Well, potentially his first car depending on if he gets hired for a job tomorrow. But nonetheless I found a little gem. It's a 1991 Toyota Tercel with 53,000 original miles with all documentation and the owner's manual for $2,200. It has a few little things that need to be done but it's expected on a 20 year old car. The only thing I could find that HAD TO BE DONE were the brakes. The rest is just small cosmetic things but it is very very clean.

My son quickly learned what it was like to have a carburetor was as well as no cup holders and manual windows!

 

... dependability and fuel efficiency

 

I had a 4-door model like that... never any trouble with it.

But, for a 1991 you are paying way too much... at least in
my estimation.

 

Carburetor? Doesn't it say EFI on the engine there?

Never knew they had a 3-valve/cylinder breathing system.

 

Yea. I posted the picture before really looking at it. I said carb because that's what the seller said (car was given to him in a will). He was obviously wrong....(and me too)

 

Not bad beside the paint on the roof and the dent on the right side.

 

Quote from transformer "you ever seen 40 yr old virgin? well thats what that is, and this is 50 year old virgin."

 

I'd drive it.

 

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poor kid will be tortured for his first car, let him get a hatch or something... my first car was a 1972 datsun 240z and that thing pulled some females:) keep in mind im 22 now so im still in that high school frame of mind

 

He actually wants a hatch so he can put in his huge guitar amp but finding something respectable for his ~$2,000 is a little tough. Anyway....he didn't get the job he was applying for so that now means no car.

I actually thought about buying the car and just parking until he gets a job but I can see the issues that would cause and we (mom and dad) need to stick to our guns.

 

and in 6 mos - 1 yr the car will be a piece of junk. Wise not spending more as children eat cars up.

 

Might be a good thing the whole deal fell through....

Toyota Tercels were good, economical vehicles but "all documentation" aside? You were purchasing it from someone who reportedly inherited the vehicle and knew little enough about it to think it had a carburetor...that's not knowing much about the vehicle.

The other thing to consider...is 90-91 is just about the transition time, when vehicles were going from NOT having airbags...and NOT having ABS...I don't know how important either having or not having those things in a vehicle your son would be driving might be...but if you bump up to the mid- 90's...most vehicles you look at will have both...

I'm honestly not sure whether the 91 Tercel did have airbags, relatively sure it did not have ABS.

 

huh, i remember those when they were new. :D

 

i bought a 91 tercel in really rough shape a few years ago just to have something to drive to the train so my RX8 wouldn't get bashed up in the parking lot. it had a 180,000 miles, 4spd with nearly blown clutch (engagement point after about 1" of travel), destroyed suspension held up with spring spacers, rusty body, dry rotted tires, poorly painted interior, torn seats, and an amateur tint job. i paid $300 for it, and $300 for insurance for the year. the train is only a 5 minute drive away so all i did was put gas in it once every month and a half, top the oil off and drive it. it lasted about a year and a half.

the whole deal you're describing sounds absolutely terrible. yes the car appears to be in good shape, but it's 20 years old and has 53,000 miles. PLUS the owner says he got it "in the will". that likely means that the previous owner was quite old, drove the car very infrequently, and likely the car has been sitting for a long time. maybe years. honestly i would rather buy a 20 year old car with 200,000 miles than a 20 year old car with 50,000 miles. gas varnishes, oil turns to sludge, seals and gaskets crumple and dissolve, belts crack and crumble, tires dry-rot, suspension bushings fall apart. plus $2200 is a hell of a lot of money for that car. you could get a late 90s maxima for that much and it will have obd2, dual airbags, a lot more room, and parts support.

 

UPDATE:

My son couldn't get the money together quick enough and the Toyota sold. He then told me that he wanted a practical car. Something like a hatch or wagon with 4 doors where he can carry his friends and his music equipment and we located a 1998 Ford Escort wagon 5 speed. We really liked it and test drove it and the owner agreed to let us take the car to be inspected by our mechanic in which the mechanic found several severe problems with the car and even went so far as to say that the car wasn't even safe to drive.

So we passed on the car.

We then found this car which checked out beautifully and my son bought it on the spot. I don't know what happened to his pre-requisite of needing 4 doors and a large trunk/cargo area but he is thrilled and is currently learning to drive a stick.

1996 Nissan 200SX SE-R with a 5 speed stick.

 

That is a nicer car than the first one. The spoiler does it all the time. It looks very clean and should get real good mpg.

 

SR20!

Better not let him know about Mike Kojima's Dog Car I and II, or about the SR20VE.

Or about a lot of other stuff.

Those cars have A TON of potential, but people dismiss them easily.

 

Buy my car lol:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/sale...e-goodies.html

:)

In the off chance you would actually consider it PM me for details/pics. I want it to go to a good home.