'87 auto 4wd wagon $2475 (Seattle)

[Mark]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ctd/4011744087.html

[dlb]

love the cat pic.

[Romulux]

This is my dream Tercel.

I'm seriously looking at buying this car, but I've been scratching my head for a while trying to figure out what the hell the model is. On the dealer's product page here and the carfax page (VIN #JT2AL32W1H0258238) it says it's an 87 "Deluxe AWD"

This one from ebay says it's an 87 Deluxe, and it looks pretty much the same, but it's a 3-cylinder auto, not a 4-cylinder. Is this just a super rare model or something? I can't find a single picture on google that has the same trim, and it looks to me (I'm not a terc expert) like the exterior hasn't really been modified, so you'd think they would be out there somewhere. I can't even find any info about the model when I search for it in any configuration of search terms.

Aside from that, is this a good deal? The mileage is low and the dealer looks reputable, but I'm kind of put off by not finding ANY info about this model.

[ARCHINSTL]

Welcome to the Club! Many helpful peeps here!
The car is, as stated, the DLX. The SR5 version only came with MT, whereas the DLX was available with MT or AT.
Apart from the transmission availabilities, the difference between the DLX and the SR5 was in assorted interior/exterior trim items, plus the instrument cluster. Other than that, they were mechanically identical.
If you do much highway driving - particularly long trips - be aware that the AT versions are just screaming along - 60 MPH is over 4000 RPM - the MT is not quiet , but it's at "only" 3K at 60. This is something to consider. Modern cars, even the current varieties of econoboxes, are around 2000 +/- at 60.
Tom M.

[Romulux]

Welcome to the Club! Many helpful peeps here!
The car is, as stated, the DLX. The SR5 version only came with MT, whereas the DLX was available with MT or AT.
Apart from the transmission availabilities, the difference between the DLX and the SR5 was in assorted interior/exterior trim items, plus the instrument cluster. Other than that, they were mechanically identical.
If you do much highway driving - particularly long trips - be aware that the AT versions are just screaming along - 60 MPH is over 4000 RPM - the MT is not quiet , but it's at "only" 3K at 60. This is something to consider. Modern cars, even the current varieties of econoboxes, are around 2000 +/- at 60.
Tom M.

Hmm yeah that kind of concerns me. The mpg is going to be a lot less with the AWD AT over a 4WD MT, right? I plan on trekking all over the PNW when I find the right one, so maybe this isn't my dream tercel hahaha.

Edit: And thank you for the warm welcome! I've been lurking on your forum for months now, and you guys really know your stuff. A lot of the tercs I've been looking at on craigslist have had a thread and discussion about the car here, which is really helpful when trying to learn about these cars. I love them already and I don't even have one yet. I'm excited to finally have something to post about.

[Petros]

Welcome to the forum Romulux!

This is an entirely normal DLX model, except the extra strip on the outside. Could have been owner installed, or even a dealer installed item. The headlight and grill is unique to the North American '87 and '88 years only and is not common because they were phasing the model out by than. But these headlights are highly sought after because they put out way more light than the older sealed beam headlights. So they are worth having. If you get this one, I highly recommend getting or making head light grills or protectors. If a stone breaks one it could take a year to locate a replacement.

The price is not bad if it is mechanically sound and everything works and has well under 200k miles. Do a compression test on the engine, and go read up on the FAQ segment of the forum to know what to look for. If it all checks out good, I would offer them $2000 (which is likely over a thousand more than they paid for it). If you find problems, it does not mean it is a "no-go", most things out side of internal engine or transmission problems are relatively easy fixes, it just means you have good negotiating leverage.

Highway milage is about 26 or 27 mpg, if you keep the speed down to 60 mph it is even better (it keeps the engine speed down. I just drove one like it up from California last month (an '86 with the sealed beam headlights), and with every set properly on the engine, it is less than the manual trans, but not a lot less. A few tweaks and keeping the speed down likely it will deliver around 30mpg. In town and heavy traffic it likely suffers more, I would guess about 24 mpg.

The one I have will be ready to sell in a short time (a few minor things I need to fix on it), for much less than they are asking. So if you do not buy this one PM me and I can show you the '86 I have for sale.


Good luck.