1983 Toyota Cressida Sedan review from North America

Radiator replaced around 125,000m, due to preexisting damage from a head-on collision by the previous owner.

Head Gasket, Battery, Alternator + Belts replaced around 150,000m.

Windshield leaked slightly in heavy rain. (It seemed to be a replacement windshield from the previos mentioned accident.)

Power antenna was not working when I purchased the car (I don't know why), & I replaced it with a stationary antenna which never gave me problems.

The engine burned about 1 quart of oil every 1500 miles.

These may seem like a lot of problems, but considering I drove the car for just under 5 years and 90,000 miles of stop & go delivery driving, these problems were very minor. Also consider that all these problems to fix + the $800 I paid for the car, still add up to less than 1 year's loan payments for my new Hyundai I currently own.

This is by far my favorite car I've ever owned!! I've more recently purchaced a 1993 Saturn SL2 & a 2001 Hyundai Elantra GLS, but neither come close to the Cressida's performance or reliability, and are nowhere near as fun to drive.

The Cressida, now over 20 years old included more amenities than my brand new car I purchased a few years ago.

All power options worked great including, the windows, mirrors, and sunroof. However, the driver door panel, including the armrest, came loose, most likely only because a used the car for pizza delivery and I was constantly opening and closing the door.

I am 6' tall and the interior was sufficiently spacious and comfortable for me, although the leather seats seem to have stiffened over time and were not as soft as I'm guessing they were when the car was brand new.

The engine was powerful and the 5-speed manual gears always changed smoothly, although I did lose some power with the AC on.

One thing I am still amazed of is how quiet the engine was, especially given the size. With the car idling in my driveway, I could not hear the car AT ALL from 20 feet away (no exaggeration). On more than one occasion, I turned the key in the ignition, because I didn't realize the engine was already running.

Now comes the fun factor which today's front-wheel drive, plastic cars can't match!!

- The rear-wheel drive Cressida is great for doing donuts in rain, dirt, and snow. Instead of doing a 3-point turn in inclement weather, all I had to do was turn the wheel and floor it and you'd soon be facing the opposite direction.

- When I was an irresponsible teenager, the all-rubber bumpers on the Cressida were PRICELESS!! Smashing into whatever your heart desires with the Cressida is a breeze. Is that shopping carriage sitting in the space you want to park in? No Problem!! Just pull into the space at whatever speed you desire and send those pesky carriages flying across the parking lot. This also worked well for trash cans or other unfortunate objects that happened to be where I wanted to drive. Also, in the years I owned the Cressida I was rear-ended twice and there was no damage to my car either time.