1985 Toyota Cressida [MX73] Review

[@martinodendaal1703]

Here in South Africa the Cressida sold like hot cakes. Almost everybody had one - the ones who didn't have one, owned a Jetta or Cortina.

[@SpiritedDriving]

My dad had one and it was a lovely car! I think the dual nature of the car suited South Africans well. We like driving, and travel a lot. The combination of reliability, comfort, practicality and enjoyable handling made it perfect.

[@thejdmguru621]

I’m considering getting one of these

[@moneytttt1140]

My dad had one and he had a car accident

[@Bond007er]

I had one it. Broke an axel at 75 sent. Me flipping never touch a Toyota again

[@akeelkhan7325]

My grandad father had one and this was in South Africa 😎

[@taunusv4power]

I get more proud of my cressida every day thanks to this kind of videos. Great video man!

[@jacobpailodjacobpailod458]

Still I am using 85 model Cressida car with good condition and it’s made me much happiest because it’s a heavy strong body and engine...❤️😁👍

[@speedfiend925]

When I was a kid my friends mom had one of these. At the time I thought it was one of the coolest sedans on the road. Still do. Unfortunately they are darn near impossible to find used.

[@medinamedina7399]

I got one

[@TEDdotcom]

Import a Cressida from Japan

[@ZacksScraps]

@@TEDdotcom technically they don't exist. The MX73 is the export-only version of the X70 platform including the Chaser, Mark II, and others. They are similar but have different engines and transmission options. Same with the X80 platform only making it outside of Japan as the MX83.

[@drumdelorean7341]

The Cressida reminds me of an early 2000's IS300

[@deborahchesser7375]

Yamaha and Toyota, two of my favorites

[@notoco1199]

Lotus rear suspension

[@alfredocastaneda54]

My first car was a 1983 Toyota Cressida that my father bought for me for $400. I loved that car and would like to find a clean example to buy as a toy.

[@tepidtuna7450]

My father bought an '85 Cressida new and I learned to drive in it. We both have very fond memories of it. The car WAS way ahead of it's time. A great medium powered sports sedan is how I would describe it. He went on to buy the next 2 Cressida models thereafter.

[@rhpham2]

Brings back good memories again with the constant oil leaks, smoke like a chimney, and no AC. Other than that, I like the pep inline six, rear wheel drive and was pretty reliable. It kept on running but the transmission started to slip at the end. Dad traded it for cash for clunkers. At least now I got the Avalon.

[@mannyg1578]

rhpham2 😢

[@garynew9637]

Lovely articulate, passionate review of a Japanese classic.

[@crxdelsolsir]

Growing up with a lot of Toyota's from Corona to Corolla I really liked the 88 Cressida (square prestigious look) and updated 92 Cressida. Alas my family didn't get to buy (afford) it but ended up getting an Accord. Not trying to remove anything from the Cressida but the Accord was a blessing in disguise. The 92 Accord ended up a fantastic car FAR advanced with the contemporaries and for years later: First in industry modern parabolic headlights Practical low trunk (boot) lip entry design (opens up to the bumper not just to the plate number) for ergonomically designed for loading and unloading. Modern side view mirror design with folding ability and narrow post for improved blind spot reduction. Real electronic computer controlled fuel injection (not mechanical), 16 valve, independent suspension all around, double wishbone design (F1 and Lambo have them to name premium models), Glass sun roof (not metal), Sunroof has a slider to enjoy the view even closed and 4 wheel steering feature that is only now being recognized by expensive cars as NOT a gimmick (The Centenario being the first for Lamborghini).

[@paulpatane2439]

My Dad in 1992,bought a 87 Cressida with 57k miles on it. What a great car. White with Burgundy cloth. Miss that car..

[@trumpjongun8831]

Comfy seats and ride, quiet on the inside, 4 disc brakes, electric fuel injection, straight 6 DOHC engine, RWD, electric windows, mirrors etc, i like the boxy old school design, reliable... One of the best cars of the 80's imo. Other this type of japanese cars i really like from the mid 80's are Toyota Crown, Century, and Nissan Cedric.

