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Only 1,865 Miles? 1971 Toyota Hilux Survivor

The Toyota Hilux was Toyota’s most successful global pickup truck. Known in America, after the first generation, simply as the “Toyota Truck,” it helped solidify Toyota’s reputation as producing reliable, simple, affordable, and practical vehicles. This first-generation model comes with a 1.9 liter 8R single overhead cam inline four-cylinder engine, producing 97 horsepower when new, and driving the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission. You can find this 1971 example here on the Madison, Wisconsin craigslist near Columbus for $39,000. Special thanks to Lou W for letting us know about it.

This specific Hilux’s claim to fame–and justification for that high price–is that the odometer shows just 1,865 miles. It’s barely been used, and it looks the part. Everything is in exceptional condition. The seller’s images are mostly detail shots; odometer, carburetor, jack, seatbelts, et cetera. The detail shot above, of the odometer, not only proves the mileage, but the fact that the plastic lens is as clear as it is lends some credence that it’s actual mileage and it hasn’t rolled over yet.

Inside, you’re going to find absolutely zero wear, with the factory plastic still on the door cards and sun visors. The seller doesn’t include images of the dashboard, but all of the necessary bits are displayed. You got pictures of the odometer, the floor, and the door, so you can extrapolate what condition the rest of the interior is in from that. My knowledge of 70s-era Toyota Hiluxes is embarrassingly lacking, so someone may want to correct me on this, but I can hazard a guess that you won’t be getting air conditioning, and the FM band on the radio might be a stretch. It’s a truck, built for work. It’ll get done what needs to get done, screw comfort, and that’s a selling feature by itself. They don’t make them like they used to, and when the smallest pickup truck on the market is twice the size of this and proportionally priced, this workhorse is a true time capsule.

Toyota pickup trucks are so ubiquitous in the world that wars have been fought using almost exclusively them. Worth a watch: TopGear did a segment where they tried to kill one and failed hilariously. Despite their mortality rates being parallel with cockroaches and Volvos, older Toyota pickups seem to be hard to come by, especially examples as showroom fresh as this one. If you have a spare $39,000 and need a work truck or something that will turn heads at Cars & Coffee, this truck is for you.

Comments

  1. Avatar angliagt Member

    $39000…….for a ’71 Hilux –
    NOW I’ve seen it all.

    Like 19
    • Avatar rmward Member

      $6,000-$7,000 might be more like it

      Like 11
      • Avatar Car Nut Tacoma

        I’d pay close to $10,000 for a truck like this. $20,000, however nice a condition it may be in, is a bit optimistic for a Japanese truck, most of which have most likely been used and abused to such that it had eventually fallen apart and junked.

        Like 0
    • Avatar Terrry

      i did a double take. I first thought it was $3900. It might be worth 10k tops.

      Like 7
      • Avatar Darvin46

        Hmm…did you see what it sold for and bring a trailer lol. So many guys and so many opinions..

        Like 0
  2. Avatar nycbjr Member

    Why would anyone not drive/use and squirrel this away? Makes zero sense lol

    Like 9
  3. Avatar Bluetec320 Member

    Sorry, but I am not buying the mileage claim. Why is the number 8, number 6, and number 5, not in line with the number 1?? My guess is that someone turned the odometer back to that mileage. This is just my opinion, but I have owned a lot of new cars and I have never seen that happen on any of my vehicles. I have said this before, and I will say it again, I am very skeptical of any “ultra low mileage” claim on a 5 digit odometer unless it has documentation to back it up. Also, why do some of the pictures look 40 years old and yellow, and some do not?

    Like 11
    • Avatar Steve R

      You guys are just a bunch of skeptics. The seller is telling the truth. He provided three forms of proof, a picture of the speedometer, oil changing sticker and of the clutch and brake pedals. It looks like he have even cleaned it up prior to listing it. You don’t go to that much trouble if you are lying. That effort goes above and beyond 90% of sellers making low mileage claims, most only shows a picture of the speedometer.

      Steve R

      Like 11
      • Avatar Skorzeny

        Understanding that they could be replaced sometimes, my go to was always the pedals. Something that a lot of people would overlook when making low mileage claims.

