Comments: 1-15, 16-20
I must say I have never had any serious problems.
Power antenna stopped working-took 20 min to replace...
This car is a TANK, let me just say that.
The Cressida is one of the best car's Toyota ever produced.
It's the best kept secret in the automotive industry and has always been a sleeper hit among Toyota fans.
You will be lucky to spot 1 or 2 Cressida's per year... thay are that hard to find. They are not your normal everyday car... they are a true collectors item in my opinion.
TOTAL LUXURY is standard in the Cressida. This car was way ahead of it's time. Some standard features on the Cressida are still not even in today's new cars... and this was 16 YEARS AGO!!
The car simply drives like a dream. You can go 90 mph on the highway and not even realize it.
It's spacious, quiet, comfortable, and extremely smooth out on the road.
I have reached 197,000 miles on my Cressida and it still drives like day one. FANTASTIC!!!
1 You don't see any on the roads because Toyota stopped selling them here 13 years ago.
2. Name ONE feature on your '89 Cressida that is NOT available on today's new cars.
Response:
1. No, Toyota didn't stop producing them for 13 years, they simply designed a premuim lineup called 'Lexus'
2. The cars were offered in more limited #'s as opposed to the current Lexus lineup.
I owned a 1990 Cressida for quite a few years. I think what the reviewer is stating is that a lot of the features on the Cressida were standard equiptment included with the car, as opposed to additional options. My '90 Cressida had heated mirrors, ABS, traction control, adjustable height, "sport" mode selector for the transmission, and a Panasonic cd player-STANDARD.
You will be lucky to buy a new vehicle even today with HALF of those features, or will end up paying extra in the final price.
Gosh, do you think it could have anything to do with the fact that the list price of the Cressida in 1990 was almost $22K, about the same as TWO 1990 Toyota Corollas? Imagine, an expensive car with luxury features standard (every one of which you mentioned, btw, was and is available on the competition).
And while the reviewer proclaims the Cressida to be "the first Lexus", he seems to have forgotten (or more likely, does not know about) the Toyota Corona Mark II or even the Toyota Crown from the '70's, both of which were at the top of the Toyota lineup for their time and which came with many luxury features standard long before the Cressida ever appeared.
Whats the point of this debate? this review is right on. a cressida is an awesome find if you see one!!
Back in 1987 I bought a new Toyota Cressida. Understand, I've been driving cars since 1957 and have owned at least a dozen different cars prior to this automotive masterpiece. I believe this to be the best purchase I've ever made - of anything. The car was extremely well-designed from the get-go. Driving long distances in a Cressida is a joy because the seats are very comfortable with excellent back and leg support. The engine has a smooth power band and passing other cars on a two-lane highway is always an easy chore for this straight six engine.
At 6.2 and 200 lbs I'm a fairly large guy who needs lots of room. The Cressida delivers on that score in both the front and back seats. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Cressida was singled out by auto journalists for having the best driver's view of any car in 1987. I don't know about the others, but I've always appreciated the view from the front and the rear. An accident several years ago forced me to replace the engine, although the body shop guy told me to junk the car. Ha! $1,500 later I was back in business driving one of the best cars in the world - in my opinion.
Which I respect. last year on a 1000 mile trip I underwent some brain fade and failed to heed the green stuff that was leaking out of the radiator. Pretty soon the coolant was gone and at 80 mph I suddenly noticed the radiator heat indicator was buried in RED! I should have shut the car down then and there, but the aforementioned brain fade continued as I searched up ahead for a highway overpass to take shelter under since I was in the San Joaquin valley at 100+ degrees under a hot California sun. That little exercise in stupidity cost me a night in a hell-hole town off the Grapevine on highway five where an ex-movie director (or so he claimed) who owned a garage in town tried to talk me into selling him the Cressida and buying his Ford Escort to drive back to the Bay Area with. Yeah, Right! I called my mechanic who immediately counseled that I rent a truck the following morning and tow the car back to San Francisco. I did just that and a new used engine was installed once again and I'm still a very happy Cressida Camper after 222,000 miles. It's hard to explain how a car fits a person so well and vice versa. I can afford to buy a brand new car, but why would I want to? The Cressida is simply one of the greatest cars ever made. I'd argue that point with anyone.
Given the mileage of your car I'd recommend you do what I did with my 220,000 mileage BMW - get AAA plus membership.
