1985 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon: The OppositeLock Review

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/03/2015 at 22:32 • Filed to: tercel, review, goodbye

We just bought a house and I'm moving from a house that has room to Tetris in six cars, to one that has only room for two. There is some competitive street parking which will be reserved for my work truck. The two spots are for my '80 longbed and my wife's Sable. As such, my Tercels are leaving the fleet. And leaving in a hurry. The house closes on the 24 th .

Unfortunately, owning my Tercels was pretty much my entire shtick here on oppo. I beamed about the ridiculous high mileage I had on the original motor and trans. I posted my unnecessary-but-awesome OEM inclinometer. I'm pretty sure I took any opportunity to tell you all, that, yes, I own a Tercel. I will now need to reinvent my online persona. Perhaps the guy that used own a Tercel and still talks about it.

So let's jump to it. This is the first Tercel I bought. I got it for $350 with a broken timing belt and all the other odds and ends you get to enjoy with a car that sat in someone's yard for three years. With my dad and brother and law, I replaced the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, battery, radiator, drums, rotors, etc. etc. all in my driveway. It was a hell of a process, as this was the first car I've ever actually wrenched on. Small wrenches, but wrenches nonetheless! I'd say it maybe was $700 in parts. So I got a working 4WD wagon with a manual transmission for a thousand bucks. Not bad!

Almost everything pictured here was replaced.

It was actually a lot of fun, and the first time we got the engine to fire up (which took, of course, a few dozen attempts after said repairs), it was sooooo satisfying. It could barely idle, it was a damn bouncy house from the bad shocks and struts, and the brakes oozed with that sweet suspense of: "will they or won't they?" but Goddammit it was my car and it moved under its own power!

"North American Tercels were all fitted with the 1.5-litre engine, producing 63 hp (47 kW) at 4,800 rpm."

The 3A-C engine is an absolute beast. With a chain and a 4by4, two skinny people can fairly easily lift the engine and walk a few dozen yards (we've done it). Its power output is amazing. By which I mean I'm amazed how little power it puts out. To be honest the only time I feel its weakness is trying to get up this massive hill when I visit my parents. With a six-speed manual transmission (1 through 5 plus a granny gear) the Tercel actually feels zippy in freeway settings. This rolling lunchbox doesn't weigh all that much, so this power is actually ample. With a manual, anyway. My wife's first car was actually a 4WD Tercel with an automatic. She loved it but said it was the slowest thing on the road.

For looking quite small, it's actually very spacious. One of my buddies is 6'9" and drives a lifted Xterra. We took my wagon to the bar, and when he got in the car, he had plenty of room to spare above his head and ample legroom. "This thing's sweet! I have more room in here than the Xterra!" And look at those seats! Is that early '80's enough for you? The wagon part looks small on the outside, but there is still loads of room back there. And when you fold down the backseats, it's like your very own squatty longbed Trekker. Its utility has been a real joy: room to fit four comfortably, and all their stupid shit in the back.

With this variation of the SR5 package, I have power steering, tach, and intermittent wipers. Can you say luxury? The thirty-year old power steering is still responsive and not all sloppy like my work truck and turns on a dime. Intermittent wiper are nice, though why they weren't, and STILL aren't, by the way, just included on every trim of a Toyota is beyond me.

As for the 4WD, well it works great, for the whole three times I needed it, which mostly included steep or unfinished driveways. We got ½" of snow this winter, and last winter, while colder, maybe netted only slightly more here in my area, so I never really got an opportunity to drive through some winter weather, something I really regret. Well I don't know if you can call it regret. It's not my fault it never snows here anymore.

This car is the embodiment of the early '80's. Look at those gaudy government required bumpers. Those seats. The badges. The damned lunchbox inspiration. The grille. The rust… It's all there, baby.

I really wanted to see if I could get it up to 400,000 miles. I am convinced the car could go well beyond that if it weren't for the rust. I still got 30 miles per gallon, without fail, and that's with the mixture screw on the carb turned up way high to compensate for the billions of vacuum leaks I gave up on fixing long ago. I enjoyed the looks I got. If you ever passed another Tercel, there was a wave or an excited pointing by the other party. People driving Mazda 2's give me the nod. People driving a Lexus will usually point, though I suspect in jest, but point nonetheless! My coworkers really dig it and my wife's friends don't seem to like it, so I KNOW it's cool.

I'll always have the memories and I honestly really don't want to get rid of it. I had made the decision to sell this last month but I quickly deleted my post because I wanted to hang on to it for a little longer and I didn't really need to sell it because the house-searching progress was so stagnant. But then *BOOM* a house for sale drops out of the sky that we wanted and here we are today. Every time I drive it I savor it, knowing it's about to all end.

The current plan is to give it to my best friend, who is gifting his Ranger to his little brother. The added bonus other than "helping someone…" *shudders*… is that I still get to see the car! But what are friends for?

I thank my wonderful wife who not only "let" me buy the car, but encouraged me throughout the whole repair process. She was happy I found a new hobby never said a negative peep, even during the various long stages of disrepair, and tarps.

And now, here's to the weekend.

DISCUSSION (36)

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 22:41

Kinja'd!!!

That badge is HUGE! It's like as big as the headlight.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
04/03/2015 at 22:46

I know! It's just wonderful :)

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 22:47

I'm sorry, Jesse. It had to be done.

twochevrons > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 22:53

Screw supercars and "high value" collectibles. This is what being a car enthusiast is all about. Sorry to hear that you'll have to sell it, but I think that's far more awesome than most classics.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > twochevrons
04/03/2015 at 22:59

Thanks :)

I couldn't believe how much I loved it. If we ever buy a second home with more space, I am absolutely 100% buying another one of these. I will pay out the wazzu if I can find one in good condition.