        Like 3
      • Avatar Steve R

        Me too, I’d always look at the pedals.

        I’d accept multiple forms of evidence like when I was looking at cars, however, I won’t accept it when the price is a multiple of what it otherwise would be. In cases like this, with such a high asking price, there needs to be hard proof.

        Steve R

        Like 1
      • Avatar Larry

        For $39K if I was a dishonest seller, you could find some $500
        NOS pedals and put them on. It’s foolish to think because the pedals look new or some oil change sticker is on there that the mileage is accurate.

        Like 1
    • Avatar Ryan Naro

      Owning a lot of 60’s and 70’s vehicles I can say with confidence that the odometer readings are never straight.

      Like 1
    • Avatar Trav

      It’s fairly common for old Toyota odometers to not line up – even with low mileage. They are plastic and even with minimal usage, over time, they distort.

      Being an avid 70s Toyota guy with an emphasis on this particular model, this truck is absolutely correct in every way. It’s hard enough to find used parts for these let alone anything NOS and this truck has it all. Zero rust in the common areas. Zero paint fade. Undercarriage is immaculate. Original tires. Plastic in the door cards. The list goes on.

      It might be priced high but so is every muscle car on the planet. Japanese cars of this era are skyrocketing in price too.

      They say there is a sucker born every minute but what they fail to mention is the skeptic twin who is just minutes behind.

      Like 1
  4. Avatar Bluetec320 Member

    Sorry, but I am not buying the mileage claim. Why is the number 8, number 6, and number 5, not in line with the number 1?? My guess is that someone turned the odometer back to that mileage. This is just my opinion, but I have owned a lot of new cars and I have never seen that happen on any of my vehicles. I have said this before, and I will say it again, I am very skeptical of any “ultra low mileage” claim on a 5 digit odometer unless it has documentation to back it up. Also, why do some of the pictures look 40 years old and yellow, and some do not?

    Like 8
    • Avatar Terrry

      I used to repair instrument clusters and mechanical odometers, and I believe you’re right. That counter screams ‘I’ve been tampered with”.

      Like 9
    • Avatar Darvin Frey

      Date coded tires in new condition help?

      Like 0
  5. Avatar Terrry

    Sorry, that’s 101k miles. Mechanical odo numbers lined up perfectly even “first time around”. This one has either rolled over or been turned back.

    Like 5
  6. Avatar ace10

    Miles shown on Odo look entirely believable based on the low-res pictures. Yes, there appears to be some freshening here and there, but that is as solid a first gen (N10) as I’ve ever seen.

    The right buyer would go to $25-30 without hesitation.

    Cue the import haters, the truck haters and especially the import truck haters.

    Like 8
    • Avatar Steve R

      My hate isn’t directed at it being either a truck or import, it’s directed at the the repeated acceptance of claims by sellers that offer absolutely zero proof. There is often no signs of skepticism when there is no documentation offered, which is almost always absent from the conversation. It seems like pictures and a nice interior us all that’s necessary for the seller to be believed. I’d be happy if a simple caveat were included, but it rarely is.

      Steve R

      Like 5
      • Avatar ace10

        Regarding the Odo digits… I am the second owner of a ’67 Land Cruiser. It reads a very-much unaligned 78XXX.X
        I have documentation back to the early 70s.

        It’s so lazy for some to look at that one picture and then dismiss what it shows.

        Look at the wear items. Pedals. Seats. Door threshold trim…

        These are cheap, soft items that wear fast. You could reupholster the bench, but the rest is NLA from Mr T. And there aren’t exactly stockpiles of N10 NOS parts lying around.

        Like 7
  7. Avatar flmikey

    Even if the miles are correct, and in my opinion they are, it’s only worth what someone will pay for it…15K maybe? Also, I love the picture of the sticker that shows where the vehicle was sold new…Evanston Rolls Royce/Toyota….what a combo!!!

    Like 4
  8. Avatar Russell Bounds

    Mileage is probably close – too much of the truck looks to be unscathed.
    As to price – it may go for the ask – but it is not worth much more than 8-10 k to me. And at that I would have some reservations.
    It is a weird time in America – pricing to the moon…

    Like 3
    • Avatar 370zpp Member

      It is a weird time in America, period.

