1986 Toyota SR5 4WD Wagon - $1600 (Denver)

[rer233]

My guess is if you took it to a Toyota dealer, the tech that "checked it out" has probably never seen one. The car's probably older than he/she is.

[Petros]

you guys are a bunch of whimps! I have bought Tercels in another state for $100, and than drove them on a 4,000 mile road trip, more than once (4 or 5 times if not more).

Sometimes I have been replacing parts along the way (many stops at Autozone stores across America!), and even bought tires, replaced head gaskets (three different times), replaced cv axles, struts, ball joints, etc. along the way. With the right small selection of tools, there is not a lot you can not fix if you can find a safe place to pull it apart (friend or relative's place, perhaps at an "airbed" or "couch surfing" stop). I have even rebuilt a head in a cheap motel's parking lot.

If the trans and clutch is good (top of the gearbox oil of course before you hit the road), and the head gasket is good, everything else can wait until you get home (even bad brakes). I even drove 1000 miles with a bad battery (dead cell so it would not hold a charge), I just made sure I always parked so I could roll start it. Though it would have been easy enough to stop at an Autozone, Walmart or Costco to pick up a new one.

I love road trips like this, all adventure. You never know how far you will get before you have to stop for repairs. kind of like an endurance race, at legal speeds of course. It is your resourcefulness and positive attitude that makes it fun. Most of the repairs are things I would have to do when I got home anyway, so getting a new radiator, thermostat and hoses is not so costly when you fix it yourself. If you are not spilling oil most of the auto parts stores will allow you to fix the car in their parking lot, particularly tune up parts like spark plugs and wires, air filters, etc they are always happy to sell you the parts of course. Autozone even has tools to lend you for free if you did not have what you need.

You will find much better deals and have a larger selection if you expand your search to all adjoining states within the driving distance you choose. Bring a tool bag and any parts you know you might need (if you are buying a fixer, all that I bought were, and were really cheap because of it), coveralls and a sleeping bag and air mattress to sleep in the back (if you do not want to spring for the cost of a cheap motel). 650 miles is an easy day, only about 2 tanks of fuel, a good shake down run. sometimes repairs may take longer than you plan, so having a sleeping bag is a good back up plan. Buying a fixer gives you a large price advantage, the big risk of course is you do not get to test drive it before you buy it. Every fixer I bought had other things I had to repair than what the seller stated, so I expect that, but so far I have brought every car home, cleaned them up, fixed any remaining issue, and sold them ahead of my costs (not a profitable business, but a fun way to get a "free" road trip, meet other forum members along the way).

In every case so far the seller was willing to let me stay in a spare bedroom, or outbuilding while I did the repairs. It has been lots of fun, you just have to leave extra time to do the necessary repairs to keep it on the road.

You are going to end up owning a Tercel sooner or later, make it a road trip vacation, learning to fix it along the way, and end up with the TErcel4wd of your dreams. If you buy right, even if it needs repairs, you will do well. I have even made the a stop to replace old tires along the way, the chain tire stores are great, you get a nationwide warranty, and you can drive home on new tires. I usually get the alignment done while I am at it. they will also check out the suspension and brakes while they are at it, unless it is unsafe, those items can usually wait until you get home. But the tires store is hoping to sell you something else, so they will look it over really good (do not let them scare you however, usually they will say the brakes should be replaced, but you still have 40k miles on them).

Bad ball joints, cv axles, struts, wheel bearings, leaky seals, u-joints, even thin tires, will usually make the trip home, and you can deal with it later. Or just shop the parts stores along your route and pick them up as you drive through and install them right there. I once was driving through Texas (on my way back to Seattle) and realized I needed a head gasket, an Autozone in El Paso had one in stock, I put it on hold, picked it up and payed for it as I drove through, and than replaced it at my sister's place in Tucson, and was on my way home.

YOu just need to leave enough days in case the worst happens and you can not drive it and need to wait for parts to arrive. Though in most major cities you can get what you need, if you are stuck in a small town without wheels, the local autoparts store can get it, but may take a day or two.

I not only carry a small kit of tools, but also bring with me spares that could leave me stranded: a complete distributor (includes coil and ignition system), an alternator (though you can drive a long way on the battery), a fuel pump (these rarely fail), cam timing belt and front seal (cheap to buy on-line) and a few other items. most things like spark plugs, hoses, belts, etc you can buy along the way. Most other items can wait until you get home, you can even drive with bad brakes if you are careful (though I would not recommend it in hill country).

Elsewhere in the forum I describe my travel tool kit, all can fit in a small tool bag. If I know I will be doing specific repairs like a head gasket or replacing a clutch, there are a few others I would bring to make the job easier. Though changing a clutch is a big job to do in a camp ground, I would rather replace a head gasket, or do a brake job, or just about any other emergency repair, rather than replace a clutch by myself away from my shop.

Go ahead and do it! have a good time, do now worry about it, there is nothing that can not be fixed with hand tools in a day or two at most. The only thing is a blown trans would leave you stranded unless you had a spare in the back. that is why a good trans is important thing to check when you buy it. Change and fill the gear oil before you drive it, should make it just fine.

