Toyota Tercel with 1.2 million kms (783k miles)
- Thread starter Oillover
- Start date
But the real question - does he use the recommended oil as prescribed by Toyota? 
dnewton3
Staff member
Quoting the video ...
What's the excitement all about??? I would presume, given all the parts and the statements of the video, that the drivetrain is not anywhere close to original.
He has spare engine blocks, etc in the storage barn. There must be a dozen water pumps sitting on the shelf.
What's the excitement all about??? I would presume, given all the parts and the statements of the video, that the drivetrain is not anywhere close to original.
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I had a Tercel 2-dr coupe. I think it was a '93. No AC, no radio, manual transmission, easy to work on. Great car. It blew a head gasket on a trip from Los Angeles to Portland, but other than that, I don't recall having any trouble with it. It got destroyed when a lady turned left in front of me. For reliability, it's hard to beat the bottom of the line Toyotas of old. Can't comment on current production.
Even if that's true, so what? He's kept it running, presumably on the cheap. Meanwhile the average person has probably gone through 7 or more cars in that time frame. It would be super interesting to see the financial disparity between these scenarios over such a long time frame.
Good luck keeping a 2025 turbocharged hybrid loaded with multiple screens, tech, and all sorts of gimmicks running for 40+ years.
Exactly. Go down to Mexico and the roads are littered with 80's cars. No rust, parts still available and labor is cheap.
No excitement for me, if a car has No Airbags, then it is not something for me. There is a car show every Friday night 1 mile away from me, if I brought this thing up, I would either be laughed at, or other people would say that is the 1st car I bought for $150.00!
There's an old joke:
This is George Washington's old hatchet. The handle has been replaced three times and the head has been replaced twice, but it's still his hatchet, right?
dnewton3
Staff member
Don't get me wrong; I appreciate the simplicity of older stuff (cars, tractors, etc) because maintenance and troubleshooting is so much easier.
But 1.2M km on non-original equipment is impressive only in the man's dedication to a singular vehicle, not the reliability of the car itself .
The video title is somewhat misleading ... typical click-bait.
But 1.2M km on non-original equipment is impressive only in the man's dedication to a singular vehicle, not the reliability of the car itself .
The video title is somewhat misleading ... typical click-bait.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
At this stage it’s like my like grandfather’s axe; daddy changed the handle - and I changed the head - but it’s still my grandfather’s axe …
While I generally agree, there is something special about keeping a car on the road, and in as good of condition as he has, for 40 years and that many miles. How many of us decide that when a few things start wearing out on our car, it is time to give it up, and get something new. Instead, he keeps fixing his.
You may recall that one of the first million mile cars that got a lot of attention was a Honda Accord. Honda gave the owner a new Accord in exchange for his million mile Accord. The man that owned it worked in the reliability/preventative maintenance field, and he decided to apply his career knowledge to his car.
Although I don't recall if he ever replaced the engine, he did replace or repair almost everything else over time, including replacing the driver's seat three times, if I recall correctly. It was an experiment of sorts, for him.
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There is something else to remember about keeping a vehicle running that long. He was probably forced to stockpile parts as Toyota discontinued carrying them. That will catch anyone trying to keep an older or rare vehicle running.
Notice you don't see any Daewoos on the road in the US or even in salvage yards. Once the company went bust in 2002, parts just weren't available, period.
Patman
Staff member
I agree, ANY car can keep running forever if you just keep throwing money at it
I don't understand you guys. A car is a machine. Machines wear out and require maintenance. I have a Rolex on my wrist. It's been there since 1970. Is it junk because it has required periodic factory maintenance (and is, therefore, not all-original)?
I can’t think of a worst vehicle to sit 700k miles in.
The Xterra in my signature has had very minimal repairs at 415K miles. Timing chains (which was a class action / extended warranty thing but mine outlasted the class), a heater core, and the rest was sort of normal stuff - ignition coils, wheel bearings, u-joints, etc. The entire rest of the drivetrain - both diff's, T-case and transmission have never been touched beyond fluids.
I doubt I will ever get another to that number. Even my truck has only 225K so far. I just don't drive enough anymore.
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