MotorWeek | Retro Review: 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon

[@mudpuppy318]

My Parents bought a 84 SR5 that was a year old lease return at the time. They used it for 13 years until the body rotted away almost completely. I was born during a Canadian prairie blizzard and it made it to the hospital with little trouble other than it could hardly go faster than the speed limit. After its retirement my dad would use it to skid trees out of the wood lot. I learned to drive herding cows, it was better than a quad as it had heat and shelter. If it would't go just back up and take a run at it! The clutch went eventually and now the shell of it sits in a corner of their field, stripped of parts, gone but not forgotten!

[@threewheelerdonuts8284]

My uncle owned a toyata tercel and he scraped it Becuce the frame rotted out. Do you think you or someone else would ever restore that tercel that sitting in your feild, and dose it run?

[@shobud7561]

@@threewheelerdonuts8284 none of these vehicles had a frame ! Unibody.

[@threewheelerdonuts8284]

@@shobud7561 oh that right. Sorry for my mispronunciation.

[@Koexistence13]

Cool man. I assume it was the 22re 4 cylinder. I had a 91 4 runner with that motor. The body went before the motor by quite a stretch

[@edpoe4622]

@@Koexistence13 No it wasn't a 22R, but I forget what the hell the engine it used.

[@manfromnantucket9544]

A Scout being pulled out of a snowy ditch by a Tercel. That's it, I've officially seen everything. Thank you very much world, thank you very much.

[@Mr_Chris77]

I got nauseated watching that part!

[@callmebigpapa]

@@Mr_Chris77 Yeah me to they should left the Scout in the ditch where it could rust peacefully for eternity.

[@scdevon]

I can smell the clutch on the Toyota from here. It looks staged anyhow.

[@scdevon]

@Alonso Iker Actually we don't care, Spammer.

[@myxtraparts4saledon502]

You haven't seen everything until you've seen a Volkswagen bug pull a 1500 4wd out of snow! I have!!!

[@Yormsane]

I drove one of these back in the 80s, and absolutely loved it. Right-sized, practical, reliable, good on gas. There's plenty of 'em still running around here in Colorado.

[@rangersmith4652]

I owned one of these (an '83) for a number of years in the early to mid 90s. Sunroof, no AC, floorboard rust, and a radiator fan that never worked. A great car that got me through my first round of graduate school. On one occasion I drove the cart to Chicago for a military reserves conference, and the weather turned really ugly. Actual temps in the -30 range, and gobs of snow forecast. The conference was ended early so people could beat the snow. But the parking lot of the venue was filled with rental cars that would not start, and a Navy van was going around jumping them. My little Tercel, maybe due to its very low compression engine, turned over slowly--wump--wump--wump, and on the fourth rotation fired up. I had a private chuckle at all the basically new cars that got beaten by the cold while my little guy prevailed. By the time I made it home, a four-hour drive that took six, we had 6 inches of new powder. The Tercel never missed a beat.

[@rushnerd]

What a freakin' vehicle, not to mention the looks and the gas milage. I love my 94 Camry, but I can't imagine doing that.

[@Sacapuntas69]

Ahhh, back in days when each car had it's own styling and look!

[@firstmusic00]

Back when Toyota had balls. Throughout the 80's they built vehicles with 4x4, all wheel drive, turbos, superchargers....many with manual transmissions. I would love to have an '88 4x4 van with a 5-speed and dual moonroofs to haul the family around in.

[@Toyota4Life]

+firstmusic00 Toyota was a beast back then ! They still are a beast SUV and truck wise. But the market overall has numbed down alot of cool cars went away.

[@kenkozawa9810]

Toyota always had the balls...the problem was no one especially in the states bought their creations so it is the consumer's fault here, they can't really change brand perception even today....for example, the current RAV4 is sold worldwide with a manual option except for North America. No one except for enthusiasts really knows the beauty of Toyota's classics like the FJ40, MK4 Supra, all MR2 gens, Sera, Celica GT4/All-trac, first gen Tundra, LS 400...and there are plenty of cars that Toyota released after the millennium which were more of cult hits too but ironically it seems like you can't see Toyota never lost their balls...they still made the LFA, the Corolla/Matrix XRS, Celica GT-S, FJ Cruiser, etc..I'm missing a bunch of cars I could still name but you get the point...if they didn't keep their balls they wouldn't be in the position they are..

