Located in impossibly beautiful St. George, Utah, this 1978 Toyota Long Bed Deluxe Truck (the Hilux name had gone away a couple of years earlier for North America) is one incredible pickup. It’s originally a California truck and the seller says it was “recently released from an estate”, but we don’t know if it’s been in California since 1978 or in Utah. Thanks to T.J. for the tip!
It doesn’t really matter where it’s from or where it is now, as long as it’s in the condition shown in these outstanding photos. The seller gets a huge gold star for providing such nice photos. The only ones missing are underside photos, but they’ve covered just about every other view of this Orange (the official color name) long-bed pickup. The seller says this truck is all original inside and out and has been garage kept since new.
That doesn’t mean that it’s in showroom condition, there are a few little dings and nicks, and with 139,520 miles, it’s not a low-mile trailer queen. This truck has been used, but was clearly loved at the same time. Most pickup buyers aren’t too worried about the color, but with a truck like this Toyota, 1977 and 1978 had the best colors, in my opinion: Orange, Yellow, and Yellow Green. Now, people just buy a silver or black pickup; not in the late-70s! In case you were wondering what the inside of the seven-foot-long bed looks like, here it is in all its glory, looking appropriately used but not abused.
Most of us expected to see a manual transmission and that would have been ideal, but this is Toyota’s three-speed automatic with a console selector. You can see the incredible condition of this truck continues inside as well. It looks almost perfect, other than what appears to be some wear on the left edge of the rubber brake pedal pad. If this truck is really all original, and there’s no reason to doubt that claim, that long bed should be filled with trophies – I don’t know if I’ve seen a nicer one. This truck also has air conditioning!
The engine is Toyota’s 20R, a 2.2-liter SOHC inline-four with 90 horsepower in California. It appears to have a bigger radiator and it looks incredible under the hood, as expected. They don’t say how it runs but I have to believe it runs perfectly, and they have it posted here on craigslist in St. George, Utah. They’re asking $15,500, and here is the original listing. About the price, remember, it isn’t 1983 anymore and these aren’t $2,500 pickups in this condition in today’s market. It would have cost around $4,500 new, which is $21,000 today. Have any of you owned a Toyota pickup from this era?
My dad bought one of these new, yellow with a 5-speed. Damn thing was indestructible… hauled all sorts of things including several loads of drainfield rock, cubic yard at a time (1-1/2 tons) flat on the spring stops. Nothing ever broke.
Awesome! My stepfather had a 1978 Toyota SR5 Truck. I learned to drive it. It had a Toyota 20R engine, and a 5spd gearbox.
The enthusiasts interested in Japanese vehicles has been growing for a long time, they aren’t what stereotypes suggest they are. This ad will be picked up and spread around through various forums, websites and to other interested parties. There is demand for any vintage truck, if the sellers pricing is in the ballpark, it won’t last long.
Steve R
This is a non rusted Yota!!! So sweet…. I had one after college as a second vehicle. It was really a mixed pickup. One part a freshly rebuilt engine and the other part with the ten pounds of Bondo under the door, back of cab and around the bed fender-wells. I pop revieted some metal as a base under the doors. :-). This was 1984…. so thinking a Yota would be a collector was not on my mind. I drove the lil 20R motor and auto for another year and let it go for 600 dollars.
This is not that part vette vehicle and looks really sweet. The engines are strong and UTAH was a godsend for non rust …..
Good luck with sale.
Look at that interior!! I would rather have a manual. Good luck to all.
In one picture of the corner rear I see a rear bumper. But in all the other rear pictures the bumper is gone. Strange!
Good eye!! It fell off?
Being it came from California,it would have come with a catalytic –
converter (49 state versions didn’t).And this one has A/C,which was
dealer added.
Cute! I had a 1986 1-Ton regular cab with a 5-speed, cloth interior, and AC. Probably the best dang vehicle I’ve ever owned. The ‘kick me in the butt for selling it’ line forms to the right.
This is one of the cleanest, survivor condition Toyota trucks that I’ve ever seen. That 20R engine, is the precursor to the later 22Rs and they were both simple and reliable little engines. Too bad it’s not a manual. I wish they still made these model Toyota trucks. Better than what they’re putting out there today.
