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Barn Finds Classified: 1993 Toyota T100 SR5

Toyota wanted to get in on the full-sized truck market after having success with its small pickups. This 1993 Toyota T100 would be their first crack at making a full-sized pickup but it met with a little resistance. This nice example can be found here as a Barn Finds Classified and it’s had a lot of maintenance work done on it recently. It’s located in Aurora, Colorado and they’re asking $6,500 for it.

1993 was the first year for the Toyota T100 and its last year of production was 1998. The new Tundra came on the market for the 2000 model year and if you’ve seen one today, it looks like a monster truck compared to a T100. The Toyota T100 had three things going against it for some truck buyers: it was a bit too small, it didn’t have an available V8, and there wasn’t an extended cab version, at least for the first couple of model years.

There were already at least three sizes of pickups on the market when the T100 came out in late-1992 for the 1993 model year. Small pickups like the Ford Ranger and Chevrolet S-10 were popular, and so were small pickups from Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, and others. Full-sized trucks have been around since Jack Benny turned 39 (that’s too old of a reference for 75% of you) and Dodge just came out with their bigger-than-small-but-not-quite-midsized Dakota pickup a few years earlier.

I would argue that the T100 was more midsized than the Dakota was, but now there really aren’t any small pickups, with the smallest ones being similar to what midsized trucks used to be. Like humans, vehicles all seem to be getting bigger and bigger. The interior in this T100 looks fantastic. There is no rust on this truck and it was owned by two elderly owners, a father and then son, before the current owner bought it.

The engine is Toyota’s 3VZ-E 150-hp 3.0L V6. A couple of years later the company added a 3.4L 190-hp V6. There would never be a V8 option for the T100, although, in 1996, a supercharged version of the 3.4L V6 was available with around 250 hp. The seller has done $4,500 worth of maintenance on this truck recently so it’s ready to go. Have any of you owned a Toyota T100?

Comments

  1. Avatar Mark C

    Looks like a solid truck. Also, I like the Jack Benny reference. 39 forever, just like me!

    Like 3
  2. Avatar 370zpp Member

    I personally know of two separate people/friends who each put well over 200K on trucks like this.

    Like 3
  3. Avatar Weasel

    Enter it in a car show…I dare ya.

    It won’t be pretty.

    Like 2
  4. Avatar Bob S

    I worked with a gentleman that had one, over 250k on the clock last time I saw it. Nice clean example, but I think with the milage, $5k would be more like it. I also caught the Jack Benny comment, come Friday I will have been 39 for 21 years!

    Like 2
  5. Avatar Al_Bundy Member

    Biggest disaster in Toyota history. Do some research on the T-100 and Tacoma.
    The frame and suspension components would rot through in five years (video of them falling in half on lifts). Toyota would pay for the frame under warranty but charge labor to transfer every component to the new frame. Estimates higher than a new truck. Sadly, the frames were US made by TRW in Ohio.

    I’ve owned many awesome Toyota products, even an 04 Prius running to the day. Would never buy another seeing how they treated customers that bought these sorry trucks.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Nick

      They were along way from a disaster though they were not perfect. You don’t seem to recall any BIG 3 actual disaster. Toyota handled the issue quite well, GM would still be busy screwing owners over if it was their deal.
      The frames would indeed rust in some climates and conditions, not everywhere. The frame swaps were completely free, you couldn’t be more wrong about them charging money to swap things over.
      I have a 2008 frame swapped Tacoma (that I bought used) and almost everything under the floor was new except for the engine/trans/rear axle/fuel tank. All new brake and fuel lines, new front suspension and rear leaf springs. If it was a good serviceable part it was swapped, if it was iffy it got replaced.

      Like 12
      • Avatar Mike

        YOU are so correct… EVEN last summer.. our Toyota dealer was putting a new Frame under a Toyota Truck that had 150,000 miles on it… the guy was THRILLED… and you are also correct.. the Frames were made in OHIO..NOT by Toyota..and I own two toyotas.. have had Four Tundras…and Two Tacomas.. now a 2018 4 by 4…and a 2020 Rav 4.. I wont buy anything else..

        Like 2
  6. Avatar John higgins

    I was a Lexus dealer when these were introduced and Toyota sold them to us for parts trucks for around 11K, I sold the dealership a couple of years ago but still have that red truck and it now has 286000 miles on it.Rust was an issue and if mine didn’t have a rubber bed liner it wouldn’t have a bed at all and as for Toyota not stepping up to address the frame issue, they paid every penny to replace the frame on both of my older Toyota trucks both of which have a lot of miles but run like a top.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Jim

    I drive a 2011 Tundra- 100,000 miles, never been in the shop, no rust anywhere. Have people at my plant with newer- less mileage trucks’ from the big 3, rust in the cab corners/rockers/wheel arches and trips to the dealer left and right. I wonder how it feels to pay 50 grand for a truck and 5 years later watching a YouTube video on welding new cab corners? No thanks. This T100 will run forever and i wouldn’t hesitate to buy it

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Car Nut Tacoma

    Nice looking truck. I remember when the T100 was introduced. For a truck like this, Toyota should’ve started out with 180hp for its V6 engine, rather than 150hp. 150hp is fine for the compact truck (Tacoma), but for a larger sized truck, you’d need a more powerful engine.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Bhowe Member

    Frames may have been made by trw in Ohio, but they were made to Toyota specs. I don’t see frames made by trw for other manufacturers with rust problems. I own 3 Toyota pickups, 2 Chevrolet pickups, and 1 Ford. They each have their issues. I can tell you the upholstery in a 30 year old gm truck most likely held up better than the interior bits and pieces from the same vintage Toyota

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Pete

    That is probably the best truck Toyota has ever built. I am curious why the mileage is not listed. I have a 97 T-100 Titan Ex Cab SR-5 337,000 + miles on it. It will start everyday. Mine doesn’t look this clean though. If I could buy a new one I would. I have also owned a 2000 Tundra. The T-100 is a better truck. If that truck has less than 200K on the clock it is worth what they are asking.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar James Kampmann

    I bought new and still own a 1995 T100 ext cab 4×4 , it has 153,000 miles on it currently and has never been wrecked. It was one of the last production model made in Japan and the first year for the extended cab in America. Paid 25K cash for it and it has been far more reliable than the 82 Chevy Silverado 4×4 Diesel I had and got rid of prior to the purchase of my T100. One of the second best purchase I have made 1st only to my 2002 Sequioa Limited 4×4 I still have with only 57K miles on it.

    Like 0

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