[@firstmusic00]

Ken Kozawa And how many of those post millennial vehicles are still around? And I don't count the $400k LSA. That was a one off car with only 500 produced, way out of reach to the average person. Toyota is like nearly all companies...it's a business. And with all large companies, it has morphed into a decision making body run only by executives, shareholders and bean counters. People devoid of all sence of passion and innovation. I will agree that public demand in The States has been partially to blame for Toyota's move away from vehicles with character. Find me a person under 35 who can even drive a manual transmission...or would even want to if they could. But Toyota has played it's part in dumbing down our market as well. Relentless mandates from the EPA and the government in general don't help things either

[@kenkozawa9810]

firstmusic00​​​​ lol wow you're delusional as hell...last gen MR2 and Celica are still going strong in car culture just as examples...someone taught you a very twisted history of Toyota..I'm not going to spoonfeed you but I will say I'm in my 20s and I drive a GT86 with a stick and there are hundreds of others in the US that do so but it doesn't change the fact that the majority of the US don't care for such things hence the reaction from Toyota (all JDMs actually) but they still release awesome stuff in Europe and Japan where the percentage of enthusiasts are much higher.

[@firstmusic00]

Ken Kozawa Doesn't matter that that some of the MR2s and Celicas of years ago are still around. They're around because those who want them have kept them a live....not because Toyota as contributed anything. They have helped, along with public demand, to dumb down the US market. And don't kid yourself about the FR-S/86. Had Subaru not provided 95% of the development cost and 99% of the platform and drivetrain, that car wouldn't exist. The modern version of Toyota would never fork over the cash necessary for the development of a low volume, niche vehicle (the LSA does not count). The bean counters would not allow that. I'm nearly 50 years old and have watched it happen.

[@ofamilyonthemove1238]

Thanks for sharing these! It was a staple of Saturday mornings as a kid with my late Dad. That intro theme and John Davis’ narration are pure nostalgia for me! Still enjoy the new ones from time to time.

[@SabreLilly.]

I've always had a soft spot for these. No idea why

[@misamisatv]

+SabreLilly Because they're capable cars! :)

[@herrgolf]

+SabreLilly Because they're very unpretentious and functional cars with individualistic styling (cyclops reverse light, raised roof).

[@herrgolf]

+herrgolf In fact, I find them quite attractive.

[@misamisatv]

+herrgolf Unfortunately most girls would disagree, heh.. :P

[@herrgolf]

+misamisatv It's not girls, it's people who lack interest in cars and, more specifically, industrial design. I know plenty of women with an eye for design.

[@dolphtrains2]

Now that is a real road test done properly under realistic conditions! Also, I always liked the quirky styling of these, even if it was extremely slow

[@troybranch9720]

"This spunky oriental" lmao

[@Porsche996driver]

Ooohh yeahhhh lol. John tsk tsk.

[@hugolafhugolaf]

Spunky oriental sounds like a great porno.

[@kenboughton9252]

If he says that in 2021, John's looking for a new job.

[@Teddingtin]

@@kenboughton9252 There’s not even anything “problematic” about the word oriental. It’s just an old term for things from the east. Lots of things still use the word to this day.

[@kenboughton9252]

@@Teddingtin I know and you know it, but there are a lot WOKE people who hate it. They would work to have him canceled. A local high school, in Akron Ohio, had to change name from East Orientals to Dragons.

[@nlpnt]

I miss when this kind of vehicle had too much glass and seemed like it was trying to look dorky. So much better than the new compact crossovers that don't have enough glass and are trying too hard to look cool.

[@JSchroederee]

nlpnt I don’t think they’re trying to look cool, I think they’re trying to keep you alive in an accident with more structure... but that accident may not have happened if you had better visibility...

