The 7mge engine in the 1989 and up Cressida
suffers from head gasket problems. Expect head gasket replacement if it was not replaced before you purchased the car.
Car overheated and the head warped, causing a blown head gasket. If repairing yourself, It would cost about 350.00 in head work and 250.00 for a Toyota OEM top end engine gasket kit. (Do not buy an after-market gasket kit, they are of inferior quality)
The car is in just about showroom condition.
I have had no other problems with this car.
The Cressida from 1989 and up takes it's drive-train from the Supra., It is a very spirited car.
The suspension is a little to soft, but, is forgivable for a luxury automobile.
Interior is flawless, Mine is a dark blue and has no fading.
When looking to purchase an 89+ Cressida, Be sure to have it checked out by a qualified mechanic. The head gasket is the only real issue with these cars. and my Cressida blew it's original gasket at 200000mi. (hardly seems like a problem at all.)
Yeah it's a great car and all, I am looking to put a turbo on it. It should work with the right stuff, oh one thing you messed up on in the review. It's a I6 not a V6, which means Inline.
The fact that this is a dual overhead camshaft engine throws some into thinking that is a V6. Still a great car.
Too bad I didn't find this review before I bought my 1989
Cressida. I had it for just 3 days and the head gasket
failed! Luckily I didn't have to eat the entire cost of the repair - $1100 Canadian - by myself. The dealer who sold it to me picked up the majority of the cost.
Otherwise a nice car. Despite being 14 years old all the electronic gizmos work without problems. Also, despite
being a rear-wheel drive car, it handles quite nicely in the Canadian winter after a pair of snow tires are put on.
Its better than my previous 1983 Cressida in that respect.
Well I just bought 1991 model. It too head gasket needs replacement! We bought from the private, so we have to cover the cost. We paid 2000 bucks to fix. Other than that, it is a great car! what a pity, Toyota had to stop produce this car.
Head-gasket problems aside-a vintage Cressida is still one of the most well built vehicles of all time according to JD Power. These cars are TANKS!!!
Its not the head gasket. its the torque. a friend of mine has 3 '89 cressida's and both had head gasket problem, as we all know. he pulled it off and the gasket was not broken so he torque it down more than the manufacture specs. now days he puts almost 100 miles commuting miles and no leaks. its still on original first timing belt as its getting close to 200k miles. one of them are over 300k miles and still running like the other two. I'm planning to buy a mx83 as well.
Very true about the head gaskets. its not the quality of them that is the problem, toyota simply didn't gauge the right torque specs for the head gasket, thus causing many of them to fail prematurely. still though... my cressida had almost 200k miles when the head gaskets finally blew, and this was a 1989 model. not bad at all!! hardly seems like a problem at all when compared to much inferior vehicles with head gasket problems (ford taurus) do not hesitate in owning a cressida-if you can find one!!
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