Value of 88 Tercel Wagon SR5 4WD???

[pnadram]

HELLO TERC WAGON LOVERS,

I've been a longtime Honda Civic Wagon lover, but lately I've just been diggin' the Terc Wagons much more! I've been patiently waiting to purchase either a HCW or a Terc Wagon for about 3 years, looking for the perfect one, and I think I finally found it.

I recently came across a blue exterior and blue interior (blue/white seats) 1988 Tercel Wagon 6-Speed SR5 4WD with 58,970 miles, tinted windows, and a clean title. It has a minor dent on the bottom of the passenger side door closest to the front wheel well that'll cost about $200-300 to fix. Other than that, the car's straight and mechanically sound. The interior is clean.

WHAT'S A REASONABLE PRICE TO OFFER, FOLKS?!?!? Please consider: the timing belt will probably need to be changed soon, perhaps the struts, I don't know... things like that.

PLEASE RESPOND ASAP, I'M LOOKING TO PICK THIS BABY UP AS SOON AS THURSDAY ON THE 23RD!

02/13/1988 NICB Vehicle manufactured and shipped to original dealer
04/24/1988 New York Motor Vehicle Dept. Title issued or updated & First owner reported
11/26/1994 20,077 California Motor Vehicle Dept. Beverly Hills, CA Odometer reading reported
12/12/1994 California Inspection Station Palmdale, CA Passed emissions inspection
11/15/1996 24,768 California Inspection Station Palmdale, CA Passed emissions inspection
11/16/1998 34,342 California Inspection Station Los Angeles, CA Passed emissions inspection
11/20/1999 California Motor Vehicle Dept. Beverly Hills, CA Title issued or updated
11/06/2000 39,117 California Inspection Station Los Angeles, CA Passed emissions inspection
11/30/2002 41,433 California Inspection Station Los Angeles, CA Passed emissions inspection
06/01/2003 California Motor Vehicle Dept. Beverly Hills, CA Title issued or updated & New owner reported
10/19/2004 46,796 California Inspection Station Los Angeles, CA Passed emissions inspection
11/27/2006 48,515 California Inspection Station Failed emissions inspection
12/06/2006 48,592 California Inspection Station Passed emissions inspection
08/15/2008 48,721 California Inspection Station Los Angeles, CA Passed emissions inspection
10/30/2008 California Motor Vehicle Dept. Los Angeles, CA Title issued or updated & New owner reported
08/24/2010 California Motor Vehicle Dept. Los Angeles, CA Registration updated when owner moved the vehicle to a new location
11/22/2010 57,565 California Inspection Station Los Angeles, CA Failed emissions inspection
11/22/2010 Vehicle Repair Center EGR passages cleaned & Oxygen sensors repaired
11/22/2010 California Inspection Station Los Angeles, CA Passed emissions inspection
11/22/2010 57,574 California Inspection Station Los Angeles, CA Passed emissions inspection
05/26/2011 58,867 California Inspection Station Valley Village, CA Passed emissions inspection

THANKS SO MUCH,

PEDRUM

[tercel4wdrules]

I wanted to take a look at this car, but I might not get to it before you do . At any rate, a car with this mileage is definitely going to sell for $3,000 or more. Since it does have that rear fender skirt damage, I would try to negotiate down to about $3,500 or so. Once you see the car you can try to talk the price down if you find other things that need repair such as like you mentioned the suspension and leaking seals and so forth.

Finding the "right" Tercel wagon can be a challenge, but an 87-88 model is the best you can buy, it has the nicer interior and also has the better 4.10 final drive. I would also make sure the transmission shifts well with no abnormal whine.

[pnadram]

Well, jeez: it looks like you've got quite the collection of Tercs! Hopefully you can save some for the fishies

I'm actually from the Bay Area. I'm calling Ted again tomorrow to ask a few more questions. I plan on taking the bus down to LA, get picked up from a friend, and head to the dealer; hopefully thereafter I'll drive off the lot with the car of my dreams!

Thanks for your suggestion, I'll definitely shoot for $3.5k, which is precisely what I was thinking anyways.

EDIT: I'm offering $2.5k + taxes and other costs.

[Petros]

Welcome to the list!