[@theKevronHarris]

I love these retro reviews of MotorWeek and it keeps me company!

[@mervinprone]

Always liked Tercels, something cool about them. And they were super reliable.

[@TheSouperNova]

Jesse Pinkman's car!

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

+TheSuperNova damn right! just not the right color

[@FirstnameLastname-ni9uh]

that's right bitch

[@JettaMasta]

Yeah Mr. White! Yeah science!

[@youtubetvvivo4999]

TheSuperNova sday querda judouli gretyawci Mil guhiyyih hgfykji bigqe hg

[@AdamWild572]

Ya BITCH

[@perrydasavage]

drove one of these from Toronto to Nfld. back in the summer of 1986 ... folded the seats & used it as a make-shift "camper" ... good times and a great car!

[@trainguy1792]

My parents owned a turcel. They hated that car but it never broke down on them. They even left it in bad neighborhoods overnight, hoping it would get stolen, it never did lol

[@trainguy1792]

@Dinnermeal lol

[@briteidea08]

My aunt and uncle had one of these cars. Right before the blizzard of 96. They gave it to my cousin. He drove from Columbia to Owings Mills. We tore through some snow that night. Seeing that house in the open rought back good memories growing up in Owings Mills.

[@dkt1976dt]

My neighbor had a 1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon, she bought it brand new and she drove it for 20 years, when she finally let it go, it had about 300,000 miles and the only reason she let it go was that the under carriage had rusted away. The vehicle wouldnt pass the stringent New York State Inspection. Now she has a 2007 Corolla and that only has 17,000 miles, she has always been a die hard Toyota owner.

[@MiguelLuna1]

That's impressive.

[@czarpeppers6250]

I love the Tercel wagon, but I use to have a Volvo 240 with 500,000 miles on it. Sadly I had to get rid of it for much the same reason, rust wasn't that bad but I just didn't have the money at the time. But my current 30 year old Chevy Caprice wagon has almost 300,000 on it, and it still runs beautifully, and no rust problems. Nevertheless I'm planning to do an top end engine rebuild once it gets around 350,000.

[@CarlosTrejoAgs]

Donald Thompson really thats great, I want one of this cars I like it, its so functional, Im ok with my corolla trueno liftback is not a wagon but it stills functional, I like all Toyota cars

[@shobud7561]

Salt and any liquid will rust anything away !

[@terceldude]

She should have kept it. Rusty undercarriages are an easy fix

[@adamo5919]

Great car! I actually just picked one of these up for free on Craigslist. Rebuilding it and hopefully soon will have it back on the road. In the mean time have my 4Runner. I also had one of these for my first car when I turned 16.

[@karthouw]

Very lucky, have fun with it!

[@callmebigpapa]

I owned this exact car and is the best car I have ever owned. I would pay 25k for a brand new one today, amazing car to own.

[@wildbill23c]

Too bad today they'd start out at about $30k for a base model 2WD, and $35k for a 4WD base, god forbid you add any options then you are talking $40k+ LOL. So I wonder what would compare now...oh yes a Subaru LOL. The Toyota Rav4 and Highlander are more SUV based than car based like they were in the Toyota Tercel. Wish Toyota still made them though, I'd love to get one, most of the time I don't have the need to tow or haul anything, mostly groceries of course, occasionally some tools, but nothing really requiring a truck or huge SUV.

[@AdamWild572]

There's a dealer in San Fran selling on with 44,000 miles for $11k. All options. Original radio and super clean interior and engine.

[@terceldude]

Dude, you're my hero!

[@bigaltro]

Iwned one and it was nearly unstoppable in 4wd low. not a jet by any means but utility all the way.

[@terceldude]

I've seen performance parts for the original engine.

[@goatboy9837]

I live on and off in one of these cars. Fold the rear seats down and fold over a queen mattress topper with a few curtains. Perfect.

