The 1972-81 Chevrolet LUV was a Japanese-built compact pickup based on the Isuzu Faster. Its name was derived from the lettering for “Light Utility Vehicle.” They were small, simple trucks that sometimes accounted for U.S. sales of 100,000 copies per year. The seller has a sweet example from 1980 that may only have 32,000 miles and continues to drive and run as it should. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this little Chevy is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,500. Barn Finder T.J. found this cool tip for us!
In the 1970s, Chevrolet was without a direct competitor to the Ford Courier (a badge-engineered Mazda) and other imported small trucks. So, they struck a deal with Isuzu to ship them a bunch of LUVs over a 10-year stretch. By then, Chevy was ready with their own little truck, the S-10. To get a favorable import duty, the trucks and beds were often shipped separately and married when they arrived at the Chevrolet dealerships.
The seller’s truck should be powered by a 1.8-liter SOHC inline-4 that was rated at 80 hp. It’s a 2WD version, as 4WD didn’t come until late in the run and may not have found a lot of takers. A 4-speed transmission is at work here, and we’re told the truck does its job amply from a mechanical perspective.
Since we’re told this pickup is original, that would imply the red paint and tan interior are from the day the little workhorse was put together. We don’t see any obvious rust, so this Chevy may have been pampered over its 45 years, not something most of them enjoyed. If you need a little workhorse and want simple technology, are you sensing a little love out of this LUV?
This is a surprisingly well kept LUV. 1980 is the last year for this body style. The lack of rust is amazing too. Unfortunately, these did have a tendency to rust. You don’t come across one that’s original and this clean very often. I’m hoping the new owner has a garage to keep this one in.
I had a post-LUV Isuzu pickup and East Coast road salt did a real number on it. I’m like a lot of people who wouldn’t mind seeing small pickups like this available again, but there’s just not enough money to be made on them.
The understatement of the day award, LOL! These dissolved like Tang in salt states. I recall seeing them laughably rusty during the 1980s and wondering how the suspension was still holding them up. To be fair, they weren’t the only Japanese vehicle like this.
You almost never see them anymore and when you do, they’re obviously from a warm weather state.
I am also wondering if we’ll see some small trucks come into the market. My gut says, if they appear, they’ll be EVs from a technologically-advanced, foreign land. There seem to be enough FWD platforms available, from every manufacturer, that a wee vehicle inspired by the Rampage/Rabbit Pickup seems within reach.
Highly unlikely. Modern safety requirements have all but killed the small pick up. The Ford Maverick, our modern day “small”pickup, is virtually the same size and weight as a 1973-87 Chevy C/K short bed.
A small vehicle like this would have an extremely hard time meeting today’s safety requirements (particularly pedestrian and side impact standards). And given American preference for fully loaded big vehicles, I don’t think it would sell even if they could get one certified for sale. It would also look weird due to side impact and pedestrian safety standards, which would limit appeal even among enthusiasts.
My father-in-law had one of these. His had the diesel engine and a manual transmission. No options. No a/c. Slow, slow, slow truck! lol! It was 2 model years old when he bought it “new” as no one wanted them. I think his was maybe an ’81 or ’82 model. I understood why they sat for a while on the lot..Slow, noisy, not a great ride, slow, did I mention slow… 0-60 in half a day slow.
The early to mid 70s ones weren’t so smog-choked and were a bit faster. They were pretty reliable at least.
I had an ’82 Isuzu diesel MPG Plus. 62 horsepower, 5 speed. I got 50 MPG back when diesel was half the price of gasoline. I put a cab over camper on it and that was slow!
I worked at a dealership that sold Isuzu in those days and we sold the pickups like they were hotcakes. Those engines were probably the toughest made anywhere. I was service manager and never had any problems with factory cars or trucks. The only problems were dealer installed add-ons.
We did have one with a bad water pump that froze the engine after overheating. Towed in, a new pump installed and it fired right up.
Add a 4×4 that jumped out of third gear. Discovered the owner had different size tires on the front and back. Easy fix for him. Add 4 tires the same size.
They were great trucks.
It’s too bad Isuzu discontinued the diesel after a while. While not perfect, I think they had a good thing and should’ve kept it on the market.
This truck was meant to compete with the Ford Courier at the time, both trucks were smaller than the upcoming Ford Ranger and Chevy S-10.
Three of us took an early LUV from San Francisco to Martinez
to look at some Model A parts.I drove,the guy in the middle shifted,
& the guy on the right just sat there.Tight fit for three.
I’d still like to find one like this,in this condition.
My neighbor and lifetime friend had a 72ish LUV in Pleasant Hill, cool little truck and the bay area was a great place to grow up in the 60s&70s.
Out in rural, rather wild Northern California, with no freeways, very little snow, no rusty trucks or cars. Pickup trucks last decades here. I have owned Toyotas, Datsun/Nissan, Isuzu/Chevy Luv, S10/GMC, pretty much every small truck available. The Toyotas from the 80s and 90s are the best and there are hundreds of them still driving around. Every other brand is rarely seen, none of them were as popular new, and none of them have held up as well. An old Chevy LUV, if 4wd, might still be a good truck. I had one, a 4 speed and kind of slow, but it had a superior suspension to the Toyota of the same vintage.
It is gone
Beautiful looking truck. My aunt and late uncle had a 1980 Chevy LUV years ago. They used theirs for many things, hauling garbage to the local transfer station, to camping, etc. Theirs was Black with Red interior. I can’t remember how long they had it before trading it for something else. Happy Holidays!
When Japanese Cars were small and efficient! The Datsun and Toyotas were great little trucks as well! Not now. The bigging of America continues
Sometimes small can be a good thing. My late stepfather had a 1978 Toyota Hilux pickup truck. It was perhaps the most reliable vehicle we drove. We used it for *everything* under the sun, camping, hauling trash to the dump, driving it wherever we needed/wanted, whatever the weather may have been. It wasn’t fancy by today’s standards. It didn’t have internet access, it didn’t have automatic gearbox. But so what? It was the best vehicle we drove. I’d drive it again in a heartbeat if I had someone to enjoy it with. Seasons Greetings!
a bud (Rainy Blackmoon, Lakota, either Hunkpapa or Miniconjou ) made cheb.s (BOP) @ framingham plant (1948-89 @ 1 time their biggest plant employing 5,000) and owned a 4WD called the Mercado (Isuzu made Thailand/Japan). Up scale model of this Luv.
I dreamed of owning the 2.2L diesel luv model…
I knew someone with a diesel one that ran until it rusted away. The engines all went to bone yards still running like energizer bunnies.
My friend’s dad bought one of these new, a 4X4 version. You could almost watch it rust in the Wisconsin winters
My buddy told me that he bought a used late 70s luv. The previous owner pulled the 4 cylinder engine out of the truck and put a v8 in it with the 4 speed manual transmission. After my buddy got the luv he had someone cut the foor off and install a removable sunroof from a full sized truck.
“This Listing Isn’t Available Anymore
It may have been sold or expired”
It’s possible! I tried checking out the ad, but it wasn’t there anymore. Given when it was posted, it must’ve sold quickly!