An ominous noise is not definitive so not yet a deal killer. Keep looking.
The point is, if you find something that would obviously be a deal killer, do you keep looking? I would think most people would say no. When I go looking at used cars and see something seriously amiss I say thanks but no thanks and leave. I don’t stick around and keep looking for other issues. The inspection is cut short. Until I find something like that, I keep looking. Hence cars with fewer problems take longer for me to look over because I’m still interested.
Cars that have concerns like ominous noises without definitive reason, I may take a risk on depending on what I suspect is the cause. Those I use in negotiating. Sometimes you win, sometimes not. Fortunately, I have guessed correctly more than not…
Yeah, too much rust on the undercarriage, to the point the vehicle is unsafe, is typically a deal killer, and it is obvious as soon as it is on the lift.
You’re right, my Toyota Yaris was a great investment for me and a fun car to drive. Originally I wanted a manual transmission, but at the time the only Yaris available on the dealer’s lot was a Red automatic. So that’s what I have. In retrospect, I am so glad that I have the automatic. It’s hard to drink coffee or eat sandwich and drive without it.
What took a bit of getting used to was not the driver position, but the position of the instrument cluster. The instruments are all center mounted and not directly in front of the driver and behind the steering wheel as what most are accustomed. This was never really a problem for me.
Hey db4690,
I live in 'Merica and you are probably right that there was no 1979 model year Tercel, but I distinctly remember the registration indicated 1979 Toyota Tercel. My mind may be a bit hazy on this after 35 plus years but that’s what I remember. It was white with tan colored interior and the body was in rough shape when I got it.
I know when it was new, it was also the lowest or one of the lowest priced cars in the USA at the time. This was the main reason it came into my possession - because it was an inexpensive car that sipped gasoline. I know I have photo’s of it but I can’t find them at the moment. Here’s a link to a Tercel similar to mine, but in yellow
I also found a TV commercial for the Toyota Tercel from 1979 - Check it Out
Thanks & be happy!
Imagine if you could buy a new car in USA for that price today . . .
When I lived in europe, we had a 1982 Tercel . . . they were actually called that, not Corolla-Tercel
blue, 4 door, stick shift, manual steering
We had a few things that the US-spec Tercels did not have, such as 5speed manual (I believe US-spec had 4speed), front seats with adjustable headrests, passenger side exterior mirror and a tachometer
Being in europe, that also meant no AC . . . but in the 1980s, that was still okay. Don’t know about nowadays
Ours looked 90% similar to that one in the picture. Same color, deluxe trim line, same rims and tires. We didn’t have that “Tercel” name on the bottom of the doors. But ours also had those steel trim rings on the rims, which I was never a fan of
What was kind of interesting about that particular Tercel was that it had independent rear suspension, with a sway bar, no less . . . whereas later Tercels were kind of “dumbed down” in my opinion, and they ditched the independent rear suspension and sway bar. Must’t compete with Corolla, I suppose
