- Seller: James L (Contact)
- Location: Norwich, Vermont
- Mileage: 16,439 Shown
- Chassis #: JT2AL32W8J0308686
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 1.5-Liter Inline-4
- Transmission: Automatic
UPDATE – The seller has added additional photos of the car, which can be found in the gallery below. They have also lowered their asking price!
Every once in a while, something shows up that completely resets expectations. This 1988 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon, now listed as a Barn Finds Exclusive out of Norwich, Vermont, is one of those rare survivors that feels almost frozen in time. With just 16,439 miles on the odometer and a clean title, this is not just a good example of a Tercel wagon—it’s an exceptionally preserved one.
According to the seller, this wagon is a two-owner car that originally came from Georgia and has never been exposed to salt. That detail alone will get the attention of anyone familiar with how these cars were typically used—and used up—over the years. It also explains why the seller notes they simply don’t have the heart to put it into New England winter duty, even though it’s precisely the kind of vehicle that could handle it.
The interior is described as spotless, and the paint is original, which is almost unheard of for a 4WD economy wagon that’s now nearly four decades old. The seller is refreshingly honest about the minor cosmetic flaws that do exist: a small dent on the right rear door, some peeling paint on the wheels, and rubber-coated bumpers that have dulled slightly over time. None of that detracts from what this car represents—an honest, well-preserved survivor rather than a dressed-up restoration.
Under the hood is Toyota’s famously durable four-cylinder engine, which the seller describes as “bulletproof.” It reportedly runs perfectly, with a brand-new battery included, and the engine compartment is clean with no known leaks. On the road, it drives exactly as intended. The seller acknowledges that it won’t win any drag races, but that’s not the point. This is a car built for reliability, traction, and practicality—and it still delivers all three.
What really stands out is the character. The seller describes it as fun to drive and a great conversation piece, which anyone who’s ever owned or spotted a clean Tercel 4WD wagon will immediately understand. These cars have developed a cult following for good reason, and finding one this original, this clean, and this lightly used is becoming extremely rare.
Talk about an unusual and extraordinary find. Most of these were driven hard and recycled years ago. Whether preserved as a collector-grade survivor or gently enjoyed as dependable transportation, this Tercel represents a kind of automotive honesty that’s hard to come by today. Would you keep this Tercel exactly as it is, or finally let it do what it was built to do—no matter the weather?
Every time I see one of those with an auto I’m reminded that the 4wds weren’t manual only.
No front pics? The headlights on these late ones are 1 or 2 years only and don’t interchange with the other Tercels, unlike earlier ones that had sealed beams.
Replying to myself because I can’t edit – Looks good, GLWTA!
These extremely cropped photos rings alarm bells with me. Why no front end or a typical three quarter shot of the whole car?
Makes me wonder what they are trying to hide.
Good afternoon April, I found some photos I had taken showing the front. Nothing to hide, I’m just a lousy photographer.
Right? No photos at all of the exterior.
I will take some more pics of the front and post
Sad that the photos don’t match the write up. Had one of these in Alaska in the late 80’s and can attest to its hardiness. With such low miles the only thing missing is “extra pedal” and validation that this truly is what it is. Still – a great find of a once great vehicle!
Popular cars in Ski 🎿 Country 🏔❄️
Water ski country? Joke intended…cool find.
I find it hard to believe, this has not seen ANY road salt. There’s enough surface rust underneath to support this claim. I would never buy any vehicle from VT. I’ve seen the vehicles from there and within 10 years of salt, most vehicles are trashed.
The air cleaner lid is begging to be aligned.
It is an offset air cleaner. All natural here.
SOME vehicles up here in the North Country are intentionally garaged for the winter, and the only salt they see is whatever slight residues contaminate the spring rains. My 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis, after 407,000 miles, has been driven through every winter; yet it is not rotted-out. It has seen PLENTY of salt, but the trick is to clean it off A.S.A.P., and to try to drive only when the pavement is dry. But when you look at cars around here, all varnished in salt-residue for weeks and weeks, is it any wonder that they rot out? But you CAN drive up here in the winter, and still have your car survive! I do have some rust on my Mercury, but it is of the surface variety and not rust-through. And underneath it is as clean as a Florida car.
I agree, here: why the lack of FRONT or SIDE photos?
We had a Tercel in the early 90s. Found Toyota to be frugal about key distribution. My wife went shopping, came out, got into the car, felt things looked strange, and realized she it was not her car. Her key had opened the door. Aside from that, we loved the car. A well designed and reliable little workhorse.
Having bought and sold many ’70’s Toyotas, I can confirm the key thing. Had a few where an old key from one car I had sold would fit a completely different car I acquired.
Agree completely! It is a very common Toyota key ‘adventure’! I will definitely take that situation over today’s ‘chipped keys’!
funny, mentioned this vehicle (was it yesterday?) w/the honda RT, eagle summit, stanza, etc & see it today.