You pay a little more (about $79/year) vs. the regular membership, but they will tow your car for up to 100 miles for free. More than enough miles to get you to "civilization".
That's the best cressida review (or should I say comment) I ever read above. Having the pleasure of owning a cressida for quite some time now, I know exactly where he is coming from. My cressida has survived 3 accidents and every time I refused to let the car go. I paid up and got the car fixed. Why you may ask? My cressida is almost like a family member to me and my family, we have owned it since day one in 1990 and it was the best purchase I ever made-ever!! My family has gone through many lease cars and company cars in the past 17 years and they never seem to last like the cressida. It's almost like it knows its the ultimate car and patiently sits in our garage waiting for us to come back to it, time and time again. simply fantastic!!
As I write this in 2006, I am waiting to confirm a deal from the seller of my second Cressida (1991.) I want to upgrade from my 1984 with 245K, (no rebuild, still strong) and sell it to my roommate who eagerly wants to buy it.
The most comfortable 24 mpg car ever built with acceleration that belies the HP vs. body weight ratio.
These cars are gems (save springs in the door locks!) Overbuilt to the nth degree when it comes to not needing major part replacement (front end parts, suspension, etc.)
Buy one now, a sleeper classic!
"1. No, toyota didn't' stop producing them (the Cressida) for 13 years, they simply designed a premuim lineup called "Lexus""
Uh, no... Toyota stopped producing them quite a while ago and then created its Lexus line. Unless you're comparing the Cressida to a Lexus. Please.
Understandably, all the respondents have posted very positive comments regarding their Cressida ownership experiences. Myself, I owned a 1989 Cressida and for the most part it was an enjoyable experience.
I must say it was solid, a pleasure to drive and, in it's day, very well equipped. Yes, it was Toyota's Flag Ship model and a vehicle some would say was the fore runner to the Lexus line.
My Cressida developed an annoying engine oil leak at 110,000k. The dealer said the engine rear mail seal had failed and that the engine would need to be removed in order to repair the leak. That was back in 1992. The dealer estimated the repair between $1,200 & $1,500. No, there was no warranty remaining on the car.
Needless to say, I did not have the leak repaired, I traded the Cressida on a 1992 Pontiac Bonneville. The Pontiac proved to be a very good car and in many ways as goods as the Cressida especially when it came to ownership costs. We sold it in 2002 with over 300k on the odometer.
The person who purchased my Cressida repaired the oil leak and still owns the car today although it's not seen the road for a few years. He said it was the best car he ever owned. The engine and drivetrain are still working but the body and undercarriage are rusted well beyond restitution.
We inherited a 1991 Cressida with only 57,000 miles on it in 2002. Wow... what a car. I felt elegant driving it until it suffered a rear-end collision that totaled it. We bought it back from the insurance company and our teenager continued to drive it until recently when it developed engine problems. I like the car enough to want to spend the $2000 to repair it (engine & air conditioner), but am being overruled by another family member. I'd like to see its organs donated to another Cressida, but don't know how to go about making it available to other collectors. Any ideas?
I would say get that Cressida fixed. There is nothing else wrong with it except the engine, right? These cars are meant to last a lifetime... check out ebay for how to sell it for parts...
I bought a used 1989 Cressida in 1990. It was the best automobile I ever owned. A Toyota rep once told me that the Cressida had never had a recall. The reason Toyota stopped making the Cressida was because they started up their Lexus line and they wanted Toyota customers to buy "up" into a Lexus. The Cressida was as good, if not better, than the low-end Lexus which, I think, was the 250 model. The Cressida was replaced with the Avalon. And the Avalon was not the equal of the Cressida and for good reason. Toyota wanted it's customers to see the Avalon as it's top of the line, but NOT a competitor with the entry level Lexus. Toyota customers are supposed to see the Avalon as a stepping stone to a Lexus. The Cressida RIVALED the Lexus. Hence, its production was ended.
I am probably going to buy a used 1992 Cressida next week. It has 72K original miles. I want a cheap car to drive around town in while leaving my Chevy Suburban in the garage exclusively for work. I am hoping that my decision isn't merely based on nostalgia. Only time will tell.
I own a 1989 pearl white Cressida with 254,000 miles on it with original engine. The only thing I replaced is the transmission that went out last June 2007. Love this car. I put a TRD springs and tokico gas shocks on it and it handles perfectly. I also put a MOMO steering wheels and magnacor park plug wires.