[@seagrass7125]

Been watching Motorweek my entire life, love the drug here John!! With all the car "channels" nowadays Motorweek still holds up and was the one of the best originals:)

[@YuriyPodgorniak]

With proper winter tires.I am pretty sure it would do a lot better in the snow❤

[@fraulafa]

My parents had the 83 SR5 when I was a kid. When I got to high school that was my first car... it was very reliable. I don't have it any more but I know the car is still running today.

[@kelly00000111111]

my parents had one of these in bright orange when I was maybe 3 or 4 and then upgraded to an alltrac Corolla wagon. even though it (The tercel) went up in flames in my babysitters driveway, we're still a Toyota family to this day

[@CreRay]

From a time when cars had an identity. I like it! They were super popular in Switzerland, together with the Subaru 1800 from the same era.

[@silverwolfmonastery]

A friend of mine had one of these. I always loved it. It was quirky and surefooted in snow. If only it had 100 HP! Eventually we bought a 2006 Suburu Forrester, which reminded me of the Tercel 4wd wagon. It was great too

[@terceldude]

There were turbos for it back in 1985 if people had only taken advantage of them back then?! 🙄😊

[@alexstepanski142]

I loved my tercel so much. Miss it every day

[@BriansRCStuff]

A parent of a kid on my school bus saved about 10 of us that were stuck in a snow storm in this car.... I will never forgot how good it was in really bad conditions and I was about 10 years old!

[@maximaniac7231]

Saw a mid-eighties Tercel SR5 4wd wagon on the road today. Looked just like the one reviewed here with the two tone paint and everything. I haven't seen one of those in I can't remember when! It was all worn out looking, faded paint, some rust, but still all original, well except the guy had mounted what looked like a 5,000 watt generator to the front bumper. That said, it took off from the stoplight with no weird noises and no smoke from the tailpipe. Seeing one of these on the road today is very weird btw. The car REALLY sticks out from everything else now. I was most surprised by just how small it was.

[@johnhiram1207]

They were terrific cars. Huge bargain. Tough and reliable. But here in New England they rusted away very fast (5 years).

[@shobud7561]

Salt will do that too any vehicle !

[@basshead.]

+Sho Bud Let's face it, old Japanese cars rust like there is no tomorrow.

[@larrygarrett724]

I saw a video of a Volkswagon Beetle from a owner from an area where salt was used and it had a great under carriage. The original owner had used one of those spray lawn sprinklers to wash away salt on a regular basis during seasons where it was added to roads.

[@terceldude]

So do today's SUVs

[@rjm9690]

Its funny. One could possibly see this as the precursor to whats one of the most popular vehicles in North America here in 2017, the RAV4.

[@dchawk81]

Unfortunately.

[@honkhonkler7732]

Booo hissss

[@mackchannel6348]

These sorts of vehicles--the Tercel and the better Corolla--were a common sight in Colorado. Convenient and useful.

[@briteidea08]

My aunt and uncle had one of these cars. Gave it to my cousin in 95-96. That was one awesome off road snow slicing machine. Because we had that blizzard in 96. Drove all over Owings Mills and Reisterstown.

[@RobertNES816]

Back when Toyota put AWD on everything lol.

[@alahollywood]

As tacky as the TRD lineup all over the vehicle.

[@RobertNES816]

@@alahollywood yup it's advertising.

[@donniesumling8549]

Here from the future to tell you they're back at it again. Even the Sienna has it now lol

[@jeffmorse645]

Was in my early 20s back then. Lived in the Sierra Nevada and there were a ton of those running around. Very popular.

[@bdd1469]

These cars are amazing. We used to drive mine through a swamp near where I grew up. Standing water, algae , cat tails twice as tall as the car... It would literally paddle its way across almost anything, if it stopped going forward it would always reverse out. One day i made the mistake of taking my K5 blazer with a very healthy small block 400, 3/4 ton axles, detroit lockers, and 35" Super swamper boggers "thru" that swamp. I spent 13 hours getting that blazer out of the swamp I'd driven around in my tercel dozens of times...

[@nlpnt]

I'll take a straight update of this, complete with plaid seats in color, over a CH-R any day.

[@terceldude]

Well thank you!