These were ubiquitous round here (even w a y post Y2K) as testament to the brand.
Automatic? sure, better for me, it aint a(n off rd) truck.
To bad it is not a manual trans equipped.
Thank you all for the comments and questions. Barn Finds suggested and tried to locate a professional photographer but was unsuccessful so they are phone shots from me. I will post more when I get back to town this weekend. Honestly, the car has never seen salt. The service records also confirm that the milage is correct. I’ve heard the ATM comparison, lol
Does this have a title? What is up with that sales receipt posted? Strange.
Another one with no inclinometer? No pic anyway. These cars can be maintained and major repaired by the owner. very “user friendly”
The SR5s – Toyota’s “premium” package – had the inclinometer gauge cluster, upgraded interior, exterior body cladding, and a few other goodies. I don’t think there were any performance upgrades, just appearance and convenience items.
Every time I seen one of these cars, it reminded me of an ATM machine on the back.
Thank you for the question, Crown. Yes, it does have a title. I included the picture because I thought it was a cool old school document to display. The original owner gave me a folder full of service and repair orders. I find them to be valuable to follow the history of a classic.
Wow, so many skeptics here, title, headlights, salt, rust, pictures, it looks to me like a great car and would last for years and years like most Toyotas do. Like walking into a dealer in 1989 and buying a good used car with low mileage, I’d buy it if it was closer, to me it’s better than a new computerized plastic car.
These were great little cars and perfect winter cars. It’s a museum piece with only 16k on it.
It’s too nice to use in snow now but would be a great cruiser to car shows. ))ky )
Three years ago, I found one these on Craigslist located here in Vermont. I know these cars and immediately called the person because these no longer exist in the Northeast due to rust. I was the first person to call, expecting the car to be already gone. My buddy and I grabbed his flatbed and went to look. The paint showed terrible (which scared most people away) but I looked underneath and it was virtually spotless. The people who had it, brought it up from Kentucky, hence the clean underneath. They really did not have any knowledge about the car and panicked that it would be a money pit. I gave them their price of $1100 and took the car home. I bled the brakes, changed the oil and installed the new front struts they gave me with the car. I put a quick paint job and clean- up to the interior and drive this thing regularly in the good weather up here. It’s a 5 speed and 4wd which is the best combination. It has got 270K miles on the clock and runs perfectly. It’s a blast to drive! This BF example is in incredible condition however the automatics were really underpowered and I have no interest. It has got to be a stick! The were great cars in their day and people who had them always comment on their mechanical longevity. I would take mine anywhere except that you can’t keep up with high speed densely populated Northeast areas. You would get ‘run off the road’!!
Very nice! You got a great price on it, even in the condition it was in…which wasn’t that bad! Thanks for putting up pictures for us to look at! Looked good in the before pictures as well! 👍🏻
My before picture!!
I still don’t understand why it isn’t a requirement to feature a minimum number of photos, which include all areas, including the undercarriage, in order to be featured. Not to mention cold start and driving videos. Or, one long video showing everything, instead of a plethora of photos.
An online ad needs to come as close to someone looking at a car in person, as possible. Otherwise it might as well just be an ad for locals that can in fact look in person.
Best of luck, these are great cars.
I’m kinda surprised this is still available on here if I hadn’t shelled out $30+k for a new car last month II would be trying to work something out. All I can do now is share the listing on social media and hope they reach out to the seller
Thank you for your post Troy. If it doesn’t sell, I still have a great car to drive for many years to come
I worked at a Toyota store when these came out. We viewed them as fragile and they would be hard to sell. WE WERE SO WRONG ON BOTH ACCOUNTS! There were great sellers and never ever saw them back to the dealer except for regular maintenance. (Except for early ones with bad ignition axciters.) Very good cars. One of the last “EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY” Toyotas. After these,,, Toyota was just good quality and the rest of the market caught up quality wise. In my humble but very experienced opinion. Toyota and Honda make just as good quality vehicles as everyone else. (As long as you take Stillantis/Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler out of the equation.) But since Toyota and Honda had the best quality YEARS AGO. Toyota and Honda think that they can charge premium prices for their wares. AND screw the public over on their parts prices.
Interesting, that this one still is available…
Is it a radio only? Does it have air conditioning?
Good morning Clark. It is an AM/FM/Cassette radio. I believe it has a/c but I will need to confirm that later today.
Are the buttons on that radio just dirty, or is the finish starting to peel off?
Good morning Crown. The radio knobs are just dusty. I confirmed by going over to take a look.
Good afternoon, Crown. Busy with snow removal today but I will go over and take a look tomorrow to answer your questions.
Working at a grocery store I can remember loading a few of these back in the day. They were great when it came to cargo. But that’s what they were intended for.