“The mini-pickup with the maxi-payload” is how a 1980 brochure describes the Chevy LUV. In fact, at the time, they had the longest available bed of any small truck at 7.5 feet in length. This 1980 Chevrolet LUV 4×4 is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Lakeside, Arizona, and the seller is asking $5,488. Here is the original listing, and thanks to T.J. for the tip!
As almost always, the photos are a mixed bag, but other than just having one partial interior photo (?!), you can see most of this truck, other than the underside, which is pretty important on these small trucks. Vehicle graphics don’t get much cooler than this, with huge 4×4 decals on the hood and both sides of the bed. Speaking of the bed, here’s what it looks like inside. Just kidding, there isn’t a photo of that, unfortunately. It looks like there’s a bit of rust on the bottoms of the front fenders, but it’s hard to tell for sure.
Given the thin sheet metal on these trucks, this one looks solid from what we can see. The seller bought it to do a Volkswagen TDI diesel engine swap, but chickened out, so it’s now for sale, and it looks like a great truck overall. Chevrolet offered a version of the Isuzu Faster (which is funny, since the seller says it’s really slow) from early 1972 through 1982 when the Chevy S-10 took over small truck duties. A 4×4 option was first offered in 1979, and it really makes this a desirable truck.
Believe it or not, this is the only interior photo. I know, I don’t understand it either. As humans living in the internet age, we automatically assume the worst when a part of a vehicle isn’t shown. That’s why it’s always a major head-scratcher when a seller doesn’t show more photos. Hopefully, the interior isn’t a total loss, and they don’t say anything about it other than the “radio sucks” and the heat and air work. I’m assuming “air” means the fan. (thanks for the edit, Adam1966!)
This engine is Isuzu’s 1.8-liter G180Z, a SOHC inline-four with 80 horsepower and 95 lb-ft of torque. Ok, the seller is right about it being slow. My 2WD 1980 Dodge (Mitsubishi) D-50 Sport pickup has 100 hp and feels pretty slow. This looks like a really nice truck from what is visible in the photos. Is it worth a gamble?
Oh, this is dangerous, Scotty. I once had a literal dream that I owned a truck just like this; I had it stored off site and it had been sitting for a while, so I went to storage to pick it up and drive it around. It certainly wasn’t my most fantastical dream, but it was pretty on-brand.
I agree Aaron. At that price this is dangerous. If it were closer to me and I had the room. I just might have gotten it. Also, I had another friend that had a 2WD with a 4 speed this color. By the late 1980’s it was full of Bondo and had been repainted. I remember it had AC and it worked really well. Again, this is solid, on the east coast they rusted away too quickly.
I’ve always loved these LUVs ( pun intended) I fondly remember these from whe I was a kid a friend of my Dads bought one ( 76 I think) a 2WD with an automatic. And it had a cap with marker lights. I remember 6 or 7 year old me in the middle, my Dad saying it was Pepless but that it was ok. This blue was very popular and I liked it then and now. And that graphics package screams 1970s. And I like it. This looks solid and hope it stays this nice
That pump is an emissions pump/ smog pump
Installed on just about every vehicle made at the time.
Arrrrrgh, you’re right, Adam1966, dang it. My apologies. Thanks for mentioning that.
Someone please tell me, why can’t manufacturers make a truck this size, today? They’d fly off the lots yet car makers won’t build them. The smallest truck I can think of is the new Maverick, but even that is bigger than the previous version of the Ford Ranger. I’m thinking the consumer doesn’t want a truck. They want a 4-door with a bed.
Because nobody wants a small truck like this anymore. These were made during the gas crisis of the 1970s. And at the time, none of the big 3 offered a small economical truck.
Around here (Middle TN), every used S-10 that comes up for sale immediately gets snapped up.
I’d buy one if available. I’d keep what I can original while also upgrading a few things to make it more personal.
I was under the impression it has to do with the CAFE formula.