[@saadatsaif3419]

Awesome video! Love the 3rd gen CRESSIDA! We had a 1985 CRESSIDA grande, 5 speed manual.

[@charlespratt8663]

I'm still driving my 84 wagon. It's the one car I've owned that won't be for sale.

[@vanyapetrenko7795]

The wagons are sexy

[@TheDailyDownshift]

Not sure how I'm just now finding this channel, but MUCH love to the X7 Cressida. I had an 86 wagon a few years back that I Celica-Supra-fied with an MA40 axle, MA60 manual trans/seats/wheels/LSD, MA70 aluminum radiator, and AE86 rear disc brakes, all lowered on short stroke coilovers. I adored that car. New owner up in NY has it now, putting in a 1JZ. Fantastic cars.

[@atomicautomobile8537]

Yes! I've had a lot of cars come and go over the years but for whatever reason the MX73 came and stayed. It's still in the garage next to my daily LS400. One cool factor with the wagon is that it's more sensible to lower the car, unlike the sedan with the wonky IRS.

[@TheDailyDownshift]

Atomic Automobile kinda. I couldn’t find any decent coilover solutions so I got custom springs made and paired them with Camaro AGX shocks. It worked ok enough.

[@Declare57]

There was so much cool about this model! Features and performance to compare with any Mercedes favorably! Very lux and bulletproof!

[@christopherwaits7852]

Cressida got IRS in 1983 and had EFI even on the MX32. And the 5M-GE was in 1983 and 1984 models.

[@christopherwaits7852]

Duke Proper yes, correct. I had a 1984 and it had recirculating ball steering. Handled well but doesn’t have the on center feel of rack and pinion.

[@hindflight]

I thought that landscape and bird calls were familiar then I saw the NC plates! Great, detailed video!

[@mehriran1020]

the Cressida Grande is My first and best car that I bought,I still own her, she is a very good girl who has been with me for many years in the cold, heat, happiness and unhappiness. I have 3 others toyota,. But steel I love her.

[@pushtoyota]

Great video, a lot of effort and great showing all the features!

[@gregh7457]

I really liked your comparison of digital efi v.s. analog. Robust perhaps but i've got cars with both systems and i prefer digital when something goes wrong because its easier to just plug into the odb port and let the software point me in the direction of the problem

[@recklessjelly1484]

That’s it, you got a subscriber, I love your commentary it’s original, no gimmicks no shtick just a good first person review and soliloquy for a normal car.

[@atomicautomobile8537]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and I really appreciate hearing that!

[@uYahbonaEmbo]

I have always maintained the 89 Cressida was the Grandfather 👴🏾 of the first Generation Lexus LS400.

[@texan903]

By 1989 the Cressida became so good that it had to be cancelled in order not to step on Lexus' toes.

[@Bruceillest101]

My friends mom had one of those in the early 2000s. That thing was pretty comfy

[@andysaunders3708]

My neighbour had one of these, and we hatched a cunning plan to see how fast we could get from Auckland to Napier, (in NZ, obviously), one night. I was quite looking forward to this, as he was a bloody good driver, and it promised to be great stuff. That car was bloody fast for its time, and handled pretty well. This was the '80s, for goodness sake. Unfortunately, somehow his wife smelt a rat, and put the kibosh on the entire enterprise by insisting that their 13-year-old daughter accompanied us., thus meaning we'd actually have to drive responsibly. Thanks, Phyllis. Turned out that there was a massive landslide between Taupo and Napier, and we ended up probably making one of the slowest trips, point-to-point, in recorded history. We were diverted along some goat-track along with about 200 other cars, and arrived at 6.30 in the morning. Not good, as we had some serious drinking to do, and I had to be back in Auckland the following morning, driving a Subaru 4wd ute, (BRAT/Brumby). Most disappointing, both from the perspective of the actual trip and the inability, (for me, at least), to indulge in mucho Jim Beam. I got back to Auckland by some other circuitous route, only to find that the person I was supposed to be meeting "had something come up", and couldn't make it. Not a lot of cell phones in NZ in those days. Bloody lovely car, his Cressida. I had the previous model, and it died of terminal corrosion after 5 years. As in the entire car was rotten past the point of economical repair. Sad, as I quite liked it.

