1978 according to Wikipedia was the first year of the Tercel. I was long past 18 at that point.
We had things that the Chevy Impala with a big 327 engine and no polution controls on it. Some variants of it were actually used in Corvettes
Funny you should mention a Chevy Impala...the first car I bought was a 1970 Chevy Impala with a 455 engine.
When I would step on the gas, the entire car would lurch and groan! Unfortunately for me, the car had more rust than metal and didn't last very long. I did have it long enough to have an accident in it when a woman ran a stop sign and we collided. Thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt, but her car (a new Toyota Corolla) was totaled while the only thing wrong with mine (besides lots of rust falling off the frame) was that the trunk wouldn't close.

George