Faults:

Tough question; not many come to mind.

Came without a headliner, but I put in a new one with vinyl from a hobby place.

The horn doesn't sound if you hit it too hard.

Doesn't pass emissions and the carb looks new. Looks like it's just in need of an adjustment.

The rear defroster doesn't work at all.

General Comments:

So cheap to operate. I drove it from Pasadena, CA, to Salt Lake City, UT. Drove a rental Prius to pick it up and it took 1 tank to get me there. The little Tercel took 1 tank and a half, uphill. I did the calculations and it's about 42 MPG on the highway. I get about 28 in the city, probably due to the carb maladjustment. The tires are cheap to get, the insurance is cheap (approx $27 a month for full coverage), and it just does not break down so no mechanic expenses; gets me here and there as reliably as a new car.

The engine is smooth. Not a lot of power, I'll never win a race in this car, and it's not a climber; everyone but the heaviest semis were passing me on the trip from CA. But it still got me here without a hiccup. And if it's not an incline, it will do 85 very comfortably. It will even do 90 (shown on my phone GPS). And it looks cozy. Nice and brown inside, no frills vinyl seats, but it's all there. The dash looks like it was very modern looking at the time, with eccentric indicator lights. No tachometer, oil pressure, amps, nothing. But that does not take from the big smile I get every time I drive the little car. And the smiles it gets when I take it to the gas station, or the mall, or Wal-mart. Takes me right back to 1983 with a true, honest, no frills smile. I love the little car.

Faults:

I recently bought the car and have started doing things to it.

When I bought the car, it was buried in snow over the hood and had not been started in weeks and weeks... we had to jump a battery over to her, after we got the hood up, and I was amazed when she started up...

I have since installed: new battery, front wheel bearings, master cylinder, 2 front tires, all belts and minor stuff. It doesn't leak any oil, nor does it burn any oil. I have driven over the Sierra's to San Francisco and it can run at 60 mph all day long.

What's great about this old Tercel, it has been a California car and not driven on salted roads, so it's 99% rust free. I love the fact it hasn't got a ton of sensors like my Honda; this car reminds me of the old cars I grew up with, the ones you could fix yourself with minimal tools.

General Comments:

Just the bad battery and the master cylinder...

I know a rebuilt steering rack would make the steering more pleasant, but it's not a priority right now, and a new clutch is on my list.

Things are really reasonable and easy to replace... the cost of all I have done is about equal to two new car payments, and this car will be my son's car when he grows up.

Faults:

Only had small, infrequent, easy to fix cheaply problems, never needed a major repair.

General Comments:

This car is the most reliable, inexpensive transportation since the donkey went out of style. I have driven it from the desert heat, to going through blizzards over mountains at night, and it has NEVER stranded me, it always brought me home.