Does the seller have a price on the car now? If not I would offer $2500, it is over 20 years old. Amazingly low miles, but seals, hoses, belts, T-stat, etc still go bad with age, so do not expect it to be free of maintenance and repair worries.

Also check closely for rust on the underbody and inside the fender wells, this car started life in NY for a number of years, enough to get rusty.

The Tercel has some advantage over the 4wd Civic wagon I think, I have owned both. More intiror space is one, better ground clearance, more reliable 4wd (does not use an electric servo like the Civic), parts are less costly and easier to find. Civic has more power. The Tercel is also unique, does not look like the rest of the run of the mill cars. You can not tell the 4wd Civics from the Fwd civics.

[toughtercel]

What month and year of this 1988 T4WD was made , thanks

[dlb]

here's the link to the ad.

http://www.iseecars.com/Car_Listing/667 ... YS_CA.html

i was chilling with a friend last night. he and his gf had a honda prelude forever which looked like hell due to rust and a broken pop-up headlight but it was still super reliable and incredibly fast. a friend of theirs gave them a 2004 pontiac sunfire so they decided to sell the prelude and keep the sunfire. surprise surprise, the sunfire has already been a money pit in the 6 months they've owned it so now he's looking into getting a T4. we came across this one last night and i knew right away it was the one from this thread. looks very nice.

[pnadram]

Here's the deal:

I checked out the car on the lot. Aesthetically, it's pleasing to the eye, though with a few exceptions: I feel the detailing job it received is average; and on the right side of the car, it's apparent that it scraped against something because there's a straight line of scratches/dents from the front end all the way to the back wheel well (There's a nasty dent on the wheel well, and the rest just looks like it got keyed. It probably sounds a little worse than it looks.) The interior is fine with some very minor tears here and there, which appear on the carpeting, not on the seats (I'm too picky, I think.) The AC does not work.

I took the ratty greyhound bus from the Bay Area all the way to LA on Thursday because that's when I was scheduled to view the car; however, when I called, the dealer (Ted) told me that it needs the drive-shaft replaced because the car shutters when getting put into first gear. This is after he told me that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the car, and that it's perfectly mechanically sound. I said fine, no problem, I'll find a place to stay and check it out at noon tomorrow after it gets the replacement. The next day when we viewed the car and test drove it, the engine was still sputtering. I asked Ted: "I thought you said the drive-shaft was the only issue?" He told me it's 50% of the issue. The car has amazingly low miles, and the engine bay looks super clean, but mechanically, the car's not that great. It needs a scheduled maintenance (belts, hoses, leaks, the whole 9 yards). Also, it'll probably need a new clutch, and he admitted so himself (It's hard to tell whether or not the clutch is engaged, so not good for beginning 5-speed drivers like myself.)

Now here's the worst part: he's an absolute stickler on the price ("Won't bring it down a penny," he says) while knowing NOTHING about the car. He didn't even know it has the "Extra Low (EL)" gear, and knew nothing about the 4WD system and how it should be used (only on uneven ground/slippery surfaces and never on flat ground because it'll overwork the engine). I told him that with all the problems the car has, and all the problems that he doesn't know the car has, will cost me too much to fix on top of his asking price. He's trying to sell it $4,300 off the lot with no negotiations. He says if no one buys it for that price, he'll fix the dents [on the right side] and the AC, and sell it for $6,000. I offered $3,000 cash off the lot, and he refused. When I brought to his attention all of the problems the car has, he said he'd fix them before he sells it; in other words, the car wasn't even ready to be driven off the lot EVEN if I wanted to pay the $4,300.

He kept saying: "You know, I don't bullshit like other car dealers." I asked: "How are you not bullshitting when you quoted me $200-300 to fix the dent [on the right side of the car], and now you're telling me you'll raise the price to $6,000 only after fixing a $300 dent and AC; what about the array of mechanical problems it has? How are you not bullshitting me when you told me that the car is perfectly sound and that there are no issues? I told you specifically not to waste my money and time, and not to make me regret my decision of going to LA." (I said something incredibly similar along those lines.) When I asked him how long he's been a car salesman, he said "I don't know, about 20 to 30 years."

I'm only 20 years old, and this was my first time negotiating and trying to buy a car. He was clearly insecure, and knows nothing about the vehicle. If you have enough money or know how to work on cars yourself, this could be a nice car.

