Medium blue, check. Long bed, check. 5-speed manual, check. Diesel engine, check. No rust, check. Original paint, check. “Excellent” condition, check. This 1985 Toyota diesel pickup has it all, unless a person wanted 4WD or the Xtracab model. It’s also priced as if it had it all at $15,800. The seller has it posted here on craigslist in Santa Barbara, California. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Barney for the tip!
Just to get the price out of the way, using Hagerty as a general value reference, they list a #2 excellent condition example of this truck as being worth $14,300, and it would be an unbelievable truck to be better than excellent condition. You’d have to see this one in person to know whether it’s approaching #1 Concours status or not. If so, they have that listed as $22,400. Wowie. I think I’d prefer a 4WD version at that price, but that’s just me.
The bed looks a little dull here for some reason; maybe it needs a cut-and-buff or something. The seller says this fourth-generation Toyota pickup is wearing its original paint, so this must just be 40-year-old paint that’s been treated to the California sun for four decades. They made this generation of the Hilux, or plain ol’ pickup, as they were known here, from August of 1983 for the 1984 model year until the end of 1988. Here’s a photo showing inside the bed. I think the price is a bit on the high side, given how used the bed looks and the scratches on the exterior.
On second thought, I’d like an Xtracab model for some inside storage space, as there isn’t much on a regular cab model, unless you have the seat pulled up more than I would in trying to squeeze as much legroom as possible out of the cab. I wish we had some numbers here; a VIN and data plate would be nice. Those rarely show up on craigslist ads for some reason, maybe scammers have ruined it for everyone. Did I just say maybe? Ha. Here’s just how long that long bed looks.
The engine is Toyota’s 2.4-liter SOHC diesel, and I don’t believe this is the turbo version. It should have around 72 horsepower, give or take, and around 115 lb-ft of torque or so. Backed by a 5-speed manual sending power to the rear wheels, this would be an easy-to-use smallish truck for regular hauling duties, if you didn’t have to get anywhere too quickly. How much is this one worth?
Boy is this a time machine. I remember that shade of blue. I don’t remember too many diesels though, only gas. This seriously looks like it just came off the used Toyota lot in 1987. I’d gravitate towards a 4WD myself, if I had a 2WD it would’ve been a short bed. But wow, this is so nicely preserved.
I think the bed looks the way it does because it was built
in Long Beach,CA,& the rest was built in Japan to avoid the
“Chicken Tax”.
Wow mighty clean!! No rear bumper, and two batteries.