WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

This forum is for cars that run, or at least are close to running. This isn't for parting out complete cars.
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nerdsrule
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My tercel:: NEW! '87 t4wd dlx, red. "slow red rocket", "Steve Turkel" in contential as names.
Location: Vermont

WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by nerdsrule »

My wife and I are looking for an SR5 of the 1983 or 84 pursuation. She previously owned one, I never have but we would be really excited to give one a good home.

Around here its tougher to find good cars that dont have concerning rust issues. Rust is our nemesis, but we will be kept clean, not stored outside. We just need a good place to start. We would love a turn-key '83 or '84, but doesnt have to be. We are based in Northern Vermont, but will travel a few hundred miles or more for the right one.

Dont be shy now! Thanks!
-Will and Rosy
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Mattel
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My tercel:: 1988 Corolla 4wd Wagon (AKA Corolla All-trac) 5speed, AC, Power Sunroof, Windows, Mirrors, Steering, Locking, Diff Lock, 14" Corolla SX Alloys with Silica Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, 210,000kms
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by Mattel »

Pacific North West and Colorado seem to preserve our cars the best. California and Southern states seem to make the interior plastics a little crispy. Good cars in the NOrth East tend to come up very rarely. good luck
Previous: 83 Tercel SR5 4wd, 84 Tercel SR5 4wd
88 Corolla 4wd Wagon 5speed, All power options, Fact Sunroof, Diff Lock, 14" SX Alloys, Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, Tow Bar, 210,000kms
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nerdsrule
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My tercel:: NEW! '87 t4wd dlx, red. "slow red rocket", "Steve Turkel" in contential as names.
Location: Vermont

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by nerdsrule »

yea, pretty much the case with all things in the northeast. I hate salt so much. We did a road trip recently and were struck by the amazing old cars kicking around Oregon and Washington. There may be a one way ticket in our future, but we'll ride it out for a while. We have seen a few similar things in the new england area in great shape, but not quite what we have our hearts set on. We're in no rush.
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rer233
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My tercel:: Multiple

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by rer233 »

Why not expand your search to include ALL SR5's (and maybe M/T DLX's?)
if it aint there, there's a good chance it won't break!
83 SR5 Silver/Blue (Snowmobile/work beater)-totaled but drivable
85 SR5 Blue
88 SR5 White (the 'good' one)-not anymore-totaled
87 fwd silver wagon a/t
87 4wd dx Cream (a/t- not anymore- now m/t)
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nerdsrule
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My tercel:: NEW! '87 t4wd dlx, red. "slow red rocket", "Steve Turkel" in contential as names.
Location: Vermont

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by nerdsrule »

Honestly, I will expose myself as vain and juvenile, but the interior detail on the 83s and 84s is supremely weird and "80s". Realizing also that most of these details and parts can swap over easily, but as of yet we haven't seen anything we can buy, so we're holding out. If we come across any nice tercel 4wd shell, we would certainly consider it. What we really need is a good clean shell to coat, probably fluid film one or twice a year.
Laurenation
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My tercel:: 83 4wd

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by Laurenation »

I have an 83 I’d be willing to part with. It has a little rust here and there. It has spent one winter in Ohio. I’m in Columbus, oh.

Currently, it does not run. I think it’s just the starter though. Was running fine until it decided not to start up. Haven’t had the time or money to look at it.
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EBF93A47-6951-4967-BF11-C6E70187F5D7.jpeg
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nerdsrule
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My tercel:: NEW! '87 t4wd dlx, red. "slow red rocket", "Steve Turkel" in contential as names.
Location: Vermont

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by nerdsrule »

Hey thanks for the heads up, I got eaten up by the holidays. This could be a sweet project. Currently eyeing two cars closer to home in southern VT and New york but i'll keep you posted if we start looking further afield.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by Petros »

I have a friend that has an '84 SR-5 with bronze paint, brown interior with picnic blanket seats in great condition as I recall. The body is overall decent, some minor surface rust at a few scratches, but otherwise soild body. It is here in the Puget sound area (not far from where I live).

