The Cressida was Toyota’s top-of-the-line automobile from 1976 to 1992. It had rear-wheel drive, setting it apart from other Toyota cars sold in the U.S. by the time the seller’s 1991 edition was built. The Cressida helped pave the way for the Lexus brand. Apparently, the seller has too many cars and doesn’t have time for this one, so it’s on the market, looking for at least its fourth owner. Located in Duluth, Georgia, this fancy sedan is listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,700 OBO (no trades). Thanks for the tip, Barn Finder “PRA4SNW”.
Fourth-generation Cressidas arrived in 1989, yet a refresh of the styling was done the following year. That era was powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six that was rated at 190 hp. Some of the key hardware in the car originated with the Supra, but with modifications. It was decent on gas for the size of the vehicle, which had a surprisingly small trunk. The cars resembled the Lexus LS 400.
This 1991 Cressida has covered 126,000 miles, so it’s not at the worn-out stage as yet. Its condition seems good, though the seller chose to focus on angular photos rather than side views of the entire automobile. It’s fully stock except for the steering wheel, and it runs out well except that the distributor has a leaking O-ring that needs to be replaced. If you remember those cars from the 1990s that had automatic seatbelts, this one has them – and they work!
Why would they name a car after an infamously unfaithful woman?
Perhaps better than Lysistrata.
Or “Miss Chlamydia”.
These cars were actually very nice to drive. Not sure why the owner felt the need to swap out the steering wheel but to each his own as they say. I owned one of these out in Monterey and it was nice cruising on the Pacific Coast Highway with it. This car – although old – still has some life left in it.
Are my eyes deceiving me? The shifter looks like it’s missing the handle, which would have some sort of button used as a lockout to get into or out of park or reverse?
Steve R
Your eyes are not deceiving you, but my eyes are deceiving me…what else is wrong with this car?
Beautiful car. I remember when the Toyota Cressida was offered.
Regarding the reference to Lexus, when Toyota was making plans for a really upscale car, they were unsure if they should offer it as a Toyota or create another brand. The success of Honda with the Acura would help them with that decision. The rest is history.
Once the decision was made to create a new division, they then had to create a separate dealer network. Toyota/Lexus did extensive research to find the best dealers for customer satisfaction, regardless of brand and then persuade those dealers to build new facilities for their new car-line. When Lexus became a hit with the public many of those dealers sold the other franchise operations as they were making a fortune with Lexus.
Thanks for that info, I have a Lexus but I didn’t know any of it’s history. Someone told me a while back that the Lexus name was an acronym for Luxury EXport U.S. but I read later that Lexus denied it, do you have any info around that?
Thanks for that, I have a Lexus but I didn’t know any of it’s history. Someone told me a while back that the Lexus name was an acronym for Luxury EXport U.S. but I read later that Lexus denied it, do you have any info around that?
Sorry but I hadn’t heard that one. If they denied it I would tend to believe them. That story about the creation of the name reminds me of a visit to a jewelry store. The person showing me watches was promoting one of them with a lot of, lets say, energy. She put the watch into some kind of a self test mode and lets just say it put on quite a show with the numerous dials whirling about. The name of the watch was “Noblia” which reminded me of Lexus and seemed to me to be a kind of made up name, intended to evoke some kind of high status.
Beautiful car. I remember this version of the Toyota Cressida. It was perhaps the last version offered before the Toyota Avalon debuted. I don’t get why it was discontinued. I think what Toyota should’ve done was offered the Avalon in addition to the Cressida, keep the Cressida for a few years to give people a feel for the new car, before gradually discontinuing the car.