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.