Oh.. the Toyota Tercel

[Wekeeprollingdowntheroad]

My sweet sweet wife purchased a Tercel for $500 cash when she started college back in 2000. It faithfully provided her with 5 years of breakdown free college transportation and when we got married in 2005 it was decided that this car had earned a place in our household forever, or until it fell apart, whichever came first. It lasted until 2011 and the only money we  put into was the occasional oil change or tune up.

This car was the definition of dependable. There were no creature comforts(at all) but it would get you from A to B without a doubt.

It didn’t take long to discover that it was a brilliant mountain car. We could  pack up camping supplies, canoes, backpacking gear mountain bikes and whatever else, drive it into the wilderness/trailhead and leave it for weeks, with full assurance that no one will try to break into it.

Somewhere along the line, it picked up the nickname "Turdcel"

It wasn't us, and I don't even remember who it was that came up with the name. This was passionately rejected by my sweet sweet wife at first, but eventually it stuck and became spoken as a pet name but not out of any disgust for that fine machine.

I'm not really even sure what prompted the name, but it could have something to do with the seat covers that kind of resembled a dead bear that had been decaying for some time.

Yeah, friends poked fun, but they would rub those same seatcovers for good luck before any mountain bike ride.

The defrost didn’t work so if there was any temperature difference between out and in, you couldn’t see out the windows without much furious wiping.

The 0 to 60 time was nonexistent if there were more than 2 people  because it topped out at about 57. That was  ok though because on trips, it's all about the journey.

Empty it could get above 60, after about 6 minutes.

People who saw us in it gave us sympathtic looks and true story - after a week in the mountains we stopped at a gas station and a sweet old lady offered us a ten dollar bill

Every time we struck out on a trip, it always felt like it did when we were first dating and had absolutely no money but lots of excitement about our future together. The radio only played one station (country of course) but it was ok, because the cabin noise was so loud, you couldn’t hear anything anyway after you hit about 40 miles an hour.

And now, some pictures

[Wekeeprollingdowntheroad]

Gleaming in the evening light, on the way to a 4 day canoe trip we frequented in the North Cascades

[Wekeeprollingdowntheroad]

The ratio of car value to bicycle value with a 4 friends road trip  was ridiculous

[Wekeeprollingdowntheroad]

If you look closely you can see the road through the floor. Also, notice the airbag was deployed before we got it, and they patched it up with duck tape. Horn didn’t work either, but that was ok because no one ever went slower than us, VW buses would pass us looking impatient

[Metalcat]

Ugh. Legit jealous here.

I have a 2012 Corolla that I so wish was a Tercel.
My garage has a Tercel loaner that I request every time I drop off the Corolla, and I zip around in that thing like it's a Go-Kart.

DH hates driving with me when I have it because I drive like a total maniac. It might be a good thing I don't actually own a Tercel actually...

In the past 5 years I've been loaned a Jaguar, a Range Rover, a Mini Cooper S, a Renegade, a bunch of VWs, and a Volvo and I haven't loved any of them as much as I love the 20 year old pepto-bismol pink Tercel from this one garage that I go to, mostly so that I can borrow it.

[Rural]

We have an 81 Tercel that's a back up vehicle. Paid $800 for it when we got it, partially because some of the cost was a donation to the local veterans group who had it donated to them for the purpose of selling. Earned back the $800 in fuel savings on the commute in six months' time, and it's been a free Tercel ever since. Those things are indestructible. And unstealable these days even if someone were interested because nobody can drive a stick anymore.


Oh, before we got it in about 2007 or2008, somebody painted it with a paintbrush. It's screaming purple. :-) With brush marks :-)

[apkanne]

This was the sweetest love story.

[MObonds]

Fantastic !

My parents bought a new 1983 Tercel 3-door, and that was the car I took to college in 1988. Nicknamed it "The Backpack," because after I graduated in 1991, I carried all of my possessions in it while I bounced from friend's couch to friend's couch during my 9 month job search.   

What a great car - incredibly reliable, and when things did break it was super cheap and easy to fix yourself. No power and definitely not sexy, but I regularly got 45+ mpg on the highway without even trying.

I passed it along to my brother in 1996 and last I heard it was still on the road. Had I known the ways of the mustache back then, I would have kept it instead of buying that Jeep . . .   

 

[gaja]

I learned to drive in a 1983 Toyota Carina that was gifted to us by DH’s grandparents, because the grandfather was to old to drive safely. At the time we lived on top of a mountain, with winters lasting from September to May. I still prefer pumping the breaks on icy roads, rather than  relying on ABS and other fancy stuff. But servo does make life easier when navigating in enclosed areas. Repairs were crazy cheap, everything we needed could be found at old petrol stations if we looked in the most dusty shelves. New timing belt? $20 and easily DIY.