[@SuperKafooo]

These Cressidas are still popular in Saudi Arabia.

[@BrodyC98]

My dream car. Great review.

[@GordonGreenCincinnati]

Loving the Nardo Grey!

[@karlclintsman2950]

I drove this for 7 years straight in work boots. Never had 1 issue driving it.

[@nobrainz00]

LS400 (Toyota Celsior) is not an evolution of a Toyota Cressida. It may appear that way from an US perspective because no other models were available, but as early as the 70s there were larger cars already in production and for sale in other markets. The Crown was the next tier up from the MarkII/Cresta/Cressida/Chaser. The flagship model was the Century. The MarkII/Chaser/Cresta continued to be produced even though the Cressida was discontinued in the US

[@adamv242]

4:31 the Super Monitor! Love the birthday feature... not even a Maybach does this!

[@Dushaful]

Cracked me open at the start of the movie...lol. I love this car and it's nice to get details like this. Thank you!

[@jimmymarshall8152]

I had a 86, white with burgundy cloth with the sport or touring package, can’t remember what it was called. Had the sport seats and the adjustable suspension. Loved that car!

[@atomicautomobile8537]

When did you have it? Did you get it new?

[@jimmymarshall8152]

@@atomicautomobile8537 I got it around 2003. I was the 3rd owner. It had just turned 100k and was in really great shape.

[@ארנבתפצ]

This is mark2, 70th body. I guess the next generation of Cressida, or mark2(chaser) for Japanese market. Was the best vehicles ever made

[@lonestardiyboyz6610]

My uncle had a Cressida at his shop for years and I wanted it as my first car back in 1990. The lady that owned it didn’t want to sell it, yet she let it sit for years at my uncles shop for repairs. I forget why it was there I just enjoyed sitting in it and thought it was so luxurious compared to any American car.

[@3rdJAR]

I loved the Cressida. The ford flare side in metallic wild strawberry 🍓 manual transmission. The Citroën 2CV (Charlie brown in the chalet ) well snoopy was driving it. The Studebaker Woodie. Chrysler cordoba. The Packard Caribbean. The Chrysler turbine. Ford Centurion. Nash Rambler. Daewoo, Plymouth pickup 🛻. Lamborghini Countach. Mercury Marauder and so on and so forth. They are all underrated. Except maybe the lambo. Just didn’t see many around ever

[@sunilayya8948]

Solid car, but by 89 the Nissan maxima just overshadowed it and became a Car and Driver top 10 car .

[@hoderharris]

Great vid. When I was a kid I wanted one of these when I grew up.

[@joeleonardo5119]

Seen this Cressida in person in cars and coffee in concord NC it is very clean...i was amazed at the 5 speed too

[@atomicautomobile8537]

That was a good c and c. Since I moved back to Atlanta they don't have anything like it.

[@ksinouye]

Great, thorough review! Nice work.

[@toyotanerd2269]

You have reviewed all my dream cars

[@greathey1234]

This was very popular in Saudi Arabia especially the 4 cylinder XL and GL models. I would safely say that almost every house has a Cressida at one point in this country.

[@jacutin5033]

My friend had a new one in 1986, also in Raleigh. Greetings bro!

[@ALLw3rk]

The way he’s dressed with a shirt and tie fit perfect in the car. Looks like he is on his way home from his corporate cubicle, briefcase in the passenger seat. 👌🏽

[@RoyalOceanRWB]

My 1983 mx63 Cressida has independent rear suspension as well as electronic fuel injection.. pretty sure those were introduced before the 1985 model year Cressida.

