Faults:

The paint has faded on top.

The power antenna does not function.

A cat was ripped to shreds by fan belt, engine still purrs.

General Comments:

I bought it for one thousand dollars with 7 months rego.

It's cheap reliable and in near perfect condition, unlike my girlfriend.

Faults:

Worn driver's seat.

Wheel alignment slightly out of whack.

Spongy brakes.

Air conditioner has no cold air.

Stereo is a bit crackly.

Slight dent on passengers side door.

Extremely thirsty on fuel can be at 16 litres per 100.

General Comments:

I bought the car off an elderly man a few months ago, who advertised it as $2,300, but bargained him down to $1,000, so it ended out to be a good deal in the end.

The car runs very smoothly, although you can hear the engine, and it also handles well. Feels like you're speeding all the time, interestingly enough, although this could be a perk you get with this car.

I would like to upgrade to a GL-XI model with an 5MGE motor in it as my next car, but I would like to see if I can fall in love with this one first.

Faults:

I blew the clutch at 4am New Years morning screaming through town, but I managed to replace that myself. Then I crashed it into my neighbors car for fun, and almost wrote off their car when mine just needed a new brake light.

My exhaust fell off so I had it replaced with Coby resonators to really wake the neighbors. I sold the spare wheel for a packet of cigarettes. It's been broken into twice, but that just shows you how desirable it is.

My front shocks don't work anymore as I take it off road often and ignore speed humps.

General Comments:

She's a mean machine and all my mates love her. It's only a 2 liter, but she's got mid range balls and really loves towing other cars or doing burn outs on the neighbors lawn.

She starts up a bit rough and really chews through the gas as it's a four speed manual, but she's strong, loud, comfortable, and very very reliable.

She doesn't use any oil and considering it's 20 years old she's running really well. I'm really glad she's a rear wheel drive as they are far more exciting to drive in the wet and on the gravel.

The Coby resonators also add that touch of masculine class.

The steering is heavy, the clutch is heavy, the gearbox is an absolute brute. This car oozes testosterone!

Faults:

Temperature guage intermittent, but works 95% of time.

General Comments:

A very comfortable 19 year old vehicle which was originally purchased as my son's first vehicle. It is so easy, comfortable and quiet to drive that I have decided to keep it as a daily driver and purchase my son (still on L plates) a Corolla. Our family car is a '98 V6 Vienta VXI which whilst being smooth, powerful and quiet, it's front wheel drive does not tow as well as the Cressida. The gearing means the Cressida uses more fuel (about 12.5 to 13 Litres per 100km) than the Vienta (about 9.5 to 10 Litres per 100kms) but the Cressida's rear wheel drive permits safer easier towing.

Faults:

The control for the power mirrors broke about a month after I had the car, at approximately 204,500 kilometers.

The power aerial motor was dead and buried when I bought the car. The engine housing had leaked and the mechanism was rusted solid. A replacement aerial only cost me $35 Australian.

We replaced the alternator, air conditioner and power steering belts, which made a world of difference. The steering is stronger and the Cressida starts easier. Also, one of the belts was squealing, so that was corrected as well.

Apart from these, there has not been a thing wrong with the old girl. It has not had any body or serious engine problems.

General Comments:

This car was my second car. My first car was a 1990 3-door Daihatsu Charade. It wasn't a bad car, but I outgrew it, literally. I'm 6 foot 3, so the little car was exactly that, little.

I bought the Cressida from a motor auction mob. It's an '84 GLX sedan, perfect condition both inside and out. The paintwork is original, and except from being a bit faded in a couple of places, the paint is perfect. It's all original, with the exterior paint, trim and alloy wheels.

The Cressida is the upmarket luxury GLX, so it's got air conditioning, power steering, electric mirrors, power windows, AM/FM radio/tape deck with four speakers and graphic equalizer, adjustable head rests front and back, quality carpet, passenger armrest and velour seats, all in A1 condition.

The engine is the 5M-E, MX73 model, being a 2.8L, double overhead cam, 6 cylinder beauty. It's smooth through the gears, has plenty of grunt, but it still economical on fuel. I run it on Lead Replacement fuel, but it can run on Unleaded.

It handles beautifully. It's comfortable, safe, reliable and a dream to drive. If and when its days are up, I'd definitely go for another Toyota. It's a real shame that Toyota stopped making Cressidas.

Faults:

Rust was starting to get away on the body, which forced me to sell it (Warrant Of Fitness compliance costs).

Electric aerial motor failed. Replaced entire unit with flexible aerial.

Various interior/boot leaks due to perishing rubber seals (age).

Absolutely no engine problems.

General Comments:

This was my first car, and it was well suited as a first car.

This Cressida was not one of the fancy 2.5 models with all electrics, it was a basic, pedestrian model with manual windows, no air conditioning, and an AM radio (!) - later replaced with a cheap AM/FM cassette deck.

It was well suited as a first car though because despite its age, I had absolutely no problems with it for the first 4 years of ownership. For me, this was the car that proved Toyota's reputation for reliability.

The only complaints I have relate to the car's performance - for a 2 litre engine, it was quite gutless and went around corners like a brick. This was a contributing factor of my one and only traffic ticket (failure to keep left!).

But this car was spacious, reliable, and didn't start costing me money until 1998-99 when I sold it and bought a Corona EXIV (also reviewed on this site). But even now I still see it being driven around town from time to time.