Here's how the Toyota Tercel wasn't a FWD Corolla

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In this episode I provide the history of the Toyota Tercel, which was Toyota's first production front-wheel-drive car. Toyota exported it to the U.S. beginning in 1980, and for the first couple years it was called the Corolla Tercel, even though it had almost nothing in common with the Corolla, but Toyota wanted the name recognition with its then-most-popular compact car. The Tercel would later gain an AWD wagon version for its second generation, which was later made famous in its role in the TV series "Breaking Bad". By the middle of its fifth generation in the 90's, the Tercel had become more expensive than its competitors, leading to lower sales and cancellation by 1999. It was replaced by the Toyota Echo, which only lasted until 2006, to be replaced again by the Yaris, which was cancelled in the U.S. in 2020.

[@pablodelgado7919]

You'll see these cars almost everywhere here in Puerto Rico. They're hard to kill believe me, as for the Toyota Echo, my mother had a 2004-2005 Echo when i was a kid and man they were quite reliable not to mention comfortable to drive.

[@furry_gamerowo7779]

man, im from Puerto Rico too, i can confirm what you said, my grandma have one a years ago, and a echo too, and they're so confortable and very good to drive, especially standard versions with manual gearbox, my favorite generation was the 91-94, and the 95-99 too, in other words, echos and tercels are toyota's most reliable vehicle, in my opinionm greetings from Bayamon

[@pablodelgado7919]

@@furry_gamerowo7779 I agree both cars were really great, specially the Echo regardless if it was manual or automatic it was such a joy to drive. As for the Tercel they are great as well and i loved the 94-99 version of it as long it's kept in stock form. My sister had a 97 sport Tercel and despite that it had some issues with transmission and a few other stuff, he never let us on foot and it was really nice to drive. Greetings from Gurabo amigo

[@T-bird_Johnny]

I'm also formerly from bayamón Toyota tercels, corollas, and echos were everywhere. My family also had an echo that was virtually indestructible.

[@pablodelgado7919]

@@T-bird_Johnny i can atest to that. One of my elder sister had a Red Echo too that she crashed into a light post "thankfully she got out it unharmed" and even so the car eventually got sold and rebuild and that thing still runs to this day. It's insane how these cars are able to keep it going regardless, that and the Nissan Sentra classics are one hell of a reliable car as well when it comes to the engine and transmission they were practically immortal.

[@furry_gamerowo7779]

@@T-bird_Johnny These toyotas are real toyotas, my favorite toyota, idk why it's the tercel, it's simple, but it's a very cool car, and if you install a rotative engine (I Forget The name) they are fast as hell

[@damian4628]

When my mom first had me she had a tercel. It was a trooper it went from my aunt's to my mom, that car was a beast on the ice because it was so small you could just whip it around. It was the perfect car for a young mom in the county

[@BeardedWrencher]

Huge fan of the tercel 4wd wagons! I have bought a handful of them sitting in driveways and yards across the northeast and road trip them home. Vice Grip Garage style. They're amazing little cars! I have a few videos of them on my channel if you're interested in checking them out.

[@seanstewart6292]

So that's where they all went!

[@jkeelsnc]

My mother had a 1985 4wd Wagon from 1990 to 2014. Then i had it for 3 more years. Mechanically there really wasn't much going on with it. What finally did it in for me was rust eating through the bottom of the a Pillar at the corner of the rocker panel at the bottom of the driver side door. I didn't have the space, tools, and expertise to fix it. The engine still ran OK and the 4WD was working fine. Even the AC still worked although it needed to be charged but wasn't going to happen when it needs the old Freon refrigerant. Fortunately, I sold it to a young guy in my region who has a collection of very old toyotas including tercels. He also had the tools and knowledge to cut a piece from another one and weld it in and grind, polish, and paint it to match which probably saved the car. I am sure its still on the road with this kid somewhere out there. You can't kill the mechanicals really although rust is something to keep an eye out for. I like it except that it was not a great highway car. Around town it did fine though. This one was automatic which made it even worst for highway duty. I had another Front wheel drive car with 5 speed manual one time that I liked more but it still couldn't keep up on the highway even at the speed limit it had nothing to work with. Very dangerous in today's 80MPH traffic and with little safety and a lot of wind noise it felt like there was a paper door between you and the Semi passing you when you can only do 45 or 50 uphill. The thing was pushed all over the place in crosswinds and around Semi trucks. As I said it was pretty good around town up to about 50-55 maximum. After that it was pretty much useless. No power for hills, passing or anything else. Just struggling to maintain the speed limit above 50mph especially with the automatic.

