Toyota got a lot of flak for producing the Paseo. However, after watching an old episode of Motorweek I’ve come to understand that the reason why they did it was because they wanted to compete against other manufactures in the econo sport market. Pretty much all those cars in the comparison were lame, but when you’re…
That couple in the back seat look like they are about to go yachting. Read more
I’ve been driving a ‘98 Tercel for 12 years in Edmonton, AB where our winters are long and snowy and when this Tercel dies someday (took it from 80,000km to currently 293,000) I would consider finding another one. There’s something about it that makes it feel unstoppable in the snow. It’s basically got wheelbarrow… Read more
I had a 1991 Tercel. That thing was phenomenal in the snow. Those narrow tires just cut right through piles of snow. Read more
Ah the Tercel!
Great article! Also, dat glass:
I came real close to buying a Tercel in 1980. I went to the Toyota dealership in St. Petersburg specifically to look at one, but I wanted one with a manual transmission and while they told me they could get me one they didn’t have a stick-shift Tercel on the lot. So I took the test drive in an ‘81 model with an… Read more
Tercel Wagon of the late 80s... so big my dad moved sofa, fridge etc with it. Doesn’t look that big from the outside but it is literally a cave inside. Read more
Fantastic article, David. I admit to largely ignoring the Tercel, until I came across the Tercel 4WD wagon in the mid 80's. I loved my quirky car with the clinometer on the dash, and its 5sp manual with an additional “EL” gear for digging out of anything. More than two decades later, my son caught the bug, too, and…
Thanks for pointing out an interesting tidbit about how the longitudinally-mounted engine does a wonderful job diminishing torque steer. Now, to take a big sip of coffee and stomp on the gas in my ‘93 SPG.
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a thrice handed-down 3-door ‘87 Tercel was my first ever car and I still miss it. No matter what it always started, it always got me where I was going and the powertrain never needed any work beyond routine maintenance. I retired it with something like 400,000km on the odometer when the sketchy mechanic our sketchy… Read more
David, you had a 1982 Tercel in 2006? You’re a good writer - hope you can upgrade someday. Or maybe you already have... Read more
I had an ‘81 Tercel. Great car. Got 43 mpg in combined driving. Traded it in for an ‘83 Tercel that got 48 mpg.
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Several years ago, someone gave me an ‘80 Tercel hatchback. It was his mom’s car and he just wanted to see it go to help someone needy, which I was at the time. Still eyeballs-deep in debt, with a rusty ‘87 CRX ferrying me around town when it decided to work, I needed a reliable car.
I had one in Boring Tan, a four door. Bought it for about $600, it was already 20 years old. Used it to get back and forth to a summer job while I was in University. I cut and welded new rear shock hoops out of old angle iron bed frames and bolted them into the trunk. Learned how to drift on gravel roads in that car. Read more
In 1988-89 I had a ’77 Toyota Corolla. With RWD, a hand choke, and very simplistic engineering and construction, it seemed utterly ancient compared with the nearly-as-old Tercel that a friend had. Read more
I owned one and loved it - a wonderful car. Picked it up for $600.00 and never looked back. When I was done with it, I sold it to a friend for $200.00 as he was wooing a woman in NYC and needed transport. They’re now happily married with 2 kids. A great car. Read more
My dad had a red 1981 2-door corolla/tercel. i’ve always wanted to find one and restore it for nostalgic reasons. thanks for the post! Read more
