Currently i own a 1999 rav4 AWD (4speed auto auto trannys bore me)
It is my first car and i am in love with it, except that it is an automatic. I was given to me so i cant complain too much. I have taken the thing on some hairy trails. nothing too serious but the trail did require a 4x4.
Is the Tercel better than the 1st gen rav4? I was thinking about getting another rav and sticking front and rear lsds' and a 3sge engine swap. Or get a 1985 Tercel.
It will be a Daily Driver, will need it for snow, off road and hauling stuff.
I'm not exactly fond of newer cars, they seem to shabby to me. Or mostly anything after 2001 seems shabby.
The only problem Rav4s are easier to find than the tercel wagon. I've only seen one in the area i live and none on craigslist. I heard the Tercels are built like shit brick houses and are pretty hard to kill. I'm considering subaru but not exactly wanting to go that direction.
I've also seen videos of some tercel journeys and it is insane!!! Not so many videos on the rav though, but from experience and open diff awd rav isnt too bad.
the Rav4, which I like too, and the much older Tercel4wd are really different cars. The Tercel is underpowered as they come, use an old design carburated engine, and rather primitive equipment and interior compared to the Rav4 (even the first gen Rav4). It is very reliable, but at the current age of the Tercel4wd, if you can not find one near where you live very often, will need a lot of parts to be replaced and likely routine maintenance items (like brakes, bearing, clutch, ball joints, tie-rod ends, bushing, etc) that often get ignored or deferred on older cars. none of these are that costly as far as parts, and parts are still available and generally cheap (compared to newer car parts) from Rockauto.com and other on-line parts suppliers, but unless you can do the work yourself it would cost you way more than it is worth. the other thing that happens, a $10 seal or hose, can fail and cause a lot of costly damage to the engine, so you have to keep up on minor leaks, and replace old hoses and seals when you have a chance. there are a lot of parts that usually last the life of a car, but these cars can last so long, you may have to replace things that usual never wear out (like ignition switches, heater cores, door locks, etc). The Tercel4wd is still worth owning, but you just have to expect to have more issues to fix than on a newer car. The tercel has excellent visibility, one of the highest fuel economy 4x4 vehicles ever sold in the USA, and is fun to drive, hold a remarkable amount of cargo despite its size. It has also started taking on a kind of cult status vintage econo-box status lately, it is a far more durable and reliable car than many similar ones from the same time.
Family members have owned Rav4s, both the early one, and the later style. they too are reliable, but somewhat lightweight and there is a tendency for the tie rod ends, wheel bearings and ball joints to wear out fast, but it does have a very reliable fuel injected engine, and good visibility. The first gen are kind of odd looking, but that is a matter of taste. They hold their value, like the Tercel, but I do not know if it has taken on any collector value yet. I know the early Rav4s ride rather harsh, almost truck-like, as compared to the later style and Tercel.
Where you live you will have a hard time finding one that is not rusted away, so you would have to travel to the western states or the southwest to find a decent one. Worth the trip, I have done it a number of times, and I like road trips (but I always bring my took kit and spare parts, often having to do repairs along the way, but that is part of the adventure). Also, finding used parts in wrecking yards will be impossible where you live, you will have to get someone this forum to look for you, and pack and ship it to you. there are also many wrecking yards in an on-line network that will pull parts, pack and ship them to you as well, but that would cost even more.
I love the Tercel4wd, I have decided to just treat it as a long term project car, doing mods and improvements as I own it. every year it gets a bit better, bigger more powerful 4ac engine, better brakes, eventually a full custom exhaust system as mine old one rusts away, etc. It has been well worth it, since my ownership costs are far lower than owning a newer car, let alone a new car (which I can not afford anyway).
4wd tercels are awesome but they are old cars now and often require a lot of maintenance, and sometimes larger jobs like new clutches or transmission swaps. if you don't have the skills or interest to do these jobs yourself, you will likely tire of the tercel pretty quickly. it's also getting harder and harder to find shops (especially honest ones) that will work on a rusty carbureted 30-yr old car.
basically, as long as you are mechanically inclined and prepared to invest some time in the car, a tercel might work for you.
I am mechanically inclined to work on it, I heard the tercel engines are pretty simple to work on. Plus I am willing to travel for one haha, The rav4 has served me extremely well, beyond what i expected and offroad aswell. I just need to primarily know which one is better off road in case I have to go on some heavy back roads, or want to drive on the beach. The first gen rav4 is younger, less used and very useful. I'm wondering if the tercel is better.
The '85 and newer Tercel4wd has the lower final drive ring and pinion ratio of 4.1:1 (vs. the '83-84 which has the 3.73:1 final drive ratio), which would be better for off road use. The earlier ratio keeps the engine RPMs lower at highway speeds, and is a bit quieter. Both ratios get about the same fuel economy. The Tercel4wd has a six speed manual trans, that includes an extra low "granny" first gear (only for use in 4wd mode), this would be a better feature than I think on the Rav4. The Tercel4wd also has a true 4x4 system, where the front and rear drive trains are locked together, this offers better traction on loose surfaces, ice and snow. I do not know if this feature is on the RAV4, most newer cars are all-wheel-drive, which does not lock the front and rear drivetrains. This also means you should not drive the Tercel4wd on paved surfaces when in 4wd.