[@maxju3270]

If anyone wants to know the source of the song, it's called "Sweet Surprise" by Suzie off of Chardonnay. It's pretty hard to track down a legit download of it but I can suggest using soulseek to find it or msg me if you want a copy. Great song.

[@christophermichael.w.7577]

I had one for a couple years. I wish I would have kept the engine from it. I gave it away for free and it was still running.

[@vgamedude12]

the blacked out chrome makes all the difference.

[@ZacksScraps]

I wish these were still cheap. Drift taxed to all hell these days. Super good value for the money. Weld the diff, or swap in a A60/A70 LSD if you can find one and you're ready to go sideways.

[@nartech_la5125]

On my vacation to jamaica all there were in the streets were Corrolas and Cressedas. love the cressida. nice video

[@danielponder690]

Very interesting car, very nice Lexus and Cressidas, I'm not sure how many people have more than one Cressida...I'm in NC as well

[@draggonhedd]

and theyre fucking gorgeous today. That 5mge sounds sweeeet too.

[@Cars.andclaws]

Great video I have an 85 as well got it for 350$ it was a one owner car with 110k miles, it’s an automatic I would love to swap to a 5 speed!

[@jaydensingh7915]

Sick review man

[@alpzepta]

Toyota, All I want is a Cressida! Not a Camry!!!!

[@standardarm63]

I don't like the skinny steering wheel, or burning the left arm on chrome trim, but I like it overall.

[@RussianZOmBieATTACK]

These had telescopic steering wheels, but in later gens and only in JDM variants

[@bilgetonyukuk5530]

Guy looks like the Beastie Boys in "Sabotage".

[@cam-den]

the x7 body is the most beautiful car i've ever seen

[@rabidbigdog]

Everything put into the Lexus LS was experimented with in the MX83 Cessida - not sure North American got that car.

[@1911indi]

no telescoping wheels in cars by 1985- merc, jag, rolls, bentley, toyota, lincoln, etc...no one needed it as your seat does the rake work too !!! mom had a cressida grande 1985 in kuwait ... learned all sports maneuvers on it in the desert and streets . was bomb proof ...n the stereo was awesome though i plugged woofers and amps....has the 5mge i think but no overhead cam

[@gregoryburgundy4857]

I want one so bad...

[@gunstarhero8028]

I actually love the digital dash 😅

[@richardmahoney9415]

Cool review like always

[@DeusTex-Mex]

I drove an '87 Cressida wagon in college and I always tell the car weebs it was nothing special, because it really wasn't. It wasn't a bad car, it was super reliable and practical and comfortable, but also it was QUITE slow and with what little power it had the RWD was kind of a waste. The wagons had a straight-axle rear end instead of the IRS the sedans got, so the handling was kind of mediocre. I also suspect it would have ended my life in an accident, because although the fit and finish was top notch the body itself was kind of a tin-can. I often miss it but I can't think of a good reason to actually buy another, not that I could ever find one in that shape.

[@JoesGoldenGarage]

Love the paint A beauty

[@MrMagic1225]

Hope you can do more reviews like this :)

[@pushtoyota]

Tiara edition went up to 1988... fyi... That's the Toyota hood emblem with the T

[@christopherwaits7852]

That hood ornament isn’t factory. That’s likely a dealer add on or Gulf States Toyota special.

[@CONVID-xy4ur]

Looks nice, looks better than new toyotas that are having identity crisis, with all those star wars themes. And lexus with alliens vs predator theme. This car looks true to its identity. Looks clean and nice. Not like a ugly scifi thing

[@willyhwang1059]

I really enjoy your channel; are you not making any new videos?

[@atomicautomobile8537]

Hey thanks for the sentiment. I really miss making these and it's hard to believe it's been almost a year. It's been a lot of things, I left the job I'd had for 6 years, moved cities, sold a house, bought a house that was a fixer upper and required tons of attention, six months later left the new job I'd just gotten for yet another job... in the meantime I've been trying to work on a review video since last fall--BMW E39 M5--but it being both very special and way out of my wheelhouse, it's a very challenging car for me to approach. Hopefully life steadies out in the next few months and I can get back to these.

