a great deal according to the engine's condition.

Handling:

The handling is also quite good, and even if there isn't tons of grip because of the skinny tires, the steering is precise and shows none of the "slack in the middle" effect that most American cars from that period suffer from. The car's reactions are predictable (understeer). I believe it is very fun to drive , if small cars are your thing. The shifter is precise, and because the car only weighs about 900Kg (2000lbs), reactions are quick, and it can squeeze through small gaps with ease.

Comfort:

I find the car rather comfortable, except for the fact that it is noisy at highway speeds. There is tire roar and engine noise, the latter of which is not helped by the fact that 4th gear has almost the same ratio as 5th, making it nearly useless. Other than that, there is plenty of headroom (I am 6 feet tall), and the seats are intended to give very good lateral support, which works well if you are slim, but might make them completely uncomfortable if you are not. Same thing for the back seats. Entrance is easy, but I have the two-door version, which has "large" doors. The ride is firm, but won't rattle your spine.

The Canadian Winter:

The car never refused to start, but I often use the block heater. The vehicle works well in the snow, but four shining-new snow tires came with it, which has a huge influence. The heater is quite powerful, but not quick to warm up. Humidity may sometimes be a problem.