Simple car
Little things such as Back Oxygen Sensor died after 12 years. Engine light is on for 2 years and it is running fine. Gas consumption should of gone up without this sensor, but I haven't noticed it.
Very little and simple car. It is easy and cheap to fix. Little gas consumption.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th November, 2007
The Tercel is a cheap and reliable gasmizer
The car is extremely easy to maintain. The only time it has been in the shop was to change the timing belt (every 60000 miles, about $250) and the oxygen sensor went bad at 118000 miles ($400.-).
I performed all other scheduled maintainance on the vehicle on a regular basis. To date it has never let me down, not once.
The standard 4-speed Tercel I own is just reliable basic transportation. It handles OK, but it certainly is not a muscle car. I get between 37 mpg in the city and 44 mpg on the highway going about 65-70 mph. Mileage drops to around 41 mpg if I go 80-85 mph. Yes, it can actually go that fast! Over the life of the car I averaged around 40 mpg (5.9L/100 km).
Recently it started using some oil which it didn't do in its younger years. There is no oil on the plugs and the performance (or lack there off) has not changed noticeably.
The interior held up pretty well over the years and the seats still look nice after 9 years of daily use.
The handling of the car is good with a tight turning radius and responsive steering.
The 4-speed transmission has huge gaps between the gears which doesn't help acceleration either. The 4th gear is laid out as an overdrive which helps fuel economy, but hurts performance.
In summary I would recommend this car if you are looking for basic, cheap and reliable transportation. If you like comfort and/or performance look elsewhere.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th April, 2005
The most economical car on the road
The check engine light went on at 80 000km. The dealer told me it was a misfire at cylinder 2. They told me it was a bad reading and erased the message form the computer. The light never came back on again. This check-up costs 75$.
Hand brake cable needs adjustment every month. No big deal on an automatic car. On a 5 speed, it's a must!
This car is made to get you from point A to point B as cheap as possible without any problems.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 26th July, 2003
A Fantastic Reliable Little Car!
Brakes: Had been grinding for some time so this was one thing I couldn't put off.
Timing Belt: Changed this at 96K as recommended by Toyota. Apparently this can be very expensive if the belt breaks, and a piston hits a valve!!
(Get it done, and forget about it. Cost me $184 Cdn)
If you are looking for something fast, buy a Ferrari!
This car lives up to the quality one expects from Toyota.
It is superbly built, and drives like it's new.
It will run forever on one tank of gas.
Despite having a reputation for cold starting problems, it has never given me any problems.
I use Pennzoil 10W30 Synthetic oil, and it starts in -30c without a problem.
Buy the recommended Toyota twin grounded plugs, and you can't go wrong.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th March, 2003
It is nearly 5 years since I bought this car, and it runs better now than when I first drove it. Only things replaced are brakes and alternator. Nothing major. I have been tempted to sell it and buy a larger car, but I cannot let it go for what I could currently get for it on the market. It is the most reliable car I have ever owned, and needless to say I am extremely pleased with it!!
Well I was finally tempted and sold it last year. Never used a drop of water or oil the whole time I had it. I thought the rad. was a fake or something since the level never moved a millimeter! Lovely car, but got a little to cramped for me as I got fatter!
A perfect car for a first-time car owner
For the past 10,000 miles, my Tercel has burned about.5 liters of oil every 1000 miles. This could have been caused by a recent rear-end accident though.
Seats stain easily due to the cloth material.
I also didn't like that my back seats do not fold down, I accidentally tore bolts off trying to fold them down.
This Tercel does not have a sports car acceleration. It was not designed to accelerate or go up hills very well.
The car does have great gas mileage though, if you happen to go the speed limit. When you go 70 miles per hour or greater, your gas mileage decreases exponentially.
Unlike many other people who reviewed the car, I found the seats to be comfortable. I'm a college student, and I sometimes like to my left foot on the dash board. It may be a bit tight, but it's comfortable.
I highly recommend this car, as it is more dependent than any other manufacturer out there.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th March, 2003
1st Apr 2006, 22:10
For what it's worth, the website for Gates belts says the engines in Tercels were of the interference type from 87 (I think) to 94. It shows that the engines were free-running (non interference) types from 95 to 97. It seems that mostly high compression Japanese engines (and most diesels) used an interference design. I always thought my 91 Mazda 323 was an interference design, but the website says otherwise. Granted, regular timing belt changes are still a good idea to avoid being stranded. This seems like yet another thing unscrupulous dealers & mechanics are using to drum up business.