[@daved3948]

I would love to see you do a review of the Lexus gs second generation 300 or 430

[@cast_outlaw]

Nice review man Cressidas have a special place in my heart I’m on my second now as I think it may be my mid life crisis car😂 trying to reclame my youth (had one when I was young

[@yaoiis4life]

im currently looking to buy one as a project for 500$ hopefully its been sitting but still cranks

[@ourkaravan]

Is that an original paint color? Non-metallic grays are all the rage right now. Great video; loved my supra and would love one of these too.

[@atomicautomobile8537]

That is not an original paint color. It's the non-metallic gray from the Hellcat. Hopefully it still looks cool in a few years! Glad you liked the video.

[@ourkaravan]

@@atomicautomobile8537 I love it. I have a vehicle in a very similar non-metallic color.

[@theway280]

nice review, I like how you go in detail on the cars driving characteristics. Is that the shift knob that would normally come with a manual x7?

[@garynew9637]

There was a Toyota Crown.

[@brycewalker1902]

If I were to shop around for a Cressida and I wanted the red-ish corduroy interior what would I search for to narrow down my results?

[@ccserfas4629]

We had one. Badass

[@MrXclusivE12]

Thanks, very informative

[@503chefgeo5]

I love ❤️ my 81 Cressida

[@bannagaexpress6190]

Cressida was introduced in 1979

[@jeremiahjohnson3018]

Great video!

[@RussianZOmBieATTACK]

The jz series were spawned from 1g engines, not from 5m or whatever

[@mickahfernandez4056]

Such a fucking great video man, 10/10

[@Sanpedranoazul]

This is a treasure you Have buddy 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🥳

[@ivanmeza5287]

Is a 1987 Cressida with 135k worth to buy for 2,000?

[@Lord_Don]

They never break down. If they do your grandma can fix it

[@razinesh87]

If anyone has a clean one for sale, let me know.

[@Bunn4Funn]

bravo!! what part of NC are you in ??

[@natlikethebug9522]

Awesome Vid!

[@cribs78]

Great review!!

[@Goldenrod636]

Nothing about the automatic seat belts?

[@tooncesdcat6216]

I had the 86 Cressida. I think it had 156 horse power.

[@atomicautomobile8537]

It does. I rounded off the corner a little when I called it 160. When did you have yours?

[@RussianZOmBieATTACK]

That "modest cressida's logo" isn't Cressida's. It's a mark 2 logo, upon which cressida is based on. Before reviews, do yourself a favour and at least google. And don't get me started on cupholders, complaining about lack of those in a 35 y.o car requires serious guts. Not mentioning you can easily solve it by buying universal vent cupholders

[@jacutin5033]

Doode, mark 2 brand was not available in US. It was primarily Asian brand. But you are right about the logo itself.

[@xpvrrish]

i almost traded my 93 ls400 for a 85 cressida, but it was blue on blue with the cheesy leather.

[@xpvrrish]

i also got a 93 fj80 and a 88 toyota pickup. sold my 96 rav4 a bit ago.

[@m1abrams2009]

Nice ride!

[@UnseamedComet]

I'd love to talk to the guy who blacked out that X7's trim, I've been wanting to do it but I'm wildly apprehensive about it

[@UnseamedComet]

Jack /alltrades thanks for the info, I'll see if he's got a FB. I'd love to take it all off and do it properly but damn do I not want to bend/break anything haha

[@UnseamedComet]

Jack /alltrades I couldn't find him, at least not reliably. If it comes up again would you be able to make that connection? I'm interested in his methods.

[@UnseamedComet]

Jack /alltrades thanks man! I dig the videos, definitely looking forward to more

[@peacebewu]

do they have power steering?

[@walterkardonski3567]

Wao this is an amazing video, thank you!

[@atomicautomobile8537]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!