Faults:

The washer fluid container leaks and won't hold fluid.

Shifts really hard into 2nd.

Brakes and tires need replaced a lot, but I think it's because I drive it hard.

General Comments:

Fun little car.

I plan on adding all the performance parts I can find.

Toyota, and Japan overall, build a fantastic car.

Light as a feather for great acceleration.

Suspension has held together even after all the crap I've put it through.

Very reliable!

Faults:

Unfortunately because Toyota had to cut a few corners on this car to get it into the range of affordability they were looking for, there are a few minor drawbacks to the tercel. Looking past its noisy interior, cheap vinyl seat covering, a bad antenna/radio signal, the tercel is an awesome car. For me the only problems I've encountered are; one, bad rear-view rattling when my sub hits, and two, a "puffing" coming from the manifold (hmmm I wonder what that could be). Unfortunately, the only header to be seen being sold online for this car runs 500 dollars!

General Comments:

This car is cool because it's made by Toyota, therefore very easily modded and quite inexpensive, also I feel safe with driver and passenger airbags. Performace off the line is blah as you'd expect from this 93hp fuel-sipper. Still because it's a toyota there are a few really cheap performance mods for it including;

1. A cheap strut bar for this car can be bought for 20-30 dollars.

2. A cheap aftermarket high-performance intake for this car can be found everywhere online for less than 50 dollars.

3. Cheap blue-tined headlights and backup lights can be found for less than 20 dollars each.

4. If you have the cash you can even buy a NOS kit for this car for a little over 500 dollars.

5. In the back there are two holes in the metal underneath the carpeting near the brake lights, they did this so if you want you can drill or easily Dremel out two 6.5 inch holes in the carpeting and install 6.5 inch speakers. (they didn't install them for you to save money, but were cool and made it way easier to upgrade :)

Faults:

The front suspension has never really been good. The right front strut will definitely require replacement. This particular model has also gone through a few water pumps (two since I've owned it), and the system is now leaking, again. Hopefully, it won't be the water pump. The previous owner foolishly put green coolant in this system. The green coolant tends to ruin the water pump seals. The car also tends to have a lot of engine/wind noise.

General Comments:

Overall, this vehicle has been extremely reliable. It still gets 37.5 miles to the gallon. Self maintenance can be a bit tricky. The oil filter is a tad difficult to get to with a wrench.

Faults:

Brakes and rotors replaced at 47,000 miles for about $350.

Side trim peeled away from car and had to be re-glued at 10,000 miles and again at 40,000 miles.

Vinyl seats cracked and peeled after about 5 years of ownership.

General Comments:

For an econo-box, this is an excellent car. It is very reliable and extremely cheap to operate. Performance was slightly better in the manual than with automatic, but overall the car is sluggish (what do you expect from a 1.5L fuel miser). Handling is poor on such thin tires and road noise is rather high. For short commutes this car was fine. Long trips were very fatiguing.

Faults:

The brakes & rotors were replaced at 60,000 miles. Cost was $350 installed.

The right-side bearings need replaced now at 104,000 miles. Estimated cost = $400 installed.

General Comments:

This car is very reliable.

The transmission and engine are still running smooth.

The A/C and heater are still working great.

While the gas mileage is good (30+ MPG), the Tercel is uncomfortable for road trips.

The car's body has very minimal rust on it. The factory paint job is still looking good.

Faults:

None at all this is a very good car.

General Comments:

This car is fast

This car has been running great since the day I got.

The only problem is that I have to buy a tach part so my tach can work on it.

Faults:

The seats are ripped and the dashboard is scuffed up, but that's because the previous owner hauled transmissions in it.

Other than that, it's perfect.

General Comments:

It's a base model 4 speed. Do not be fooled! This car hauls ass. It's quicker than the speeds.

It's also extremely economical, I get 42 MPG on the freeway, and still manage 32 when I'm driving it hard.

However its handling is lacking that Corvette feel. But what do you expect, it's a Tercel?!

Altogether the car is a great deal, and a perfect mix between budget performance and economy.

Faults:

The upholstery isn't holding up too well.

Other than regular maintenance, I've had to replace belts and a battery since I've owned the car.

General Comments:

This car has very good gas mileage and decent acceleration for the engine size.

It's a little small inside for a 6'2" person.