Basically, the formula used to determine what kinda of fuel economy a new vehicle must make, is influenced (among other things) by a vehicle’s wheelbase & size/mass. The smaller the vehicle, the higher the expected fuel economy, and a truck this size has the aerodynamics of a brick on the wheelbase of a compact car.
I’d say that calculation is the reason a “small” truck these days is 80% of the size of a 1/2-ton – it’s the sweet spot that manufacturers can attain. Plus, at that size, they can build them anywhere in the world, stuff a couple into a seacan, and sell them anywhere in the world.
They do, but they aren’t imported to the US. Look at what’s available in the Middle East,,Asia and Africa, there are plenty of bare bones no frills trucks.
Steve R
Caribbean, and the South and Central America’s as well Steve. Plain 4wd Nissan trucks and of course Hilux Toyota, the gold standard.
Manufacturers couldn’t make enough money building these for the US market to justify their investment and effort, but I would buy one today, having owned both an early Ford Ranger and Isuzu P’up.
I too prefer a smaller truck than the over-sized ones
sold today.I drive a ’94 Dakota 4WD,& it works perfectly
for me.
The reason that the new trucks are so big is that they
can make a lot more profit on them,& they cost about the
same to build.I hate that,but that’s the way it is.
Manufactures won’t produce simple cheap trucks because of pure corporate greed. They make their big profits on the dumb options that most people don’t need or want. They refuse to listen to customer wants and needs. They can keep the new garbage.
I think to be more specific, it costs just as much to design a small car as it does a big one; it costs almost as much to build a cheap car as it does an expensive one. If you read “On A Clear Day, you can see General Motors”, Delorian spoke of cars as if they were cattle; there was a price per pound.
Bottom line is that they believe that the profits aren’t there…
Toyota had the last RCSB compact pickup in the Tacoma line, it was dropped in the late 2010s due to poor sales. In the rest of the world they went away around the turn of the millennium and the choices are crewcab/4′ box, extended cab/6′ box or single cab/7.5′ box, all on the same chassis with the same wheelbase.
It was 1980 and I worked at the first mega car dealership Long Chevrolet as a new car porter when I was in high school.At closing time it was our job to go out and park all of the demos and test driven cars back in the massive lot that that held hundreds of cars.
It took an eagle eve to find open spots in the dark. so we preferred to use LUV trucks to pick up the porters who parked them
We could pile 6 or seven guys in em, they were small and manuverable. We had to have a stick because they were so much fun to drive and quick tough little trucks..
I’ve wanted one ever since aet up like this one.
Why We Can’t Have Small Trucks Anymore – Blame the EPA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azI3nqrHEXM
I agree. Not everyone needs a Chevy C1500 or a GMC Sierra 2500 truck. I’d buy a Chevy LUV 4×4 and then install a small displacement Duramax Diesel engine.
Due to launch late next year is the little Scout pickup – electric, under $20K, and American made. 2 doors and a larger bed than Maverick.
https://www.scoutmotors.com/terra
No, I don’t work for them. I find this concept fascinating.
You mean must mean the SLATE. The Scout starts in the $50s.The Scout is a hybrid Electric/Gas powertrain. The SLATE is fully electric.
I think one reason these were so efficient and affordable is pickups were exempt from car safety requirements for an additional decade. Simple tube steering column, not collapsible. No side-impact beams in the doors – required for cars but not pickups in the 1970s. And I think that’s good.
Modern vehicles are relatively comfortable in a mid-speed collision but a 2025 Maverick has to haul piles of safety equipment – while technical requirements to obtain a driver license have declined. Quite a few states removed parallel parking from their test. Maybe they should test texting while driving instead.
Here’s an idea: exempt excessive safety regulations for new vehicles manufactured with a manual transmission.
