| Compact car; Built in Japan |
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| Good condition price range: $1,400 – $2,300* |
1997 Toyota Tercel 4-door sedan
1995 Toyota Tercel 2-door coupe
1995 Toyota Tercel 2-door coupe
1997 Toyota Tercel 2-door coupe
1995 Toyota Tercel interior
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| Cons: |
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Far from exciting in concept or reality, Tercel’s mission has been to be the least-expensive Toyota, and it shows against the plusher, more substantial Corolla and other subcompact leaders. On the other hand, Toyota’s reputation for reliability makes the Tercel worth considering if you need basic transportation but are on a tight budget.
Overview
Though touted as “all-new,” the latest Tercel appeared to be a heavy makeover of the previous model. The 93.7-inch wheelbase and 161.8-inch overall length were unchanged. Tercel sold in three notchback models–a Standard 2-door and better-equipped DX 2-door and 4-door. Safety additions included dual airbags, height-adjustable manual seatbelts, and side door beams. Antilock brakes were optional, on all models. Under the hood was a dual-cam 1.5-liter 4-cylinder with 93 horsepower. The Standard 2-door came with a 4-speed manual transmission and was available with 3-speed automatic. DX models could have a standard 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic.
Yearly Updates
| 1996 Tercel Cloth seat trim was a new option for the price-leader 2-door model (vinyl was standard). |
| 1997 Tercel Tercel dropped to a single series, called CE, for ’97. The CE blended features of the prior Standard series and the better- equipped DX. Four-speed manual shift was gone, and larger (175/65R14) tires replaced the original 155/80SR13 rubber. |
| 1998 Tercel Initially, the 4-door body style was dropped, leaving only the 2-door CE. Grille, front fascia, taillamps, rear bumper, and bodyside moldings are new, and the rear seats gain headrests. Later, Toyota would drop the entire line in preparation for the introduction of the new Echo subcompact. |