I helped him retrieve it from Oregon with a blown engine, we went to the wrecking yard and got a good used engine, installed it and we got it running. I drove it around the block after we got it running. all he needed to do was register it, but for some reason he let it sit in his yard for 4-5 years. by now it needs a new battery, but was in good running condition and in decent overall shape.

He lost interest in it (he likes driving his full size truck too much I guess), and told me he would sell it for $1500. he might take less now, but I think after a day of checking it out, fluids, battery, etc, it would likely make the drive back to your home state without issue. IT would be nice to see it get on the road again. I have some pics of it I can post if you are interested.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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nerdsrule
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Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:41 am
My tercel:: NEW! '87 t4wd dlx, red. "slow red rocket", "Steve Turkel" in contential as names.
Location: Vermont

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by nerdsrule »

Hi There,

thanks for the info and reaching out! Pass some photos along if you get a chance. How does the underside look? How about where leaf springs mount to body? Basically we need something not crunchy or with holes in the frame/unibody. Obviously a few concerns about it sitting for a while with rust, fueling, carb, rodents, etc. If the frame is good looking then we could totally be interested. chance you have a battery you can swap in just to see if it turns over? could be really nice to know if/how it runs, and if we would be surprised by wheel bearings or some other random thing. That is a lot to ask, but if it is in good shape we would seriously consider this. Understandable if local buyers are easier.

Feel free to call Will cell 802-999-2855, home 802-253-7272
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by Petros »

here are recent pictures, needs a good cleaning, but you can see it is overall decent. No rust on the underside.
Attachments
523.jpg
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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Petros
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Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by Petros »

more pics
526.jpg
524.jpg
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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nerdsrule
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Posts: 38
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:41 am
My tercel:: NEW! '87 t4wd dlx, red. "slow red rocket", "Steve Turkel" in contential as names.
Location: Vermont

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by nerdsrule »

right on, thank you. chance you can put me in touch with the seller?
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by Petros »

Here are some pictures of the rusty parts. Underside all looks good, decent tired too.
20181128_133513.jpg
20181128_133425.jpg
20181128_133417.jpg
20181128_133358.jpg
The wosrt one is behind the left rear wheel. I have had to repair rust from this spot on other tercels, it must be because it trips moisture there and the exhaust exits right there. It does not affect the structure of the body.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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nerdsrule
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Posts: 38
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:41 am
My tercel:: NEW! '87 t4wd dlx, red. "slow red rocket", "Steve Turkel" in contential as names.
Location: Vermont

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by nerdsrule »

that and right under the left brake light, just from looking at ads, seems like over half have rust there. Definitely some rust, not being able to casually swing by and see it makes me a bit nervous. I appreciate the follow up, but we might let this one sit for the time being. Hope it finds a good home.
Hteverow
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My tercel:: 1986 SR5
Location: Maine

Re: WTB- '83 or '84 Tercel SR5 New England, solid shell, doesnt need to run.

Post by Hteverow »

I have a 1986 SR5 that I drove from Sedona, AZ (where it had spent the past many years in the hands of a paleontologist/archeologist, and had even ferried dinosaur bones around) to Maine, where I live. It has absolutely zero rust and 143,xxx miles at the moment. I had it covered with a rust-proof undercoating in October and have driven it in the snow a couple of times since. I plan on keeping it until this coming summer, when I'd be interested in selling it. It has had a ton of major work done to it recently, a lot of seals replaced, and pretty much everything works (a few minor things, like the rear window washer sprayer, the heat/ac, and the 4WD light on the dashboard do not work, and the driver's seat bottom has a tear in it). If you're interested I can send you some pictures, but it'll be a few months before I sell it. On the plus side, that means you'll get it in better condition, since I'll do more work to it in the meantime. On the minus side, it'll have more miles and it'll have spent a full winter driving in New England.
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