Toyota Tercel: The Last Of The 4-Speed Cars

There was a time when you could add plus points to your cool factor by simply owning a car with a four-on-the-floor. For decades every cool guy had to have a 4-speed manual transmission car. Every known car manufacturer had them, from the Volkswagen Beetle to our favorite, the Toyota Tercel.

But alas, those times have passed. However, it is still cool to look back in time in the ’90s.

The Last Of The 4-Speed Cars

The era of the 4-speed cars was ending back in 1996. The once cool 4-speed vehicles were now being replaced by 5-speed once. One of the last 4-speed cars you can get back in 1993 was the Hyundai Excel and the 6th Gen Pontiac LeMans.

By 1996, the Toyota Tercel was your only choice if you’d like to get a 4-speed manual vehicle.

Why Would You Get A 4-Speed Tercel?

The Toyota Tercel is a reliable, no-frills car. It is a basic car and is absolutely the cheapest new car Toyota sells. Although the 4-speed manual transmission came as the base-grade for the Tercel in the 1996 models, buyers could still upgrade it. An additional $700 could get them an automatic version. Alternatively, they could also pay for an additional $1070 to get the DX version that has a five-speed manual transmission.

For two more years until 1998, the Tercel was still made available in the market. However, the versions for sale were only those with a five-speed manual or a 3- or 4-speed automatic transmission. The Tercel was fitted also with a 1.5 L engine with 93 hp and the fuel economy of this car was great.

If you’d prefer a bit more comfort, you can get the one with air conditioning but it’ll cost you an additional $900 more. As for music, the base Tercel didn’t have any radio or cassette system included. You’d just have to sing to yourself for entertainment.