Automotive history is full of evolutionary cycles. Cars tend to grow and grow; larger, heavier, and more luxurious until they eventually become too cumbersome for the moment they’re built to serve. That’s when a new, leaner generation emerges. Few examples illustrate this better than the demise of the “Broughamsauruses” of the 1970s, whose sudden decline marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. A mass extinction that left some enthusiasts mourning the old giants while others eagerly embraced a new era
As the Broughamsauruses faded away, a new generation arrived, led largely by Japanese automakers. These weren’t the crude, tinny economy cars that had once defined the segment. They had evolved into dependable, fuel-efficient, well-built machines that offered everything most buyers actually needed. Their early “tiny rodent” phase was over; they had adapted to thrive in a rapidly changing automotive landscape.
Not unlike their “tiny rodent” counterparts, small vehicles don’t get as much love as “Broughamsauruses” do. But it’s understandable, “Broughamsauruses” were big and mighty –qualities that make for great storytelling. Look at those vinyl tops! That Bill Blass Edition! Those V8 engines!
Small critters adept at surviving by being nimble and good at hiding? Sorry, those traits just don’t capture the public’s imagination as much.
As is known, the circumstances behind the rise of these critters were far from cheerful. The 1970s were a turbulent decade throughout the Western world, both economically and culturally, and the automotive landscape reflected that upheaval. Rising fuel prices, tighter emissions standards, and changing consumer priorities accelerated the shift toward compact, efficient cars. They quickly became a common sight on American roads, even if their once-plentiful numbers are difficult to imagine today, given how few survivors remain on US roads.
But in case you haven’t seen one in a while in your neck of the woods, here’s a grey-market US version one, found in San Salvador. What stories could this tiny living fossil have to tell? And where in the US did its riding days start?
I guess it makes sense that once the small car era faded in America, today’s subject would look for a new place to survive. And it certainly has extended its living days in San Salvador, a Toyota-loving city.
But despite this Tercel being in El Salvador, it only reminds me of my days in Puerto Rico, when one like it served as our family car in my late teens.
When these 3rd generation Tercels arrived in 1987, they were Toyota’s smallest and cheapest offering in the US. In hatchback form, the new Tercel looked like a cross between a Pacer and an Alfa 164’s side-styling treatment.
Well, not quite, as the 164 appeared in ’87, so it couldn’t be a source. But it certainly had that around-the-body middle crease that looked Italian in origin. Maybe the Alfa 90 served as inspiration?
From ’78 to ’85 the Tercel had enjoyed an FWD longitudinal layout, but things were going to change for ’86. With the Corolla sedans going for a traverse FWD setup in ’84, the Tercel finally adopted the format for the third 1987-1990 generation.
Not a groundbreaking event, but a relevant evolutionary step for the model, joining the tech that had become standard on compacts and subcompacts. Beyond the new powerplant layout, the model’s rack and pinion was updated, and it gained all-around independent suspension. Under the hood, a new 12-valve E-series engine appeared in 1.5 L displacement. Four options were available in the transmission department, with a choice of 4 or 5 speed manuals, and 3 or 4-speed automatics.
Besides the 3-door hatchback, a 2-door sedan was also offered on US soil. As usual, other bodies and setups were available in other markets, like a 5-door hatchback and turbo-powered and diesel versions.
In Puerto Rico, these were sold as the “Sexy Tercel”. To this day, I have yet to see where the “sexiness “is… that said, the car’s styling was very ’80s modern, and attractive in an origami kind of way.
As mentioned earlier, a 1988 Tercel much like this one served as our family car back in Puerto Rico, an episode that has its own COAL chapter. A problem-free car, that was anything but exciting. On the other hand, while my Mom’s coworkers had plenty of issues with their 1980s GM cars (from imploding engines to plenty of electrical gremlins), the Tercel never failed. The vengeance of the critters?
About 100K of these Tercels sold in the US both in ’87 and ’88, in a time when if small wasn’t necessarily desirable, it was socially acceptable. And these sensible cars struck a chord with buyers of the period, helping to develop lifelong loyalties. In my home, Mother remained a Toyota devotee until the end. And her story was one of many.
In the mid-eighties, small was still a relevant market and the Tercel was one of many. For 1986, the newly arrived Yugo sold 142K units while that other new arrival, the ’86 Hyundai Excel moved 167K units. Needless to say, those didn’t leave that good an early impression, with one disappearing altogether.
But “more is more” is a never-dying sales tactic and a very attractive one to buyers (and carmakers), as such, the small car era peak proved short-lived. Today’s Civics are huge against those of the ’70s (or ’80s), as well as Corollas. Even where I live, in South America, growth and spread have been taking over the automotive market. Folks just have different and greater expectations today.
So even over here, these drivable fossils are becoming scarce. Yet, every once in a while, one appears. To find one, attention must be paid, for they’re tiny and easy to miss.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1976-1982 Toyota Tercel – Toyota Nails Another One
COAL 1989 Tercel: Suddenly It’s 1980… In 1987!