Sorry for the rant and I hope all of this helped in someway!

-Pedrum

[dlb]

sorry the guy turned out to be such a POS. screw 'em, with that significant body damage and all the other issues you mentioned, it's not worth the hassle and BS. stay away from the snake and let him and the car rot together.

[ARCHINSTL]

You handled this correctly.
The car is not worth $4K with what you enumerate. It's possible it could be worth that - if one can do the needed work oneself. While the cars have appreciated quite a bit, mostly accelerated by the $10K+ that one in NC got a few months ago, but still...
A clutch job for the uniniated is daunting - and particularly daunting for your wallet.

Others will come along. But be aware that an '88 is the newest and you must expect to replace more than the thermostat, so to speak.
Tom M.

[tealindy]

That is a 23 yr old vehicle, I cant believe anyone would pay over $1500 for it in perfect condition.
I just bought one, an 85 4WD wagon, all original, NO rust, NO dents, interior like new, runs and drives fine although it does need some odd and end maintance things, 180K miles for less that $800. I love these little cars, they go forever but it someone would pay me even $3000 it would be sold!!

[Starbug]

That salesman was high. Nobody will buy a Tercel in that condition for that much money, not even if it was mint. I can't believe he expected to get $3-6k for any car that old. For $3-6k, I can use the money as a down payment for a brand new car, or I can use it to buy a newer used vehicle outright. Stupid salesman.

You did good by not buying it. Tercels in that condition come around all the time, and they are significantly cheaper than $3-6k.

[motownbrowne]

It's listed on the dealer's webpage for 5,990. http://www.remauto.com/ That's crazy. If anyone wants to give me 6 grand for mine, it's a deal. Hell, I'd even come down to 5.500.

[ARCHINSTL]

Judging from the dealer's remarks to you and viewing the pix of this car - I'd hesitate buying ANYthing from him!
And really - couldn't he at least have sprayed WD-40 on the bumpers to make them look shiny, if only until the next rain? And for that matter, remove the whatever stickers from the hatch window?
Lazy jerk! I really think he was influenced by the DQ and the NC cars.
Tom M.

[jaxrevenge1]

Well he ended up spending $500 on the some of the body work and tried to sell it to me for $5995, I told him I'd pay $2500 and he kept saying there were a lot of people interested and in the winter he'd be able to sell it no problem with the 4WD. I told him the car sold for $6000 new in 1988 and it's not a collectible plus it probably won't pass smog again in CA. I started to walk away and he offered it for $4500, and we settled on $3500. Probably paid too much but the only issue I have after replacing all the fluids and a few hoses is the speedometer cable sticking at 0 until you hit 20 mph then it catches up. Replacing the differential fluid took care of the 1st gear shudder and replacing the drain plug fixed the only leak I could find. So $500 in tires, parts and fluids and for me total cost $4000, but this thing has given me 10,000 miles already with no problems. Taking it to Mammoth soon will show the pics. Interior was perfect except for carpet tear on the drivers side by the door rim.

[tercel4wdrules]

Well he ended up spending $500 on the some of the body work and tried to sell it to me for $5995, I told him I'd pay $2500 and he kept saying there were a lot of people interested and in the winter he'd be able to sell it no problem with the 4WD. I told him the car sold for $6000 new in 1988 and it's not a collectible plus it probably won't pass smog again in CA. I started to walk away and he offered it for $4500, and we settled on $3500. Probably paid too much but the only issue I have after replacing all the fluids and a few hoses is the speedometer cable sticking at 0 until you hit 20 mph then it catches up. Replacing the differential fluid took care of the 1st gear shudder and replacing the drain plug fixed the only leak I could find. So $500 in tires, parts and fluids and for me total cost $4000, but this thing has given me 10,000 miles already with no problems. Taking it to Mammoth soon will show the pics. Interior was perfect except for carpet tear on the drivers side by the door rim.

I'm glad this car wound up in the right hands. I was wondering what had happened to this car since I saw it remain for sale for some time. It's quite a bit of money to spend on an older car, but they can be very reliable cars if taken care of. It's getting harder to find clean examples of these vehicles and it's only going to get more difficult as time goes on. What made you want to come back to the Tercel?