Faults:

Piston o-rings (bad servicing).

Carburetor air intake valve kept jamming.

General Comments:

This was my first car, and it ran great when I bought it. I did not service it for over 8 months, and when I finally changed the oil, it was like coke, which meant a loss of power.

2 months after I bought it I crashed it (not my fault though), and it spent over 40 days at the garage, with the engine uncovered, after which the carburetor's intake valve kept jamming, which felt like the car was choking when you tried to accelerate.

Roomy and nice for a bachelor, fast when in good conditions, extremely high mileage. Had to sell it after I left my first wife, wanted to get rid of all the memories.

Faults:

When I got the car, a lot of things were already going wrong.

1. Transmission was slipping.

2. Alternator was dying.

3. Brake lines were rusting out.

4. Fuel lines were rusting out.

5. All four brakes were worn.

6. All four suspension were worn badly.

7. Exhaust system was completely abused.

8. Fuel filler neck was rusted out.

9. Gas tank was rusting out.

10. Control arms had giant holes in them (which were replaced).

General Comments:

Even though this car needed so much attention, I still loved it (it was my first car).

I really wish that I didn't have to let it go, because I would've actually thrown some money into it and created a sleeper.

I had great fuel mileage, and even though all these parts were failing, it STILL held together!

I regret giving my baby to the scrap yard, but I guess all good things come to an end.

Seeing it being strapped up to the tow truck, I felt like it was calling my name, "please, don't let them take me!"

Yes, I know it's just a car, but it was like a child to me.

It took a long time for me to get it on the road, and when I was on the road, I drove it EVERY day.

I made it my duty.

For all of you that own a Tercel, please to God, cherish it.

Toyota made a damn good car...

Faults:

August of 2010, drove it 1300 or so miles from Kansas to So Cal on 90 bucks worth of gas with a broke AC and no cruise.

It's worth the $1200.00 I paid for it earlier this year, but I only bought it because I was living on unemployment insurance and that's about all I could afford. Going to Calif. in a 19 year old Tercel is more fun than looking for a job anyway, so I am OK with it.

CV joints are going bad, but still hanging in there after I added a bag of CV grease. Other than that, nothing has gone wrong with it. Starts up quick and easy. Warms up a lot quicker than my Suburban for obvious reasons, and gets 37 mpg HWY.

So far it's the best fuel mileage in my whole neighborhood. But that does come at a price. A lot of road noise, and it's only a 4 speed, but it is a stick.

No cruise. Tercel didn't come with it. And no tilt steering. It would be better for a city commuter car than for cross country driving, but it made there and back with no problems. So compared to many other car stories on this site, I think the Tercel has done well for me so far.

Can't say I'd buy another one, only because of the lack of comfort. But don't regret buying the one I have either, since it fit my price range.

How many cars can you buy that will make it half way across the country in 2010 on 90 bucks worth of gasoline for $1200.00, and make it up and back with no breakdowns. Not many.

General Comments:

The greatest fuel mileage of every car I've ever owned in my life. And I've paid up to 13 Gs for a set of wheels. The $1200.00 tin can beat them all in MPG, and never broke down on me so far. 37 is what I got, but it will get 40 if driven closer to 50 mph most of the time.