[@thermn8r]

On Christmas Eve 1998, there was a snowstorm, and my family was riding in our '92 Jetta to my grandparents' house and we slid into a ditch. This lady my parents knew was on a trip and had left her Tercel (probably '86 through '89) at our house, and we borrowed it. It was a 4wd and made it through the blizzard. I was fascinated with the car and the fact that it saved Christmas

[@anthonymancini5344]

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing ❤

[@thermn8r]

@@anthonymancini5344 thanks!! Core memory for sure

[@rogue13131313]

Completely forgot about the Tercel.... And its been gone since 1999?, Dang time flies

[@emilianoperezdominguez8642]

why

[@BitchinSpectre]

I've had 4 for those 4wd wagons over the years. fun little rig. one of mine was used the in the dairy queen blizzard commercial. not the one the family drove. but the one they used to get the shot of the water pouring out of the doors. my old roommate had a fifth gen tercel "blackhawk". and of course my father had a 1983 four door hatchback, he put over 300,000 miles on that car, and drove it well into late 1990's, until he gave it to his friend, and it was stolen form him, I like to think that old car is still out there somewhere.

[@warmstrong5612]

Probably drove right past you one day when you had your back turned.

[@WC_Beer_Reviews]

Don't ever change your platform! These never get old!

[@winstonian88]

The “T” on the Tercel badge was a stylized falcon head, so it was definitely named for a male falcon.

[@jamescostello7584]

Yeah and the key interest sell the whole name Rod it out behind the nameplate same thing was a Corolla station wagon 1983. The metal ride it out right behind the name place at the name plate with just Tango right there on the back right above the license plate I remember it all at hundreds of those cars I got them sheep to ourselves Corolla Celicas through a dime-a-dozen and I bought them like they're my fucking candy canes and freaking marijuana $1 a pop

[@corvetcoyote443]

I worked at a used car lot back in 93 and got to drive an 83 Tercel 4wd wagon,the car drove great and was comfortable and well made,so I would vote it one of the best sub compact cars👍,also I remember in 81 Toyota made the short lived rwd Starlet.

[@redneck4528]

Yup the starlet was below the tercel I'm glad to see other people remember that car.

[@stevendenton4965]

Yeah, I remember the Starlet.

[@jamescostello7584]

Errbody that $2,000 brand new Toyota Starlet right now it's worth 30 to $40,000 so I wouldn't be talkin about your stupid other cause you drove like the four-wheel-drive Tercel wagon piece of shit the Starlet is a rich man's car a rich Spanish man owns a Starlet that worth $40,000 with no motor in it so think about that

[@RazorFoxDV]

My understanding of why it would've been introduced as the "Corolla Tercel" is to get around import restrictions. To prevent flooding the US market, foreign automakers were, at least at that time, restricted in the number of model nameplates they could bring over, so bringing over the Tercel and claiming that it was just a trim level of an existing US model provided a loophole to get the car into the US market. I think it's the same reason why Toyota initially branded their Solara model as the "Camry Solara."

[@o_o8476]

my theory is that Tercels had engines that were used in the Corolla in other markets, Engines such as the 3A, 4E, and 5E (and In some other markets they have the 2E)

[@donaldwilson2620]

As a teen growing up in the 90's, I remember the Tercel being a popular choice for high school and college students because it was cheap, simple, reliable transportation. I knew quite a few of my peers that had early 90's Tercels and it was usually the base model with the gray bumpers, 4 speed manual, and vinyl seats.

[@nodsib]

That’s exactly what I had in high school lol… and I actually still have it after 20 years. It’s not my daily driver anymore because I have a work vehicle, but for a lot of years that 95 base model 4spd manual Tercel was my main car, no airbags, no cruise control, no ac, hell it doesn’t even have intermittent wipers lol. But 330k and it just won’t die

[@legojenn]

I wish that there were cars on the market that had vinyl seats and rubber mats. I have a dog and at times two. Cleaning dog fur out of cloth seats and capet is time consuming and hard on my back. I could imagine other use cases where an easy to clean stripped-down vehicle would have a market.

[@cameronjournal]

There were still a ton of them in the parking lots when I was in college in 07-09.

[@jkeelsnc]

@@legojenn I liked vehicles like this. I don't think you can even get such a vehicle anymore. Someone could offer such a vehicle but it will still be loaded down with AC, power windows, locks, infotainment system, backup camera (required by law now which also pretty much makes the infotainment system a standard feature from 2016 forward), with stability control required along with ABS. All of these things are required by law. You could get down to the vinyl seats and rubber floor but thats about it in today's regulatory climate. It is impossible to otherwise build a truly simple, basic car now.

[@kilohotel6750]

My first car was the 86 Chevy Nova that looked just like the one you showed, it was a great first car.

[@JayBee3237]

Another great video! Tercel covered a wide range of markets from family 4WD wagon to 'sporty' Paseo ( in different time periods). I had a 94 Paseo; I thought it was really sporty back then. I drove it literally all over the country and all the way up to Alaska via the ALCAN highway which was mostly gravel back then. Paseo were not meant for that but handled any abuse I gave it with ease. Thanks for including it.

