Tercel for sale locally - opinions please?

[NewToTercels]

Hi everyone,

I am new to Tercels, but, I have owned 80s Toyotas before.

This Tercel is for sale in my area. I wonder if you might offer any opinions?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2818501095.html

Thanks.

[dlb]

that one actually belonged to a new member on the forum here who was really psyched on it--wonder why he's decided to sell it. here is his initial thread.

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7165

[Petros]

welcome to the list.

That would be a good purchase but without it passing smog it could get real costly to make it legal in CA. Resetting the timing is no big deal at all, if you know how. But I would be surprised if that is all it needs to pass smog.

A number of Tercel owners have sold them out of state because replacing the catalytic converter, the EGR, carb and what ever else it might need at this age can be quite costly. IF you can do the work yourself it would not be so bad, but if you have to take it to a "certified" repair station, it will get expensive real fast.

Many good and fixable Tercel4wd have gone to the crusher in California because it was declared a "gross polluter" the owners could not afford to have it fixed.

So, buy it carefully. If you can not get it pass smog, but otherwise runs good, drive it to the Seattle area and sell it. You can make a profit on it, even counting a flight or bus ride back home.

[NewToTercels]

Thanks for the welcome and the link.

Yes, the CA smog thing is a hassle. And, when you're buying a car there is no limit on how much you might have to spend to make it pass.

That's what I am most leery of with this. It seems like a bit of a gamble that has the potential to get real expensive.

That said, I love the color, the manual, the AC, etc.

For me though, the risk of an unknown extra cost is just too much to risk. (Driving to Seattle sounds fun, just not feasible for me )

[EliRush]

Without emissions in my county, I would snatch it up without hesitation. Even with emissions, if it passes on a visual inspection you can just put a couple of ounces of Acetone (100%) into a full tank and pass. Just warm it up good first. It might even blow TOO "clean".

I would definitely get a picture of the underside of the car, and if it isn't soaked with oil then show up with 800-1000 cash and he would take it, I bet. Looks like a good one.

[tercel4wdrules]

Technically, here in CA the seller is responsible for the smog check. It appears that this particular vehicle has had trouble passing emissions here for the past several years. I would assume it might need more than just a timing adjustment to get it to pass. The loaded mode ASM test in enhanced smog check areas is sometimes difficult to pass if carburetor feedback fuel system is not working properly. It will fail with high CO% since it doesn't lean out the cruising mixture. Sometimes you can get by with just replacing the catalytic converter, but if the problem isn't fixed, the catalytic converter will become useless by the next smog check or even melt down and cause problems. Unfortunately, for a good number of owners, they just decide to retire the car and have the state crush it since they will give you $1000-1500 (which you have to meet a certain criteria to be eligible). A good way to get an idea of what the car would need to pass smog would be to have a smog inspection station run the loaded test under manual reading mode to get an idea of where it's at.

[NewToTercels]

The portion of the county I would be registering it in is smog exempt once the initial transfer smog is done.

But, that still leaves that initial transfer smog. It just seems too risky to me to take a financial gamble.

[tercel4wdrules]

You live in a transfer of ownership county? That makes things easier, but you're right about the initial smog check. I suppose it would be a basic two-speed idle test and it would also have to pass the functional inspection of the EGR valve. It would be easier to pass the two-speed idle test assuming the carb is tuned properly and it has a functioning catalytic converter and the timing reset. However, there are a few variables, so thus a potential gamble.