Fans of 1980s vehicles with heavy graphic packages unite, this is one throwback ride! I can faintly hear Tears for Fears on the stereo as I check out this 1985 Toyota Tercel SR5 AWD Wagon. This wayback machine is posted here on Facebook Marketplace in Dubuque, Iowa, and they’re asking $5,800. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip!
I’ve been looking for one of these things for years. A friend in California has a similar Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon that his parents bought new, and he recently finished a no-expense-spared nut-and-bolt restoration over several years. It’s an amazing car and I’ve wanted one for almost a decade now. I got super excited seeing this one, and being only a few hours away made it even better. This one isn’t quite as museum-ready as it appears in most of the photos, however.
Toyota made the second-generation Tercel from 1982 through 1988 in a two-door, four-door sedan, and four-door wagon with a hatchback, or liftgate. They offered the SR5 trim and also a Deluxe trim level, and there were front-wheel drive models, and the king of the hill 4WD models, such as this graphics-laden car. As a wicked huge fan of 1980s and 90s vehicles with graphics, this one looks great to me, at least visually, upon first glance. There are a few issues, however.
You can see some dings on the hood in this photo. Is that hail damage? Or just a jealous downhill skier who had a much lamer car on the slopes and wanted to mark this one with a ski pole. We don’t know, the seller doesn’t mention any damage. I’m glad I saw that, or I’d probably be headed to Iowa right now to check this one out in person. The interior looks great, however. The seats are spot-on and so cool, both front and rear, and the rear cargo area looks great. Thankfully, this car has a six-speed manual! What isn’t quite as cool is that this car doesn’t appear to have the legendary “Inclinometer” on the dash. Any RADwood appearances will have many sad and hopeless eyes searching for that feature inside this otherwise very nice interior.
The seller also shows this photo of what appears to be the left front wheel. It’s impossible to tell anything from most of the photos in an online listing, but the seller gets a gold star for at least showing some areas like this, even if they don’t go into any detail about possible rust issues or other things that may be needed. The black goop behind the wheel is a bit concerning, and the front bumper cover appears to be a bit cracked, so there’s some work to do on this one.
A replacement Weber clearly awaits the next owner, and this is Toyota’s 1.5-liter SOHC inline-four with 63 horsepower. It’s backed by that six-speed manual sending power to all four wheels as needed, as in, when the driver shifts it into 4WD. There is no center-diff, so once you put it in 4WD, you had better be on snow or loose gravel, or you’ll be in trouble as it’ll result in some wear to the drivetrain. The seller says it runs and drives great. If rust isn’t a huge issue, this would be an interesting car to own, at least for car show duties and/or winter driving. Have any of you owned a Tercel 4WD Wagon?
When the rust finally took my grandmother’s 1973 Maverick(it lasted 12 years in Toronto before the rust took it to a better place..lol) my father(her son..lol) bought her a 1985 Tercel,my grandmother drove it once ..hated it as it was not a Ford(my grandparents were strict Ford people) and sold it in 2000 with only 250-odd km on the odo,it still looked and smelled new and whoever bought it got basically a brand new 15 year old Tercel..LOL Many times during visits to her she’d ask if i wanted it,i declined as i was a Ford guy and am very tall and do not believe i’d fit :D
At 6′-5″ tall, I usually don’t fit into the tiny vehicles I want, I know the feeling. I know a Rob in Toronto, but that would be way too coincidental…
It’s a product of its time, which is what makes it cool. If someone wanted a car that will attract attention at a coffee and cars you could do a lot worse for more money. It’s versatile, the stick shift is a plus. If it checks out in person it will be a good find for someone.
Steve R
I actually have a 1987 Tercel 4wd wagon automatic showroom quality with 16, 000 miles and one owner before me. And its for sale. I had it shipped last summer and stored it. I can’t bear to subject it to the salt laden winter roads of Vermont.
Beautiful car, this has more stickers, which looks cool, I still see one daily driven, not rotted away. Pretty cheap I think. Not many left.
A Radwood class winner right there!
Used to see a fair number of these in ski country ⛰️ 🏔 ❄️ ⛷️ back in the day. This one is extra cool w the 6sp stick😎
I had an 83 with the clinometer, I loved that rusty thing. Comfortable and dependable, but the outside door handles were all broken. I just closed the door gently until the sag held the door closed enough to turn off the dome light, problem solved.
I don’t know if anyone here also remembers the Honda Civic wagon with the “Real Time” 4WD from the 80’s. They had a 6 speed manual too like this Toyota. They had a deep reduction low first gear. It was any automatic system. I remember there was some gravel behind the Honda dealer, I “tested” the system. And Lo and Behold it worked really well. But I prefer the Toyota version here, having the ability to shift in or out of 4WD. Despite the bumps and bruises its really solid looking. And as was already mentioned, rust really bit into many of these cars. If this is rust free thats a huge plus. And I like the price….. Its realistic if its rust free.
I remember them, Driveinstile!
https://barnfinds.com/super-low-gear-1987-honda-civic-4wd-wagon/
I was bidding on a nice silver one with a red interior, and a friend, oddly enough, the same friend who restored his family’s Tercel 4WD wagon that I mentioned above, hit the buy-it-now button and snagged it. Dang.
Cool SG 😎 rare car that chances are you may have 1st seen one at a ski hill.
First of all Scotty……
Some friend of yours!!!! The least he could’ve done is offer you a ride for Dunkin Donuts!!!
And secondly, that is it. I didn’t realize you wrote one up. They were both great wagons. I didn’t think much of them when they were new, but now I’d be very happy to have one now. It would be fun to run around. I almost can’t help but wonder if a paintless dent removal specialist couldn’t get some of those out.
My son has an 85 Civic wagon 4WD. I can assure you it’s front wheel drive until you put it in 4WD. It has the granny gear and visibility out like nothing I’ve ever driven. I call it The Fishbowl.
I had an ’84 and loved it. I am pretty sure the gauge package with the inclinometer was standard on the SR5, but maybe that changed with the 85’s. My only complaints with the car were an inadequate defroster – it did fine with the windshield but I remember ice forming on the side windows when I had passengers during the winter – and rust. The rust on mine was not obvious until I discovered a hole near the rear wheel well. This one could be a great fun car for someone, if it is truly rust free.
My son had an 84 4wd wagon. I got proficient at transmission swaps. Even with connections at Toyota parts, the product isn’t supported. We ran out of patience with junk parts. Sold to a guy who appreciated it and he did a Weber carb to get rid of all that 80s vacuum pipe
“I can faintly hear Tears For Fears on the stereo…”
Love that. Strange though to pick a British group from Bath, Somerset!
Ha, that’s a good point, Daymo. For some odd reason, that’s the first group that popped into my head for 1980s music.
I’m curious about the 6 speed. Never knew these had one. Was it a granny low first, then a 5 speed or two overdrives?
Yes, sir, it had a granny first gear as there wasn’t a separate transfer case.
HAd the 2 door version. What a great little car, great fun to drive! Love to find another one but they’re rare to find, even harder to find in decent condition.
This car was for sale on marketplace just a couple weeks back for $3500. It’s a quick flip attempt and he didn’t even fix the ac with the parts that someone gave previous owner just days before selling. This ad & seller has been discussed extensively in several FB groups- I hope any potential buyer realizes this is a $3500-$4000 car and not line this joker’s pockets
Does anybody know where the photos were taken? (I know, dumb question.)
I was wondering the same thing.. I’ve never been to Dubuque but it appears to be sitting in an abandoned industrial area. Now that DT is bringing back American industrialization via tarrifs etc though it may not be empty for long.
Listing update: this one is sold!