25th Jan 2011, 21:18

Wow!! A Tercel with 25,000 miles. Is it a stick or automatic? If you can please email me a pic of the car. Thx :) marlo3092@live.com

5th Feb 2011, 12:05

It cost me twenty dollars to get a key made from the passenger side door cylinder lock. The key fit the ignition. I oiled down the cylinders, let it sit a few days, and turned the engine over slowly. I changed the fuel filter, air filter, and oil filter. The automatic transmission fluid is clean and so is the engine oil. I have been unable to get fuel from the tank to the engine, and will pull the tank this week when I am off work. My biggest concern is that the automatic transmission will not operate properly.

I will keep posting my progress.

23rd Jul 2012, 12:36

The Tercel just seems to stay on the back burner. I pulled the tank and bought a new one. I have not taken the time to install the tank. For now it is sitting on jack stands in the garage, patiently waiting.

28th Aug 2012, 12:47

I have finally gotten a new gas tank installed; fifty eight dollars with free shipping was quite a deal for a new tank. A factory sending unit seems almost impossible to find.

Today I installed new spark plugs, put in a fresh battery, and a couple gallons of gasoline. I had to crank it for about fifteen seconds, and the engine came to life. It began by running very roughly, and began to smooth out after a couple of minutes. It is hard to believe that after twenty years of sitting, it actually started.

The engine will need some tuning and possibly work on the fuel system to get it running correctly. A new timing belt with be a top priority. I kind of held my breath in anticipation as I shifted the car into reverse, worried that the automatic transmission wouldn't respond. I was relieved that reverse works and so does the forward gear. Without a valid tag or insurance, I can't roll it down the road to see if it will shift, and I can only hope.

I backed it out of the garage and washed a couple of years of dust from the pale yellow exterior. The factory wheels are very rusty and the tires are ready to split from dry rot; they will need to be replaced. It was quite a treat as I sat in the Tercel with the engine idling, and tunes from the factory AM radio emanating from the speakers. It is odd that of the two radio stations that I could pick up clearly, one was straight eighties music.

One day this car will roll down the road again.

20th Mar 2017, 20:42

Tune up done, A/C fixed, dent on roof from small limb fixed, and a new headliner. It is the craziest thing seeing this car roll down the road. It looks like a rolling time capsule from 1985. It can draw a crowd at a gas station because it looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor. It is fun to drive, kind of like a go-kart. It's smooth down the road and sips fuel along the way. It will need a new carburetor at some point to even out the idle.

10th Apr 2019, 21:41

This Tercel just sits and is not used often; I guess it will always be a low mile machine. It still looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor and can garner many comments at a car show. Really considered selling it or just emptying the fuel and letting it sit in a garage for another twenty years.

11th Apr 2019, 20:54

The most likely comment an '85 Tercel would garner at a car show is: "What is that doing here?"

16th Apr 2019, 09:13

I sent last weekend with one of my car clubs to visit a guy that owns 180 cars. Over half are tagged and insured! In his collection I saw 4 Pacers. Point being is you are apt to see anything at car shows today. Makes you scratch your head. You might call it special interest vehicles with quirky appeal. Seeing some cars over 25 years old get into shows. They still seem often out of place. Never really popular and considered basic transportation. And they could be parked next to highly collectible classics mixed in. I have been to shows where a modern car owner parks a new car very early and cannot be found. The entire day you are in a show with antique cars surrounding it. Totally out of place. This can happen at shopping centers on car show day.