My stepfather had a 1978 Toyota SR5 Truck. His had a 20R 2.2 litre 4 cyl. engine, and a 5spd. manual shifting gearbox. It had an AM/FM radio. Old-school stuff by today’s standards, but I loved driving the truck. I’d buy another one in a heartbeat ❤️ if I could find one near where I live.
My stepfather had a 1978 Toyota SR5 Truck. His had a 20R 2.2 litre 4 cyl. engine, and a 5spd. manual shifting gearbox. It had a standard size bed. It had an AM/FM radio. Old-school stuff by today’s standards, but I loved driving the truck. I’d buy another one in a heartbeat ❤️ if I could find one near where I live.
Yep, the mini truck market is finally starting to pickup (pun not intended).
This one appears really clean and that’s why the price is where it’s at. You can buy them in not quite so pristine condition for under $2 grand. Pick your brand, Toyota, Nissan, Ford Ranger, Chevy S-10 or LUV, they’re all out there, and they have many support groups. Parts are easy to get, huge V8 engines with instructions on installing them are available, which a lot of people do. I’ve got a 76 LUV I’m parting out as Texas wouldn’t give me a title for since it had been sold and signed by more than one person and never re-titled. Oh well you win some you lose some. I lost a little on this one.
God Bless America
If by today’s value new selling price would be 21,000 with 139,520 miles, I think a more realistic price would be around 10,500.
I have a car buddy who has a little 87 Toyota truck with a 22R and a 88 4Runner. They are so easy to work on and it’s easy to find all parts for them. He’s actually trans planting a Lexus V8 engine into his 4 Runner after getting all the motor mount brackets and other brackets bolted and welded into the truck.
That’s what I loved about my ’80 4×4 with the 20R in it. I had it up to 137k and the only problem I had was a leak in the front oil seal on the transfer case but it was simple to replace it.. so simple actually that I did it with nothing but a floor jack out on the street in front of my house.
I imagine your buddy’s 4Runner is going to be fast. I have a 2010 Lexus RX350 fwd and it is no slouch. I bought it used (one owner) and I had no idea they had high performance engines in them, but to say I was pleasantly surprised the first time I got on it would be an understatement, I was shocked. It doesn’t handle all that well in the corners but on the overall it’s a blast to drive.
This is nicest used one of these I’ve seen so far. I bought an ’80 4×4 in yellow brand new when I lived in MD and within three years the bed seams started rusting and it was unstopable. That little 20R is a tough engine though.. it has plenty of power for a vehicle of this size. This reminded me of an odd hybrid my brother had that was comprised of a Toyota 4×4 pickup frame and running gear but with a car body, and as was the way of things with engines back in the day when it hit 100k miles he thought it was time for a rebuild, so he pulled the head off of it and told me the thing looked like it was brand new, but since he already had it apart he rebuilt it anyway.
Had this same truck, only yellow with a stick, got it 10 years ago for $3800,,, solid Colorado truck, bought it do a SBC swap, but local kid offered $5K 2 months later, it was his. People forget how much of a tin can these were, noisy, mediocre defrost mode, slow,etc. Not really daily driver on today’s demo-derby roadways. Later models mucho better for daily use.
I wish I could delete double comments. I make a comment but sometimes I don’t recall sending it and somehow end up hitting the “Post Comment” button.
Let’s be clear, there is no way on Gods colorful earth, this has 140K. Something’s amiss there. What is clear, this is one rare truck. Of all the Toyota pickups I’ve ever seen, I can remember only ONE other automatic. For some reason, it was not a popular option. Most, including mine, had a 4 speed. Mine, you say? Howard, that bleeds RW&B, with a Toyota pickup? That’s right, it was my ex-BILs, he bought new in 1978. It had NO options. Fact is, he had to go to 3 dealers before one would sell him one that way. It had an astonishing 240K on it,and all he ever did was tires, brakes and oil changes. It was pretty rusty when I got it, but still worked fine, but sorely needed a 5 speed. By the way, did ja’ ever notice? ( in my best Andy Rooney voice, my 2nd mentor behind George Carlin) All these early Asian pickups have the same box with those hooks? That’s because I think these were shipped across the ocean sans the box, and it was added here. Anyone? I think it helped skirt some laws, and the boxes were made of even worse quality metal than the trucks. It was not uncommon to see these with most of the box gone. It’s a great find, and no, to answer the big question, we will NEVER see trucks like this made again, so grab it now.