We have lost one of our own.

General discussion about our beloved Tercel 4WD cars
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Mad_Marx
Top Notch Member
Posts: 429
Joined: Fri May 22, 2009 8:52 am
My tercel:: 1986DLX (K.I.A. by a Texting Driver, currently being uses as a parts car) 1986 SR5 AC, Cruise, Sunroof a.k.a. TERC II Electric Boogaloo (restoration in progress). 1984 SR5
Location: Boise, ID

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by Mad_Marx »

Very sad to read this, I've been traveling and am just catching up. Tom will be missed, he was one of the first to trade messages with me here.
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NWMO
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 1615
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by NWMO »

After a great weekend with the Rusty Frog and first long trip (with some off-roading to boot), I’ve found myself wishing I could have shared the experience with Tom. Tom was very well read, had a wonderful vocabulary and a penchant for poems. Though I only visited him once, he made a difference.

Tercels and Time

Functional, fit and capable,
With lines and angles unmistakable,

This little bird won’t fly fast,
But it was designed to work and to last,

Ready for the trail or road,
Simply get in and drive, it will go,

If not for the rust worm and passing years,
These little birds would still be found far and near,

Before cars were being self-driven by design,
This little car was built to drive and I’m thrilled it is mine.
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
terceldude
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 917
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:04 pm
Location: Wellesley, MA 02481 USA

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by terceldude »

Sorry to BUMP an old thread but since I didn't post on it yet, I just had to..

From the looks of the picture, Tom (whichever guy in the pic he was) looks like he was a nice guy. I had some political setbacks with him in how he responded to them but I surely know he was liberal and that satisfied me because he was open to a lot of things, almost anything.

If Tom could listen to me now, I would deeply apologize for our sometimes heated discussions I have had with him and deep down I deeply respected him and his work on this site.

I know he has contributed greatly in discussion threads and possibly even technical information on different ways to repair/modify our T4wds and I think if he has any sons, they will strive to continue his legacy whatever that may be. I will gauge that they shall keep his T4wd as well and that he will do whatever in his power to keep it running for a long period of time.

So long my fellow Librother! Long live your T4wd. May you find peace in Heaven amongst my Dad, Elvis Presley, Prince, David Bowie to mention a few..... :) :) :( :(
K-Business
Matt_M3
Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:26 am
My tercel:: 1986 Toyota Tercel 4WD "Goldie"

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by Matt_M3 »

Forum followers- this is Tom’s nephew posting and I spent last weekend I spent time in ‘Goldie’ and found a treasure trove of pictures of my uncle and receipts from years of modifications and maintenance. Although, I have warehouse space to store her I do not have enough time to drive and enjoy her. I have decided it is time to let her go. I have 70 years of car magazines from Uncle Tom, his 1952 GE fridge and more tools from his basement then you could imagine. I will always have a piece of him with me.

Does this forum have advice on marketing and selling his prized car this summer?

Thanks, Matt
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Petros
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by Petros »

Hi Matt,

welcome to the forum! Happy to have you visit.

there is a for sale section in this forum you can list it in, where only Tercel4wd enthusiasts here will see it. also, there is kind of "sister" Face Book page for Tercel4wds that also lists cars for sale to Tercel4wd enthusiasts on FB, many are members of both forums.

There are many on here that know and remember Tom fondly, and perhaps some that would be very happy to purchase his Tercel4wd, he refereed to it as "Goldie". his many adventures, as well as trials and tribulations, with Goldie are well documented in the archives of this forum, both Tom and Goldie are legends here. he really made this forum and fun a lively place to visit daily to see what adventures were getting posted next. We often get new members looking for a good condition Tercel4wd to purchase, here and on the FB page, so these are good places to list it. For tercels in good condition they can fetch an excellent prices, so do not undervalue it.

glad to "meet" you, and good luck with finding a loving home for "Goldie", I am sure Tom would appreciate it very much.
'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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Mattel
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 1788
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: We have lost one of our own.

Post by Mattel »

Hi Matt,
On to top of what Petros mentioned. Thanks for getting in touch with us and offering it up for sale to the members. We miss Toms presence on this forum and his musings and valuable information are here for all to read.
I was always hoping to get to meet Tom when I get to the USA again. I chatted to him sometimes about bicycles and he had quite a depth of knowledge!. I'm not sure if you found in his Tercel parts some retractable seat belts? These are rear seatbelts from a wrecked Tercel 4wd from Australia that I sent over for him as they were mandatory over here(along with a tube of vegemite) they are very rare in the USA as they weren't fitted to your cars and he told me hadn't fitted them. They could be really useful to someone on here that carries passengers in their Tercel if you were to sell them separately to his car.
All the best. Matt
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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NWMO
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Posts: 1615
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by NWMO »

Matt,

Thank you very much for reaching out here, eleven months passes quickly and my vocabulary has stagnated. Tom was a gifted writer that made reading a joy, even reading simple posts about these quirky cars. There is one fellow I’m trying to help find a Tercel for, but Goldie might be too nice and/or out if his price range. He has owned one before and misses his old Tercel.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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NWMO
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 1615
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by NWMO »

The first anniversary of Tom’s passing has fallen on Memorial day. Thank you first to those that have sacrificed by serving and/or supporting our armed services; particularly to those who never made it home and those who did make it home, but left a piece of themselves on the battlefield. Freedom isn’t free.

