Ask anyone who’s ever tried to buy a secondhand Toyota truck – these pickups hold their value in a way that almost no other truck does. While it’s partially due to the trusty nature of these Toyotas, it’s also due to how few clean examples are left. With that said, this attractive 1988 Toyota Pickup that’s here on eBay has a variety of features that make it an excellent choice for anyone seeking a retro, yet reliable small truck.
This example is available in Happy Valley, Oregon with a clean title. The seller claims that this completely original truck was always garaged and rarely even put into 4-wheel-drive, despite having lived on a farm.
Spare for a dent in the hood, the exterior of this Toyota is close to flawless. Like most trucks from the era, it sports a neat graphics package, with this one being specific to the SR5 trim level. Other highlights of the exterior include factory chrome front and rear bumpers, chrome wheels, a sliding rear window, and sport side view mirrors.
The bed features a liner that was a factory-installed option from Toyota, and it has been in the truck since new.
For added peace of mind, the seller includes photos of the truck’s undercarriage, and it is very clean.
While a beige and brown interior may not be the most exciting pairing of colors, I love the simplicity of this interior, and which is certainly accentuated by how tidy it is.
There’s also a pair of sport seats, which are another factory option.
This truck features a 3.0-liter V6 engine, which pairs to a 5-speed manual transmission. The seller claims that the truck “runs, drives and shifts like the day it came from the dealership,” and also notes that the 72,858 miles on the drivetrain are a documented and true number.
At the time of this article being written, bidding is at $3,050 with no mention of a reserve, though I’m sure it will end up selling for plenty more. What do you think of this pristine Toyota truck?
Too bad the original owner didn’t buy the this truck in the “Xtra” cab version with 22RE engine.
These are awesome little trucks
My dad had an ’86 Xtracab 4cylinder TURBO 4wd. I cried when i found out he traded it in on a white 1990 Honda CRX Si. I quit crying when i drove the Honda.
A case where less is more. Someone, seller?, went to town with black spray paint underneath. I’d rather see the real deal, not dirt, grease and rust covered with cans of $3 spray paint. Ditto the quart of tire shine applied to each wheel…just looks way over-done in an effort to sell. I think this one can be referred to as “lipstick on a pig”. My first thought is “what is the seller hiding?”, if nothing, then he/she does not know how to detail a vehicle for sale.
Clean is one thing, glossed over to hide is another.
There isn’t much to hide on Japanese vehicles of this era…once they began rusting nothing was going to stop it. It’s 31 years old, if things haven’t fallen off by now they’re not going to…unless it gets driven in a Pennsylvania winter.
That truck doesn’t deserve being east of the Mississippi river!
Art! I guess you don’t know how to detail a vehicle for resale. Owner is not trying trying to hide anything. Just making it look good for people to stop and look at it. Not “lipstick on a pig”. Nice truck.
Got to admit, these trucks changed everything, and were the staple of the American construction worker for years until US trucks caught up. Even then, look at any construction site today, still mostly all Toyotas. Most of these rotted away, still running great ( I had 240K on the one I had and the 4 cyl. motor was never opened up) I didn’t like the small cab and their extra cab wasn’t like my S-10/Sonoma trucks. Still, it’s amazing to see a truck like this, as most I remember looked like this.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-old-rusty-junky-toyota-pickup-truck-26276752.html
The only modification the 3VZ engine needs is to take out the ex-haust bridge and fabricate a right side ex-haust and join behind the transfer case. The ex-haust bridge causes over-heating of #6 cylinder, as all hot gases ends up at #6 port. Best is to change out the ex-haust manifolds for a turbo system and give it a light boost. 250hp is very easy on this one. Use a stromberg carburetor right in the turbo, solid copper core spark cables and non-resistor spark plugs. Look up: smokey yunick fiero, on google image, gives a good idea of what can be done.