Faults:

Needed a new water pump around 70K. It leaked coolant for a while and began to overheat (no engine warning light, oddly enough), but there was no head gasket damage.

Since then, I've had the brakes replaced a few times (I'm hard on them) and kept up with regular maintenance.

The car is on its way out now - a piston is broken and it's burning a lot of oil (possibly due to the impact from an accident 6 months ago), but it's still running amazingly well on my daily commutes to work (50 miles round trip) until I find a replacement.

General Comments:

The Tercel makes a terrific first car. It handles well, and it's small enough to make even parallel parking easier for novices. It's also good for heavy-traffic driving, with its ability to squeeze into small spaces.

It's *very* reliable - even when you're less than an ideal owner.

Mine was hit in the rear right side before I owned it, and since I've owned it's been rear-ended (mildly, no damage) and I rear-ended someone. While I think the last accident may have caused some more serious damage than I originally thought, it has held up really well through all my new-driver mishaps.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this car.

Doing routine maintenance keeps it in good shape.

General Comments:

The car is fun to drive, even though it's small compared to the other vehicles on the road.

After a few improvements (intake, exhaust, wires, shocks, springs, tires, sound system) it's a really nice car. One to keep for a good long time.

Faults:

The speedometer cable started rattling at around 80k miles. It cost me $60 to have it lubricated.

The catalytic converter had to be replaced at around 95k miles ($350).

I've changed the oil every 3k miles and had the timing belt changed at 110k miles. No major problems.

General Comments:

Great car for the money. I'd consider buying another if they still made them!!!

Faults:

The original timing belt broke at 115000 miles.

The repair and tune up was about $350.

It is now starting to go through a quart of oil every 1000 miles.

The driver's side seat belt is fraying from continued rubbing on the center housing hole.

Nothing else has gone wrong with the car.

General Comments:

This car is very reliable. I have never had any problems other than the broken belt (not unexpected).

The gas mileage is excellent.

Toyota really lived up to its reputation of reliability with this car. I got the scheduled tune-ups and oil changes as the manual states, other than that I have had to do nothing. The engine is now consuming oil but I think I might be able to squeeze another 50,000 miles out of it.

Faults:

Replaced front exhaust pipe, O2 sensor, and distributor cap. This was part of normal wear/tear for a car with 90,000 miles on it. High beam lights will come on sometimes while making turns.

General Comments:

Good overall car despite the fact that it was made to be an econo-box. No major problems/expenses other than normal maintenance. Tercels are very durable and will last a long time. One could easily get 150,000 miles or more by taking reasonable care. Truly one of the best cars dollar for dollar.