Hello, I'm a Toyota truck guy but it looks like I will have to do a lot of traveling this summer so I'm considering getting a car. Anyways Toyota is the only way I really want to go and I was thinking of getting a mid to late 90's Tercel. I'm just wondering which engine/trans combo would have the best milage, and what milage could I expect to get?Also I was wondering if there are any years/models/engines/trans to avoid. Thanks.

ah... too bad i don't have a tercel, or i coudl tell you...

the most advice i could give, would probably to get a newer model (96 - 99) as it comes with a little bit of a beefier motor, which gets good gas mileage (somewhere above 25mpg). body style is nicer too.

i would assume that's the more reliable year, as it's the same or similar to the paseo.

i would still await for some tercel guys to answer this for you. i still consider myself a noob

 

91-94 has an engine thats notorious for burning oil due to worn valve stem seals, and finding one with low miles is going to be next to impossible. It is a 12V SOHC dubbed the 3E-E. It will still run fine, just burns the oil.

The 95+ Tercels have a 16V DOHC engine that holds up well and gets great mileage. Depending on how you drive and the condition of your engine you can squeeze 40+ mpg out of these cars. I do on a regular basis with my 96 Terc. Even with the 91-94 I always get mid 30s. These are manual transmission cars though. If you go with automatic you'll be lucky to get 30mpg.

 

this is true. if you said you're going to be doing a lot of traveling this summer, i'll assume most of it will be freeway/highway driving. if this is the case, you'll definitely want to go with the manual. a 3 spd auto just wont cut it on the freeway, and you'll likely not be able to keep up with traffic very well. the later 90's tercels (95+) will get you better mileage than the eariler, but they are more expensive. it all depends on what exactly you need it for, but i'd say both options are good options.

 

I had a 95 4-speed manual and got awesome gas mileage. I drove city agressively and always had at least 30mpg.

 

I've got a friend with a 96 5spd that gets north of 40mpg on the freeway
A 95+ tercel or a 96+ paseo will have the same 5efe DIS engine, which is what i'd aim for if you're not going to do a performance engine swap later on.

 

also, the 3ee came with a slight oil leak STOCK from teh factory, around the distributor seal... kinda funny, kinda not
but the 3ee has many oil leaks, VSS, dipstick o-ring, valve cover and the distributor
but those are kinda common for older cars...

 

1995+ Tercels are a good choice. I might be biased on this one since I own one:lol:. I would suggest you shoot at getting a 5 speed manual....

 

I second the opinion above about the 95+ the 90's have the horrible venturi carb with a rats nest of vacuum tubes that's a bitch to work on. I have such a car (90 EZ) Tercels are essentially bullet proof cars, stick to e fuel injected.