hello from the okanagan

[AME11]

Hello there!

My name is Geoff and I'm in the okanagan. I do not currently have a Tercel but am on the lookout for one. I had an 85 4wd that i sold a few years ago and kick myself every day for selling. If anyone comes across a manual 4wd with a decent body I'll buy it! Haha

Anyways, just wanted to introduce myself

Geoff

[Petros]

welcome to the forum!

Be prepared to travel a bit to find a good deal, they come up for sale regularly in the Puget Sound area, Spokan and in Idaho, all good places to look for good deals. Other list member also post Craig's list ads from the area, so keep an eye out in the "cars for sale section" and check out all of the local Craig's list listings everyday. Good deals come up, but the sell rather quick. this great little 4x4 car has become a vintage classic that many are seeking out. The best deals are fixers, you can buy them for little more than scrap metal prices, one with a good body and a good trans are the best buys, everything else is easy to fix and parts are easy to find. The trans is the important feature that must be in good condition, they are reliable, but none have been made since 1987, so they eventually wear out and finding a good one is becoming more difficult.

Good luck.

[dlb]

hey geoff. there are actually quite a few members in your neck of the woods, and i often see 4wd tercs come up for sale in the BC interior when i check kijiji for the whole province. just keep checking there and whatever other local classified ads are popular in your area and i'm sure you'll find one soon enough.

why'd your sell your 85?

[AME11]

Oh thanks!

I sold my 85 because i was doing a lot of 4x4ing and wanted a Jeep.... After thousands of dollars in repairing the Jeep and not performing better then the Tercel i realized i made a big mistake. The Tercel was an amazing car. Has no uses and no rust or dents and i sold it for $400.... Uhg.. i was also pretty young when i sold it too and i didn't think it was a"cool" car. Now I'd love to own one again and restore it as a collector

[Petros]

there was a time not that long ago when the Tercel4wd were real common and they sold cheap. the first 4 that I bought I only paid $100 to $200 each for, some were in running condition and I drove them home, just needed a clean up and some parts. Now there are more people looking for them, and the number of good ones gets smaller and smaller. So the prices have been rising, especially for good clean running ones.

Even so, well worth the cost and effort. There are no cars you can buy today as reliable, economical and that have a true 4x4 drive train. Finding a fixer means you can go through it and up grade the brakes, the engine and suspension to improve it even further during a rebuild, also all for much less cost that buying a newer 4x4 that is not even as good.

I think to buy a Jeep you must have testosterone poisoning. They are great looking 4x4s, but their hay day had passed almost half a century ago (I once owned a 1949 willis wagon). They went down hill fast when Willis was bought out by American motors, and when American went bankrupt the jeep name was bought by Chrysler, and the quality fell even further if that was possible. In more recent years, they have never be reliable or durable, and most that I know that have them are always doing major costly repairs on them. I knew one neighbor who told me he got to the point with his jeep where he did not want to drive it very far because it would just as likely leave him stranded some where with a corn cobbed transmission, or shredded diff.

[AME11]

Haha, that's why i sold my Jeep.... I invested over 14,000 into a yj and i wouldn't trust it to drive a couple hours.... Lol. Plus spending $90 per tank of gas that lasted 400km at best kinda sucked. Man i need a terc!

[TURTCEL]

. Man i need a terc!

These Tercs have unexpectedly been popping up out here in the Puget Sound area lately. If something comes up that really catches your interest there are many members out here that could possibly check one out for you before you made a trip for nothing. Keep your eyes out, the right one will be there when it is supposed to be and the wrong one will only be there if you settle. Happy hunting.

Peace

[AME11]

I'm in no rush at all. Just a car i want to own again. I've got a newer Honda civic so I've got dependable wheels. Just miss the versatility of the terc. Plus i like being able to work on cars instead of dealing with a ton of computer issues with newer cars

[scrapz253]

I've been seeing a few come up in Portland. I was debating selling mine, but after playing off road yesterday I think I'm gonna hang on to it. lol

[marlinh]

Just wanted to mention this 87 for sale in Kelowna. Check it out.

http://kelowna.en.craigslist.ca/cto/4277267058.html

[dlb]

doesn't mention how many km are on it. it's tough to tell from those pics but it looks like the body is in great shape, plus new front end work. if it runs well and doesn't need anything, i think that's a good price.

the 87's came in a lot of cool colours, including this one. those tires are way too big but i like the wheels.