Things to watch out for: 83 Tercel

[ancorder]

Hello, all. Newbie here, maybe in for the long haul, maybe not. My wife and I are looking for a relatively solid, utilitarian car, and came across a 1983 Tercel 4WD wagon on Craigslist. We're going to check it out soon, and I'm wondering if there's anything specific I should be wary of. Supposedly it is clean, body is straight, a spot of rust in a small ding on the hatch but no real rust underneath, 4WD supposedly works good, been tuned up recently, etc.

I'm not especially familiar with these cars, though I own a 77 Celica and am quite fond of the Toyota marque. I'm capable of doing my own maintenance but am not a mechanic by any means. So I'm just wondering if there are particular headaches in this year & model that I should know to check beforehand. If we do end up with the wagon, I may eventually pursue an A/C install, but that's a ways off yet.

Thanks, all!

[Petros]

welcome to the list!

These are relatively solid cars, very reliable and long lived if cared for. However at this age almost anything could go wrong with it, as any car this old. Fortunately parts are relatively inexpensive and plentiful because almost all the parts were common with other models.

The most important issues as far as deal breakers go is the transmission, it is unique to this car and they have not made any since 1987. They are durable, but all of them about the same age, if not cared for (gear oil changes) they can give up in 200k miles or less. Though I have know owners that have put 500k miles on their trans without issues. So listen for gear noises, slow or sticky shifting, gear clashes, popping out of gear (accelerate and decelerate in each gear), and try the 4wd (should shift in and out when driving strait ahead, if all 4 tires are not the same size it will get stuck in 4wd). Do a clutch test, put parking brake on hard, stand on brake with your heel, press on gas with your toe, put clutch in and put in first gear and let out the clutch slow. It should stall the engine. If it stays running, just bogs down, than it needs a new clutch (do not do this test very often!). A new clutch costs about $150, but it is a big job and will cost you over $300 to have replaced.

Most engine problems can be fixed short of a total overhaul (and many on this list have do that too), you might do a compression test if you have access to a tester (Autozone rents them). Carbs can be rebuilt, as most of the vacuum lines and emissions system. Struts and CV axles can be costly to have replaced, not too bad if you can replace them yourself (with help from this forum). Rock the car from the front bumper to check struts. Accelerate hard in turns to test for CV wear (you will get klunking on the side that wears). As check the rubber boots on the CV joints for tears, once broken dirt get in and it should be replaced (unless caught early).

Check for signs it was overheated (rusty coolant stains in the engine compartment), if was overheated good chance it needs a head gasket replacement. It might run normal (and even have good compression) and still have a leaky head gasket. Replacing it is a big job, but not as bad as other cars, and the head gasket is cheap.

Bad front or rear wheel bearings will usually make grinding noises, but not always. If you live in a area prone to rust, check the rear suspension mounts, and unibody frame.

When you buy a car this old expect to replace lots of hoses, seals, gaskets and other minor parts, or you risk costly repairs later. It just comes with any old car, I have seen many old Tercels with the original factory heater hoses, spark plug wires, and radiator hoses. These will fail sooner or later, and the cost of replacement can add up if you can not do the repairs yourself.

Also, look for worn rubber bushings in the suspension, and tire rod ends, and ball joints, as well as slop in the u-joint on the steering column. None are too bad to replace, but it can be a negotiating point. One way to find this is listen for clunks or bumps when driving it, steering side to side, over bumps, accelerate/deceleration, etc. as well as a detailed inspection under the car. Most common problem is the large rubber doughnuts at the end of the front sway bar where it joins the lower arm.

Good luck.

Where do you live and how much is the Tercel you are looking at?

[ancorder]

Hi, and thanks for the information. I'm in Washington, and the car is offered at $1100. The guy called me back and said I could look at it today, much sooner than I expected, so I went over and checked it out after work and before seeing your notes. It looked to be in relatively good shape for its age. Everything worked, there's one dent below the tailight on the passenger side. A few rust bubbles around the car but nothing really significant. A touch of rust underneath on the driver front, but I can't tell how significant it is. Rest of underneath doesn't look bad.

