Faults:

Regular oil changes performed. Only the timing belt has needed to be replaced, at $65.

General Comments:

I love my Toyota Tercel. It is by far the best car I've owned. I live in Ohio and I've driven it to NC twice, MI twice, TN five times, PA twice, KY several times, VA Beach twice and in almost every conceivable point of Ohio. Acceleration is sluggish when the car is full, but it's designed to be a commuter car; not a muscle car. Turning radius is super, and I've had not a single problem with it.

Faults:

Nothing major.

General Comments:

This car is an excellent value. The lack of performance, looks and overall fun is over-ruled by its incredible cost savings in reliability, fuel, insurance, and basic upkeep. The Tercel is great for one or two person occupancy and a great student car. It is excellent for everyday commutes, it is light and maneuverable which makes it easy to park and get around traffic. The one thing to really watch out with the Tercel when buying used or a new owner is the brakes. The brakes seem to be a real down point on the car and is more often to go on the Tercel than most regular cars in its class. Watch out for the calipers as they tend to seize. Other than that it is a great little car and would highly recommend buying one.

Faults:

I have had absolutely no problem with my Tercel. I have not spent a dime on repairs in the three years I have owned it.

Aside from fuel, oil changes and brake changes (all normal repairs), nothing has ever gone wrong!

General Comments:

This car has the best value for the price. I get mileage at around 7.1 liters/100 km (34 mpg) on average, even better on the highway.

If you want better handling, use 175 width tires, it makes quite a nice different without compromising fuel economy.

Faults:

The windshield needs to be replaced, after a road trip at the end of winter.

That's all!

General Comments:

This car is a dream! I have only had it for 2 weeks, but I am in love.

It's got a tiny little 4 cylinder engine, but I can still get it up to 180 km/h with no problems.

The seats aren't exactly the most comfortable for me, but I am about 6' 3" and I think that has something to do with it.

I plan on keeping this car for a very long time, and I'm sure that it will last for years and years.

Faults:

Other than scheduled maintenance (timing belt, brakes, oil changes, etc), and damage from accidents, I've had the following replaced:

Horn.

One of the cheap factory speakers started making a vibrating noise (just replaced them with better aftermarket speakers and the radio with an aftermarket CD player)

Passenger Door Handle.

Front Axle.

Motor Mounts.

Repaired an oil leak.

The A/C system has an extremely minor leak and has needed to be recharged with Freon twice since I've owned it.

General Comments:

Now, while I've replaced a few things in the car, most of them have been cosmetic, or things I wasn't even aware of until the mechanic told me that they needed to be fixed. The car has never not started on the first time, even if it's cold or I've left the lights on overnight. It has also never left me stranded (even after I rear-ended an Oldsmobile and did four grand worth of damage to the front of the car, I was able to drive it off the freeway to my mechanic), and none of the problems stuck me as safety related-in fact, the only mechanical problem I ever noticed was that the car vibrated at idle-replacing the motor mounts fixed that.

While the car is not a sports car in the acceleration department, it has adequate power for all situations, and has no problem doing 80, 90, or even 100 MPH for long distances. The car handles very well (as a small car should), has a very small turning circle, and has good brakes.

This is clearly an econobox, as the fit and trim shows this, but it's certainly not uncomfortable (I have plenty of headroom, but have to have the seat all the way back). My car is missing a few features I would like (although they were available as options), namely it only has a 3-Speed Automatic (no overdrive) and no intermittent windshield wipers, but both are minor. Gages are very clear and nicely designed.

My next car will certainly be another Toyota, or maybe a Scion tC (a Toyota brand).