[@chunkychuck]

The Nova name thing is an urban legend. It means the same in Spanish as in English. It sold well in Spanish speaking countries.

[@AlvinBrinson]

Half true. Nova is latin for "new". In Spanish that would be "Nueva" ... No Va does indeed mean "doesn't go". However most Spanish speakers recognized the intent of the name.

[@chunkychuck]

@@AlvinBrinson not half true, I did not mention Latin. In English it's a star going bright. Same in Spanish

[@albertadams2095]

Thanks for your amazing vids. I hope some people stop harassing you with the same name every week. You see the comments and don't owe anyone anything. I understand a suggestion or two from one person but over a dozen is simply insane.

[@bear4pozcle]

BEST SUBCOMPACT CAR! I had an '81 Tercel. First new car that I ever had. Bought it in high school. Had a 5 speed manual. Learned to drive stick in that car. Ran it 3 quarts low on oil for a while, and it kept going. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but I fixed it. It was an oil pressure switch that was leaking. I'm sure it would have kept on running for a long time if I wouldn't have wrapped it around an electric pole and totalled it in '84. I always LOVED that car!

[@wescam2958]

The first front wheel drive Corolla was the 1984 model. I had the 1985 four door sedan. It was a great car. The only complaint I had was its timing belt which had to be replaced every 50K miles. Timing belts' noise reduction isn't worth the constant expense of their replacement if you are going to own the car for the long term. I had over 300,000 miles on mine that was 20 year's old when I bought my next car - a used Prizm. I've had the Prizm for 20 years now and never had to change its timing chain.

[@jamescostello7584]

Apparently you know nothing about Toyotas everything you're saying does not make any sense TI-84 Corolla with the timing belt was screaming machine especially with a 5-speed standard the automatic not so the timing chain Corollas made before that one noisy and sloppy slow cars okay and if you need any three when they first made the first timing belt Corolla rear wheel drive in 83 the same motor they use the front wheel drive 84 with a screaming fast motor okay and that the belt and you can use that felt up to 150,000 mi amor you know nothing about Toyotas Geo Prizm okay was basically a Toyota Corolla and Chevy Prizm use the time and change the last one ever made the first oil so much for 9802 it burns so much oils piece of shit wasn't even a Corolla it was an OB Factory so your idea of a Toyota you might as well buy a matchbox residents of a freaking rear-wheel-drive little Spanish do is like what is it called a little tiny it was a $1,200 car you know nothing about Toyota's nothing that's why that's why you probably drive a Honda or Hyundai or kia right now

[@wescam2958]

@@jamescostello7584 Your reply is unreadable. Have you every heard of grammar and punctuation?

[@cormacbeats]

i had no idea the tercel was longitudinally mounted, always thought that was just a weird rare quirk of volkswagen fox

[@andregonsalvez9244]

Great review ! I always preferred the Tercel over the Echo . The Tercel's were fairly durable.

[@NoSuffix]

Me 2!

[@boricuacarenthusiast2553]

In Puerto Rico you still see last gen Tercels almost every day. My grandpa still has a 92 Tercel since brand new👌🏻

[@Mali38special]

So I see you've done Ford Crown Victoria and the Dodge Diplomat AND the Dodge Intrepid. I think we need to show the Chevy Caprice some love. I had a Metallic Mint green 1987 Chevy Caprice. V8 305ci engine. I loved it until the Rear differential went out. I got in the early 2000's so there weren't many parts left. I was in my 20's and poor. I let it go. I miss it.

[@joec1774]

Great video, and love how you traced the Tercel all the way up through the final Yaris years! Just a few points - the Corolla had FWD before the '88 (U.S.) redesign; when it shared the body style of the Nova that you showed. And the Tercel's 4th gen higher power, 110hp engine was not offered in the U.S.

[@Low760]

I thought that too, ae82 was available in Australia as well as the rwd corolla.

[@Oddman1980]

Have you done a Sentra episiode? I had a 1983 Sentra, old enough that it had Datsun and Nissan badging. It had a 1.6 liter transversely-mounted engine with a nice 69 horsepower and a 5 speed transmission. Mine consistently got over 40 mpg. I had a Saturn Ion that had a center gauge cluster. I actually liked it.

[@HarkonenAki]

I would also like to see an episode of Nissan Sunny/Sentra B11. I have four of those, two 4 door sedans, a 3 door Coupé (I refuse to call it a hatchback) and a Wagon.

[@johnnymason2460]

Unfortunately, the Sentra is still in production so it wouldn't work.

