my first car
My first car was a new 1980 Toyota Tercel hatchback. I don't have any existing photos of it, but the photo I found on the net gives you an idea; mine was white. I don't remember if the racing stripes on the car pictured were part of an OEM sport package or whether it was an after-market kit offered by the dealer, but my car didn't have the stripes. It was Toyota's first front wheel drive car. Later on, the Starlet was introduced and positioned below Tercel, but at the time Tercel was "BOL" in the US lineup. It did have some nice features, like adjustable seatbacks, and a rear window with a defroster and a windshield wiper/washer. Floors were carpeted, no rubber flooring as was sometimes found on BOL US automobiles.
However, it was introduced during the 1980 fuel shortage (with prices hitting $2/gallon in 1980 prices, like $8/gallon now in relative terms). Its 1.4 liter, 60 HP engine was advertised to get 42 mpg on the highway (I got 36-37 mpg; maybe if you drove 50 mph you'd get 42) with the five speed manual transmission. Because its fuel economy was superior to the Corolla, it sold for more money than Corolla as it became the "must have" car for the fuel-conscious. Datsun had its B210 and VW the diesel Rabbit, but Tercel was Toyota's most fuel-efficient car at the time. The front wheel drive made it ideal for pulling through snow in cold climates.
I recall that my aunt and uncle tried to get one for my cousin, but the dealers were asking for and getting $1000-2000 above sticker price because of the demand, so they settled on a Corolla hatchback, with a higher official sticker price but lower "de facto" price. I had a relative (on the other side of the family) who was a high ranking Toyota executive in their USA division who was able to get a dealer to sell me one at a few hundred below sticker price (and probably $2000 below the real world price).
A/C in those days was a dealer-added option for Toyotas. I added a PUSH BUTTON AM/FM radio for an extra fee ($100 maybe) but did not have the need for A/C as I was living in New England at the time. After moving two years later back to California, there were times I WISHED that I had A/C, but I digress. There were a few other OEM options, like a luggage rack on the roof, but only one trim level and one engine option. They did offer an automatic, which I didn't want, knowing that a manual would make the best use of the limited horsepower.
60 HP doesn't sound like much, but the car was light and acceleration was decent on freeways with the manual tranny. In Rhode Island snow, it drove like a tank, and was a great ski car both in New Hampshire and California. The hatchback design was very useful for hauling stuff. My only gripe was lack of a cargo cover. Many competing hatchbacks had a cargo cover on a roller-device (like a roll-up window shade) that mounted behind the rear seat and with the loose end attached to the hatch, so it would auto-raise and -lower when the hatch was opened or closed. Toyota sold a rather cheesy OEM cover which was a vinyl cloth cut to fit the cargo bay with hooks on each corner that fit into D-rings that came with the kit. With time, the cloth stretched or sagged to the point where the middle of the cover nearly touched the floor of the cargo area, so it was useless unless the area was filled, and even then it didn't cover the area flat as do the roll-up covers. I took to using an old blanket to cover things.
It was totaled in 1985. I had right of way and a driver at a stop sign did not see me coming (he didn't run through a stop sign, he just didn't see me). The insurance company gave me a check for $3500 and I went shopping for a new car.