[@craignehring]

I owned one of these back in the day, I discovered just how one can get 4WD stuck. All in all a great car

[@jurajobrtac1741]

Strange, we have never had such problems . This car felt almost like a Lada Niva . Mud , wet grass , gravel, half a meter of snow or 8 bags of cement in the trunk but never stopped .

[@Toyota4Life]

35mpg ? AWD ? Manual ? Wagon ? My kinda of Toyota. To be fair if that lifted truck got stuck itself how did they expect the Toyota to do better? If this model was being produced today it would be a force to reckon with.

[@mrwafflez000]

+Toyota4Life lol 60hp

[@mrsuperfun6492]

It bought a 1995 metro and my tercel wagon got better mpg and it had a carberator.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

I care not that I'd need to put a turbo on it to get performance. Stick? Manual F/4WD? My kind of car, strike that, my kind of truck, don't care the badge. Yes, I feel like Ridgeline is this thing's spiritual grandson.

[@kennedy796]

This would be a neat vehicle to own with a turbo diesel engine or just a modern 4cyl

[@xtrah8ed4life]

Just imagine a lift kit and maybe a turbo charged engine and it would be beast.

[@joellove6353]

Just picked up a 1986 with 180k miles. My dream car. Sad to see a lot of people talking sh$$ about it, but hey I like it.

[@marknc9616]

My family had a pair of these cars. One was 4wd and the other was not. Both were wonderful cars that my family reminisces about from time to time. Our 4wd did well for many years until we tried to pull a metal clothesline post up with it. The engine started smoking so we stopped the car to prevent further damage. The car unfortunately was not the same afterwards. It died a slow death from that point forward. The other Tercel wagon was in great shape but we got to a point where it was just an extra vehicle. Since it wasn't 4wd it had limited use as an extra vehicle. We sold it. As for the clothesline post, we found that it was secured by a huge ball of concrete. We finally got it out some other method. We left the matching clothesline post that was still standing. My Dad estimated that it could survive a direct hit from a nuclear bomb. This was the product of my grandfather's over building things.

[@mrsuperfun6492]

This car had a big opening hatch to haul couches washing machines etc.Mpg was awesome better then alot of cars 20 years newer. The only issue was the rust. Mine was full of holes.I never had the pleasure of owning the 4x4 model.

[@terceldude]

5 people are haters of a great car!

[@kmh7289]

terceldude 40 now lol

[@terceldude]

What's so funny?! Tercel ate your pride?!

[@nickgee7291]

Our neighbour had one when I was a kid. I remember thinking it looked so cheap but also interesting. I like it!

[@briansmith8361]

I know a chef/musician that had one of these. He admitted it was slow, but he loved Toyotas. If ever there was a car in desperate need of a turbo, this is it!

[@darink300zx]

My brother had one of these in the late 80s and early 90s. My buddy and I used to take it out anytime it snowed to see if we could get it stuck. We never did, it did great in the snow. I was mad at my brother when he traded it in on something else later, cause I had told him I’d buy it from him when he was ready to get rid of it!

[@AhJotahTube]

Love these and even a cameo by an International Scout - amazing! Keep posting these videos!

[@kgarba9253]

"spunky oriental," the good old days

[@juancitofelic]

YESSSS.. 😂 😂 😂 😂

[@letsgonow5641]

+Kevin Garbaccio Eesh say that now an next week motorweek would have to issue a apology and delete that part.

[@thetruthwasoutthere5547]

I was just about to post when I saw you had top comment. You took the words right out of my mouth. For that I am envious. Then I remember my Friend Chris who's mother was a dirt farmer in south Korea, She stole the families cow money to move to the U.S. No shit. He turned out to be the most racist bastard I have ever Known. it is because of him that I Know what "Gum Dingy" means.Google it. anyway I have a 97 CE hawk ltd 5 speed 5EFTE with over 300,000. how bout you.

[@mikeyfisher4256]

It's what I call Japanese high school girls.

[@erichenry1472]

The Truth Was Out There - I had a Korean friend in high school. I think it's the equivalent of bootie?

