So many little trucks, so little time, so little money. I like little trucks, which isn’t surprising to any of you. This 1995 Toyota Tacoma is a little bed, I mean, short bed model with a 5-speed manual, it’s posted here on craigslist in Tacoma, Washington, and the seller is asking $9,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Curvette for another great tip!
The weird part is that I like huge pickups just as much, but I have no need for one and no room to store one. Little trucks, on the other hand, can fit in our little garage and more often than not, fit into my little budget. For a guy who’s 6′-5″ tall, that’s a lot of little. This little Tacoma is well-used, as in it has a lot of scratches in the paint and maybe a ding or two.
The seller has included photos showing it in action, hauling what looks like an exercise bike in the back. I would have guessed it was owned by a landscape company, given the number of scratches on the tailgate and on the back portion. The short bed is unlined and definitely has been used over the last 31 years. The Satin Black Metallic paint could look a lot nicer with a good detailing, but that’s often the case. This is the first year for the Tacoma, which replaced the Hilux (or “pickup”) in the U.S., and these little rigs were assembled in California.
The gray vinyl on both sides of the front bench seat is cracked, with the driver’s side being much worse. That should be a relatively cheap and easy fix and I’d want to do that, just to keep it from being a vehicle that you don’t care about and never fix little things. That has a tendency to snowball into not fixing bigger things, and pretty soon, you have a beater. That isn’t to say this truck is even remotely approaching beater status! My random thought snowballed there; my apologies. Back to the nice 5-speed shifter seen in the photo above, and the rest of the interior looks great to me.
The engine should be Toyota’s 2.4-liter DOHC inline-four with 142 horsepower and 160 lb-ft of torque. Rolling through the 5-speed manual to the rear wheels, the seller says this is a one-owner truck, it has no AC, it’s all stock, strong, and reliable. Have any of you owned a Tacoma from this era?
That’s a deal, and the price of under 10K, this truck isn’t even broken in yet. Good seat shop should be able fix that seat up and drive on. Nothing being built right now that’s able to do what this little truck is capable of for that kind of money.
Great little Toyota pickup here. And I sincerely wish we could get a short bed 4 cyl stickshift basic truck again. This one looks terrific overall and like Cadmanls said, and I agree, an interior shop can take care of that seat cover, and those low miles this thing isn’t even broken in yet. I think a good cut and buff with some polishing compound would help the original black paint with the scratches, etc.
You guys nailed it, I 100% agree, and I don’t even mind the price given how long these things normally last. A few scratches, no biggie, that just means you can actually use it for hauling firewood or branches that came down in the latest ice storm (not bitter). The 90s graphics give it an extra punch for me. If my little orange Dodge D-50 had fuel-injection, another 40 hp, and more legroom like this one surely has, I’d never sell it.
several on the lot: 1 for yrd bird (tow into garage ‘no starts’, fire wood, etc); 1 to make a lill noise for lunch or prts p/u (turboed 4 fun); one to advertise the business (also turboed)…
Havin trouble finding worthy purchases, not interested in non-4 cyl. Not interested enuff in the options to switch out now~
“They dont make em the way they usta”
I bought one of these in 1995, $11,000 off the lot, same specs, no AC, five speed manual. I still have it, almost a daily driver, 220,000 miles now, absolutely NO PROBLEMS, EVER! The plastic door handles are weak, I have replaced both inside and outside driver door handles, but that is the only thing which has ever broken and needing replacement in over 31 years. Perhaps the best piece of equipment I have ever owned. Mine is all beat up by now, I was a general contractor and this was the job site utility vehicle, making runs to the lumber yard or parts house. The Toyota has been bumped by a forklift, the tailgate broken by a water truck, and the bed really could be replaced but nothing mechanical has ever malfunctioned. I don’t really need another one, but the one in this Barn Finds for the price is a bargain.
I’ve got the sister to this truck, a 1995 Toyota T100. It’s a single cab, long bed. Perfect for hauling motorcycles. 205,000 miles, automatic, 4 cylinder. Never a single mechanical problem. Everything works, no dash cracks, doesn’t use or leak oil, AC/Heat works, seat has no rips. I’ve replaced a few windshields, tires, shocks and batteries, and yes, door handles. Paint is weathered but it is West Texas. It’s the perfect daily driver, good MPG (18/22), comfortable, and capable of hauling anything. These are the pickups we wish they would make again. Fat chance.
EXCEPT IT’S A 2 WHEEL DRIVE! MY 2005 SILVERADO 4X4 GETS BETTER MILEAGE THAN MY WIFES 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA SO I’VE COLLECTING THEM.
The owner had to work hard at not using such a usable vehicle. How does someone own one of these and put only 57K on it in 30 years?