UPDATE 8/31/18 – This one got bid up to $24k, but didn’t meet the reserve. It has been relisted with new photos though so we will see if that makes any difference. Find the new listing here on eBay.
FROM 7/20/18 – To quote Jack Nicholson, “What if this is as good as it gets?” Well if it is, then I don’t mind. Located in Aberdeen, Washington, and for sale here on eBay is this 1985 Toyota SR5 Pickup. For sale with a clear title, this little beauty is the subject of quite spirited bidding. With just under 3 days to go, it has received a total of 53 bids. This has pushed the price to $18,100 but the reserve hasn’t been met as yet.
One of the “joys” of getting older is realizing how much it changes your perspective. When I first looked at this I thought, “1985? That’s not that old.” Then I realized that this made this SR5 33 years old. How time flies! For a 33 year old car it looks pretty good. The seller claims that it has traveled a genuine 9,750 miles. If this is true then it certainly accounts for the overall condition of this vehicle. The paint has a wonderful shine on it and the graphics appear to be in good order with no lifting or cracking.
The interior is in remarkable condition for its age. I doubt that it has ever seen a muddy boot in there. I initially thought that there may be some discoloration on the seat bolsters, but I believe that it is just the way the weave of the cloth on the seats has been brushed. The interior is factory stock and has OEM mats to protect the carpet.
There doesn’t appear to be any cracking on the dash, and nobody has cut into it to fit an after-market stereo. There is an auxiliary gauge mounted on the top of the steering column, but the seller gives no indication what it is for. The face reads “Grand Thermo” so we are guessing it’s a thermometer?
Under the hood continues the theme of the immaculate presentation. The seller claims that this engine bay has not been detailed and that it is in this immaculate state due to the low mileage. Residing there is the 22-RE engine, backed by a 5-speed transmission. The seller states that the car has been properly maintained, but due to its low mileage it has only just received its first set of replacement spark plugs.
Looking for a place to eat? Off this floor wouldn’t be a bad choice. The underside of this SR5 is once again immaculate. There is no evidence of corrosion, oil leaks or any form of abuse or damage that may result from venturing off-road in the great outdoors. This view makes it far easier to believe that the mileage is genuine. If this were merely a detailing job, then it would rate as the best that I’ve ever seen.
No surprises that the tray also appears to be in great condition. A rubber tray-liner takes care of that. The car carries its original spare tire, along with jack and toolkit. The other vulnerable area on pickups is the tailgate. As with the rest of the car, it is immaculate. There is some scuffing evident in the bottom left edge of this picture, although it doesn’t appear to be too severe.
Looking at the online offerings for a 1985 SR5 Pickup shows that with bidding at $18,100 and the reserve not being met, then compared to the competition this is quite an expensive example. Having said that, I couldn’t find another one online with the combination of this mileage combined with this overall condition and originality. I’m aware that it’s expensive, but given how spirited bidding has been, is it going to get too expensive?
Hey, check out that four by four!
Sorry couldn’t help myself.
Explain, please.
Marty McFly. He had an ’85.
.
That’s what I thought of when I saw the picture!
Given that decent condition, high mileage (100K+) models are going for $10K, this isn’t crazy. There simply isn’t a new truck equivalent.
I have a friend with a late 90’s manual model with 120K miles in very nice condition and people are constantly coming up with unsolicited offers to buy it.
I’m surprised the bed paint is so nice. These were shipped to the US from Japan without the beds to avoid some tax. The paint they applied here didn’t hold up as well as the Japanese paint and would oxidize faster than the cab paint.
Always liked these trucks, but at the time I was working for a American car parts company which would have frowned on me parking it in their lot.
I owned an 85′ same color SR5 xtra cab 4×4 back in the day. I could get 27+ mpg on the highway on long drives. These are nice trucks but they ride like crap. All I did was bounce from bump to bump. Concrete expansion joints on the interstate were the worst. I don’t miss it at all. 1986 models came with torsion bar front suspension rather than leaf springs. A little smoother. The person who buys this isn’t taking it 4 wheeling.
NO air conditioning ? ? ?
My friend bought an ’86 brand new. Dealer wanted $1000 to install A/C. Went to a shop, they did it for 1/2. Told my buddy that that same dealer would farm the A/C installs to them and charge 2-3 times his price as markup.
As good as these were, they sometimes had issues from the factory. The same friend that bought the ’86 brand new started to hear a knock in the motor. The cylinders had been bored out of round at the factory. Was fixed under warranty. I knew 10 different guys with the same issue with ’86s. I bought an ’87 2x new and never had any trouble with it.
Have a regular cab with factory a/c that still works,owned for six years now.Wished I bought one years ago! Has 4 piston front brake calipers-stock! Has R22 carb great truck!
I would want to know why it has so few miles.
Nobody bought these to just let sit around.
Did it have mechanical issues or legal issues or maybe it has been in a body shop all of its life.
It’s freakin awesome! I remember how much I wanted one of these…but gutless and tiny cab. But I still love em!
This truck was either kept inside or from somewhere else. Aberdeen is close to the WA coast. And Or and Wa weather eats cars up.
probably over orig price at $24K now?
Shill bidding at it’s finest no doubt!
If the price is dependent on low mileage do sellers rarely provide documentation in their ad? Whoever he bought it from would likely have kept some records.
Steve R
As the bile gets forced to the tips of our tongues with these prices, I have a feeling you’ll see a lot of these “re-listings”. Great trucks, changed history,,,for a while. Somebody will buy this, they mostly looked like this within a few years, and finding one up north is not an option:
http://deadsmurf.blogspot.com/2014/07/iron-moths-from-copper-harbor-and.html
For that kind of money, I’d have to have the “extra”cab and A/C.
Nice.$24,000… I’d rather have 1 I could drive & not worry about scratching it. Could you deny it up & drop the price 90%
The Taliban loves these things !!
These things do run forever. I have an 87 I purchased brandy new, she has 346,000 miles on the clock, some wheelwell rust but no frame rust. Haven’t driven her in a few years, hasn’t been registered or insured in that long or longer.
I paid $16k out the door in 87, so this one is well past original price and starting to close in on new small SUV territory.
I had one of this one’s POOR cousins! 22R (carbureted, not injected which is the RE) 2WD, short bed, 4sp, NO P/S, A/C, P/B, radio, and had crank windows. Ran it up to around 350K before a truck pulled out in front of me. I was going about 55 on a bend in the road. Both vehicles were totaled, walked away with a scratch on my knee. If it were not for that, I would still be driving it! LOVED that truck. all I drive is Toyota minus one truly “play” vehicle. That being a BMW. The “play” vehicle sure makes me appreciate my Toyotas, all the more!!!!! It costs $$$$$$$ for even an oil change!!!! Don’t EVEN think about something in the “real work” category…..