1983 Toyota Tercel 3 Door Hatchback review from North America
"Cheap, reliable car that will never die even if you wished it would"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Rear driver side tire went flat. ($35)
PCV Valve was shot. ($5, replaced myself)
Spark plug and wires replaced. ($50, replaced myself)
Small oil leak.
Transmission fluid is horrible!
Hole in muffler.
Front seats look like wild bear with very sharp claws was left in car for days.
Antenna is very crooked and starts frantically shaking at 50 mph +
Radiator was severely cracked, but patch kit is working miracles! ($10)
Fuel filter was shot. ($10, replaced myself)
Car will die sometimes within the first couple minutes once you come to a stop. Sometimes after driving for quite a while, car will die once coming to stop. It always starts back up!!
Basic windshield wiper, air filter, etc replacements.
Rust. Lots of rust.
Gas mileage is horrible. Possibly need to replace fuel pump.
Car is leaking something. Maybe the oil, maybe radiator fluid, maybe gas. I get asphyxiated sometimes in traffic jams.
Gas gauge does not work unless you have 1/4 of a tank or less. Bad float probably.
General comments?
I bought the car for $50 from a friend of a friend who thought the head gasket was going when actually the car was leaking massive amounts of oil due to a car garage not putting the oil plug back in correctly.
Everytime I think I have fixed everything, something else goes wrong, but the parts are cheap and easy to replace yourself. I know nothing about cars, but if you can turn a screw you're in luck with this car. Everything is very accessible.
The car has it's original radio, which still works great! It also has it's original carpeting, car jack, spare, etc which are all in excellent condition.
Actually I couldn't ask for a better car. It always starts up, no matter how cold or hot it is outside or how hard I've been driving it. It'll never let me down and that thing will go forever.
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| 1983 - Tercel 3 Door Hatchback 4 cylinder Wish I still had it |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1983 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 143000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 155000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 4th May, 2004 |