The poor thing died due to rust, after serving us well for many years. But when the undercarriage was so rusted that there was no place to attach the replacement for the replacement for the repaired exhaust pipes, it was time to send it to recycling.

[Jon_Snow]

My Young Drivers of Canada course, way back in the 80's, had a fleet of white Tercels much like that one, though I also drove a white hatchback version. I have a certain amount of fondness for the vehicle that eventually helped me ace my drivers test (0 demerits). However, I do recall memories of having my foot mashed down on the gas pedal in an attempt to perform a highway merge maneuver and feeling overwhelming disappointment....every time.

I now own a Toyota compact truck that, after almost 20 years, is still looking and running great. My own plans also include hanging on to it until it no longer goes. I seriously think it might outlast me. I do wonder if I went with a Toyota because of the early imprinting on the Tercel. I'm just glad that this truck has some snort under the hood. :D

Among the MMM set, there is a faction that proudly down own cars. And they certainly wouldn't understand the love that some of us feel for them. But I know this "love" is born of our vehicles having served us faithfully, and being a part of so many adventures and memories.

I enjoyed the hell out of that first post OP. I totally understand the sentiment.

[englishteacheralex]

Funny. One of my favorite students ever said his parents called their car the "Turdcel".

[sol]

My single parent household bought an '85 Tercel hatchback off of a rental lot in Spokane in '89, and it was our only family car for several years.  When mom bought a pickup she parked the turtle in our back yard and it sat there for three years until I got a permit at age 18.  I learned to drive on that car.  I drove that car to college in California.  I drove that car from LA to DC and back three times in college without changing the oil, plus more Joshua Tree and Big Bear trips than I can possibly count.  You could remove the key from the ignition without turning the engine off.  I loved that car.

I finally sold it to a buddy for like $900 when I graduated.  He drove it for a month and it was stolen and joyridden, trashed and abandoned.  They tore up all of the uphostery and spray painted the interior with gold paint.  I was devastated from afar, but it turns out it was still driveable so he kept it until I lost track of him.

Good car, the very epitome of the econobox.  No power anything, but room for nine college kids in a pinch (illegally) and if you folded the seat down you could sleep with your girlfriend in the back and steam up the huge windows.  What I most miss about it was the transmission.  I didn't realize how phenomenal it was at the time, since it had always been the only car I'd ever owned, but I've been through four other ICE cars since then and not one of them had as nice of a transmission as that little Tercel. 

Not my car, but looked just like this one:


Thanks for the trip down memory lane, OP.

[lizzzi]

This brought back happy memories of my good old 1993 stick shift Toyota Tercel. My marriage didn't last, but the Tercel did. Loved that car.

[fuzzy math]

My first car (that I shared with my sister) was a early 90s tercel. It was a lemon and ate oil like nothing else. I discovered that late on a highway when I was newly 16 (out alone late for the first time) and the car died at an intersection. I being young and terrified I was going to get hit or kidnapped, had to let some old man help me, only to learn the car wouldn't restart because it was still in Drive. So he got into my car and helped me start it. I then cried all the way home, late for curfew, and ended up getting grounded not because I was late but because I came home sobbing about nearly being killed, which embarrassed my parents who had been hosting a dinner party for my dad's boss.

So yeah, not really good memories of a Tercel. I did later get an 87 Mazda wagon that I felt legit love for.

[jim555]

My Tercel 1991-2007 rip.

[Home Stretch]

Oh man, I've got a Tercel story too!

My roommate back in college had a mid 90's white manual Tercel. I landed an internship in the summer of '08 that resulted in a 60 mile round trip commute from the apartment. At the time, I had a gas-guzzling SUV that was a family hand-me-down

Now, some of you may remember the summer of '08 was the first time when gas prices even in the cheaper states spiked to over $4 a gallon. In my gas-guzzler, I would have been spending between $15 and $20 a day just driving to work and back. My roommate, on the other hand, was working literally on campus. He could walk to work, so he generously allowed us to swap cars for the summer.

This Tercel was... special. It had no air conditioning, and this was in the south, so I was routinely commuting home on the highway through thunderstorms while it was 95 degrees trying to balance how much water was coming in with how hot I was getting by not being able to open the windows. If I recall correctly, I think the car was supposed to have two speakers - one in each door. This one had one speaker that only kind of worked, and of course it only had a radio that seemingly got poor reception on all stations.