The 5-door hatchback of this generation was available in the US in Deluxe trim only (top of the line above the ultra-stripped EZ and no-suffix Tercel), but it wasn’t popular and was dropped early in favor of a new base-model Corolla sedan (Deluxe having previously been that model’s lowest series). The prior-generation wagon was also carried over through 1988.
These were everywhere, and then they were not.
I think they had a carburetor?
Nice find!
I imagine that many of these, as soon as they didn’t pass smog, made their way south.
It is possible that it had a carburetor in ’86 & ’87, but when I bought my ’88 Festiva, it was noted that year, it was the last car with a carburetor, according to Consumer Reports and other reviews back in 1987.
It actually wasn’t, the Subaru Justy featured a carb through the 1992 model year in the U.S., thus giving it that (debatable?) crown.
I had an ‘89 Festiva with a manual transmission. It came with a carburetor. The automatic came with EFI that year and all of them thereafter.
Great little inexpensive cars that justly deserved their reputation, it was cars like these that put the the Japanese industry in the driver’s seat
I love these city shots… one thing that really stands out is the rat’s nest of wiring visible in almost every picture, the next-to-last pic being particularly scary, it’d be amazing if electrical glitches or fires were not a common event.
I agree. The amount of electrical cables all over this city stresses me out, but oddly, I hardly ever hear of any big problems.
On the other hand, any medium sized storm implies outages in some part of the city or another.
As noted above, they did have a carburetor, or at least the EZ’s did. I briefly owned an ’88 EZ as a commuter car in the mid 90’s, and the carb was the one thing that really made it a miserable conveyance. It was a true rolling hair shirt, with not so much as even a day/night function on the rearview mirror, nor a passenger side exterior mirror, which the subject car seems to have. Mine did have a/c, but God help you if you thought about trying to merge or ascend a grade with that running. I only owned it for about a year, during which time I put about 25,000 miles on it. I was not at all sad to see it go at just over 80k miles. That carb was never able to be adjusted properly, making warm-up a real pain in any weather. I seem to remember a mechanic telling me it was essentially not designed to allow for any adjustment, and replacing it was not something I was willing to invest in. Overall while I can find something to like about most cars, I truly loathed that little white turd. But it did its job, begrudgingly.
There was a small car comeback in the 2010s until auto manufacturers started forcing 3 row SUVs and luxury level pickup trucks down our throats. If history repeats itself, not everyone needs nor can afford to partake in conspicous consumption.
I’m one of those who can’t afford to “participate”.
These were the cars my friends and I were buying when we graduated from college in the late 80s. I’ve long considered these to be true official car of Generation X.
There’s still a couple around here, including a gen 2 just a few blocks from my house.
Love the bright colors on the buildings; no boring gray and black.
I think these started for model year ’87, the ’86 was still the old body style. I still find the two door sedan (coupe?) extremely attractive from a styling perspective and remember trying to figure out (unsuccessfully) how to budget for a white over gray one in my sophomore year. A college girlfriend had a red EZ (like this one but in red), and man was that thing stripped out. 4 speed manual as I recall, vinyl seats, I don’t think it had the rear window defroster and maybe even just one side mirror? I do think she got the optional AC though… Basically the Toyota base pickup but in hatchback form…I suppose it was Toyota’s response to Yugo and especially the Hyundai Excel invasion. It drove just fine though of course and served her as great transport in a college town and the regular 240 mile trips back home.
Anyway, a nice find, especially in EZ form, not surprised to see it abroad where people find plenty of remaining utility (75%?) once America has used up the first 25% and then deemed it unfit for further use…at least in passenger cars. Trucks are probably at least 50% use here and another 50% elsewhere…
You’re right. The Tercel appeared mid-86 in Japan (’86 1/2?), but was definitely an ’87 model in the US.
I’m not sure what version my mother drove, but it was a red hatchback and what seemed like no options. It may have been an EZ for all I know. I know it didn’t have A/C and I don’t even recall a radio. I know she got it discounted since the car was a manual and Puerto Ricans shunned sticks by the mid-80s.
Small cars were once a fair part of the landscape back in the 80’s after the 70’s oil crisis made people consider mpg. Well mpg for awhile. Back then one could bitch about the price of gas and some actually put the blame on a car’s gas mileage so they adjusted accordingly. Today, things have cycled back to “large” for many manufacturers, and while people may have more money for gas, they no longer seem to blame their vehicles. We are back to blaming the oil companies rather than ourselves.
The car that ended Toyota’s dominance in my family. Well-built it may have been. When my Mom got one she was at first happy. But the absolute lack of power, ventilation and overall stodginess sent her to the Mazda store for its replacement and me to the Honda store after I spent some time driving her and other Tercels.