[@chrisv966]

I remember back in '87, the my father and his business partner had bought two wagons for the company. My father's was red, and his partner's was a grey/blue. They were both 5spd manual trans. which I learned how to drive stick shift in. Once I turned 18, that became my car. It was something of a fun lil' car. Downside was, I was not taught proper maintenance and due to that, it ceased to exist.

[@jkeelsnc]

Generally with these if you change the oil on time and keep up with other basic maintenance (which was not expensive) they would run forever. However, if you ran it with the gas wide open all of the time and never changed the oil sure it would kill it in a few years. I can understand running it on the floor because these things were turds when it came to going faster than about 50mph. There are some cases where you HAVE to run them wide open just to keep up with traffic or merge, go uphill, etc.

[@billmcmahon2211]

My nomination for best subcompact is the ford Festiva. I had a 1991 Festiva L which was the base model that I drove for 5 years with only basic maintenance. No engine or transmission problems.

[@2amSpeedMerchant]

We call it the Fiesta, but ya a great first car and the car I learned how to service the engine on.

[@punchy207]

@@2amSpeedMerchant the Ford festiva is an entirely different car from the fiesta

[@jamescostello7584]

The Ford Festiva was one ugly looking car it was like an oversized little car used with little tiny Wheels

[@ilovetotri23]

Great video! I bought a used 1992 Toyota Tercel, in 1993 from a dealer. It was my first new/used vehicle. First time I needed a loan. I don't remember much about it anymore another than I never had any problems with it. As always, thanks for a great walk down memory lane!

[@johnh2514]

Great video! My family owned several Tercels - an ‘81 hatchback, an 83 3-door hatch, an ‘89 coupe and a ‘90 coupe. I learned to drive standard shift on the ‘83. All great cars.

[@chrisfortin4251]

Great episode! My grandfather and aunt both had early Tercels, and I had an 88. Thanks!

[@sooptiem]

There is still a Toyota Tercel sedan roaming around my neighborhood. I see it every weekday morning. Whenever I see it, I think of it as some budget family sedan from the 90s. I really like these videos and it always a good Saturday whenever you post.

[@charlesmoss8119]

The thing with where Toyota gets it’s names was really interesting - I thought I was a bit of an auto nerd but had no idea - plus - I’ve also learnt a bit of Latin. Your content is really fabulous - thank you!

[@TimmyJoePCTech]

My father owned 3 of the models listed, First and second gen and then the first car I drove as a 16 year old, a 98 Tercel. We owned several Camry's as well but my favorite was my first real car, my dad found me a 83 Corolla 2 door coupe, rwd, manual, carborated... It was the best car of all time. Good memories provoked by your video :)

[@cryptomusclenetwork1]

Great history on Tercel- didn’t know it’s connection that later had paseo, echo and Yaris . Very fascinating

[@rafaelbetancourt3551]

I wil never forget, my dad took me to get my first car. we originally went to see the suzuki swift but I preferred the 1999 Tercel. I wish I kept it :) one great little car.

[@billspangler2685]

Great video as always! There were so many of these in varying condition on the road growing up in my area. Several of my friends had them in school and I could never get over what a blah ride they were. On the other hand, they ended up driving them with no issues long after my first car (89 cavalier wagon) was scrap...

[@jkeelsnc]

Thats because the cavalier only half-heartedly tried to do that the Tercel did easily which was to be super reliable, adequate transportation. For that it is/was a brilliant car if only more people truly appreciated it for what it really was.

[@vwsambabus]

please never change the background music. I just love it!

[@typrus6377]

We had a number of Tercels. One was an 81 that looked EXACTLY like the one in the opening. The other 5 were varying years of the 4wd wagon. 4 SR5 6-speeds, one base auto. The 4wd Wagon was a BEAST and I miss mine still.

[@Oonagh72]

I could have sworn there was a Tercel hatchback in the 90’s that had that flat back shape.

[@arn7992]

Another great video! I saw a vehicle the other day I haven't seen before, an SUV called Pontiac Torrent. Always looking for unique cars now on the road.

[@alpaljl]

Rebadged Chevy Equinox. I saw one last week and took a second look.

[@emilianoperezdominguez8642]

Don't forget the aztek

[@juliogonzo2718]

@@alpaljl lol you guys must be young, they were plentiful like 10 years ago. Pretty much all gone now. I don't think they were the greatest car.

[@redneck4528]

@@alpaljl the equinox itself was a rebadged Saturn Vue

[@dalelumina3]

it's just a rebadged chevrolet equinox, which is itself a rebadged saturn vue

[@CrossTrekking]

1988 Tercel coup with a manual was my first car. I loved that thing!

[@CrossTrekking]

In the winter I drove it with chains. It was a little tank. More stable on the ice than all the SUVs I saw in the ditch!

[@herbcraven7146]

I'd love to see an episode on the weird first entry from Honda in the hybrid market, the Insight.