[dlb]

those are just petros' brief thoughts on the topic. i'm sure he can give you the full version whenever you have a few hrs of free time.

bear in mind that petros has some sort of affinity for replacing head gaskets and whatnot on the side of the road. for those who are less enthusiastic about such trials, long road trips in new-to-you cars that do not go as hoped are a little less fun and exciting, and a little more frustrating and depressing.

[Petros]

you are just a defeatist before you even start! I never plan on doing a head gasket, but I have also learned if it is going out, best find a good place to replace it while it is still running, rather than get stuck in the middle of nowhere with a completely blown out head gasket. That is depressing, when you have no options, no cell signal, and not much within walking distance.

Take it all as an adventure. Sure it helps to have done that kind of repair before, but if you get stuck, there is nothing else to do but try and fix it. At worst, with a car I only paid a few hundred for, I can sell it to a wrecking yard and fly home. But I have not had to do that yet (I do not give up that easy). Presistance I think is more what is needed, it would be easy to get depressed if you feel you have no options.

Several times traveling on such trips with my wife, she tends to get defeatest when things go wrong and wants to give to someone else. On one tercel I bought from another forum member in Texas, I kept replacing parts all the way home, including a new set of tires (the car had been sitting in his garage for a few years needing repairs, I had to help him get it running before we took off). He was supposed to have it ready, needless to say my wife was not pleased. She only came because we were stopping to visit our daughter along the way, we also stopped to see realatives, both of our parents and a long time mutual friend we had not seen in years in Flagstaff. I think we still had a good time, but got home a day or two later than planned. Not that big a deal, got home safe and sound. After each stop for repairs I would quip "a few more stops like this one, and we will have all new parts installed!" She was not amused. some women just to do not understand the spirit of adventure.

Though she did accompany me on 3 or 4 other "recovery" trips after that, to bring back several more Tercels, a Honda CRV, and a Honda civic for our daughter. she likes the road trips and traveling enough to deal with uncertainty (she plans trips in too much detail anyway, it forces her to be more "flexible" when traveling) Though bringing women along always adds expense (she insist on staying at a hotel, as if sleeping in the back of the car at a rest stop or Walmart parking lot is not good enough), but my wife can be a thrifty traveler if we plan ahead, she just is not keen on doing a sponge bath at a rest stop.

It is all in the perspective, some time I may have to abandon a car, but I have not had to yet. Road trips are lots of fun, particularly the unknown. Often we meet nice people along the way that are willing to help out, give us a place to work on the car or a place to sleep. Not always, but you would be surprised how many people are out there willing to help out a traveler. It adds to the traveling experiance, and you make new friends along the way.

Many of these adventures are in the forum archives, there are a few I still have to finish too.

[ARCHINSTL]

A-HA!
I knew I was setting up Petros, and he did not disappoint!
However - it took him three (3) hours to react, so - he must be aging...
Tom M.

[Gottolovem]

I to like the "adventure" of it like Peter.
I does take the confidence/abilities to repair a car on the fly or your just going to be nervous and not enjoy the adventure.

[Petros]

three hours?!?! I have to keep on top of that one lest anyone think I am slowing down...

[Petros]

I suppose I should add that I have been driving various Tercel4wds for some decades now, have felt, heard or diagnosed just about every type of worn part or failure. So when I drive them I can pretty much feel what is going on mechanically anywhere on the car. Though that can even catch me off guard sometimes, like when I recently quite literally drove the rear wheel off my daily driver when the bearing seized and let go of the rear axles. But what I am saying is being very familiar with how these cars should feel on the road, it makes it that much easier to know if I have a problem I need to stop and fix, or can wait until I get home.

There are many repair shops that will give the car a once over "buyer's inspection" for $100 to $180, if they do their job well they can give you a run down of what it will need, and you can decided than if you need to fix it or can wait until you get home. Most worn parts can wait, but there are a few serious safety related issues that can be done on the fly.

And of course anything that might fail and leave you stranded should be replaced before you hit the road. The problem with that is many items, like say a fuel pump or a timing belt, will either be working fine one moment, and than just fail six hours later. There is no test to tell you how much longer you got on it, and age is not always tell you that either. That is BTW, why I carry a fuel pump and timing belt, both can be changed on the road, and rarely cause any other damage when they go out.

[Mattel]

I've bought interstate a few times as well but not fixer uppers. I have bought top price cars and driven them back interstate but also wrecks for parts and had the cars shipped. Petros has good advice. I guess I also interview the previous owners to find out what kind of people they are (stalk them online as well!) which usually tells you a bit about the car. and ask to get the name of their garage they use. Talk to the mechanic they use there and decide whether to pay them or look at finding a decent local mechanic of your choice and get them to look over the car. much easier with the internet. If the owner is serious they shouldn't have any issues with taking it to a local mechanic. and then do the road trip. can you get motoring organisation cover in the USA? not sure if it expensive or not.

