Faults:

The clutch went out recently, was replaced for cost of $168. I did it myself in 7 hours.

IAC valve sometimes gets dirty and must be cleaned to make the car idle properly when starting it cold.

CV axles have been clicking for the past 2 years, I am just going to buy new ones today as it is more annoying to hear than anything. I suspect they will give out at the worst possible time too.

Engine leaks a bit of oil and smokes blue on start up. This engine has 312,000 kms on it now, I'm going to start by adding stop smoke / stop leak to the engine oil, if it doesn't slow it down then it's a job for another day, not very serious, still starts every morning, just gets some extra lubrication to the pistons.

General Comments:

Cheap transportation that gets you where you need to go.

Tires are cheap because they are only 13"s.

4 brand new snow tires just purchased for under $300.

Car handles good, even when it is breaking down, it still goes for months, slipping clutch lasted about 2 years, just had to drive easier on the gas. New clutch is like learning to drive the car over again, it grabs quick and hard.

Good pep for a little gas miser. I use approx $15-$20 a month in gas and I drive it everywhere I need to. To work each day, shopping, giving friends lifts, visiting friends and family, etc.

Faults:

Radiator needs to be replaced.

Valve seals are gone, so it's burning a bit of oil.

Driver's side carpet is torn.

Had to replace battery (typical).

General Comments:

I bought this as my first car in October, and I am currently doing repairs to get it back on the road.

I haven't driven it a whole lot, but I am impressed with how well it handles. It's very fun to drive!

For being 16 years old, the car is in amazing shape overall. The body is still 99% rust free, and the paint is not dull at all.

The car had 265K on it when I bought it, and I am quite surprised at how well it is still running. Even during the freezing cold Canadian winter, she started up every time, first try.

To think, I only paid $500.00 for it and I am getting the repairs done for free. I think I've done pretty good for a first car.

Faults:

Had to replace the timing cover as it was leaking oil.

General Comments:

Most reliable car I have ever owned. I bought her well used just because I needed something to drive after my Ford blew up. She was gutless, but got me around. Then winter hit and I really began to understand how well Toyota's are put together. I live in the mountains of Montana so I know what reliable is. Even on the coldest mornings when the thermometer read 20 below, and the snow was deep and the wind was blowing, I'd turn the key and the engine would immediately fire after only one or two turnovers.

I've only replaced the one timing seal (and of course the belt because it was saturated with oil) and haven't had to replace anything else. I beat the hell out of this car - taking it down a 40 foot embankment and hitting six trees (with remarkably no mechanical damage and very minuscule cosmetic damage) - getting T-boned by a huge Ford Explorer (again, little damage after the fender was popped out) - running over a rabbit and spinning the car around.

I have no problem taking this car on long trips as it gets 40 miles to the gallon on the highway and never quits!

When I had the oil leak I took it on a trip to Washington and forgot to replace the oil when I returned home. I ran it without oil for three days and nothing went wrong. She started to sound different and then it occurred to me that I needed to check the oil. When I checked the dipstick, to my surprise, I had absolutely no oil in the pan, and she kept on kicking.

I would highly recommend this car to anyone who isn't concerned about driving the smallest thing on the road -it's function over luxury, and the Tercel WILL get you where ever it is you are going.