[@dchawk81]

I want one. I really like the "junk yard replacement" rear hatch mismatch.

[@metvelle]

my uncle had one of these new till about 1995/6 I loved that car.. been looking for a newer one, but a rust free fuel injected model is pricey, usually selling for 2-3x book value. It never got stuck, everyone used to laugh at him deer hunting till he was the one rescuing the other guys in their trucks, Damn thing was super heavy though, as the starter went out on it, and I remember pushing it, weighed as much as a full size truck

[@dylansnyder7757]

They never made a fuel injected tercel wagon

[@chadatkinson5091]

My Mom drove this car for 15 years. Many family trips. Ohhh the memories. It was an Automatic, and did 0-60 in 27 seconds.

[@Kodachrome40]

I couldn’t afford this car when it first came out. I really liked it.

[@shawnrafferty7495]

A friend of mine gave me a FWD Tercel Wagon, drove it for a couple years until I found a deal on a Toyota pup. It was a good car, better than the couple early 80s Subarus I'd had before. Toyota let it drive with higher shift points, which worked much better around here. Also found out Toyota HP work harder than Subaru HP.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Shawn Rafferty Those shorter gears

[@josephbingham1255]

Toyota mechanical dependability. But every time I saw one from the rear it reminded me of an insta-teller machine(2:35)!

[@svenlabots1869]

What a sheer beauty...the dog..🐩lol. No seriously, lovely and totaly forgotten Toyota. And handy too, also for "life-cargo"...hilarious!🐼👍👢🕶

[@hueyfreemanhisanimatedfrie925]

Doug and Carrie had this car in The King of Queens. the Japanese sure know how to make even their old cars look and feel advanced.

[@arturopalos2739]

Beautiful. It's a shame I did not buy one at that time.

[@scdevon]

What a car. So reliable. The good old days of Toyota.

[@terceldude]

It was sold in New Zealand as well as known countries

[@jericchua8]

I had one from 1984 to 88. The speedometer stopped at 85mph, I figure the top speed running downhill with a tailwind at around 90mph (tachometer still climbing and the needle pegged at 85)just don't expect it to hold any of that speed going uphill, in fact, you'll be constantly downshifting if it's a long uphill climb down to 3rd or 2nd at 45mph. Good memories.

[@fokuz02]

I love it! Please bring cars like this back! 35 real world mpgs even back then makes the cars of today look like trash. Time to go back to the drawing boards car makers!

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

fokuz02 Even with just 25mpg combined, this'd be an unstoppable car if it had a truck bed.

[@RTCompany]

classic toyota! I love i t!

[@BradLancaster86]

so out raged, I love the rear windows

[@DblOSmith]

Oh John Davis, you handsome devil. I love you.

[@djlink111]

Bring back the greatness

[@sougetsukazama]

Funny thing is in the 90s as a teenager, my first vehicle was an 83 tercel SR5 up here in Alaska. Loved that car, swore I wouldn't get attached lol.

[@amolson8594]

Nice, I bought one of these for $350 when I was in high school. Took it offroading and got it stuck many times, eventually ripping the exhaust off. My parents weren't please but it was a lot of fun.

[@mrsuperfun6492]

I paid $400 for mine and drove it for a couple years it had about 500,000 km on it.I only changed the spark plugs.mine wasn't 4x4 but what a awesome car except the rust.

[@fatherhate889]

Theres like 4 of these things driving around my town. All of them are rusted too shit!! But still driving fine. I've always had a soft spot for them. Cool lil cars.

[@Detah_]

I honestly want one of these and lift it into some off-road monster

[@SimornM]

Do iiiiiit

[@legacyturbo8485]

Some may say the head gaskets were a problem in turdcels but I think those 4x4 wagons were awesome and they lasted quite a long time in my opinion

[@dylansnyder7757]

I've never heard of the tercels having head gasket issues and I've had one for 2 years

[@ElectoneGuy]

I had an 85 Tercel 2-door hatch and that thing was indestructible.

[@warrpedd]

You're in a Johnny Cab! We hope you enjoyed the ride!