[Jonymoto]

JaredHeath, I'm sure others will agree with me, if you end up buying a Tercel that's been sitting for a long time, the fuel tank most likely will be rusty inside if it has been stored with anything but a full tank. Even in our relatively rust free environment in Melbourne, this happens. A rusty tank will quickly block up the fuel filter. So you'll need to bring a few filters with you so that you don't get stranded going home. Brakes could be frozen etc, but you'll know that before you leave. But with a rusty tank, you may be able to drive for miles before the filter gets clogged. The previous owner may not even know he had a rusty tank. Whenever I go on holiday and I'm not going to use my cars for a few weeks/months, I always make sure I store them with full tanks. This may be obvious to lots of you as some of you seem to store your Tercels over winter (according to your threads).

[marlinh]

I have recovered many Tercels that have been parked for years, and though I don't disagree with you Jonymoto, I have yet to encounter one with a rusty tank.

[irowiki]

Rusty tank, no, but my 83 had some sort of crystalline crap in there that plugged a fuel filter every few week, took six fuel filters before it stopped doing it.

[Petros]

ditto the rust in the tanks: all of the ones I recovered, most of which were sitting for years, never had rusty tanks. It may have to do with the humidity, climate and the fuel mix if you get rust or not. the only time I have found rust in the tanks is if it was sitting with the filler cap off, seems to encourage condensation with normal day/night/summer/winter temp and humidity cycling, along with incidentail rain runoff getting into it.

Though carrying an extra fuel filter is cheap and easy enough to do, I have not had to replace one on any road trip yet.

The biggest and most common problems I have found when a car sits for a long time is this:

1) it will always need a new battery, just count on buying one when you get there (or if you are driving there bringing a good one). You will want to clean the battery terminals, almost certainly they will be covered with corrosion.

2) thermostat seems to go bad when the car sits, this risks damaging the head gasket so now I just count on replacing the t-stat before I put it on the road.

3) fuel lines, heater and radiator hoses, vac lines, and similar rubber products, seem to dry out and crack, risking a leak, particularly in a very dry climate. Same goes for tires, though cracking of the outer surface of the tire does not indicate if it will leak or come apart, the cords and inner layers hold the air, the outer layers just protect the inner layers. I have had perfectly good looking tires come apart because the inner cords were decomposing due to age.

3) brake seals, the parts can develop rust, and when you start using them again they will work okay at first, but the rust grinds them away and they eventually develop leaks and the brakes can completely fail. This does not happen often, usually you can make it home if they are not bad when you start, but it is a risk you need watch out for. Usually calipers hold up well, it is the rear wheel cylinders and the master that can go soft on you on a road trip. Again, usually you can make it home, just keep the master topped up.

4) engine seals and timing belt, these can dry up and become brittle and fall apart. This is not often a problem, but if removing a car from a desert/dry environment it is a possiblity to watch out for, just like the vac and fuel lines, tires and rad hoses.

[Jonymoto]

The reason I mentioned the rusty tank is because I bought my daughter's car (Toyota Echo) on ebay from someone in Sydney. It had been sitting in his garage for 3 years with about a quater tank full of fuel in it as his aging mother couldn't drive it anymore due to ill health. I flew there and drove back in it - about 900kms drive. It broke down after about 80kms on the main freeway to Melbourne. I knew it was fuel related because of the way it stopped. when I took the in-tank filter and pump out I noticed that the tank was rusty inside above where the petrol line was and the freshly filled tank of petrol that I put in was rusty coloured. Luckily I managed to contact the PO on my mobile phone and he brought me a new filter 2-1/2 hours later (it was on a sunday and it isn't easy getting parts in Oz on a Sunday). This got me to the border town of Wodonga in Victoria when the car started spluttering again. I got 2 new filters there, but the one I replaced in Wodonga got me to Melbourne. That one only lasted a couple of days when I got back. In the end I ended up buying a secondhand tank from a wrecked Echo. The car's been great since. The PO had replaced the battery for me, but that too was flat when I picked up the car. Luckily the inbuilt electrical pump didn't fail on me which was my biggest fear throughout the journey and I managed to make it in one day. It was a great adventure, but to be honest, I wouldn't want to do that again. In Australia we only have car part shops in major towns and they are nothing like your Auto parts or Rock autos. They keep things like air, oil, fuel filters, etc, but if you need anything specific like a fuel pump for an echo, you usually have to wait a day and that is if it's a weekday. Unfortunately the car was not covered by a motoring organisation, so I was on my own. In hindsight I should've kept the fuel below the rust line in the tank. That wouldn't have been practical and It didn't occur to me that the tank would be rusty.

[Petros]

I have seen rusty tanks, but at least in north America, they are pretty rare. the ones I have seen were on abandon vehicles that were missing their gas cap.

I wonder what causes some to rust and some not to. our fuel stations are require to have very large filters so there is little moisture delivered with the ethanol blend (which tends to attract moisture). rust may be more common when cars sit that have ethanol blended fuel in the tank since it attracts moisture.