Topic: 1993 tercel - failed aircare

[Gpw11]

Hi, I've seriously been considering buying a 1993 tercel, and aquired the VIN number from the dealership today.  I ran it on carfax and came up with 6 reports (haven't payed yet to find out what they are though), and ran it on icbc (I live in Vancouver), and they have something, but I haven't decided if I should pay them or not.

Anyways, I just checked the aircare site (BC emissions control), and aparently it failed in 2003 because of high hydrocarbons.  1.11gm/km exactly.  It was retested the next day and had passed though (and those are the only two tests on the records).  Do you think I should be weary.  IT hasn't been renewed.  I don't know if this is because they sold it/traded it in before it had to be, or for some other reason.

-Should I be cautious?
-do you think the carfax search or icbc search will provide the best results?
-can anyone from BC tell me how this works?  I mean, if the only tests on the site are from 2003, is that because that's when cars from 1993 had to start being tested, or is that because the car was brought in from out of province/country?  

Either way, I think I'm going to have to pay $100 for a full BCAA inspection now.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

[ovr50]

Although I live in BC (not Lower Mainland), I can't answer all your detailed queries above. But, if you have discovered this many issues with it already, why go any further? Just save your $100 and find another used car. There are lots of used Toyotas around Vancouver. Skip this one. someone else may give you a more detailed answer.  

[Straysheepie]

Hi Gpw11, sounds like you're progressing farther in the car search than I am!

I haven't tried Carfax or ICBC but I will likely pay for both (as well as BCAA inspection) when the time comes.  I'm surprised the dealer doesn't have the ICBC paperwork at least - which dealer is it?

As for the Aircare, I remember my Mom had an old car that failed Aircare the first time but the next day she followed someone's advice and took it for a long ride on the highway before taking it in for the exam, and it passed.  That might have been what happened here since I hear it's quite common to 'get the car warmed up' before taking it in for Aircare.

I'm siding with Ovr50 as well, I've seen lots of Tercels and some of them are through private sale too - perhaps it might be more reliable and you can save on a tax as well?  It's so hard to hold out though...

[Gpw11]

Heads up, get Carfax first, and if they have ICBC reports on it, don't bother with the ICBC check.  I totally wasted $20 with that (wasn't thinking at all).

Anyways, I checked it out further, and it was registered in Ontario for two years, but there is zero sign of rust on it anywhere (bolts under the hood are fine - so not just a paint job), so unless it was painstakenly reconditioned (and there's a lot of evidence that they didn't bother to clean it up at all) I'm guessing it was probably parked in the winter or something.


Either way, I used this to knock off about $2k from the asking price, and pending a thourough inspection (I don't think I'm going to use ICBC for this one, they rely on visual inspection too much) I think I'll get it.  Worse case scenario is I find out that it has hidden rust and I turn around and sell it or complain and try to get some cash from the MDBC.  I grilled them enough about it and have evidence of their responses, so if there is a hidden defect or rust problem, I can definitly make a charge that there was misrepresentation.

But in the end I really don't think it'll be a problem at all.  I looked at it pretty thouroughly and know the model and generation very well, and it seemed to all be in order.

[EV-Light]

good thing...so it means u bought it?

[Multipath]

Well, if the vehicle hadn't been tested until 2003, that means it was registered outside the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley before then (ie. West Van to Chilliwack).  It may or may not have been an out of province car.

All cars had to be tested for many years now, since around 1990.  The only ones exempt in the Lower Mainland are new cars (usually within the first 3 model years, since my '02 didn't require testing this year).

[Gpw11]

I haven't bought it yet, but there's a $300 (fully refundable) deposit on it pending mechanical inspection.  Originally I was going to get a private service to do it, but I know very little about it, so I'm going to go with BCAA and then probably take it to my mechanic in a few weeks (he can't check it out in the next week or so).  

I figure BCAA is the best bet.  I know they can be very scrutinizing and they don't explain much, but I know enough about cars to be able to pick through the important information and I know what's acceptable for a 10 year old car (more or less).  

Everything was fine on the test drive, and as I said, it didn't look like the engine was washed or the body was worked on (a few tiny nicks and such here and there...rust free), so that's hopefully a good sign.

The only thing I'm a bit worried about is that BCAA mainly does a visual 140 point inspection, with little mechanical inquiry, but really I'm just looking for something major that would turn up in a visual inspection anyways.

As for the aircare, I'm pretty sure it was nothing major, since it passed the next day and there was no major servicing listed with ICBC (and as far as I know for major repairs you have to use a certified air care garage).  

Hopefully this will all work out and I can drive it for two years and turn around and sell it for slightly below what I got it for.

[Davidm]

Does carfax give you the complete accident history on Canadian cars?  If not, the ICBC report is well worth it for BC cars.  Great to have the complete claims history for a vehicle.  Besides, lots of issues with inaccurate carfax reports in the US.

[Gpw11]

I don't know about accident history.  Neither one turned up anything at all in the accident category for me.

[Davidm]

ICBC gives you a claims history on the car while in BC.  If nothing in the ICBC report, then no claims (accidents, vandalism, theft, etc.) have been made against the vehicle in BC.  Since ICBC has a monopoly this is the definitive authority (except for under the table repairs).

[Multipath]

BCAA wasn't the greatest for me when I bought my used Civic several years back.  They never caught the clogged up radiator on the vehicle which I discovered a few days later climbing a long hill on a hot summer day.  Ask friends for a trusted mechanic who can give it a thorough check.