[@mikemorales1725]

Gotta love that visibility!

[@gabrielemastrapasqua6001]

The car of my dreams.

[@SandDabs]

I had one of these for years. We used to call it the "ATM" because of how the back hatch looked.

[@brandondavis7695]

awww the dog is so cute

[@deadkemper]

I love these..i'd have one now if I could find one in the UK

[@sammygirlie345]

spunky oriental and easy stained front seats not a good combo lol

[@crankybear1236]

I wish more modern cars had these features. I would love to see a 6MT with a manual transfer case in a sedan.

[@theirishaxe9405]

As a kid my friends mom had one they lived up in the mountains in Washington we would "barrow" the Toyota and crawl up logging roads and mountains and rocks it was unstoppable

[@johnoakes34]

I was a weird kid. I really liked these strange looking cars when I was a tot.🤨

[@blackeconpowerbroker8748]

The memories of this vehicle

[@Stakan79]

We had 1987. It was awesome:)

[@absalondebarvac3715]

This car is like jazz. You don't just like it, you have to acquire a taste for it, after suffering through every single flaw it has. Most based of all based cars.

[@ericwhitehead6451]

These were all over the place when they came out in the Seattle area, along with Subaru's. Slow but tanks in the snow.

[@cinskybuhsrandy5099]

I still kinda envy you all the choice of things you used to have behind the iron curtain... What we had here? Lada Niva and good luck actually get it...

[@elijahvincent985]

Beautiful winter scenery? Check. Cute good boi? Check. Awesome car review? Check on everything!

[@terceldude]

John Davis, you need to apologize for your criticisms! That car is a work of art! They had turbos for it in 1985

[@vinzclortho7766]

I'm always interested in the mid 80s 4wd/awd cars since I own an 84 Audi quattro. I know what my car can do in 12inches of snow without the diff locks engaged and with lower ground clearence. Its unfortunate that the Japanese cars of that era tend to rust out quite a bit and are difficult to find in decent condition these days. Plus, even with the 84 Audi, replacement parts are or would be hard to come by, which can pretty much put an end to car's usability.

[@eltonjohn3236]

He's ridiculously critical of the car. Consider what else was in showrooms at the time. Plymouth Horizon, Chevy Cavalier, Ford Escort, etc. They were complete shitboxes, and he's so critical of this? The Tercel was a far better choice.

[@djkenny1202]

Different vehicles, different sizes, different fuel economy.. and the Yota would outlast them all. Also, there was other great cars; Honda Accord and Civic, VW Jetta And Golf, Nissan, Mazda 323 and 626..

[@ryoamora8655]

He got punished for picking on the Tercel. The Car Gods made him as bald as a cue ball. LMAO

[@pcressma]

elton john I get so tired of his pompous self righteous tone....how this putz has hosted this show for so long is amazing.

[@artbyscars]

With a suspension lift and larger wheels and AT tires, it's an incredibly capable vehicle. They should have came with the 4AGE motor in them, or at least the 4AC... The 3AC still can take a beating, I've got 220,000 miles on mine. It's slow and that is to be expected, but it always get where it's going.

[@dylansnyder7757]

The 4ac is a direct bolt in so that helps. The 4age swap takes a bit more work but it's been done

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Boy would I love to have that international scout!👌😎👍

[@robneville5728]

"Where dog hair on back seat come from?", asks the spunky Oriental. LOL. BTW, I want that Scout.

[@johnasbury7511]

I live in the mountains of North Carolina I'm these cars have attained a true cult status if you can find one they are very expensive but most of them have been used to death rebuilt and drove until they rust it apart these are the cars that made Toyota what they are today best in the world

[@sethclark100]

My first car ,, this thing with studs on it got me up to the ski hill for years in the worst conditions. Wish I still had one honestly.

[@frontierlife161]

I love the old English sheepdog in the picture!!!

[@AdamG1983]

62 horsepower It was a different time for sure

[@2006DURAMAX]

Do you guys have a review of the 1997-01 Camry? I would love to see what your thoughts were when this car was new.