All that aside though - that car was FUN. They really are little go-karts. There is no additional weight from sound deadening, and of course safety had a different definition back then, so no weight was added for any of that garbage either. Topping out at 75mph in 4th gear and it felt like the engine was about to come flying out of the hood, but of course it ran like a champ and I never had a single issue for the brief time that the Tercel and I shared a commute.

[roomtempmayo]

Love it.  We're currently driving a 2003 Toyota Matrix, with a roof rack that often carries gear worth multiples of the car, too.

[Wekeeprollingdowntheroad]

Thank you for all your contributions, I enjoyed every one 😁

[Metalcat]

God this thread makes me want a Tercel o better yet, a Paseo!
It's like a full on jonesing...I have a problem.

Why must my Corolla be so sensible???
God Dammit!!!

[JTColton]

Gleaming in the evening light, on the way to a 4 day canoe trip we frequented in the North Cascades

Beautiful, I also stop at this Hwy 20 farm stand on my way to the North Cascades.

[Wekeeprollingdowntheroad]

God this thread makes me want a Tercel o better yet, a Paseo!
It's like a full on jonesing...I have a problem.

Why must my Corolla be so sensible???
God Dammit!!!

Haha!! Speaking of Corollas- you gotta check out this craigslister selling their Corolla.

https://www.craigslist.org/about/best/hou/6565526716.html

A small excerpt-

“When I ran the CarFax for this car, I got back a single piece of paper that said, "It's a Corolla. It's fine."

[MatthewK]

That's some funny shit!!

[meghan88]

Really funny ... thanks for the laugh!!

Had an 80's vintage Tercel at one point.  It was a 4-door with a really large hatchback - almost a station wagon.  Though I enjoy being car-free, if I *had* to own a car, it would be an older Toyota.

[CatamaranSailor]

My wife and I bought a brand new 1996 Toyota Tercel right after we were married. Our first big post marriage purchase and the only car we've ever bought brand new. 18 miles on the odometer. I was the absolute basic model...4 cylinder, 4 speed manual. Nothing power at all, no A/C...nothing! We literally drove that car to hell and back. Countless road trips all over the US. Teal green in color. The wife named her "Libby."

Some of the fun we had:

Ran over a dead deer in the middle of the road. No damage. Just four wheeled right over the carcass. Pulled hair and antlers out of the suspension for weeks.

One time coming back from Mexico we were so hot (no A/C) we had to stop and buy bags of ice to hug so the we and our dogs wouldn't melt. All the ice melted and we had to use an ice cream container to scoop out all the water from the floorboards.

Tires were about $20 a pop. Drove probably six sets down to the cords (wife was commuting 130 miles a day at the time).

In 9 years and over 200,000 miles never once did she fail to start. Never once left us stranded.

Consistently got 30+ MPG. On smooth highway closer to 40.

Sold her still running like the day we bought her. Stupid! (Thought we needed an SUV for baby..obviously pre-mustacian days).

Simply the best car we ever owned.

[abner]

Thanks for the memories. My 2nd car was a 81'Tercel. Drove it 60 mile round trip each day to college for 2 years. Couldn't hurt it even with my young 20ish stupid self. Took my wife on our first date with it.
I worked at night and during the winter I would hold it to the floor between cities on the highway when no one else was out on the road. I could never even touch the 85 mph mark even going downhill.

Now that I'm older I have even looked on craigslist to find another one the same year.

[AccidentialMustache]

I grew up and moved to and from college a number of times in my mom's 90's era geo prism hatchback. More or less the same car, right? It was a good car, although I think I like my fit more -- a little smaller, and the seats folding truly flat is really really nice.

The prism was fancy though, it had a turbo button, but they labeled it "A/C". My fit has that button but it doesn't speed up the car when I click it.

[JAYSLOL]

My wife and I bought a brand new 1996 Toyota Tercel right after we were married. Our first big post marriage purchase and the only car we've ever bought brand new. 18 miles on the odometer. I was the absolute basic model...4 cylinder, 4 speed manual. Nothing power at all, no A/C...nothing! We literally drove that car to hell and back. Countless road trips all over the US. Teal green in color. The wife named her "Libby."

Some of the fun we had:

Ran over a dead deer in the middle of the road. No damage. Just four wheeled right over the carcass. Pulled hair and antlers out of the suspension for weeks.

One time coming back from Mexico we were so hot (no A/C) we had to stop and buy bags of ice to hug so the we and our dogs wouldn't melt. All the ice melted and we had to use an ice cream container to scoop out all the water from the floorboards.

