1983 toyota tercel 4x4 SR5 - $2500 (santa cruz, CA)

[GLet71]

Pretty sweet lookin' ride:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/3044466304.html

[North of 64]

nice colour

[dlb]

looks nice.

[alleycat]

I'm thinking this could be my first car.
Met with this guy yesterday, everything seemed fine. small oil leak from somewhere, but not more than a quart needed every few thousand miles i think he said. Still trying to do enough research online to ask the right questions.

worried about the mileage-- 180k. are people more familiar about what starts going on cars at this point? he said no ones ever overheated it.
would people pay this for similar cars? we agreed on a little lower..

also what the hell is the little red button on the right side of the dash? none of us could figure it out.


glad to see there's a community here

[dlb]

welcome, alleycat. great name, btw.

this FAQ thread should answer most of your questions in regards to mileage, what to check when buying a tercel, etc. give it a read and then post any other specific questions you have.

if the rest of the car is consistent with what is shown in the photos on the ad, i think $2000-$2500 is a fair price. these cars tend to fetch about that when in very good condition.

no idea about the red button. is it the one that can be seen in the photo of the interior? if so, it's just below the defrost switch. must have been from a dealer or a previous owner but i've never seen one before so i'm leaning toward a PO mod. easy enough to take it apart and see if it's actually wired to anything and where those wires go.

my biggest advice to you, AC, is this: if you buy a 25+ yr old car, be prepared to either do work to maintain it yourself or pay others big $$$ to do it for you. many shops and mechanics won't work on old vehicles--carb'd ones specifically--so i think that anyone who owns one of these cars should have some tools and be up for learning how to do many various repairs to keep the car running. otherwise, it could quickly turn into a money pit. i think wrenching can be an intimidating thing at first but if you take your time and use this handy forum, there's not much you wouldn't be able to work through on your own.

good luck with the purchase!

[GLet71]

This is the link dlb mentioned. A good start on what to look for when buying a Tercel:

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7442

[dlb]

ah, merci monsieur glet!

[GLet71]

ah, merci monsieur glet!

I thought about making some smartass comment, but my newborn has smacked the wit right outta me~

[Petros]

welcome to the list alleycat,

If it checks out mechanically that is a fair price. less than 200k miles is actually considered low miles on these cars, many have driven them to over 400k miles. I have over 300k on mine (but I bought it as a fixer and have done major repairs to it).

Buy any car this old will require some regular repairs, best done by the owner. A bad seal or hose, easy to do your self if you are mechanically inclined at all, could lead to very costly repairs later if not fixed promptly. But that is how you make a 25 year old econo-box car last 400k miles: by being diligent with maintenance and repairs.

These are great and reliable cars, but be prepared to keep after all the little things that start wearing out after 25 years (not normally an issue with the typical life of most cars).

If the engine has not be overheated, and the compression is good (at least 150 or greater psi in each cyl., can low lower but means rings are worn), and never low on oil, engine should last a long time. AT most it might need a valve job, but if it runs good I would not be too worried about it. If the trans is quite and shift smoothly, and the clutch is good (try and find out when it was replaced last, if more than 10 years ago it might need one soon), the drive train will give you many more years of trouble free service.

good luck.

[alleycat]

the advice sounds good, i'll let you all know what happens.

[ARCHINSTL]

Welcome to the Club! Lots of helpful and friendly folks here - and some darn good advice as well!
I blew up the "red button" area and it appears to be something that was added to the existing, non-operative, "switch" as opposed to being a whole new "switch." Perhaps it was for fog or driving lights, since removed?
Tom M.