Regarding the YUGO, the joke was that when you drive a YUGO, in an accident, YOU GO! What a disaster. I see that in San Salvador the painter’s palate is alive and well on the homes. Nice presentation.
This was a very good car!
My own experiences have been with the first generation Tercel 3-door hatchback and this one, the third generation in a notched/coupe layout.
Not a big fan of the first generation. It was quite narrow and overpriced. It didn’t have a very cohesive external design – that is, the odd Tercel 3-door didn’t. It had a glass hatch, which was cool, but inside, it was tight. The engine was a longitudinal FWD, so it wasn’t all that roomy for a FWD. Toyota seemed to have hedged their bets with it. It was the first time that I realized that Toyota was so conservative compared to the competition. (Remember at that time, the VW Rabbit and the Omnirizon, as well as the GLC were all more modern than what Toyota was offering.
The next generation showed that Toyota caught up with the competition after nearly a decade. It was a pretty average, but still high quality, vehicle.
Then this generation. It was cool, different and new. The competition was still offering boxes with hatches in the back, a-la-Golf, circa 1975 – and Toyota offered this Tercel.
As I said – it was a good car. Better than most. Not the best value, but it seemed that Toyota was trying something bigger than their second generation. I think they did a great job.
From there – Toyota seems hit and miss. It is so odd that such a successful car company can make a good generation, and then miss the boat on the follow-up. I’m uncertain why Toyota didn’t keep creating a better subcompact, perhaps it was costs, or something else, but with the Tercel, I discovered that just because it says “Toyota” on it – doesn’t mean it is the best of the bunch.
Mine was a “91”. Loved it! Awesome “a/c”!
My twenty-three year old graphic design professor, drove one of these in 1987. She was just starting her long design instruction career, and this seemed a perfect car for a former design student, and future program coordinator. Excellent cars. And a nice photo background.
I had all but forgotten about the Tercel. Our neighbor bought a first gen for their son and I got to drive it.
It had cloth, a/c and a 5 speed. It was a really nice little car.
Fast forward to 1984 when Cindy and I started having issues with her 83 Mustang. We went to the local Toyota dealer where they showed me an 85 red Tercel EZ. It fit our budget but I complained at the window sticker add ons. They had Scotchguard listed for $750 a pinstripe for $200 and paint sealant for I think $450.
I told the salesman to take those charges off. He told me that the Scothguard and paint sealant were not removable, and he didn’t want to take the pinstripe off.
We had an appointment to go to and told him we’d be back in two hours. We told him to work up the corrected numbers.
When I went back in, I asked the lady at the desk for the salesman. I saw him peek out an office door with two other men. The one was the general manager the other was a sales manager. They came out to argue with me. They told me that “they would not sell a car to anyone like me who was trying to stir up issues.” They then told me to vacate the premises or they were calling the police.
I told them I’d be letting Toyota know how we were treated.
I did and apparently I was one of a bigger crowd of people who also were mistreated.
I guess it worked because Toyota took away their franchise and the dealer was abandoned within two months.
The first used car I purchased was an 89 Tercel EZ two door coupe with a manual. The engine had a single carburetor and automatic choke. Never had a problem with starting even during cold Minnesota winters at -20 below. The trick was to always pump the gas twice before hitting the ignition. It would run rough and make hideous noises that became louder the colder it was. That car served me very well and without any complaints for five years until one day the oil ran low and cooked the head. Even after that it remained unstoppable except that it burnt a quart of oil every for every tank of gas. A coworker joked that it did an excellent job with mosquito control by blanketing the entire 200+ parking lot in a blue haze.
I forgot to mention how much I enjoy those bright painted buildings. Something we really could use more of here in the US Midwest.
I like the pics of the town as well. Do folks there have “generators”? All those overhead wires, going in any/ every direction, must come down often in storm season.
St. John’s, Newfoundland, is known for its brightly coloured homes.
I had fun shooting that Tercel across those colorful apartments. They were originally low middle class dwellings.
The were painted with -I believe- some sponsorship by a Mexican house paint brand: Comex. The brand can be seen in the gray one, with some of the color names painted in a few of those walls.
Nice survivor .
I wonder if the body side crease didn’t prevent the harmonic drumming noises so many cheap 50’s & 60’s imports suffered from ? .
What is the yellow curb store for ? I can read it but don’t ken what it means .
Nice roads there, the sidewalks not so much .
For some folks (! ME !) driving a small car is delightful quite apart from how well it handles .
-Nate
The store sign reads “La Tienda del Pañal” (The diaper house).
Sidewalks are quite atrocious over here, and walking implies and eye forward and one to the ground. It takes some getting used to.
A young lawyer in my office bought one of these (an 87) after she passed her bar exam. Her car may have been the only one I ever saw turn into an oil-burning disaster inside of four years. Knowing her as I did, maybe she never changed the oil. But it didn’t bother her – she went out and bought another new Toyota.