The Toyota Tercel was Jesse Pinkman's second car in the show. The red paint is weather-beaten, and the body-side molding on the driver's door is pulled away at the front.
Introduction to the series[]
Prior to the Tercel, Jesse drove a red 1982 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, equipped with a hydraulic low-rider suspension. The car was damaged and seized as evidence after it was shot up during Hank Schrader's shootout with Tuco Salamanca.
The Tercel is shown in Clovis' Tow Yard when Jesse sneaks into the yard to sleep in the RV. ("Down")
When Jesse later drives the RV to Clovis' repair yard to negotiate its storage, Jesse needs something to drive. He asks about a Chevrolet El Camino, but it is too expensive. He asks about another car that is off-camera, to which Clovis says "Serious?" The next scene shows him arriving at a unit for rent with the red Tercel wagon. ("Breakage")
Walter sees Jesse's 'new' car
Later, Walter is surprised to see Jesse driving the compact wagon. When Jesse says that he is "keeping things on the D.L. (down-low, being inconspicuous) Walter comments on it, saying "I'm guessing this one doesn't bounce." ("Breakage")
Jesse drives the Tercel for the remainder of Season 2 and the entirety of Season 3, Season 4 and the first half of Season 5. His car is last seen in the episode "Buried" in which he drives it into a tree in his depressive state. It is unknown what became of it afterwards.
In "El Camino," the car can be seen in the background during the flashback to Jesse's conversation with Mike Ehrmantraut. Jesse is also seen driving it in the flashback with Jane in the passenger seat.
Toyota Tercel Wagon[]
The Tercel was Toyota's first front-wheel drive car to be sold in the US. The car used in the show was the wagon version of the second generation Tercel. This model was equipped with a basic four-wheel drive system. Due to the asymmetrical styling of the rear tailgate, some likened the design to an automated teller machine. (ATM)
Trivia[]
- Jesse's Toyota Tercel sold at auction for $7,200 roughly 1440% above Kelley Blue Book value for a car with 181,500 miles the stated mileage on the car.[1]
- A deleted scene for "El Camino" reveals that the reason that Jesse and Jane were stopped in the flashback was that the Tercel broke down after making strange noises. Jesse and Jane were waiting for a tow truck as they talked because Jesse not only couldn't figure out the problem, he also couldn't figure out how to get the hood open.
- In the American Greed minisode, the Tercel can be seen in a police sketch parked outside of Saul Goodman's office, presumably after Jesse steals Saul's own car.
External links[]
- 1986 Toyota Tercel at IMCDb.org
- Toyota Tercel (second generation) at Wikipedia