      Like 17
  9. Avatar Kelly McKnight

    I had a 72 model. Guys, the door panel plastic is absolutely original. No one woulld have thought of faking that, and there’s no way it would have lasted 100,000 miles. This is the real deal.

    Like 6
    • Avatar Rick

      I also noticed the “fabric” upper radiator hose and the clamp are either the factory originals, or someone tracked down some NOS parts and swapped them out.

      Like 2
    • Avatar Mahlon Ray

      Correct mileage or not, it’s still way over priced!

      Like 2
  10. Avatar charlie Member

    Years ago one looked at the pedals. Now, they do not tell much. The pedals on my 2002 Audi with 185,000 miles, my 2014 Audi with 100,000 miles (bought new) and my 2005 Toyota 4Runner with 155,000 miles (bought one year old) show no wear at all. And I don’t drive in just socks to keep them nice. And the mechanical odometers often did not line up well at 75,000 miles but should line up at less than 2000.

    Like 1
  11. Avatar Steve Clinton

    If someone in 1971 told me that someday everyone would have computers, there would be an internet, there would be sites where you could purchase any car you wanted, and there would be a ’71 Hilux for sale for $39,000.00, I’d say they were out of their ever-lovin’ mind.

    Like 5
  12. Avatar Bear

    Pretty Cool! (y)
    Definitely “1865 miles cool”.
    …but certainly NOT “$39K cool”.

    I wish they still made basic inexpensive mini pickups like this.
    (I used to have a ’71 Datsun p’up & it was a great vehicle.)
    The upcoming Ford Maverick p’up will be an attempt to address this neglected market, but the front-wheel-drive base config and unibody platform will likely limit its appeal.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar Bear

    The most likely buyer for something like this would be a Toyota Dealer with fairly deep pockets.
    (…even then, I seriously doubt that they’d be willing to pay $39K for it.)
    They could park it in their showroom and they then would probably benefit from all of the local news coverage that it would attract.
    It would be interesting to see it parked next to a 2021 “base” model Toyota p’up just to show how much these vehicles have evolved over the past 50 years! :-)

    Like 1
  14. Avatar Bear

    Original MSRP for the Base model in 1971 was $1978.00.
    That’s approx $13,042.79 in 2021 dollars.

    Like 2
  15. Avatar Chris Londish Member

    They are still Hilux in Australia and they are the top selling vehicle here

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Kenn

    That odometer has been tampered with. Maybe not 100,000 miles worth, but neither is the shown mileage correct, all the other “evidence” notwithstanding.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Bluetec320 Member

      Agreed!

      Like 1
    • Avatar ace10

      Based on what?

      Like 1
  17. Avatar mike

    My issue is, with so many advertisements there is no detail. If you want someone to pay big bucks for a truck or believe the low miles tell us the story why it only has 1800 miles on it. I guess a lot people missed marketing class in school.

    Like 2
  18. Avatar Darvin Frey

    My truck!! Thanks so much for the article Barn finds. Yes, it is an original 1800 mile truck and anyone that saw it in person would have a very difficult time disputing that. It has the original date coated tires on them with 100% tread. There’s no way this truck is a fake. It’s undisputable and anyone that says otherwise has never seen it.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Mike

      I would like to know the story on the low miles!

      Like 1
  19. Avatar Bob

    I know the owner, and, the tires are date coded 1971 and are like new. Contact the owner and verify.

    Like 6
  20. Avatar t-bone BOB

    Located in Columbus, WI

    Like 3
  21. Avatar chrlsful

    saw the horns (I think) and thought “…LP gas regulators…” Imagine this on the pain rather than the gasoline?
    Lub dez w/single wall bed, tie dwns, just a lill small in the cab, wanna auto as it’d B a DD (coffee in 1 hand, samich in other, drivin w/my knee, job site, to personal chore, ta job site, etc)……

    Like 0
  22. Avatar Gary Rhodes

    $39000.00, dream on.

    Like 0

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