Tires were about $20 a pop. Drove probably six sets down to the cords (wife was commuting 130 miles a day at the time).

In 9 years and over 200,000 miles never once did she fail to start. Never once left us stranded.

Consistently got 30+ MPG. On smooth highway closer to 40.

Sold her still running like the day we bought her. Stupid! (Thought we needed an SUV for baby..obviously pre-mustacian days).

Simply the best car we ever owned.

That’s awesome, mines basically identical, I’ve had it since 2002, it’s a ‘95.  That no ac can be brutal though, that’s the only thing I wish the car had.  Mines also green and a 4spd manual, also never once not started or left me stranded in 17 years of owning it. 

[JAYSLOL]

...and here it is. 

[CatamaranSailor]

...and here it is.

That's it! Look at those sleek, classic lines! :) I notice you have the fancy plastic wheel covers. We only had the steel wheels. So sad...

In all seriousness, pretty much the perfect grocery getter. I don't even want to think about the $$$$ we blew on stupid SUV's / clowncars after we sold ours. Hindsight is truly a cruel, cruel mistress...

[soccerluvof4]

When my mom passed years ago it was the only thing we kept. We called it the blueberry.

[JAYSLOL]

...and here it is.

That's it! Look at those sleek, classic lines! :) I notice you have the fancy plastic wheel covers. We only had the steel wheels. So sad...

In all seriousness, pretty much the perfect grocery getter. I don't even want to think about the $$$$ we blew on stupid SUV's / clowncars after we sold ours. Hindsight is truly a cruel, cruel mistress...

Yes, the plastic covers scream over-the-top luxury, haha.  Funny story though, I had a set of plastic covers that stuck out a little more than these ones do when I took the road test for my drivers license. During the road test the evaluator asked me to park along a curb, I pulled in just a touch too tight and one of them popped off a passenger side wheel and rolled down the sidewalk and eventually into someone’s yard.  Embarrassing.  I didn’t pass. 

[Aelias]

God this thread makes me want a Tercel o better yet, a Paseo!
It's like a full on jonesing...I have a problem.

I had a black 1995 Paseo I bought in high school with my babysitting and lifeguarding money.  I kept it until 2015.  My husband made fun of it at first, calling it the Peso (which was a reasonable guess at its resale value) but eventually dubbed it the Beast.  It was wildly fuel efficient, manual everything, easy to park and DIY fix, noisy as hell, suuuuuuuper fun to drive.

Eventually the bottom rusted out (lousy New England winters) and we had to let it go.  We bought nicer, newer cars and they're fine.  But we kept the license plate and mounted it on our wall. My husband still talks about it sometimes.  We miss that car.

[Firehazard]

I had a red 1982 Tercel back in the mid-late eighties....I loved that car.  I thought it was extremely fancy compared to my previous orange 1976 VW Rabbit that had no A/C, no carpet, and had been hand painted with a brush. Although, for some reason I loved that car too.  Anyway, my Tercel died far too young.....the transmission went after a few years and I didn't have the $1200 to replace it.  I ended up buying another car with financing instead.  Now 30 years later I have tiny Toyota Prius C that is almost exactly as luxurious as my Tercel, which is to say not at all.  It reminds my of my old Tercel every time I hop in.  I love small cars, they're so nimble. 

[Henrysmom1]

Wonderful trip down memory lane. My first car was a Toyota Corona, pale blue. It had 100k on it when I bought it for $200. Drove it to 200k miles and then sold it for $200! Later, in 1981 bought a Toyota Starlet, red with manual transmission. Loved that car! Young people today won’t know they joy of driving a little stick shift car..Drove it to 238,000 miles and only put in two clutches, a couple sets of brakes and oil changes and tires, never a major repair.  It was hands down the most reliable car I ever owned. When I decided to move up to a bigger car a mechanic friend bought it from me and drove it another few years...

[JAYSLOL]

Wonderful trip down memory lane. My first car was a Toyota Corona, pale blue. It had 100k on it when I bought it for $200. Drove it to 200k miles and then sold it for $200! Later, in 1981 bought a Toyota Starlet, red with manual transmission. Loved that car! Young people today won’t know they joy of driving a little stick shift car..Drove it to 238,000 miles and only put in two clutches, a couple sets of brakes and oil changes and tires, never a major repair.  It was hands down the most reliable car I ever owned. When I decided to move up to a bigger car a mechanic friend bought it from me and drove it another few years...

I was lucky and actually made it to 310k before I needed to replace the clutch in mine, even though I used it to tow my boat to remote lakes in the bush for years