'97 Tercel coupe comments please

[dblshock]

Found a '97 coupe automatic decent shape 110k guy's asking $3,000 and seems firm, Edmunds says $2650 retail..wondering if it's a good durable car for running around the city? trouble spots? this dude is flipp'n the car and doesn't have any service records but it seems real tite. ecno 4 cyl. cars are really pumped-up right now he said they're being snapped up like crazy at auction

 

[dtt004]

Hi.

That car is not worth 3000. You should negotiate a bit down on the price. No service records either. I would want it at or below retail.

 

[Spazdog]

It is a good and reliable car, but it is not a $3000 good and reliable car.

 

[dparm]

There are plenty of other vehicles you can get for that money.

 

[dishdude]

$3k? No way! Stay away from flippers. He probably picked it up for $1200 (which is what it's worth)

 

[tomcat27]

so I'm gonna be the "advocate" here....

"stay away from flippers"? aren't all used car dealers "flippers"?
Sure, $3k seems a little high for a 14 year old car... but what can you really get for that price? it's low miles, and the predecessor to the Echo and Yaris.

as long as it was well-cared for, and the engine is good (a compression test would be nice.....) find me another $3k care to compare it to!

yes... I paid a little on the high side for a 6 year old Echo - but it only had 15k on it at the time. with $4 gas... I am thrilled!

 

[crazyoildude]

not worth 3000
they are generally good cars be careful of the timing belt
Also not the car to have an accident in i dont think it will hold up so well.. Gas mileage is important to everyone but when my mother got a new car it was and still is a Mercury Grand Marquis..I cant replace my Mom...

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

3K bucks for that car [plus with zero service records] is nuts.

 

[eljefino]

You can get a neon or saturn for half that.

You'll get the same economy, both in gas and repair costs, without the toyota name.

Are you in the rust belt?

 

[SLCraig]

I would say due to Toyota nameplate that car is likely worth $1500-2000 on that alone. I wouldn't even want to pay that much though.

 

[addyguy]

$3k...are you nuts? $2k...maybe.

This guy is playing up the panic over gaas prices to more than double his money on this. Unfortunatly, someone will most likely bite - remember, during the last run-up, Metro's were going for $5-6k

Tercel engines CAN burn boatloads of oil, so they may not be as economical as you think, if you have to add a $2 quart of oil every 600 miles to it.....

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: tomcat27
Sure, $3k seems a little high for a 14 year old car... but what can you really get for that price?


An EJ8 Civic EX coupe from about the same year.

Cloth instead of vinyl, moonroof, power windows...etc... Don't want all that stuff? Get a DX.

A Corolla or Prizm from that year (the Prizm is usually $1000 less than the Corolla)

A much newer Zetec ZX2 Escort, an SPI Escort, a 4 cylinder Cougar, fwd 200SX, or a Mazda/Festiva based Kia Rio AND a 100mpg lightly used Honda Elite 80 motor scooter.....

 

[onebigunion]

Yeah - too much. They're noisy, crude, uncomfortable cars. Also, rust-prone. As mentioned elsewhere, they tend to burn oil around the valve guides. They will run a long, long time though and parts used to be cheap (might not be now though). Just way too much for a 14 year old auction car with no history available. If it was half that much, I might take a flyer on it.

 

[kkreit01]

half price...maybe

 

[dblshock]

I don't see alot of decent [censored] eco cars under $4k, older Carollas start there with +150k mi...auto trader turned up no other $3k Tercels in my 25mi. radius (milwaukee)

 

[daves87rs]

These are the new prices guys...get used to it.

I'm seeing 95-96 Cavaliers (worth maybe 1200) going for at least 4k here.....

 

[onebigunion]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
These are the new prices guys...get used to it.

I'm seeing 95-96 Cavaliers (worth maybe 1200) going for at least 4k here.....


Are they "going for" that or are people trying to do some price gouging based on gas price fears? I can not imagine someone paying 4k for a 16 year old Cavalier.

 

[Ven]

3k is too much, no question. Great car though, I love me.

 

[onebigunion]

Originally Posted By: Ven
3k is too much, no question. Great car though, I love me.


I'm glad you've got a good sense of self-esteem

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
These are the new prices guys...get used to it.

I'm seeing 95-96 Cavaliers (worth maybe 1200) going for at least 4k here.....


Nahhh....I checked Autotrader to make sure my $3000 price would hold up on an EJ8 Civic EX coupe with about 130,000 miles. Found a couple of them. Couple of ZX2s. Bunch of Prizms.