1993 Toyota Tercel LX review from North America

Five years and 121000 kilometres into the ownership of the Tercel it started going through oil at a rate of one litre per week. The dealer did all the repair work (rings, seals, gaskets, oil pan, etc...) under the 5-year/120000 km. warranty even though the warranty had recently expired. The dealer even fixed a problem with the transmission that I didn't even know I had under warranty while they did the engine work for the oil problem. They even gave me a Corolla to drive for the three days they had my car at no charge!!!

My only complaint about this car is the fact that the brakes squeaked from day one. In the eight years that I have owned the Tercel the dealer has done four complete brake jobs at no charge to try to get rid of the noise, but to this day it still persists.

I love this car and you can't beat Toyota for quality and service. My Tercel is eight years old and she still runs like a brand new car.

I admit that I abused my poor Tercel and did not get it serviced regularly, yet the dealership did the work under warranty anyhow - even after the warranty had expired!!! Try to get that kind of service and commitment out of any of the North American auto makers.