Buying a tercel

[NIKPINET]

Hello,
I'm new here, so if this thread is in the wong spot, sorry.
I'm getting my licence soon, and I want to buy my own car. I want something cheap, but not cheap, if you know what I mean.
I was looking at the civics. I know they are great cars, but it's hard to find a decent old civic cause teenagers drive the shit outta them.
I started looking at tercels. I like them a lot. I've heard good things.I like them because they're not a car that stupid clowns put fart cans on them and race em. I want a regular car. So, how would a 98-99 tercel work? I can pick one up around here for like, say $1800-$2000. Do they last? Good on gas? What are things I should look out for? I know buying an old cheap car isn't the best idea, but I'm on a budget.
How does this vehicle compare to a civic?
Thanks for any input.
Nik

[WilliamRobert]

I know here on the prairies that buying an older car is easy. They don't put salt on the roads here and it's so dry, the cars don't rust. I've worked on a lot of older cars from the Toronto area and hated every second of it. So much rust, every bolt was crazy tight and most snap with little effort. I don't know how the cars are out by you, but all the newf's at work say that cars usually only last 5-8 years before they rust to death.

Something to think about when you are buying a used car. Brake, suspension, engine and transmission parts might all be very rusty. Things to watch out for!

If you are looking for a cheap, reliable car, that will get you from point A to B, that you will never get laid in,(lol) then a Tercel that has been taken care of is perfect.
Good Luck

BillyBob

[Tercel GTS]

Originally Posted by NIKPINET

I like them because they're not a car that stupid clowns put fart cans on them and race em. I want a regular car.

How does this vehicle compare to a civic?
Thanks for any input.
Nik

Speak for yourself, hahaha. Many people swap the engine for a JDM turbo version and out run mustangs. Stock a Tercel is highly reliable. Turbo'd it is still very reliable.
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[Krocker]

are you looking for used cars? Its really hard to descent used cars by now a used car dealers would help you out. Try to look for a trusted dealers to help you out finding descent used cars for you, I also bought a used cars and its working perfectly as of now, I bought it last year of November its a Toyota Yaris.

[bkftl]

I suggest try to look on Craigslist com for tercel near u. Ebay might be ok too. Any older car will be completly rusted unless it was stored in a garage. So if u get a tercel i think its a good investment. Its usualy quite easy to find out whats wrong with it, especialy if u get 1996+ year, because it uses the NEW standard tool to check the codes. Tercel is real eazy to fix, if ur hands on too.

Compared to a civic its a bit rougher on the ride, but its about the same. I like the engine setup on my 94 tercel, everything is farely eazy to get to, oilfilter and such, makes it realy eazy to maintain. Damn KIA put the filter on the bottom behind the engine, Toyota RaV4 put the damn filter right next to the front wheels CV) Parts are harder to get for a tercel, but they are cheap as well. (Honduas look totaly lame too, like a damn spaceship, and it aint a spaceship)

If u can get a low milage car with some problem its usualy cheaper to fix that, then get a "working car" and then learn that its about to fall appart, thats why people sell em. People dont sell cars in "GOOD" condition, just aint worth it i guess.

GOodluck

[noahthefrog]

I recommend any fuel injected Tercel, especially the late 90's models. They are comparable to Honda Civics from the same year, but tend to have more low-end power so you don't have to rev the motor as much. They're relatively easy to work on too, which is a big plus in my book.

[NIKPINET]

Thanks a lot for the help. So basicly what I should be looking out for is rust, transmission, suspension parts etc.. Are there parts that tend to go after a certaine amount of km's that I should look out for? Are parts relatively cheap?

[noahthefrog]

Anything rubber on the car is worth taking a quick look at to make sure it's not splitting or deteriorating from age or heat. Definitely check the CV axle boots before buying any used front-wheel drive car. The CV axles cost almost $200 each to have replaced at a shop and over $100 of that is just for the part.

Some parts are cheap and some are not. Parts that wear out frequently tend to be more affordable and available.