New to the Forum. Hope to be an owner soon!

[rocksy]

Howdy folks,

Stumbled across this forum last night as I've recently begun taking my search for a Tercel 4WD more seriously. What an incredibly valuable resource! I've already been reading for hours.

I stumbled upon a Tercel that I would be interested in purchasing last night, but since I am somewhat unfamiliar with the market, I thought it might be good to get the opinion of the experts and see if it's actually a good deal.

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto ... 82043.html

I have my eyes on a few others. One that likely needs new piston rings/complete rebuild for $300, and another in this same price range but in rougher condition aesthetically. The one above is my top choice at the moment.

Please let me know your thoughts or if I've violated any forum rules with this post.

[rocksy]

A little background, I am an avid toyota enthusiast. A tercel 4wd has been my dream car since I was about 12 years old. I currently daily a 2006 Tundra and love it, but have recently began looking at more economical options for daily driving and to keep miles off the tundy. I only recently realized that my dream of owning a tercel is much more attainable than I thought.

[NWMO]

rocksy,

The PNW is the best area to find these cars, so you’re in luck. I’m pretty certain I’ve read about this car and the challenges in Portland either here or on the unrelated FB page. Cudos to the seller for the thurough and honest ad, however, the price seems very high for transmission problems and loads of miles. Some of our Tercel gurus are in the PNW and might have some leads.

Chris

[rocksy]

the price seems very high for transmission problems and loads of miles.

Thanks, Chris. Makes total sense. I had begun to feel this way somewhat while thinking throughout the day. I have no problems with pulling the trans out and doing the clutch replacement, but the other unknown issue could be worrying. I take comfort in the fact that I would have two vehicles for the first time in my life, and could reliably drive my current DD while working on this one. I am looking for somewhat of a project.

What would you propose as a fair purchase price for this example? I ask as I believe it'd be helpful for my own reference for the current state of the market

[NWMO]

rocksy,

I can’t say how I might feel after seeing it in person (looks pretty clean) and you could do a leak-down and/or compression test to better gauge the engine. With the info I have, I wouldn’t likely offer more than $1,200, certainly no more than $1,500.

Chris

[dlb]

I agree with Chris. The car generally looks pretty clean in the pictures but the trans, clutch, and carb issues are substantial. And that is really high miles -- I personally don't care about how many miles are on car because if it's in good shape and runs well, who cares how many miles its driven? Most people do care though, so the price should reflect that. $2500 is too much, IMO.

[rocksy]

Thanks, folks.

Makes total sense. I think I'm going to pick up a different 83 that's a smoking deal but in rougher shape aesthetically and needs a rebuilt motor. If I can get a reasonable price on the one listed above I'd consider just swapping the good trans into that one.

I appreciate the guidance and advice. I'm going to continue to monitor the FS sub here and hunt for the right one!

[SirFoxx]

Thanks, folks.

Makes total sense. I think I'm going to pick up a different 83 that's a smoking deal but in rougher shape aesthetically and needs a rebuilt motor. If I can get a reasonable price on the one listed above I'd consider just swapping the good trans into that one.

I appreciate the guidance and advice. I'm going to continue to monitor the FS sub here and hunt for the right one!

just remember, the 83-84 had a different diff ratio vs the 85-88 wagons, so if you swap transmissions, you also have to swap rear axles.

[NWMO]

rocksy,

Keegan is assuming you would swap the front diff AND transmission together. If so, as he stated, you must confirm front and rear diffs match. If however, you just swap the transmission and continue to use the matched diffs, any year of 4WD transmission is fine.

Chris

[rocksy]

Thanks again, I was aware of the difference in gear ratio. I would definitely swap out the front diffs to make sure front and rear ratios match. I appreciate the reminder for sure.

[rocksy]

I am now the proud owner of two Tercel4WD.

83 SR5 with 270k. In terrible condition both inside and out. Missing almost every interior panel and the previous owner bedlined the floor and removed carpet. They also rattlecanned the exterior. Just terrible. Engine burns a ton of oil. Needs new valve stem seals or possibly a full rebuild due to bad rings. Haven't gotten around to testing compression yet. Runs okay, drives somewhat fine. Violently jumps out of 1st gear sometimes on take-off. Haven't decided if I'll be keeping it yet, even as a parts car.

83 DLX m/t with 130k. Much better condition. Bought it knowing it needs a new head gasket. Have parts on order to rebuild the entire cooling system as well. Valve stem seals and valve cover gasket will also be done. Precious owner took everything apart to do head gasket and never got to it, so it's somewhat intimidating knowing I'm putting something back together that I didn't take apart. I at least have an engine to reference and a FSM. Hoping the head gasket is the only major repair needed. I can do suspension work all day but these engines are foreign lands to me, I'm sure I'll learn a lot getting this one back together.

[dlb]

Congrats on your finds! Both of my last two Tercel's were big projects that required lots of work on every system, each one took a few months to get into somewhat reliable daily driving shape, and even then I knew that I would find more things that need work once I did start dd-ing each of them. On my current one I found the cooling system was weeping from virtually every hose and seal so I had to take it off the road for a couple days to tear all of that apart. Next it needs a new windshield and muffler, then I will do a bit of (poor) painting on it.

Based on all that, my advice to you is to focus on just one of the cars (probably the DLX) until you finish it. I would feel spread thin if I was working on two that needed basically everything gone over.

[NWMO]

Congrats and welcome to the club! Fortunately, these engines are straight forward and pretty fun/easy to work on. Concentrate on that good looking DX!

Chris

[MrWrench]

Welcome to the club! They're addicting cars to own. Somehow you cannot stop buying them once you have them.