Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

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fxh83
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My tercel:: 1983 4dr wagon

Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by fxh83 »

Just lost the engine (head warped, block seems ok, condition of rings unknown) after radiator blew small hole in top. Car not currently with me, so won't have pictures until it gets towed home. I'm not a "car guy" (you all would probably snicker behind my back -with good reason!) But I do have a fine shop I've taken it to over the years. The body has a lot of oxidation, but almost no rust. Interior is well-used. Just did extensive replacing of front end parts. If anyone is interested, please let me know.
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garyfish
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My tercel:: 1985 Tercel SR5, stock; 1987 T4WD DLX wagon, manual tranny
Location: North Coastal California

Re: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by garyfish »

where are you located... on the coast, or inland?
1985 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon, 300K
1987 Tercel DLX 4WD wagon, 6-speed manual, 274K -- got this one running Jan. 2015 (had been sitting for 2 years); this has been my daily driver since 2016
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by Petros »

do you have a price in mind? pretty rare the head is warped, but it can happen if you keep driving long after it has no coolant in it. Usually it will blow out the head gasket between cylinder #1 And #2.

how many miles? it is the SR5 or Dlx model? 5 speed or auto trans? what else, besides a rebuilt head and head gasket, does it need to make it a reliable daily driver? tires, how old is the clutch?
'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)
fxh83
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Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2020 3:08 pm
My tercel:: 1983 4dr wagon

Re: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by fxh83 »

garyfish wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 8:30 pm where are you located... on the coast, or inland?
I'm located in Grass Valley, about 1 hr northeast of Sacramento, in the Sierra foothills.
(Sorry for my late response. Have been sick and off my feet for a couple weeks. I'm having the car towed to my home tomorrow, where I will wash it and take pictures.)
fxh83
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My tercel:: 1983 4dr wagon

Re: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by fxh83 »

Petros wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:16 pm do you have a price in mind? pretty rare the head is warped, but it can happen if you keep driving long after it has no coolant in it. Usually it will blow out the head gasket between cylinder #1 And #2.

how many miles? it is the SR5 or Dlx model? 5 speed or auto trans? what else, besides a rebuilt head and head gasket, does it need to make it a reliable daily driver? tires, how old is the clutch?
Sorry for my late response. Have been sick and off my feet for a couple weeks. I'm having the car towed to my home tomorrow, where I will wash it and take pictures. Will give more exact info when I have the car here to check but, I'm pretty sure the mileage is about 130K. (Car spent the first 20 yrs of its life being towed by an RV, so only had about 12K of driving miles on it when I bought it.) Has two complete set of mounted tires (rain, and mud/snow), but I can get the actual used mileage on them, also, when the car gets home. Can tell you that less than 200 miles before the engine blew I had just put in a slew of new front end parts! The biggest interior issues with the car are that the driver seat cushion needs rebuilding, or replacing, and the heat/cool control lever does not function (the other control levers still do), so one has to pop the hood and flip the switch when one wants to go from heater to air conditioner (both of which work great.) As for other parts needed to make it run, don't forget the radiator. As for a price, I was hoping to get $2000, OBO.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by Petros »

fxh83 wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 1:39 pm [ Can tell you that less than 200 miles before the engine blew I had just put in a slew of new front end parts! The biggest interior issues with the car are that the driver seat cushion needs rebuilding, or replacing, and the heat/cool control lever does not function (the other control levers still do), so one has to pop the hood and flip the switch when one wants to go from heater to air conditioner (both of which work great.) As for other parts needed to make it run, don't forget the radiator. As for a price, I was hoping to get $2000, OBO.
no problem on the late response, getting well is your first priority. pictures of the exterior and interior would be nice to see, when you get a chance.

that price sounds a bit high even if it was running, rough interior and with non-working heater controls. sounds like the radiator blew (and unfortunate incident with the radiators that have the plastic head tanks, they give up with out warning), running it hot at the very least would damage the head gasket, and could badly warp the head if ran too long after it overheated. usually this will overheat damage the exhaust valves too. Also, though rare, overheating can damage the engine rings (they get broken and than do not seal well), and also rare is an overheated piston that gets damaged. without a tear down it is unknown how much engine works it needs to make it road worthy.

I take it that it was a daily driver before it blew the radiator? or not? because it is unknown what else it will need as far as suspension, brakes, and drivetrain, including the clutch, until it is able to be driven. Non running cars this old seldom get a decent price because of it. It is just the reality of buying a car sight unseen and not test driven. It is unfortunately difficult to get a good price for a non-running car.

I have to go to southern California in December, and I need a daily driver since mine is down for major a overhaul. I was hoping to find one and use it until I can complete the overhaul on my other Tercel4wd, and than sell off my temporary car. I could bring all of the tools and supplies I would guess I need (including a completely rebuilt head and a radiator) and fix the car where it sits, and than drive it on my way to visit family in the Los Angeles area, and than drive it back to the Seattle area. but there is the very real risk of either having to abandon it if something major fails on the trip, or it needing further extensive repairs before I can get it home. That has often happened with cars I pick up on "rescue" trips. not necessarily the seller's fault, but many times people do not always know what else the car will need (I can tell you a lot of stories about that).

If you are willing to accept what is reasonable for a non-running car (with it needing at least one major repair, and an unknown number of of others) I would be happy to give you cash for it, presuming I can do the repairs at your place for a day or two, and I will be on my way. And I will give the car a good once over, and repair anything else it needs, after I return home. and than find a good home for it with a Tercel4wd enthusiast after I have my regular daily driver up and running.
'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)
fxh83
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My tercel:: 1983 4dr wagon

Re: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by fxh83 »

Sorry everyone. I have finally gotten my laptop to accept pictures from my phone. But I haven't figured out how to attach them here, so that you can see them! Very new to this stuff...
One of the pictures I'm trying to send is the odometer - it shows the car has 129116 miles on it. It has been used as a second car for the past four years, meaning it probably drove less than 5000 miles each of those years. (Previously, it was a commute car.)
Because it has two sets of mounted tires it is a little difficult to give you exact mileage on each. Roughly four months each year it had mud/snow tires on it; the other eight it had rain tires. The rain tires were purchased in June 2015, when the car showed 111611 miles on it. The mud/snow were purchased in Nov 2017, when there were 121908 miles on it.
The car was actually driving very nicely, before the blow-out, especially with brand new struts, shocks and bars on the front end! Brakes, exhaust systems, etc were all regularly maintained by a good shop. I have all records since 2005, when I purchased the car.
Can anyone tell me how this image attachment option works, so I can send you pictures?
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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: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by Mattel »

Hi, thanks for posting the car here. To add images. If you reply to this and then go to 'full editor' and then see below at the attachment button you can add files (you may have to reduce size of images) and then check with the preview button below before you submit. The row of buttons on top allow you to link images and sites etc. Cheers.
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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
fxh83
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My tercel:: 1983 4dr wagon

Re: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by fxh83 »

Thanks. Still having problems accessing my own photos.
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Mattel
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Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 12:11 am
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: Non-running 1983 4WD 4Dr Wagon avail in northern CA

Post by Mattel »

have you got them on your desktop folder off your phone / camera? where do you get an issue?


Or you can use a third party hosting like google photos etc and link from there.
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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