Scheduled for 2027 is the new upstart “Slate” pickup. For better or worse it is an EV. Check out their website. The actually do an overlay comparing it to a 1985 Toyota SR5 pickup. It even retains hand crank windows. Honestly it looks similar to the Maverick without the crew cab and 6 extra inches of bed. You are not alone thinking that there is still a market for true small pickups. I loved my 1986 Toyota SR5 Xtra cab. I regret never owning a Mazda REPU.
I’d do a little of both, resto while driving.
I loved mine but,the rust loved it more..
I had two of these back in the 90s great little trucks, but the bodies rusted away.
I bought a 76 Luv a couple years ago for $1500.00 but it needed a lot of work. It was brought to me to Texas from Alabama by the seller. It had a lot more rust than he told me about and I should have sent him away but I bought it and began working on it. A lesson learned; put the title in my name before ever putting a wrench to any vehicle. Turned out the Alabama title was non transferable and Texas wouldn’t issue me a new title. So it got parted out. Hope the buyer of this one has better luck. Seller should have a clean title in their name or no deal.
God Bless America
I had the Stomper toy in exactly these colors (other than the faded to white hood decals) as a kid.
One of our longtime BF folks does a terrific job finding, refurbishing and selling/trading ‘90’s era Rangers and Bronco II’s out our way-they get snapped up as quick as he finishes them. I-4 or V-6, preferably stick, they fly out of his shop and off his spread the minute they get finished because they’re still the best tool for what they were designed for.
Small trucks? I love my 04 Tacoma. Never plan to sell it. It’s worth about the same I paid back in 07.
I have one of these to throw out for sale. Not quite as nice as this one, but almost. Mostly solid Montana truck, runs good, thinking of asking $3500. Maybe not asking enough??
Once again, thanks so much for these great write-ups, Scotty. The Isuzu 4×4 was a great little off-road capable pickup but released the same year as the Toyota 4×4 pickup, which certainly stole its thunder. I drove a 1974 Datsun 620 at the time and saved up a down payment for a 79 Toyota 4×4 and went to the closest dealer and put my name on the waiting list. Sadly one of my previous bad decisions caught up to me right at that time and I never got the ‘79 Toyota.
I owned a ’76 LUV way back in the day, and it was a great truck. However, I always wanted a 4×4 version when they came out with those.
It looks to me like this particular truck has had a body lift, as the factory 4×4 versions sat quite a bit lower than this one does. The pictures of the front and rear ends and the under hood are the giveaways that the body was raised. The top of the radiator is sitting much lower than the top of the radiator support, for example. The rear bumper is sitting lower than it should be, too.
My aunt and late uncle had a 1980 Chevy LUV. Theirs wasn’t as nice as this, but they used it for many things. It was an awesome truck!
Killer frame and running gear for my 81 diesel w/ ac.
I owned 3 luvs in the past, a 72, a 79 4×4 I bought new and an 80 I bought that was well used. What drew me to the 79 and 80 was it was the first compact pickup that had factory 4 wheel drive, yet it sat at the same hight as 5he 2 wheel drive. Toyota, when the finally did produce a 4×4 was using a live axle front end which required the tall jacked up stance that everyone but me liked. The Luv was torsion bar suspension and was also independent .
My only two issues I ever had was the last one I owned was unable to keep a head gasket intact. After milling the head, one last try failed. It lasted about 5k miles so I just drove it that way, still getting around 24 mpg. . Although it sounded like a Subaru it still seemed to keep up with traffic. Everytimei hear a Subaru I think of my Chevy Luv and that incurable miss.
Excellent candidate for a Buick V6 swap.
friend who drove one (“Mikado” ie 4by and 5 speed) claims he made it @ local GM plant (Framingham, MA). I’ve seen ‘em go for 10, 12 K $ in the last decade.
“No 1 wants them any more” is not quite correct. Those interested and the industry do not quite meet on price. If they did there would be some…. the price would come down and more units would B sold. Same ol same ol~
Love all these guys esp w/the single wall bed (tie downs or not).
Listing update: this LUV is sold!
That’s great! I hope whoever bought it enjoys it.