[@ezerod1858]

You brings me back such a good memories. I had 4 tercels. One 83' hatchback orange, one 80' brown, one 84' station wagon red and one 85' station wagon light blue. All of them automatic. Super very relable cars. The engine and the transmission never get broke. I was used for carry everyting and handle any kind of abuse. I put a lot of mileage on each one. Also I had a 89' corolla that I put a lot of milleage too. Very reliable too. Ahh the station wagons have the nickname "atm" because the back door looks like the 80's bank atm machines.

[@jamescostello7584]

You should have got the stick shift all the automatics were Pigs specially earlier one

[@ezerod1858]

@@jamescostello7584 For me the automatic works fine. I abuse all of them like a contractor pickup (sometimes on tasks that they have not been designed) and never hesitates to do the job. They just keep going like the energizer rabbit.

[@jkeelsnc]

NOW I know what I was trying to place the image of the rear of my wagon as and I never quite understood now until you mentioned an old ATM. It really did look like an early ATM. LOL.

[@dkmorris713]

My Eldest cousin, who lived in Alberta, once drove one of these things across Canada to my place in Ontario. You could put your hand through the rust holes in the tailgate, and you could hear her coming from ThunderBay, but the thing made it without a hitch.

[@jkeelsnc]

Of course it did. Even when its rusting and falling apart a Toyota will somehow keep going anyway! They are amazing.

[@minnybiker4505]

Loved my 85 Nova! Nice mini cameo appearance... :)

[@beerpad]

First car parents bought when they came to the US. $400, driven from NY to CA. 4sp manual that Dad let me shift when there wasn’t traffic. I remember trying to wash the oxidized paint and stopping when I realized how easy it was to rub it down to bare metal. 85 speedo, loved that car. Didn’t know it was a longitudinal engine layout, and fun to read everyone else’s memories of this car

[@allegrad7132]

Really awesome video, I was watching breaking bad and always liked the car Jesse switched to. 10/10 would drive one of those old 4 wheel drive wagons. 👍🏻

[@williewalker8048]

Toyota Turtle was our nickname for it. Great car and the wagon was an awesome little 4 wheel drive. 😊 Thanks for another great video and for taking me down memory lane...again😄

[@sebastiend.5335]

Excellent episode!

[@coyote102076]

Very well done!

[@whoami7721]

My brother had an 1982 Tercel that was purchased from a salvage sale in 1998. The best memory I have of that car is four of us big guys piling into it and driving over an hour both ways to see The Who's reunion tour in August of 2000.

[@JustJay1281]

The first car I remember my parents having was a early second gen Toyota Tercel hatchback, 5 speed manual, white with maroon interior (nothing says 1980's like a maroon interior). My one of my work beaters was a 99 Tercel 5 speed manual... I very much had a love hate relationship with that little car, hated working on that car (the floor was rotting out, and every nut and bolt on that car was seized). I would say the Tercel should be on a top 10 best sub compacts, just purely on the reliability of that motor, not at the top because it was somewhat under powered, and being 6ft the interior was cramped. I had an Echo as well, and yes the up right design was function over form, its still the only subcompact I have ever felt comfortable.

[@estebandelgadillo7103]

Sweet one if the ones I suggested. My first car was a 94 green 4 door DX. Great little car

[@jonlambert1879]

thanks! like your channel a lot so much nostalgia

[@ianfrench1577]

Best subcompact car! These 4x4 estate tercels were just the right mix of quirky and trendsetting mixed with practicality. It's just a shame they liked to rust

[@jkeelsnc]

I had an 85 model with 4WD and yes it was the rust that finally did it in. The engine still ran like a clock! I sold it to a young guy in my region who collects old Toyotas. He had another tercel that he was going to use to cut out the rusty a pillar next to the rocker panel at the bottom of the driver side door and weld it into the one I sold him. I am sure he did it and probably still has it running reliably in his nice collection of used old toyotas. If he has as many as I think he does he will never need to buy another car! They will all run to the end of time especially since he has several.

[@uncinarynin]

Thank you. My parents drove a Toyota Tercel 4WD and it was certainly fun in winter. In Germany it was sold in a couple cool color combinations such as silver/blue or two-tone green, but they had to save money so got it in red. It had inclination indicators on the dashboard like a true offroader (though it wasn't a SUV, just a compact station wagon with the combined driveshafts of front and rear wheel driven cars as described). It was later replaced by a Toyota Carina which was more roomy inside but not as much fun. When I talked to my dad about those cars he said the Toyotas were a lot less problematic than the Renault 12 we had before. And protected better against rust. After driving several Renault in a row, these problems led to switching the brand.