With this gift of freedom, I got to meet Tom Maher and I remember him today as well. He loved these cars and was a wonderful friend and member here on the forum. Let’s not waste our gift of freedom on divisiveness, but search out shared interests and make an effort to be friendly one to another.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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NWMO
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 1615
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by NWMO »

Hello friends,

I just wanted to share a “Goldie” update. I emailed Matt last week and Goldie is safely stored inside with his collection? I believe the car is in Georgia and Matt would likely entertain offers (but isn’t advertising, etc.). The sentimental side of me would like to see her sold to one of the longtime members here. Message me if interested.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
Toyotadude
Member
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 2:46 pm
My tercel:: 1987 tercel 4wd
Location: Olive Branch, MS

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by Toyotadude »

Hi
Last edited by Toyotadude on Wed Aug 23, 2023 1:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
If it ain't broke, I can break it !
Toyotadude
Member
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 2:46 pm
My tercel:: 1987 tercel 4wd
Location: Olive Branch, MS

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by Toyotadude »

NWMO wrote: Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:11 pm After a great weekend with the Rusty Frog and first long trip (with some off-roading to boot), I’ve found myself wishing I could have shared the experience with Tom. Tom was very well read, had a wonderful vocabulary and a penchant for poems. Though I only visited him once, he made a difference.
Awesome well written poem

Tercels and Time

Functional, fit and capable,
With lines and angles unmistakable,

This little bird won’t fly fast,
But it was designed to work and to last,

Ready for the trail or road,
Simply get in and drive, it will go,

If not for the rust worm and passing years,
These little birds would still be found far and near,

Before cars were being self-driven by design,
This little car was built to drive and I’m thrilled it is mine.
If it ain't broke, I can break it !
Toyotadude
Member
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 2:46 pm
My tercel:: 1987 tercel 4wd
Location: Olive Branch, MS

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by Toyotadude »

[Hi Molly, id love to hear from you.
Last edited by Toyotadude on Wed Aug 23, 2023 1:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If it ain't broke, I can break it !
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NWMO
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 1615
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by NWMO »

Good Morning Dear Friends,

On this third anniversary of Tom's passing, I have updated the obit link so it points to something again. When you have/take the time, you may consider reading the comments left on Tom's obituary page. A loving soul who kept his high school class of 1958' connected, he changed lives by working with young men who needed a hand at his bicycle shop and he helped (and continues too by preserving this discussion board) countless folks with their Tercels. In memory of my friend, I share a comment from his obituary page that many of us, including me, need to hear.

"Tom was truly a thoughtful and modest person. He didn't stand out as a HS student and never aspired to be President. What made him standout was his friendliness and empathy to others ( even to Republicans like me).Personally ,he felt his induction into CBC Hall Of Fame was a great accomplishment. Well Tom has no Statue built for him. What is better is the legacy and thoughts that Tom created by his bringing our 1958 classmates together first by Monthly luncheons,then mass emails and the blogs which after his passing evolved into CBC'58.org. What greater reward than Tom looking down and seeing the expanding re-connections of his Brothers all over the USA. Love beats a statue any day. Yo Bro. , Ken"

Chris

PS - Matt let me know Goldie does have a new home and now resides in Mississippi. I am hoping to find out who owns her now, touch base and keep and eye on her.

PSS - As fate would have it, I spoke with the new owner earlier this week w/o knowing he was working on "Goldie"! I believe Diarmait (Yaut) is going to get him taken care of with a new/used radiator.
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
User avatar
Mattel
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 1788
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: We have lost one of our own.

Post by Mattel »

Thanks Chris! Its great to know that others were touched by his friendship. I was quite young when I joined the forum in 2004 and Tom was one of the first Americans that I got to know and gave me a different understanding away from the image of the USA often portrayed overseas. Since then I've been lucky to find out a whole lot more about you all and your wonderful country!
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
User avatar
NWMO
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 1615
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: We have lost one of our own.

Post by NWMO »

Tom was special. I would love to visit your country sometime, it looks wonderful.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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