10th Jan 2006, 16:27
Yes, but most Toyota owners brag as if all Toyotas will last over 200,000 with little or no problems, when in fact such a feat is rarely accomplished on anything, but the old B-body GMs in the 70s.
10th Jan 2006, 21:21
You ever think your brother might have abused it a bit too much?
Then when all the parts that wear out at sometime or another go, you complain. What do you want?
The reason toyotas are so uber great is cause if you take care of them and don't drive like a maniac, then your car will last 200000 or 300000 with no real troubles.
30th Jan 2006, 10:25
I have a 1993 Toyota Tercel and the only problems I have with it is a puff of white smoke when I start it and it eats up oil. These seem to be consistent problems, hey no car is perfect. But as a high school student myself it is clear to see that your car has been abused in the typical ways. Take care of your car and it will take care of you. Out of all of my friends cars, mine is the only reliable one that we know can get us through long road trips. The Tercel really is a great car.
25th Mar 2006, 22:42
No longer in production. Hmmmm, I heard the Tercel has evolved to a Lexus IS 200.
7th Jun 2006, 22:53
My 91 Tercel has 348 000 KMS bought it for $550.00 CND invested $1400.00 in two years. Gas is cheap, parts are cheap, insurance is cheap. It cost me less in two years than some people pay in 2 months for their cars. All cars eventually breakdown, expect it, be ready for it.
10th Aug 2006, 08:14
I have a 1993 Tercel and paid $250. I have had it for a month. and like the previous poster I also get a puff of white smoke when starting up. I also have a 1996 Chevy K2500 that now sits in the driveway cause it gets 10 miles per gallon, compared to 22 with my tercel. I'll keep you posted if the trans falls out, starter stops starting or the tires fall off.
Oh yeah, speaking of tires what other car can you buy 4 tires for $160.
21st Aug 2006, 11:00
Agreed. I have a 1993 Tercel--came out in september of 1992...I bought it November of 05...put new tires on it and new brakes and spark plugs... it has 92k miles on it... minimal problems--cheap to fill up with gas... anytime you have a car with over 100k miles on it you'll have issues.
14th Feb 2007, 16:41
30th Sep 2005, 06:21 said:
What on earth do you expect from an 11 year old car with 100,000 miles on it? Hardly Toyota's fault.
I say:
I would happily wager you wouldn't make that type of excuse... rather, statement for any domestic vehicle. And if you would, there are at least 5 other people out there who would not. When this happens to a domestic vehicle of 100,000 miles, it's a shoddy product. When it happens to be an import or a Toyota, then someone remembers to mention how unfair it is to judge a vehicle that is 11 years old and has 100,000 miles.
Bias? You betcha.
1st Mar 2007, 18:57
My daughter has this car. We bought it for her last year after her Explorer died. It was cheaper to buy the Tercel than to fix the Ford. It's got 175k miles on it and runs awesome! We have put new tires on it and it needed some axel thing (hey, I'm not the mechanic) and we've replaced one headlight. Other than that, it's a great little car. Hers gets about 28mpg that we've tracked and it's very reliable.
2nd Mar 2007, 14:35
"What on earth do you expect from an 11 year old car with 100,000 miles on it? Hardly Toyota's fault."
Not fair! Peruse the other reviews on this site, and you will see Toyota drones proclaiming that 30-year-old Toyotas are buzzing all over, running perfectly with 500,000 miles. Which way is it? Are they perfect forever, or do they need maintenance like other cars? What a come-down to admit that a Toyota might need some maintenance!
14th Mar 2007, 17:47
Toyota's need routine maintenance like any machine in the world; and when they get it, they outlast domestics by 150,000 miles.
8th Apr 2007, 18:21
I've read that my '93 Tercel (1.5 manual 4-spd.) has 82 horsepower, but does anyone out there actually know if that was at the flywheel or through the front tires? I'd like to know, and would appreciate an answer from someone sure about the actual numbers.
20th Apr 2007, 17:49
That's harsh to say about say about a tercel.. I own a 94 which is basically the exact same thing as a 1993 and mine has been the best car ever... I had 0 problems other than the burning oil which is nothing big.. and the car drives better then most newer cars..
22nd May 2007, 16:55
I am the original thread starter and I reside by my comments. That car was pure trash. I am happy that the number of you did not end up with a lemon like I did, but I've moved on and there's no possible way I would even consider purchasing a Tercel ever again. Evolved into a Lexus??? Riiiight, that the most fabricated statement I've ever heard. The Tercel was my car throughout high school and first year of college... in those 3 years I'm sure I dumped over $2500 out of hope. Not much money to some of you, but back then working for a little more than minimum wage it was excruiating.
I don't consider gas, brakes, tires, oil changes, and tune-ups extended mainteinance. But for all the other crap that constantly went out on that car it was a pure head ache.
I purchased a 98 Mazda 626 with 130,000 miles on it for $2000 and I've have two problems in two years. Not bad, and definitely what I would expect out of a Toyota, but it didn't happen.
One thing I did like about the car was that you could let the seat down 90 degrees - great for when you have to wait on the tow truck on the side of the highway.
I'd rather take my chances with a Camry.
7th Jan 2008, 12:59
There is not one problem that you mentioned that isn't MAINTENECE related, but rather owner neglect! All the stuff you mentioned is normal wear and tear, not a faulty part or malfunctioning. I have a 93 tercel base model with 240,000 miles on it. The only thing on it that I replaced was a slave cylinder, in additon to wear and tear parts. My clutch is original also, so I sounds like your clutch was abused because my clutch is no different than yours, and mine is more than double in life compared to yours.
22nd Jul 2009, 13:41
$350 for head gasket? That's the PARTS cost for most cars. Labor is often another $1000.
It's a steal.
26th Dec 2009, 23:50
I have to back the original poster up.
I bought a '93 Tercel used in 1999, it only had 34,000 miles on it. Though it never left me stranded, it had more things go wrong with it than other used Japanese cars I had, and was probably the worst of them all as far as a car of its age and what went wrong.
Had to have the exhaust/manifold fixed adjusted constantly, it would get loud, then would require an adjustment (pain in the rear end). Water pump went, engine was burning oil and it failed inspection, requiring a 600.00 engine overhaul (Oh what a feeling, yeah, OK).
Total opposite of the '90 Nissan Sentra I had before it -- bought it used with 50,000 miles and other than a tune-up, that's all I ever had to do with it. Ran flawlessly for 80,000 miles until a lady ran a stop sign and creamed it.
Toyota could have done better with this car.
7th Mar 2011, 13:49
Find an honest mechanic, or learn how to do the work yourself, and none of these problems are news worthy. You can't imagine how bad a truly bad car can be. Toyotas are about as good as it gets. And even Toyotas break, and need valve seals, CV joints and clutches. Naivete and alarmism can explain most of the negative posts here.
29th Nov 2005, 17:52
Could you please tell everyone what car with 100,000 miles on the clock would not have similar problems? My parents owned one of the first Tercels (1980 model) and in seven years of ownership it had one, yes one, problem. But I'm sure the new owner the car had to replace similar parts once s/he got it past 100K.
It is common knowledge that buying a car is a tradeoff. You pay more for a newer car and have fewer problems (assuming a reliable model) or pay less for used and pay more in repairs.