[@jkeelsnc]

Even here in the US I can reflect your story a bit. The first car I ever had was a Renault 5 which I actually did like a lot. Unfortunately, over here the lack of parts availability combined with renault unreliability finally did it in. Likewise, my mother had the Tercel 4wd wagon for 20 years. It was dead reliable but extremely underpowered. I had it for a few years toward the end of its life. It was OK in town and on slower back roads but extremely dangerous and underpowered for driving on the interstate with traffic going 130KMH+ (many people simply ignore 110-120kmh speed limits here). I cannot even imagine taking one of these on the Autobahn! You would be risking your life even by staying in the right lane and not trying to overtake trucks and heavy vehicles. It was a good around town scooter and on rural roads at 80-90KMH and not a lot more.

[@landyachtfan79]

The 1983-88 Tercel wagon was the first of the Japanese micro-vans to come to this country, which would include the Dodge/Plymouth Colt Vista & Honda Civic Wagovan a year later. I would DEFINITELY LOVE to see MOC episodes on both of them, ESPECIALLY the Vista. We used to have a 1985 Dodge Colt Vista similar to the one in this MotorWeek Retro Review when I was growing up, & I would give ANYTHING to have another one!!!!! Ours was Glacier Blue Metallic, 2WD, & an automatic, though, but it DID have the same Custom Package that this car does. It also had a manually-tuned AM-FM stereo radio with no cassette deck. NOT a star on the track by ANY means, but..........let's just say that Glacier Blue Metallic was definitely the appropriate color for ours, as it DEFINITELY had glacier-like acceleration!!!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iobCqqywrJqEaac

[@johnnymason2460]

The Tercel wagon was an actual wagon. It just had the option of AWD which other Tercels didn't get.

[@freddyhollingsworth5945]

Great Video on the Tercel...... Don't forget about the Starlet..... Also remember on the Corolla that you could get them in a Diesel here in the USA... Great Video!!!

[@ericsscout]

Great video. I currently drive a 2007 Yaris that is identical to the one you showed. Kinda cool. Thanks

[@jkeelsnc]

I had a 2007 Yaris for quite a while. Not fancy but unstoppable. It started and ran every single time no matter what.

[@davidfuertes1973]

Know with the high gas prices one of these little cars would be ideal. I owned two tercels a 91 that was stolen from me ,and a 93 that I wrecked both of them were so good on gas and super cheap to maintain tires were small a size 12 rim $19./ Tire .

[@jefferysmith3930]

My sister had an ‘83 Tercel SR5. That car was nearly indestructible. She rear ended other cars twice in the car. I would bend the hood back into shape, pull the radiator support back into place, replace the grill and headlight trim and it was back in service. One time the radiator had to be replaced as well. I would switch cars with her from time to time and give it a thorough “Italian tune-up” by redlining every shift. It was a fun car to zing around in and so practical. You could haul a couch with 1/3 of it hanging out over the rear bumper. She claimed it always ran so much better after I drove it. Great little car. I test drove and considered an ‘84 4wd wagon back around 1990. Back then I just couldn’t hang with the gold and brown 2 tone paint and the plaid interior which seems so retro cool today. Plus it was seriously slooooow. Great episode.

[@Choralone422]

I'd love to see a video on the mid to late 80's Chevy Nova. My family owned a 86 Chevy Nova in the mid 90's as a secondary vehicle and that car was the biggest POS I had ever driven. It barely limped along past 100,000 miles!

[@sandmanxo]

My grandmother had a Corolla Tercel and I always wondered when the Corolla was dropped. Nice to hear the history behind it.

[@briannichols4807]

The first car that I owned was an '83 Toyota Tercel 5dr. Hatchback , then years later I bought a '91 Toyota Tercel 4dr. Sedan from my uncle who bought it new , and I drove that car for the next five years with little to no trouble .

[@rabit818]

We had a Tercel, it just ran. Going up and around Glendale was the catch, it needs planning. Just the usual maintenance like the fuel pump while I owned it.

[@LemonMango]

My Dad bought a used 1990 3-door Tercel from his friend's Mom after she passed away....in 1998 or so. It had fewer than 20,000km on it. I still remember the drive home, feeling like I was sitting in an '80s vector graphic design.

[@bulbman2564]

Got hear early and never heard of these cars, thanks again MOC for telling me about weird oddball stuff.

[@jdorozco1275]

Great video on the Tercel I owned a 1988 Nissan Maxima SE and would love to see the history of that car. I purchased it used in '91 but all I know is that it was the second generation which began in '87 badged as a Maxima. First gen was '85-'86 Before that I believe the entire car brand was known as Datsun and had a number for that model sedan instead of a name when it changed to Nissan.

[@Foxonian]

The 4WD Tercel wagon was aimed squarely at Subaru, who was starting to gain market share with it's Loyale wagon. Interestingly, Subaru engines were and still are mounted longitudinally like the 1st Gen Tercel's was.