The car has about 210k miles on it. It shifted well, suspension seems to be in good shape, tires are pretty new. Runs smooth and quiet. Doesn't accelerate hard, but I don't expect it to. However, we do take several trips a year into Montana, and the passes are rather steep in spots. I'm a little concerned that the car will struggle to maintain speed. Can anyone testify to the 3A's abilities to traverse mountain passes? (Surely someone can.)

We're thinking hard about it. It's not a pretty car but it's solid and has tons of room. Seats weren't very comfortable, though. What's a good replacement option, or is it easier to just re-stuff and reupholster them?

Thanks so much for the help!

[takza]

My wagon did OK in Wyoming with a good bit of it above 7K feet? But I was running with the ignition advanced. You won't do much more than 35 mph climbing the passes (3rd gear?)...but even on trails and so forth you should stay above 20 mpg. My wagon managed about any hill I took on...at the cost of trashing the trans though....probably don't want to do serious loose rock/gravel hill climbing...puttering around on most forest trails...OK.

[Cayuse]

I'm able to maintain close to freeway speeds (65ish) on both Lookout and 4th of July pass with a box full of skis on top of the car and three people plus ski gear in the car, I have to drop it into 3rd and run it up to about 4000 RPM to do it.

[ancorder]

Thanks for the responses.

Cayuse--that's precisely where I'll be driving (as you obviously know). Is that just with the stock 3A? Any performance upgrades or all stock? The one I'm looking at is not an SR5, if that makes a difference. I haven't yet looked into the differences but will do so shortly. If I get this car I'll be replacing all the hoses/belts/etc and probably rebuild the carb to liven it up a little. But otherwise I don't plan on improvement upgrades.

We won't be doing much off-roading. Well, at least my wife won't. So it's the freeway I'm worried about. But if I can stay above 60 going up the passes I won't feel like too much of a danger to others. And really, we only take long freeway trips two or three times a year, so it's not like I'm going to be climbing mountains on my daily commute. I just don't want to be driving 35 on the freeway and be a danger to myself and others.

[Cayuse]

Mines all stock. Having the box on top does affect the performance a fair amount but I have it to use for skiing and would still rather drive it than one of the big SUV's.

[Petros]

IT will handle passes fine, but the steep ones will be done in 4th gear, not 5th as noted. Best upgrade would be to put SR5 seats in it, or makes some MR2 seats fit (some modificaiton required to the seat mount). If you are cleaver any seat can be made to fit, but some are more work than others to mount. Easy would be to get some quality fabric seat covers.

Not a bad price for the car if it is a good runner. SR5 is mechanically identical, biggest difference is better seats, and insterment cluster with a tachometer. Everything else is just trim differences. IF you can find SR5 seats and instrument cluster in a wrecking yard they are easy swaps, only takes a few minutes.

[ancorder]

Good to know about the seats. I'm clever, but not with cars.

There are a couple of Tercels in the Pull & Save near me, but I don't know if they're SR5s or if the seats are any good. Seat covers won't do because it's not that the seats are ugly, it's that they're not very comfortable. Like not quite wide enough or something. Maybe it's just because they're going on 30 years old.

In what way(s) are the SR5 seats better?

[arbskynxnex]

Every SR5 seat I've seen looks (shape wise) to this http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e79/M ... eck017.jpg

All the Deluxe seats I come across look like this.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jre4sdf16qw/T ... vg_med.png

I think the SR5 seats hold up better over the long haul and IIRC (since I can't find a dlx interior pic) they are more of a bucket seat than a 1/3 of a bench seat. I've always liked the SR5 seats, they are pretty comfortable IMO, but in reality, it comes down to what you like to sit on.

[atoyta]

Also look for rust at the bottom of the rear side window seals and on the inside of the tailgate at the lower edge.
I put the dash instrument cluster and the seats from an sr5 in mine. The seats are more comfortable and have a tilt and lumbar adjustment that the regular seats do not. They are not real comfortable for my Son who is a lot larger than I am.