Looking at 86 wagon 2wd

echo · Post by **echo** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 8:23 pm

Im going to be looking at an 86 tercel wagon 2wd. What should I be looking for in evaluating this car? It has 110k miles and has a 5 speed transmission. They want $2500 for it. Thanks in advance for any help.

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:10 pm

2wd? Why 2wd? Well, it really depends on a ton of things like the rust level, engine condition, tranny condition... Lots of factors.

russkiypenguin1 · Post by **russkiypenguin1** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:50 pm

I'm sorry, but I would never pay that much for one of these cars. I mean, that's almost what they sold for when they were new. And only a 2wd version? Nope, I wouldn't do it. You could probably get a 10 year old Subaru for that price.

sacwac · Post by **sacwac** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 12:25 am

$2500 is WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAYWAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY too much to pay for a 86 Tercel 2WD 5sp manual.

Don't bother.

The HIGHEST I could get the KBB value for a 2wd tercel, assuming its the more expensive wagon, with all the bells and whistles, and in retail pricing (which is way more than private party), is $1800. Still too much.

Try your local classified, drive around, check craigslist.org
For $2500, you could get a 4wd tercel wagon, in perfect shape, and I mean PERFECT, and delivered to you. For the used car values, try http://www.kbb.com

sacwac · Post by **sacwac** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 12:27 am

Oh, and WELCOME to the forums!!!!

864wd · Post by **864wd** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 10:47 am

We bought an '86 4WD wagon five years ago with just over 100,000 and rust free for $2800 Canadian. Lot's of little dings, but truly a rust free car. And it's been a reliable beast in the five years we've owned it. Other than it popping out of second gear when engine braking, and the 4wd shifter being difficult to disengage, and the manual steering being a bit heavy, we have no intention of letting "the turtle" go at any point. What a great simple all weather car!
If that car is really nice to mint, I would consider it, but if there's any rust anywhere along with it being only a 2wd, I'd reconsider...

echo · Post by **echo** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 1:43 pm

Yes I was thinking the price was a little high. I was going to offer $500. But the advice I wanted was...what generically goes wrong with these cars when they get older? Is there something that just kills them? Im thinking about terminal rust in a place impossible/expensive to fix (like the rear shock towers on a BMW 2002) or model years that have bad engines, etc. It sounds like this is a tough little car with a loyal following...but are there problem areas I should know about?

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:14 pm

For that price it should be in mint condition, with no rust on it anywhere. The fender wells are the worst spot, particularily in the corners. The rear fenders rust around where the shocks are and the original undercoating can hide rust until it's already bad. Have a good look under the car. Also check the door pillars and the piece right below the windshield. Those spots can rust because of leaves and dirt collecting there, and are nasty to fix. Besides the rust, the weakness of these cars is the synchromesh in the transmission making it hard to shift into 2nd and 3rd, and the clutch tends to rattle. The engine can suffer from hesitation because of things in the emission system and carburetor, and that's not usually expensive to fix but can be a pain to diagnose. That's the worst of it, and they are very reliable cars that stay reliable for a long time. The problem areas are not things that kill the car.

icE · Post by **icE** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 9:13 pm

i bought my 1990 civic ex for $2000 bucks, and that's the highest level trim they made for the civic that year, and the only one in that year to get power windows and power door locks...

2500 is way too much for that car, but i guess it really depends on where you live. The miles are low for it's age, which is probably the price deciding factor for them. Check autotrader and put a search for this car all over the US, and you'll find that a good tercel goes anywhere from 800 to 3000 pretty much. And without the 4wd? I think it'd be worth less. And is there any rust? For that price there better be barely ANY rust spots. See if they'll sell it for $1500. If not, just leave it and wait for the next one to come along.

Gasoline Fumes · Post by **Gasoline Fumes** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 1:39 am

echo wrote: Yes I was thinking the price was a little high. I was going to offer $500.

Do it and leave your phone number with them. When they realize what it's really worth, they might call you back.