The Cressida has an unusual history, at least as far as North American sales went, and they can at least partially be connected to the birth of Toyota’s luxury brand, Lexus. This 1985 Toyota Cressida can be found here on eBay in Levittown, Pennsylvania. The seller has a buy-it-now price of $8,995 listed or you can make an offer. Let’s dig into this one.
The seller doesn’t give us any written information on the condition of the car at all – rust, operating, running, tires, etc., but, they do provide a great, detailed video here on YouTube showing a walk-around and test drive. Well done, seller! I wish every vehicle that was for sale had a video showing its condition. It is showing some paint variation between the right front fender and passenger door compared to the right rear passenger door and quarter panel. And, there appears to be a tiny rust bubble right behind the right-front wheel under the wheel well trim, but this car looks great otherwise.
The Cressida name came from a Shakespeare play. The Toyota Mark II came to North America in 1974 after the gas crisis and some folks were downsizing from huge American cars to more fuel-efficient foreign cars. The Toyota Crown was pulled from the North American market because its sales were lagging so the Mark II, renamed the Cressida in late-1976, filled a need as a slightly-larger car than the Corolla but much smaller than most American cars at the time. It was replaced by the Avalon in 1995.
The interior looks almost like new in this car. The automatic seatbelts would take quite a while for me to get used to, but they seem to work perfectly in the seller’s YouTube video. Everything seems to work in this one, including the AC which was converted to R-134a back in 2003. Check out the back seat, now that’s plush! The seller included a few underside photos and it’s somewhat hard to tell, but it looks solid. My former 1984 Toyota Camry Liftback was a step below the Cressida – the Cressida sold for thousands more than a Camry.
The engine is Toyota’s 5M-E, a double-overhead-cam 2.8L inline-six which would have had around 160 hp. The Cressida was reportedly the first car to have an electronically controlled transmission, this one with economy, normal, and sport modes. They also used a four-speed automatic transmission which was fairly unusual for the mid-1980s. This car looks fantastic and the price seems to be in line with what other Cressidas are selling for. Have any of you owned one?
I had one of these (inherited from my mother) in the early 90s. The engine was indestructible. If it weren’t for winters in the Northeast eating the body, that car might still be on the road.
I never owned one but I used to service them at a local toyota dealer. Tough reliable cars with a timeless design. This one has a rare color we didn’t see to often. Buy it and drive it for the next 20 years.
I had a 1984 wagon I got from my Mom. Awesome car and surprisingly fast. I got the jump on quite a few Firebirds and Camaros back in the day. It could smoke tires lol
Aren’t these the same motors found in the Supra? What a nice example! Love the cloth interior!
I never owned one Scotty, but now with age catching up and having to put on the big fat Carhart jacket with winter being here, the auto seatbelt sounds like a good thing. The reach around to find my seatbelt at zero degrees gets harder all the time. I never knew Toyota had those nice tufted seats! And that dash is right out of Buck Rodgers, which I will be watching after Svengoolie tonight. Nice rig, not for me at the price though. For some reason I am in at the 3 grand mark. Maybe if she had some Hella driving lights fastened to the bumper? Nah.
Nice car with sharp, crisp lines. Great color, too.
It looks so much better than the water balloon styling so common now.
This is a car, if maintained well, could last a very long time.
We owned a Cressida wagon think it was an 84 bought used. Loved that car and we loved the automatic seat belts! So easy to get in and out without fumbling with seat belts all the time. Later we bought a new 93 Nissan Maxima that also had trouble free automatic seat belts. We had the Maxima for ten years and 250,000 miles before trading for a 2003 Chevy Malibu. We forever miss automatic seat belts!
I so wanted one of these back in the day but our bankbook would’t allow it.
9k? Ambitious I think.. nice car otherwise.
Friend had an 83 5 speed. What a gem!
