Used 1990 Toyota Tercel Consumer Reviews
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Why Toyota won customer loyalty
Doug, 08/28/2010
1990 Toyota Tercel 2dr Coupe
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Found this one-owner gem on the internet with 29k miles. My 12th Toyota, 3rd Tercel. Toyota's place in America was won with a simple strategy: make their entry-level cars cheap to buy and keep, and buyers will keep coming back for upscale models. The Tercel exemplified that strategy. Comfortable seats; simple, serviceable drivetrain; straightforward interior (you never need an owner's manual to figure out how everything works). Smooth runner (tho noise levels high when compared with 20 today's cars)-- and with 76 bhp, you won't be winning any races. 3-spd auto revs high and hurts mileage (28-30 avg), but does the job; it gets you there cheaply, and with just a little bit of fun thrown in too!
You can't kill this car!
NJmark, 06/09/2002
1990 Toyota Tercel 2dr Coupe
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
It a little tank...made of thin metal. You can kill this thing. Great car for student or when the road are bad and you just got to get there. Park it in the Mall with confidence, who cares about door dings, no one will steal it. Ours get 36-38 MPG...can't beat it.
1990 tercel coupe goes forever
G. Fader, 08/13/2002
1990 Toyota Tercel Deluxe 2dr Coupe
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
These cars are very reliable, good mileage. Watch the brakes for frequent repairs and rust on the back wheel fenders. A little undercoating and they go forever. Great engineering. Too bad they don't put the same quality into them today!
Super-Car
Mihai, 09/15/2006
1990 Toyota Tercel 2dr Hatchback
2 of 5 people found this review helpful
This car is the best I've ever had. I abused it in every possible way. Almost never breaks and when it does it's dirt cheap to fix. Tires are $15 new or $6 used. Changed the brakes for $40 at a mechanic. Can't ask for more. You can take it anywhere - even off road. We took it to Oregon and drove 200 miles on unpaved roads and then back to California. Lookwise it's not the best, but I took it to over 50 dates and I've been far more succesfull [weeding out the bad girls] then when I was driving a gas-guzzler money-eater Pontiac. Toyota costs 9.5 cents/mile for gas, insurance, repairs and loss in car value (including one accident) during my ownership. Pontiac was 37 cents/mile, no accident.
Free Transportation
mtcan, 05/27/2009
1990 Toyota Tercel 2dr Coupe
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought this car seriously neglected for $1K & 50K miles. I doubt they changed the oil ever as it was owned and operated by an elderly woman who actually died and the nephew sold it to me. That's not a good combination for a reliable vehicle, but after investing another $700 in overdue maintenance, it has given me nearly flawless reliability for two years and 15K miles/yr. The car has had an issue with its thermostat, and it can overheat without you knowing it, so be aware that near-red is actually RED. Also, there is a carburetor adjustment screw that we had to dig-into the carb metal to get to at the back (near firewall), but after that, it runs fantastic for simple transportation.
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