[@ajl9491]

And less reliable

[@1mzfe]

With the exception of the FX version, the Corolla became FWD for the 1984 model year.

[@tomanderson6335]

The SR5 and GT-S (i.e. the AE85 and AE86) were the last rear-drivers. The FX 3-door (which also had its own 4A-GE powered GT-S model) was also FWD (at least here in the U.S.).

[@jd-py5nm]

had a family friend who owned a tercel for over 20 some odd years solid used it in idaho and ct loved the plaid seats it had

[@adamlytle2615]

Drove a '99 for a while. It was... fine. Honestly my only complaint was that I had gone from a '94 Mazda Protege, and the slight downgrade in size meant I bumped my head sometimes getting in and out of the Tercel. A friend in high school had the 4WD wagon version and oh man - THAT was a fun car.

[@chada75]

I seen a mid-90s Tercel racing at VIR in the SCCA GTL class. It looked sharp. Became a fan of the Tercel since.

[@davidp2888]

Great video.

[@johnasbury7511]

Bravo great video

[@nathancook1404]

Nice work on your latest Video and I think it would be a good idea to make a future Video on Chevy's attenpt to bring back the Nova by dealing with Toyota which didn't go well with Classic Nova Fans, and maybe in the future you can do a video on the AMC Eagle since they too were kind of the first crossovers that started out in the early 1980's before AMC got bought, absorbed & phased out by Chrysler in the late 1980's-1990's.

[@stuartyoung4182]

Love the two Star Trek references! (Yes: I'm a geek)! Oh - thorough yet succinct info about the Corolla/Tercel - and their successors - as well. ;-)

[@darrellasmith77]

Love all of your videos but patiently still waiting for the Honda CRX one

[@JunkBoxGarage]

I had a 97 for my first car. It had the five speed, it was so much fun to drive. I made so many memories in that car with my friends. I can’t tell you how many times we put it in a ditch and just kept going. When we bought it it had a bad exhaust valve so it burnt and leaked oil really bad. There was so many times I had to drive it to Walmart with literally no oil on the dipstick. I named him thunder and I swear me and that car had a connection. I ended up selling it to my buddy for $500 and he sold it to a auto shop who ended up finally killing him. I swear I miss that car like a brother.

[@jamescostello7584]

Why do you miss it once they start burning oil they have burned oil every one of them especially the last herself they were garbage they had a nice look to them yet I got to say if you would have maintained it and change the oil that it wouldn't have burned oil nobody ever change the oil in those cars that's why they all burned oil everybody Beetle it ain't shit out of them and they destroy them have a great artist but you people beat the shit out of them and that's why they burned oil and and their best me work yet

[@HarrySinanian]

Yeah we had one! Loved it, they called them Sr5 in Australia.

[@everydayentertainment8574]

Fun fact: I Learned how to drive in a 1994 Tercel that was passed down to my cousin as a beater and we ran it into the ground during high school and would drift in it. It lasted over 200,000 miles.

[@Alex89111]

you may just be the only person to kill a tercel. mine had a tree fall on it and it still works fine. just missing some glass. its currently at 250k ish miles. also my ignition locked up so i had to drill it out. now the steering lock randomly activates while driving.

[@bglrj]

I was driving through Northern New Mexico in the middle of a blizzard in a rented Toyota Tercel, and I passed dozens of Jeeps and Ford Broncos and other four-wheel drive vehicles stalled by the side of the road. That car drove straight as an arrow. Beautiful.

[@michaeltaylor1603]

Never owned one. But, loved the ads. There were tons of them on the road!

[@sirnik84]

YES! Tercel 4WD. my first car, and I still have one. I've kept up with all my Jeep friends off road in it! lol

[@jkeelsnc]

Yes, its fun to surprise people with that. It WILL go anywhere offroad where it can keep ground clearance enough to get through. It just keeps going with the 4WD, Puny Engine, and tall skinny tires under a light body.

[@brandonboogers]

2007 Yaris… fun to whip around corners, not fun to go on a road trip in. 200,000 miles and still runs without a problem, love it! Wish they had made the 2 door echo into a 2 door yaris but oh well.

[@GODSPEEDseven]

Best Sub Compact Car: Toyota Tercel I still see some around occasionally. The other cars of its class that were cheaper? NOPE!

[@Planag7]

Love this and the little Paseo (I have a 93) still dreaming of importing a Sera (a fancy Tercel) There is a neighbor a few blocks over that I talk to who has an old 84 AWD and a Starlet I have no idea if they work but it always makes me smile when I see them

[@adamv242]

My vote for Best Subcompact Car from that era would be the 88-89 Mazda 323GTX. With it's turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive, its nothing less than a pint-sized Audi quattro.