The T4wd is lighter than the Rav4, and gets better fuel economy. Visibility is excellent on the Tercel4wd, but you will sit a little lower in it unless you lift the Tercel.
The stock wheels and tires are much smaller than the RAV4, and therefore the Tercel has less ground clearance. This can be corrected with taller tires and bigger wheels (which is a good idea anyway since the stock steel wheels are noticeably flexible vs. alloys), and lifting the suspension a bit (not advisable to lift it too far because you will damage the cv axles because of the angle on it). The RAV4 has a reliable and more powerful EFI engine, vs. the small 1.5L 62 hp carburated 3ac Tercel engine. You can do a performance rebuild of a 4ac engine to swap into the car and gain some 30 hp or so to get plenty of power, but you will drop your fuel economy a bit. You can also swap in a more modern fuel injected 4age or 4afe to gain both power and increase the fuel economy, but that is a major undertaking that requires a lot of custom parts to have made and install.
The Tercel4wd also comes with rather undersized front brakes, easy to warp coming down long grades such as after driving thru and high pass. Fortunately there are other models of Toyota brakes that can be swapped in at relatively low cost that greatly improves the brakes (I wrote up a thread on this swap).
It is hard to say which is better, they are different types of vehicles, both work well for what they were designed to do, and both can be improved. Their styling is different enough that you should decided if you do not mind the age and appearance of the Tercel (the same can be said of the early Rav4s as well, but they are very different looks).
I think they can be both made to work reasonably well off road for rough unpaved roads, neither I think would be good for rock crawling or deep water bogging and swap wamping. The Tercel would be much easier to work on and likely cost you much less to own in the long run (better fuel economy and lower cost, and fewer, replacement parts).
The 1st ravs had an option for a Center diff lock, I'd rather go for the tercel since it comes with a lock, I like the look of the tercel too, has that funky 80s Toyota vibe going on. I'm going with the tercel, the rav4's gas mileage isn't exactly cheap lol
The Tercel is much lighter too, so with a few extra hp and some good wheels and tires, and a few suspention tweets, the light weight and lower center of gravity make it better for a lot off road conditions, soft surfaces, etc. and it makes a much better car for icy roads. With studded snow tires my Tercel4wd is the most fun I have ever had on icy roads, larger heavier and more powerful 4x4 are difficult to control once they start sliding, the extra weight becomes a disadvantage no matter how much power you have avialalbe (once all the mass starts to slide, it is much more difficult to stop it!).
I think that is why it is that much more fun to drive, light and nimble. the elimination of the center diff helps it stay light, and keeps the drive train simple. that is why the drivetrain gets locked out in 4wd, it is just a spline shaft that a sleeve slides back and forth on by the 4wd/fwd lever. simple, light, reliable, no electronic parts, far less parts to maintain, fail or wear out. Once of the reasons I like the Tercel4wd, minimalist econ-4wd if there ever was one. yet still a decent daily driver on paved roads.
I loved my T4.
Fun, reliable and a blast to drive, if you know how to drive that is.
Easy to work on and parts are CHEAP and the gas mileage is fantastic.
Wife has a RAV4 (2nd gen). (4cyl, 5spd)
It sucks the life out of me every time I get behind the wheel of it.
ABS, traction control, side impact air bags and tire pressure monitoring systems.
While I rarely drive it, I took it out last year and tried to hang the tail out, coming around a corner.
Traction control stopped the slide and headed me straight for the curb, when I slammed on the brakes the ABS fired and I almost slid into the far curb.
It is NOT a drivers car, but for those that have no clue, its probably just fine.
It has been "reliable", though the repairs it HAS needed have been crazy expensive.
It gets lousy gas mileage (avr ~ 11L/100Km) and the drivers seating position isn't comfortable.
The seat base isn't long enough to properly support you legs, due to the side airbags, the door panels are
designed so as to not be comfortable to rest your arm upon, saves having a broken arm during deployment but makes day to day driving less than comfortable, centre arm rest is too low to be of use and I find I just cannot get comfortable behind the wheel.
Tire pressure monitoring gives lots of false warnings.
Ground clearance is 6.5in so only an inch more than a turtle, while it is bigger, it cannot swallow as much volume or haul as much weight.
I would NOT consider it an off-road vehicle though it is likely fine for driving down the gravel road to your cottage, as long as the puddles aren't too deep.
YMMV
only traction control cars I have driven were fwd, but I hate the action of the anti-lock brakes. It is as if you have to intentonally drive it "stupid" (slam on the brakes hard) to get it to work properly. takes control away from the driver. when my daughter went through drivers training in high school, I was surprised they are teaching them bad driving habits to compensate for the shitty "safety" systems: slam on the brakes hard, hold the steering wheel with the tips of your fingers so you do not break your arms when the airbag deploys, etc. should be called "anti-safety" devices.
BTW, have you heard of all the airbags being recalled because when they deploy they send metal fragments into the face of the driver and passengers? sounds like a very expensive way to cause extra injuries during an accident. No thanks.
auto trannys bore me) 
