1995 Toyota Tercel DX 2 door from North America - Comments

Slow oil seal leak somewhere around 140,000 miles.

Head gasket leak somewhere around 190,000 miles.

Other than that, only normal maintenance.

God I miss that car.

In May of 1995, Orlando, FL, I bought a red 95 Tercel for something like $12,500, which included a 'sport package'; a rear spoiler and decent wheels. I drove that car everywhere, all over the U.S. and some in Canada too. That car was a little beast! Maintenance was easy, especially changing the oil. Toyota is brilliant for putting the filter in the front of the engine. Filter off in 10 seconds.

The gas mileage was outstanding, and I did not drive the car easy. Going fast down highways did reveal a good bit of road noise, but with the audio system turned up I didn't hear much except music. Some amazing things about that car... I didn't need to change the first set of tires until almost 90,000 miles. I can't explain that one. The first set of brakes lasted forever too. I had to change the rotors one time. The car handled incredibly well in the snow and rain. I had driven it in snowy places like Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and of course throughout the midwest and northeast without any problems. Drove it on snowpacked roads in SE Colorado on the way to Telluride. 55mph? NO problem. Plenty of traction. No one else was going nearly as fast.

Lived in Pittsburgh for one year (misery) while owning the car, and despite poor roads, poor weather, and all that salt they threw down, Never had a problem.

Around 190,000 miles, I took a trip out west (again) and discovered that my oil was low... down to about 1 quart. It also donned on me that I had been driving for sustained periods of 90 mph. I was worried that my engine would be damaged... when I got back home I changed out the leaking valve cover gasket and checking the valves, I saw absolutely no damage. They were as clean as a whistle. No oil gunk build up either. Unbelievable.

I eventually got into a wreck because some girl in an SUV pulled out in front of me and I couldn't stop in time. Perhaps if the car had been equipped with anti-lock brakes, it would not have been a problem. And that was that. 7 years and 221,997 miles. About 65 oil changes, 3 sets of tires, a couple of brake changes, couple of spark plug changes, a bunch of air filter changes and many happy miles.

Since then, I've owned an Acura RSX type S. If I could switch and get my car back the way it was, I would do it in a heartbeat.

This is an awesome review. It really moves along like a story -- it's just a shame the ending had to be sad. : (

Go Tercels!! I get made fun of all the time for my Tercel (one of my friends has taken to calling it the Terari or the Tercadies because I treat it so well and love it so much!) but it's never let me down yet! I've started doing my own maintenance on it (oil changes and replaced brake pads) and put a "cold" air intake on it.. Cute car, takes any beating it gets in stride and never gives up!! <3.

This could be MY story! Minus the wreck, of course (shiver). I often wondered if I could emotionally handle it if that ever happened to my Tercel. It would be like losing a family member.

Anyway, mine was red, too! It never let me down, either.

Has anyone else who has owned one of these had the feeling that it has a personality, like Herbie the love bug?

I have a red '95 Tercel too! It's the best car I've ever had. It just turned over 275,000! I was happy @ 200,000, but I started thinking "maybe I can get 250 out of it" but it just keeps going, it has a pretty big oil leak, "front seal" my mechanic said, over $800!! I keep putting oil in and praising God that this little car is so wonderful! 300k here we come! This car owes us nothing. We dragged it behind an RV for three months and took it all over the country without ANY problems, other than a blown tire. Amazing.

I drove my 1987 Tercel (five door) for 350,000 km. I did have to lean hard on the dealer to get the carburetor replaced early on. It was a recall change I think, but I just dealt with it between me, the dealer, and a tape recorder. :)

I had to let a charity haul it away at the above mileage and 20 years of age because of undercarriage rust. Not road safe.

The only other car I've ever owned was a Datsun 2-door 510. Similar story. It preceded the Tercel. Bought it new, learned to drive on it. No major repairs, diligent maintenance, 210,000 *miles*, replaced the alternator, fan belt and clutch, three sets of tires...and a whole lot of adventure for a young woman with her first car. My teenager also learned to drive on it.

Looking for as good a car again... Such a lot of lies and junk out there.

My daughter has a 1995 Toyota Tercel, Basic model. It has about 110K.

I was wondering is all 1995 models are faded like this one. It seems every tercel in and around that year I have seen is faded badly. Can anything be done about that in terms of the manufacture? Please send comment to.

Chweqa@aol.com.

You're complaining about faded paint on a 14 year old car?

Unless the car has been garaged all that time, I doubt that you would have any basis for a complaint. Paint gets weathered, especially if nobody ever bothered to wax it, a more likely possibility on a cheap car like a Tercel.

Im 17 now... and I don't come from a background with a lot of money, but my mother is in the process of purchasing a new car and decided to give me her tercel. Hey! it's a free car.

i was just wondering what kind of problems are most common.

Red 1995 Tercel I've owned 11 years -- zero maintenance and still running strong. Paint's faded pretty badly, California sun and all.

Got a question -- thinking about doing the timing belt, but kind of expensive, so maybe I do it when it breaks. But is this 5E-FE engine an interference engine? If so then I'd rather do it now rather than take the risk.

BTW Gates says it's non-interference, but AA1 says it is, so I'm getting mixed answers from what I've found. If anyone knows please post here -- THANKS!

That's a good question. I bought a 95 Tercel today for $300 bucks! It's got 225,000 miles and runs great! If it is interference, then my $300 dream could be abruptly ended at any moment. That sucks.

This is my 2nd 95. My first cost $700 and sold for $1800. These cars have the coldest A/C EVER! Heat is great too... even over 200k. AMAZING little cars! Freshly tuned, they will haul a@# and get near 40mpg! The National ads you see for "4 Tires for $99" are these tires.

Best value in a used car without a doubt. Easy and cheap to maintain, gas mileage to afford to drive anywhere.

Anybody know if a broken timing belt will bend valves (break the head) or is it free wheeling?