I can’t take credit for this, but,, “See your doctor to see if Cressida is right for you”,,,these were some of the 1st real cushy Toyotas, but rarely saw them. I think around this time, people were still just getting used to Toyota, and their claim to fame small cars. Americans, it seemed, hadn’t made the jump to luxury foreign cars, especially when you could still get a darn nice Caddy for around the same price. I guess we saw where that mentality went. Nice cars when new, I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole today. I can hear it now at the Toyota dealer, “nah, we haven’t stocked struts for that car for 20 years”,,,aw, man,,,
I’m sure the seats were comfortable, but I always thought the button-tufted upholstery in these looked more like something you’d find in a Chrysler Lebaron of similar vintage rather than a top-of-the-line Japanese car. The exterior styling is remarkably timeless however.
In the mid 80s-early 90s, nearly everyone was using velour for their interiors, Caddy, Lincoln, and everyone else in their higher end cars. I’ve never been a fan of leather seats. Along with the timeless style that you mention davew, the cloth ticks the right box for me. Howard A mentioned concerns about parts availability, you could damn near build this car with all the parts you’d need from rock auto. I would have no problem having this sweet ride in the stable, but maybe a little diet on the price .
I sure wish you could get new luxury cars today with plush cloth seating. Leather is ok, but nowhere near as soft and warm as a good velour seat
This is nice. I’d buy it for $6K. I had a friend who had one of these in high school. It was surprisingly fast. And comfortable. To find one with little to no rust 30 years later is amazing given Toyotas from that era’s propensity to disintegrate quickly. When I lived in the rust belt I had a 80s Celica that was mostly rust by the 90s. And a Corolla. And a Camry. Engines perfect but no metal left to roll down the road safely.
I had one just like this. Same colors and interior but a little worse for wear. It had had accident repair and the paint was failing in different ways in several areas. Great car…comfortable, sensible, highway cruiser with some extra spice under the hood.
I own an X7 Cressida myself, and I had my eyes on this car. The car was purchased at a local public auto auction and the seller is a stones throw away from me. The price is ambitious to say the least, and quite frankly, I find myself frustrated by “quick flips” like this.
Bought a 1983 model with a 5 speed manual and loved it. Kept it many years, no problems, not a one. Sold it to my sister and she kept it for 5 years until some jack hat stole it.
HA!! Flashback: In the mid 80’s I owned a 69 Buick Riviera GS, a tank with tons of torque. One high school weekend night, with a carload of buddies, I rear ended a Cressida just like this one at fairly low speed. We pull to the side and the lady gets out so we’ll check for damage. On the back of her Cressida, not a scratch! As for my first car, my baby, the Riviera’s huge chrome bumper had moved back and up, crushing the inner grillwork to the back of the radiator, and jamming the retractable headlights in the open position. I couldn’t find replacement parts (searched the local picknpulls and junkyards), so sold it on for what I paid for it. Couldn’t believe that Toyota walked away with no damage!
We had a 1986 wagon. It was a great car until it wasn’t. It started to fall apart about 1994 when it hit 110,000 miles. It was very well maintained and always garaged in GA. Burning a little oil, air conditioner kept causing problems, radio and different things breaking, like Japanese planned obsolescence. Thankfully, I left it out in anticipation of a hard freeze and snow storm so I could get it out of the drive and go to the office. A Bradford Pear dropped on the roof and turned it into the letter ‘U’ so I bought a Volvo 960. Wow, that Volvo, what a great car.
I had a white 84 with the velour interior but it wasn’t tufted until 85. Absolutely one of the best cars I ever owned. Drove the 84 Supra first, then the Cressida. Loved both! The Cressida drove just as sporty as the Supra but was bigger, more practical, and easier to get in and out (6’2)! Never regretted that decision. Drove that car for over 20 yrs and 200k miles with no issues until a transmission overhaul was needed. Had it done and drove it another10k until a BMW 328i suckered me in. Still regret selling it. A coworker bought it and drove it another 5 yrs! This one looks great but I have no more garage space😢
I did owned two-’87 & ’92. These were good riding cars and the engine & tranny was really smooth especially the auto ECT. The only bad thing about this is the handling was pretty bad. Yes these Cressida were the grand daddy of the rear wheel drive Lexus LS sedans. Toyota was smart to keep improving on a proven chassis and made it pretty much bullet proof! You can still find these in Hong Kong, Thailand as taxi cab. The engine and the auto ECT was also used the SUPRAS as well.