1986 Toyota Tercel Deluxe Wagon 1.5L Gasoline from North America

Summary:

All cars should be made this way

Faults:

Have replaced a lot of the original equipment:

Alternator.

CV Joints.

Water Pump.

Fuel Pump.

Front seats are worn, but just bought seat covers.

A couple of oil leaks.

General Comments:

This is a fabulous little car. It is very reliable and trustworthy. When the alternator died it still drove 120 miles to get me home safely.

Maintenance is cheap and self-maintenance is easy due to the simplicity of the car.

Car still has the original struts and original hoses!

Engine doesn't have a ton of power, but the gas mileage is excellent.

Cargo space is huge, even with the rear seats up.

This car handles very well, is comfortable at highway speeds, and has great visibility out all windows.

I recommend this car for anyone who wants a reliable, simple, practical car that's inexpensive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th April, 2005

1986 Toyota Tercel DLX 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Wagon or Incredible Space-Shuttle?

Faults:

The engine leaks a lot of oil.

A headlight went out.

The rear struts don't function properly, but I don't want to pay the 300$ to replace them. So the ride is a little ruff.

Both the driver and passenger side windows are broken. I can roll them down, but they can't be rolled back up again.

Something is wrong with the starter, so it takes a bit to get the car to turn over.

General Comments:

I bought this car because it was very cheap, and at first I thought it was heinous looking. So I planned on hating it. But after driving this car for about 6 months, my opinion has completely changed. Aside from the oil leak, this car has given me nothing to complain about. It's comfy, cheap, reliable, and it smells good inside. Now, the car doesn't seem ugly at all. It reminds me of a rocket ship, so when I drive, I put the seats way back like I'm blasting off. The only thing I worry about is how small and light it is. I'm pretty sure these cars don't do very well in wrecks, and I don't love it enough to die in it. At the same time, it's big enough that I can fit my bike in the back with the seats down.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th March, 2005

1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4x4 Stationwagen 1.5L 4 cylinder gasoline from North America

Summary:

A friendly learners car

Faults:

Transmission rebuild at 100,000 miles

Transmission failure at 190,000 miles

Rust issues around 90,000 miles

Bad interior wear

Recent bad fuel economy

Speakers blew out at 40,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car has been excellent to my family. It was my mom and dads first car together and it has been the learning car up until myself.

This car is a true 4x4, capable of handling the mud and snow we commonly get in the mountainous region we live in.

It is not the fastest thing on the road, but it holds it's own quite well.

Until about 100,000 miles ago we got approximately 25-35 miles per gallon fuel economy, but due to a lack of things like piston re-rings and replacement of the camshaft, valves, and valve lifters, the economy has dropped to 20-25 miles per gallon.

The interior is quite spacious and can fit 3 groaning kids in the back and enough stuff for a 2 week trip in the back.

The stock stereo system is in my honest opinion, a piece of junk. We replaced our with a high quality sound system from Crutchfield.

We love this vehicle so much that we have 4 of them.

This particular model does not have the extra low transmission although it is 4x4.

Another downfall is the lack of safety features like a padded dash, airbags, and rear three-point seat-belts.

The tires on these things go forever. We had one set last for 70,000 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th August, 2004

1986 Toyota Tercel 4wd 4 cylinder gasoline from North America

Summary:

A real money saver

Faults:

The only things that have gone with the car since I acquired it was the muffler fell off when I was going down the highway. This particular vehicle gets great gas mileage.

General Comments:

The is a great first car. I like the 4wd feature. When it snows, I like to try to get stuck and and pop-it into 4wheel mode and feel it pull me out. I would definitely recommend this car to college students because it is cheap to run and maintain. This car also has a surprisingly large cargo capacity when you fold down the back seat. This is really a great car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd May, 2004