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Around here we wouldn’t normally get excited about an old Toyota pickup, but this isn’t just any old beater. This truck has only covered 40k miles since new and was lovingly cared for by the original owner until last year when they traded it in on a new truck. Let’s just hope the dealership gave him a fair amount for it because it’s going to go for big money now. The sales director knew it was something special so they purchased it immediately and now it listed here on eBay by what appears to be another dealer. Bidding is already up over $15k with 2 days left, so I have a feeling that someone is going to make a serious profit off this one. It is in amazing condition though and is very well-optioned (as far as Toyotas go), but still…
Very nice. Love the very 80’s brown stripes !
the listing has ended. interesting truck but what does a new or late model truck like it sell for.
as mentioned by jim s the bidding is done. there appears to be a lot of people with a big wallet for stuff. 15 grand for an 83 toyota pick-up. this is insane and this is what drives sellers to Barrett Jackson and other auctions and people asking stupid amounts for average every day vehicles..
i have an 1985 VW Jetta non-turbo diesel with 540,000- km’s on it. 2nd owner, bought it in 1990 have 90% of receipts, minimal rust in the rockers and fender lips, everything works and no a/c. Anybody got $3000. will deliver in the pacific northwest. It comes with a set of snow/ice tires on non-stock alloys. a good daily driver at 50+ mpg
reply through B.F.
Ohboy.
Ya know, I am thinking that someone out there just might be hopping mad.
I’m wondering how someone might feel after having been told that “$XX is all your vehicle is worth in trade”, even though it is nice and clean… Only to see it attracting $$XXXX on eBay a relatively short while later, and realizing that there was maybe a little withholding/bending of the truth somewhere.
Say the dealer snags it for $5K, and then sells it to another dealer for double. Hella profit in short order. But what happens when horse-trader #2, intent on maximizing his return, lists on the most viewed auction site in the world…. and is on the way to making his bucks, when one or both prior persons catch wind of it?
Original Owner: “I’ve been ripped off!”
Dealer #1: “You’re ruining my reputation!”
Dealer #2: “Oh, ***t!”
How is the above scenario any different than the one where an art dealer buys a Picasso from the heirs of an estate, which he says is “not up to standard”, or a “lesser work” , paying $250K, only to sell it via a big auction house within a short time, for many multiples of that figure?
Knowledge is power. And according to legal precedent, brings responsibilities. A person who holds expertise in an area, and who appears to take advantage of someone with little or no understanding of the facts, can be held responsible in a tort action.
The guys who sell an unneeded, maybe even low quality furnace to an elderly homeowner, after “spotting the dangerous exhaust from the street”, play a different version of the same game. It is one of knowledge and experience. Those inspire confidence in the mind of the unschooled party. Note the first three letters of that word. Persons who persuade someone (or even allow them to believe) that they need/have something when they do not, or don’t need/don’t have something when they actually do, can be seen as participating in a deceptive manipulation.
Profit is not a dirty word, and different types of markets need different margins in order to be successful. Buying from a manufacturer at $1 and selling across the counter at $3 (or whatever) in order to pay bills and pay yourself is called being in business. If the retail price is too high, people buy elsewhere, your fixed costs are too high, etc… Maybe negotiate a % cost of goods reduction from the manufacturer. Business 101.
But when an item of value is bought by an expert from a novice, it is not the same relationship. Transaction #2, dealer/dealer is not suspect here. In the fictional account I began this tirade with, transaction #1, dealer/novice, might be.
Yes, I was for years a business owner, and part of what I did was buy/sell used items of concentrated value, in both dealer/dealer and dealer/novice transactions. Some of my competitors were known to claim that they “don’t know what that is worth” (when of course that was blatantly untrue) and insisted that the unknowledgeable seller set the price. Then often followed a downward negotiation from what could in fact have been already a well-below-market starting point. Me? As the expert, I was never afraid to make an offer up front. I knew values. I knew I could make some money. And I always suggested shopping for a better offer. Never lost a wink of sleep over anything I bought, unless I had missed some flaw that might eat up my profit margin.
Heading way OT, this was… If it gets edited/deleted, I so understand.
If not, and any BF readers got this far, I hope it was entertaining, or at least educational. Know that I cut it way short. I have strong ethical standards for those in public commerce areas who have field-specific knowledge bases.
…so in summation Alan….if you see an item and get extremely nervous that the seller might shop around for other offers before selling it, then you’re probably screwing the guy….instead of being totally honest with the seller and informing him that it’s worth more than he’s asking and telling him to hold out for more, walking away with nothing in hand but 100% whole, integrity-wise.
Too many people have a convenient code of ethics rather than just being truly ethical.
…goes for both sides of any negotiation…
Gee, I know this isn’t a real Shelby, but the buyer wanted it sooo badly, who am I to break his heart with the truth…
…hmmm, so the car was submerged in salt water…what’s a little salt water … it looks shiny, and this guy is only letting his daughter use it to commute to college….she’ll be fine.
…so the driver side airbag already detonated,..just do the body work and stuff coffee cups in the cavity where the airbag was…hell, airbags are dangerous.
hey, if the elderly wife of the deceased owner wants to sell me the ZL-1 equipped “sporty type” car for $1,750, then who am I to not honor her wishes….
there is no “art of negotiation” , you either decide to be honorable, or deceitful, the gray areas are there just to help a person live with himself after they’ve screwed someone for their own gain.
How ’bout another scenario:
Seller obviously knows his pristine Toyota is far above average. He does some quick research and easily finds that his pride and joy is worth way more than blue book. He negotiates w/ the new dealer accordingly, and gets ten grand in trade, plus 10% off the new truck’s MSRP. He saves a little (or a lot, depending on residence) in taxes too. And avoids the eBay hassle, not to mention the fees. Everyone’s happy.
When I was 15 in Kansas City, I saved up my money and ordered a new 1987 Toyota truck. It was an SR5, extra cab, turbo, 4×4, awesome truck. I don’t think being an SR5 is that rare. It took a lot of lawn mowing to pay for that truck. It was a great truck that was much loved, but I sold it to pay for college. Now it is all about muscle cars for me.
The money this one is getting is not far from what I paid in 1987. Pretty amazing. I could see these old Toyota trucks taking off in value.
In 1984 I bought a two wheel drive version of this , same color , same interior . It came from the factory with a/c , criuse control , tilt wheel.and center console. I paid $6500 with 11,000 miles
I sold mine in 1993 for $10k, with 11,000 miles on it. It was perfect.
83′ is/was the best yr for these trucks period!!!
Awesome truck. If you know the market for these – you know that the buyer did well.