Newbie Notes and FAQ:

[johnhenry555]

I found this site when I was doing research to buy a Toyota wagon here in Oregon.
Well, I finally found the perfect match (1985 4WD SR5 Wagon - with 115,700 ORIGINAL miles!).
It is in really good shape now, having been well taken care of, but thanks to this site I will be able to navigate
some of the tune up items that often get overlooked (such as transfer case oil changes and valve adjustments), plus there
is a great walk throgh for fixing my sticky window regulator.
Anyhow, WORD!
TONS of great posts. I hope that I can contribute one in the future.

[American Man]

Who can help me ..the new guy on the block in this forum...I have a 1984 Toyota Turcel 4WD also and would like to talk to the group or club that talks about them...........I may have one for sale......it is really hard to give up.......even though she's dented.........dirty.......and sesitive being shifted into first gear. Who can help me take better care of her and help me get parts or she will be canabalized herself soon. HELP! NEW Guy...thanks in advance,,,American Man

[atoyta]

Found this site searching for someone parting out a 83 Tercel wagon. My son was hit in the drivers rear fender and I am having a hard time finding another wagon to cut the rear portion out of to weld into mine. I completely rebuilt the car 4 years ago. Rebuilt engine, rebuilt transmission, rebuilt carb, new exhaust, new suspension and steering rack. Added the SR5 dash, seats and trim I traded for.Then I repainted the whole thing in Rustoleum white. Since I have put so much time into the car I would love to find a parts car to cut a chunk out of to weld into mine.

[gmeddy]

Hi all,
I am happy to find a site dedicated to such an awesome and underestimated car!
My Tercel story:

I was 16 and half yrs old and looking for my first car...
My parents took me to the car Auctions in Brisbane, Australia.
As we walked in the big shed doors, the first car that caught my eye was a bright yellow Tercel SR5. The big red TERCEL sign on the rear door, TOYOTA blazed accross the top...
My first thought was "haha what an ugly car" and i think i may have even said "How about that one?" as a joke to my father.

but as we had a quick look through it, it became apparent that it was a really good looking little beast, and it had been remarkably well kept.
it still had that new car smell!
it had only done 62,000km (38,520mile) and was spottless! no rust at all!
the only down side was that the passenger door had a big ding in it, like the driver had slid sideways into something.
the glass had not been broken though.

as it came around past the bidders, the dinged door was facing everyone.
thay may be the reason it went for just $2,900, to my fathers bid.
(the going price at the time was around $4000 for one that had done 300,000km and had 5th gear blown out! australian dollars)

so we took it home and it became my first car.
I still have it today, and i am now 28. you do the math.
i've given it quite a good hiding on dirt roads, perfected power slides in both FWD and 4WD (on dirt).
The little beast has impressed some big 4WD'ers with how far it will get before stopping only due to lack of clearance...

I love my Tercel and it gave me around 10 years with no mechanical issues to speak of.
just recently i've had some problems that have proved to be quite minor, mainly carby tuning i think...
still can't quite work it out, and now i'm trying to put a new weber onto it, but as i've posted in the weber thread, am having some issues with that.
I'm looking forward to being an active member of this forum and posting photos and experiences of my work.
I hope there are some other Australian members who may share some of my Right Hand drive issues...
thanks to the guys who set this up and post such helpfull guides.
and on a note about the service guide, just yesterday i recieved my original genuine toyota service book for the Tercel 3A-C (and a bunch of other motors including the 4AG-E) and the body repair manual, i got them off ebay for just 9.95 each! they are fantastic high quality books! you should check on ebay for keywords Tercel and Toyota 3A now and then!

[83tracel]

hi i have a 83 tracel 3dr hb with 3ac 2bbl carb fwd i to modify it for baja racing and i want to do it right its the first time ive done rally but not the first modified car ive done i want to know wan to know what motor i can use suspension etc... ive done drag racing with a 78 mercury cougar and drifting with a 86 honda acorrd but this is a different ball game is there anyone that may steer me in the right direction thank for the help

[Petros]

There are not a lot of "hot rod" parts for the Tercel, they never promoted racing for this model because that was not the image they wanted for the Tercel. However there are a lot of parts, engines and other "performance" parts that will fit, or can be made to fit on the Tercel, from other models of Toyotas. Search the archives.

As for engine, you are better off swapping it out for something more modern if the catgory you race in allows it, otherwise you will be doing it the hard way, and spending a lot of money on the 3ac engine to get power out of it.

Good luck.

[TheBeard]

i found a 4wd tercel in really good codition, its an 84 with 120,650 miles on it.runs and drives great, everything works on it.. has some body rot but the strut towers are strong. i am having trouble figuring out the value of this vehicle, while researching the value i came across this site... so i hope i can get some help with making this guy an offer... thanks in advance

[takza]

You'd want to check it further for rust...might get the price down some. Away from the NW I'd roughly guess $1500? Check the repair section for info on what to look for when buying one....