1991 Toyota Tercel Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I liked that its a stick sift , but its only a 4 speed I wish it was a 5 speed, once its fixed and all the little things that is wrong that drive me crazy about the car it fix I'll be ok with the car because for the most part it runs good and I'll save on gas when I fix all the little stuff. Thank god for places like this helps me remember all the things I learned about cars Sep 25, 2014

I bought my '91 Tercel used in 1994 with only 25k miles on it. I've driven it since and it now has 105k miles on it. It's been the best car ever to own. The appearance of my car has never suffered and still looks modern today. Performance has been fine and never been an issue. No major repairs as of yet, but with this Tercel model, there is an issue with the valve stem seals and needing being replaced. I have yet to get this fixed. I've been told by a mechanic as long as I keep oil in the car and new spark-plugs, it will last a long time. So far he's been right. I plan on getting it fixed and keeping the car for another 100k miles.Mar 07, 2011

It was my first car, and I've got lots of emotion invested into our 8 year partnership. I love how much get-up-and-go the little thing has, even for a four cylinder 1500 at 18 years old. It's still like new inside and out, aside from some fading shine from the clear coat on the roof. The dash does rattle something terrible in single digit temperatures, and it doesn't start very well in similar temperatures, but I can completely relate to its reluctance in these Colorado winters. It's an excellent little town car, but I also don't recommend it for the highway. It's tiny, with few interior comforts, although it does get fantastic fuel mileage in excess of 38 average mpg. Bottom line, terrific for heavy traffic and parking in limited spaces, but not so great for coast-to-coast travel.Sep 30, 2009

Where to start? The engine is junk, 1.5 liters and only a single camshaft? I'd get beat by SUV's in the 0-60 department......garbage. Wheels are garbage. 155-70-13's? They're only good for the snow because they're THAT damn thin. Suspension is pure trash.....the tercel is one of the few cars in the 90's that remained without rear-independent suspension, horrible. The brakes are terrible.....I wouldn't be caught dead driving another car with drum brakes (They lock up all the time). And this is just the cliff-notes version. Did I mention this car is garbage?Sep 03, 2009

I dunno if it still counts as a '91 Tercel, cuz I kinda re-engineered the entire car... either way, I absolutely love my little car, and it's a blast to drive. JDM 5E-FHE twin cam engine swap, Paseo brakes, Paseo front sway bar, Porsche 944 rear sway bar, Paseo interior with Celica GT-S dash, TRD variable rate coilovers on KYB struts, carbon fiber hood, Sparco 6-pt harnesses, pass. side mirror delete, Paseo rear wing, Weapon-R short ram cold air intake, Pacesetter header, 2 1/4" exhaust, Vibrant high flow cat and Vibrant stainless muffler, Transaxle from '99 Tercel with super tall 5th gear, quick ratio manual steering rack from '90 Tercel, fender flares, front lip, Momo Prototipo steering wheel and a TRD Shift knob. Aug 27, 2008

I have owned my 1991 Tercel for 5 years, and have put 30,000 miles on it. I have had a minimal amount of repairs done to it. With gas price situation so critical, great gas mileage and no car payments, as my mechanic told me, "You can't beat it, this is a great, simple, stick shift car". I will continue to keep it and maintain it as if it were a high priced vehicle. Jun 15, 2008

Style was nice, similar to Honda Civic of same time period. Small car. Interior somewhat basic; had to upgrade to aftermarket stereo. Cheap to run. Drive was nice, though not very sporty. Not a peppy engine. At 130,000 miles, connecting rod blew hole in engine. This was an unusual case, as other people I know still have this same car and did not experience this. Apr 28, 2008

Owned from 1998 to 2003. Son owned from 2003 to 2006. Now owned by brother-in law. Since I bought it with 120,000 km on it, the family has added some 200,000 km to it with very few issues. Consistently excellent gas mileage, in the 40 miles per imperial gallon range - sometimes even better. Parts for this car were readily available and usually inexpensive. Engine was easy to work on. Oil changes were particularly easy - 10 minutes with hand tools in my driveway. Mar 02, 2008