Stef Schrader > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 22:59

This is a great little weird car. Love the brownness and the seat patterns!

Steve in Manhattan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 23:17

Just keep track of where it is, and you'll get it back some day. And why not? Toyotas never die, they just make new friends.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 23:23

My buddy in High school had one of those, same color and everything. I didn't realize how much power it didn't have. I just thought he was a crappy driver and wouldn't down shift on the hills. Lots of good memories driving into the woods to see how far the car would go up snowy logging roads, all the way is what usually happened.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 23:40

Umm... How much and where?

Orange Torana > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 23:40

Thanks for the great story. I've had two of these and now the successor. The Corolla All trac wagon. They are amazing little cars. I guess you've been on Tercel4wd.com ? We've got about 1,000 members.

Here's my two wagons worth!

Kinja'd!!!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Orange Torana
04/03/2015 at 23:49

Dear Lord, those look like they came straight out of a time capsule! How is that All-trac? I played around with the idea of getting one last year.

Orange Torana > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/03/2015 at 23:58

As I'm in Australia we don't really have to much issue with rust. The Tercels are more revvy and responsive than the all-trac (Corolla 4wd in aus) but noisier and slower (if that makes sense) both get similar economy.

In Australia there are tonnes more Corolla 4wds than Tercels and they cruise well on the freeway and have 50% more power (still slow though). Here's a mates all trac that he's modified really well. They do a similar job to the Tercel but better on than off the road.

Kinja'd!!!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Orange Torana
04/04/2015 at 00:21

What kind of engines do you get in the alltracs there? I had a Tercel forever ago, and while the midrange grunt wasn't bad for what it was, revvy is not how I would describe it.

Orange Torana > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/04/2015 at 00:29

Our Tercels were rated at 55kws so 8kw higher than the USA. All Corolla 4wd's / Alltracs have the 4afe engine that gets 77kw although 4age engines and 7age or even 4agze are pretty well bolt ins. The AE9X series Corollas have plenty of options and parts available as well.

Orange Torana > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/04/2015 at 00:34

I found with my Tercel (we only had manual 4wd wagons in Australia - no auto or other body styles) that if I kept the revs at 3,000 or above to do get up to speed it would do anything asked of it. There was a lot of gear changing involved though.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/04/2015 at 00:51

My friends mom had a dark blue one, I remember it well.

6Cylinder > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/04/2015 at 04:05

I feel like there are a whole lot of people on oppo from Washington. Makes me feel good about my state.

Nice Tercels btw, can't beat pre 2000 unstoppable Toyota reliability.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/04/2015 at 15:20

Hah. If someone on oppo was legitimately interested, I would hand it over for tree-fiddy. It would be really cool to pass cars between opponauts.

handsoff > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/05/2015 at 20:33

Wet or dry side of WA? I'm on the dry side of OR and have a friend who's looked for one of these off and on..

handsoff > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/06/2015 at 00:38

Where? Interested in both possibly

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > handsoff
04/06/2015 at 00:44

Wet. Snohomish county.

handsoff > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/06/2015 at 00:59

Still possibly interested in one or both?

NoneOfYourBiz > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/07/2015 at 20:17

I'll always have a soft spot for these. They were everywhere when I was growing up. Even as a teenager in high school my friends were driving beater Tercels (and Mazda 323s). I ended up with a 1992 as my first car. They really were underpowered but the engines were easy to work on, as you've no doubt discovered.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > NoneOfYourBiz
04/08/2015 at 09:17

Yeah, all the shenanigans I mentioned above, the most I had to remove was the radiator (pretty easy, once you learn the jiggle) and the camshaft pully bolt. These cars are so easy (and cheap) to work on.

NoneOfYourBiz > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/08/2015 at 10:04

One exception my mechanic told me about: if they have factory air-conditioning, the added bits make it very tight in the front of the engine bay!

handsoff > handsoff
04/08/2015 at 15:31

Still interested. You already sell them?

I say this, because as a true jalop, I've travelled farther to spend less. I went to Port Angeles once for just the right set of wheels, and just went to Puyallup for another just-right set of wheels. Just a thought

505Turbeaux > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/16/2015 at 12:51

did this ever sell?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > 505Turbeaux
04/16/2015 at 18:07

Nope. Day 5 and no reply. Although someone did buy the spare motor and tranny.

505Turbeaux > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/16/2015 at 21:08

I am very slightly considering taking a trip to the west coast if you think (not looking for any guarantees) it will make a trip back to the other one

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > 505Turbeaux
04/16/2015 at 21:10

Where do you live?

505Turbeaux > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/16/2015 at 21:15

Maine, so at least the northern route and not across

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > 505Turbeaux
04/16/2015 at 21:25

The boots are bone dry and the front shocks are laughable.... Clunk clunk clunk. I've driven it the last 8k miles like this but that's the kind of car this is... So that's the only concern I'd have with someone else driving it. Shit, if an oppo like you wants it, you can have it for free, if you promise to get the repair done before you leave town haha

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > 505Turbeaux
04/17/2015 at 17:26

You going to do it?

505Turbeaux > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/17/2015 at 17:41

I am considering it. Thinking on it. I just did a semi epic car picking up voyage, and I have something on the boil with Duurtlang to bring his 205GTi over here for sale, and an undecided thing to put in the container for me. Also have the Invicta and the Goliath to deal with, so I might take a pass. As much as I want it - badly - for a winter beater

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > 505Turbeaux
04/17/2015 at 18:06

This car is so jalop, it needs some saving.

505Turbeaux > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
04/17/2015 at 18:13

It really does. I know I will be out this year, I am considering sending someone from Seattle to keep in in their driveway till I do