[@wyrock7846]

I had a '90 5 speed hatchback. Quite good gas mileage and easy to park. Didn't like the tail lights too much but they grew on me.

[@robertreichel1984]

I had a second generation, a four door hatch back. It flew very well. Not on the ground but in the air, about 8 feet. Popped the shocks, but no suspension damage. Later I blow up the muffler. After that the car could throw blue flames at night if asked too.

[@chuckschilling9113]

My vote for best subcompact is the Mazda 323 which now is the Mazda 3. I had a first gen 86 with a manual and it was everything I needed and nothing I didn't. Fast and fun to drive with 32 mpg average and no repairs over 150,000 miles...except front brake pads. Now own a 04 Mazda 3 which has proven to retain the same qualities...although slightly less mpg at 30. Just fun to drive with limited cost and good lifespan.

[@neverweathered6559]

I still rock my ‘86 Tercel Wagon with 175,000 miles. I’m the second owner of the car and it finally needs a clutch which I’ll be installing this weekend. I’ve driven it from coast to coast many times and it’s never let me down.

[@evanliberman3971]

I once bounced my 85 Tercel SR5 wagon up a “road” in Oregon to access some fishing, and the other four parking spots were occupied by honking pickup trucks. The owners of two of those trucks were baffled by the ability of that wagon to get to where it was. Still the best all around vehicle I’ve ever owned. Al-Can highway before it was paved, accidental off roading in snow and ice storms, plowing through puddles of unknown depth in the Upper Buffalo, the car went everywhere and was happy to do so.

[@jkeelsnc]

I completely understand. I had one that used be my mother's car. A friend of mine lived at the end of a rural dirt road on the other side of some railroad tracks. The part of the road on the front side of the tracks had been flooded by at least a foot of water. I took that 4wd wagon with it in first gear and floored it through the mud and water and it managed to churn and bounce its way through to the other side next to the railroad tracks. I was afraid I would overstress or break something but NO it went right through with no apparent damage and the thing kept running another 13 years. UNSTOPPABLE. I sold it due to rust to a young guy who collected old toyotas. He was going to weld in a cut from another car and paint it. I don't doubt that it is still running well (slowly!) today.

[@Davivline]

I had a 1990 coupe. I loved that little thing, it had 90000 miles on it but in bad shape. Had to sell it at 134k and still sad about it. Somehow fit 4-5 adults across many many adventures. Delivered in it for a bit, crashed into a curb and fixed it with a new tierod/control arm combo for less than 100$...got brand new all 4 tires for 260 mounted and balanced...everything was just so amazingly cheap to fix it and keep it alive well.

[@jamesmorgan3212]

My dad almost bought a 4wheel drive model in the mid 90’s. I remember hoping he didn’t 🤣. I sorta wish he had now.

[@JustAnAverageBrad]

loved my tercels....ive owned quite a few of the 83-86 models...kind of wish i still had it considering todays gas prices

[@Rouxenator]

In 2013 I got to drive a Corolla 1.3 6sp manual new out of the box for over 2000km - loved it - excellent in very regard. Nearly made me leave my GM / PSA Opel Astra range. Alas - my current car is an Astra J sedan.

[@cadenatkinson6012]

The 4wd in the tercel wagons makes it my favorite car to drive in rain, snow, and even off road. The lightweight car combined with low horsepower and low gear ratios makes it a blast off road. Even managing to keep up with my friends Tacomas.

[@jamescostello7584]

My opinion of the four-wheel-drive Tercel is a Nova weigh piece of junk that could not get out of its own way with all the components crammed up it was a peg it got for gas miles it was a it was worse than a Subaru 4 wheel drive 4 at the thing was underpowered overweight and was terrible wheel drive station wagon how to be a stick shift any automatic Tercel was a peck except for the later-model watch like 92 and up that's my honest opinion and I'm a Toyota fanatic and I know more about Toyota's or anybody in this earth

[@jkeelsnc]

They WERE very good off road esp with the dual range transmission and a great winter car in the snow. Amazing.

[@orangejjay]

I LOVE the Echo. There's so much space and functional storage in there. I have one I use for my DD and it's going strong. Weekends and track days I have a Focus RS and both are great but the Echo is just incredible.

[@jkeelsnc]

The echo won't stop in daily driving where as the RS just might. The RS makes a good weekend toy.

[@lrzetec]

My first car was the 4WD SR5 Toyota Tercel wagon. With the extra low gear. Put a stereo in it and went down Chappel street in Melbourne Australia and did the rounds with mates. The women dig it!? Used the 4WD at Dogals near Upper FTG. Fun times, really miss it. Thanks Tercey.

[@tonyguarino3594]

Great Video! Toyota’s are immortal

[@G34RH34D]

Had a white 3rd gen Tercel hatchback. Was the car I learned to drive manual transmission in the late 90s.