Faults:

Front axles.

Transmission.

Rear suspension trailing arms.

Water pump.

Head gasket.

Clutch.

Radiator.

Carburetor.

Speedometer.

Brakes and brake cables.

General Comments:

This is not a good car for an inexperienced stick shift driver or mechanic in general. The brakes were constantly creeping south, the clutch was sticky, and there was always something going wrong. While Toyotas of this generation have a reputation for quality, unless you want an expensive heartbreaker that does happen to get good gas mileage, don't buy one. I invested over $1000 in repairs into a car which I bought for $800. Once the repairs were finished, I drove it for 4 months before the transmission went out.

Expect no modern conveniences. Manual steering, manual choke, manual transmission. No ABS or airbags. Developed all of 63 horsepower and didn't have the power to get out of its own road - although in a car that small and low, it certainly felt like driving a go-kart sometimes, especially in winter.

Faults:

CV joints broke at about 110,000 but car kept rolling - replaced for free under warranty.

Basic repairs: tires, lights, muffler.

Seats cracked very slightly in front.

General Comments:

This was a fantastic and reliable car. I acquired mine in the mid 80's and drove it until 1990 when it was traded. Mine was a two door Corolla/Tercel hatchback and when I put down the rear seats it made amazing amount of room for hauling my art which was much needed at the time, or other goods.

Ran in snow like a 4x4-great lil trooper when other cars were left stranded by heavy snow. The rear defrost was sweet too. Peppy for it's size. I took great care of mine and it paid me back with constant riliability and a smooth ride. Affordable repairs listed above.

Great gas mileage in both city and rural drives. Nice commuter car and used for more sporting/scenic driving as well.

Paint held up great- no fade or chips. mine was a copper orange color with black trim that did not fall off. Original parts held up great. When I got this car it was apparently not poorly abused as it ran great for me the entire time. looked like new at 32,000 miles and at 117,000 when I traded it. Hated to give it up, but needed a newer vehicle at time to accommodate other purposes. Saw the Tercel later and often when it was owned by a new owner in area town - must have run well as I saw them use it for many years later.

General Comments:

I retired the car after 20 years with 294,000 miles on the odometer and the original clutch intact. There was never an engine or drive train problem, nor was there ever a time it would not start. I did all the necessary maintenance myself. I installed a rebuilt engine and new clutch two years ago. I drive it yet.

Faults:

Brakes! New drums, shoes, cylinders, pads, and rotors. Muffler fell off.

General Comments:

This was an excellent car. I regret having to get rid of it, but it was falling apart (though still perfectly reliable). If I could find another one for sale in decent shape, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

The CV joints were on their way out, they rumbled going around curves. The brakes needed major work. The muffler fell off. I reattached it and it was fine for a while.

This car was slow, but very economical, I got about 40-45mpg, I kid you not! Mine even had air conditioning, and it still worked after 20 years, though you could feel a decrease in performance when it was turned on.

The car also handled very well, this is probably the best handling compact of the entire 1980s! It has NO under steer, and it's front wheel drive!

I sold it to a friend, the muffler fell off again, and it runs a little lumpy, with almost 182,000 miles on the clock now.