Toyota’s fourth-generation Hilux, or what we called here in the U.S. as the Toyota Pickup, is hard to beat for a good, all-around small truck. They’re generally reliable, and if you get one without the frame corrosion issues, they should last for decades with regular maintenance. This 1985 Toyota 4×4 Pickup is posted here on craigslist in the beautiful Surprise, Arizona area, and they’re asking $15,700. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Barney for the tip!
I don’t believe white was offered in 1985… hey, wait a minute (jeez, tough crowd). Toyota dug into its Ford book of color names for this one: White. If this were located in the upper-Midwest or Northeast part of the U.S., it would be white, orange, and brown, the latter two being colors of the incredible amount of rust that would be visible here. The seller says this one is rust-free, and that’s the beauty of buying in a location that rarely, if ever, gets snow, and if so, they don’t salt the roads.
I was in Surprise, Arizona a few months ago for a photo shoot, and it was glorious, even in August. Hot, yes, but I love dry heat. I can imagine that having a small, reliable 4×4 pickup like this one would be fun to do some off-roading in that area. This one sure doesn’t look like it’s been off the road. The underside appears to have been coated with some sort of substance, which is all the rage these days, and it’s probably good for keeping rust at bay. This one has a solid front axle. This brochure is a little pixelated, but it’s fun to check out if you have a few minutes.
The factory air-conditioning is said to blow ice-cold, which is great with this vinyl seat. I’d have some sort of fabric cover on that seat pronto if this were my truck and I lived where it’s as hot as it is in southern Arizona. That 5-speed shifter doesn’t get any awards for creative design, but I believe its pragmatic shape is attached to a Toyota W56-A transmission, which had a 3.954:1 1st gear ratio compared to the W55’s 3.566:1 ratio used on 2WD trucks. It allowed the ’85 through ’95 Toyota 4×4 trucks to get off the line a little quicker. 2nd gear was similarly boosted, but the rest of the gears were the same as the W55 transmission. The seller lists the odometer as being 70,000 miles, which is when the engine was rebuilt. The truck itself is listed as having 280,000 miles, and it appears to be in outstanding condition.
Are the air cleaner and the top of the radiator coated with the same material as the underside? This is Toyota’s 22R, a 2.4-liter SOHC carburetor-equipped inline-four with around 100 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by an RF1A 2-speed (plus neutral) gear-driven transfer case and a 5-speed manual, sending power to all four wheels as needed, the seller says it’s been well-maintained and runs perfectly. Hagerty is just over $13,000 for a #3 good-condition truck, how much would you pay for this one?
The owner has done an amazing job maintaining this truck, which helps explain how it got to 280,000 miles.
These trucks are known to get over a million miles on them. Usually, the body was gone and the motor was still running like new.
Ever since these Toyotas came out, I always liked the plain white steel wheels. This truck does NOT look like it has 280000 miles. This is so clean and rust free. And that seat, I’m wondering if it was redone. I just can’t get over how nice it looks and how great the foam has held up. Somebody is getting a great little Toyota pickup here.
I was suspecting fresh upholstery from the non-factory looking vertical pleats on the door panels.
Thought these had f.i by 1985 💁♂️ Nice little 4wd.
Optional $$
From a time when they were building sensible trucks… at sensible prices…
I have one the same year. Only difference is it is red and rusty these would rust without being in the salt but are great little trucks.
love the 4 cyl, way more durable, maint. free than the newer 6, 8. We get um all the time w/problems. Own the 4 cyl instead. Just gota southern frame under our own. Boss hada turbo it (of course). Thats the ‘summer shop truck’ 2 WD. The wrk truck / yard bird is 4WD NA turbo (thank goodness).
Still lookin nationally for more (east coast & PR). Send info to my ‘handle’ w/ aol at the end…
Japanese cars of this vintage were made of recycled steel. When you melt down a car or washing machine you end up with some copper and aluminum and chromium and lead and whoknowswhat mixed in with it. These dissimilar metals form little galvanic cells at the molecular level. Over time they have learned how to minimize the contaminants in steel and to coat it properly to prevent corrosion. This was not the case in the eighties. That’s why a door ding or stone chip turned into a rust patch the size of a frisbee by the end of the salt season.
Having said all of that, these are great little trucks. Modern pickups have lost the plot. They have “improved” them incrementally to a comical degree. You now have 400 hp to move a bed you need a ladder to access, that is too small to carry a bicycle. In the cab you have two rows of hotel furniture and touch screens everywhere. It’s a bit like improving framing hammers by adding a couple of ounces of weight each year until you need a forklift to move it around.
If you live somewhere they don’t salt the roads, these are great pickups.
Fiat learned that same lesson regarding steel in the late ’60s, early 70s…
One thing pointed out in the CL listing (but I don’t see mentioned here) is the (coveted by many) solid front axle in these models. It may not ride as good as the independent ones that came soon after this, but I’d rather have this bulletproof setup for myself. 22R engine, solid front axle 4×4, clean, near perfect truck, what’s not to like?
Scotty says it has a solid axle
I meant the comment section. Sorry for not making that more clear.
I was going to say more about that, Atwood203, but I always get in trouble when I give too much info. Thanks for mentioning that, Blu!
I read that ’85 was the last year for the solid axle in these trucks, but right after that, it said that they were available until the 90s, so I didn’t want to get into the weeds again and have a few negative comments about being wrong. I’m wrong often enough just putting on my socks in the morning, let alone when I try to give too much technical info. I debated even adding the transfer case and transmission info.
And I absolutely am with you, Atwood203, on this being almost the perfect spec model for this truck. Maybe the Xtracab, for some inside storage space, but even that isn’t necessary. Thanks for the great comments, folks, we really appreciate it!
Scotty,
And I’m betting you put your socks on the wrong feet!
I have a friend in Eureka who just bought a nice 2002
Toyota pickup.He has a really nice,well cared for 1983 4WD
Toyota pickup that he’ll be selling.I told him that he’ll get top-
dollar when he decides to sell it.
If I didn’t have my ’94 Dakota 4WD,I’d be trying really
hard to buy it from him.
I bought the exact same truck but grey guts in San Jose/Santa Clara for $8200
stripped. Not even a radio. Sticker was 10.6K.
Took all day haggling and leaving the dealer 2 times.
I thought I did good for a 19 year old.
Then I got insurance!!! It cost more per month than the truck!
No surprise at all it has 280K. A regular occurrence for Toys.
There is one of these literally next door to me, garage-kept for 40 years, with original factory cap, SR5 graphics trim, and extended cab, under 100K miles–and to make it worse, he had a BRAND-NEW engine dropped in about ten years ago when a quick-oil-change place forgot to add the oil after draining and totaled his old motor–on their dime, of course.
He doesn’t do a thing except keep it in a garage. He’s hired me to do some small jobs like spark plugs (didn’t really need them) and shocks. It has antique insurance but not antique plates. I can’t convince him to take it to a classic car rally or show.
The owner tells me he’s afraid to take it out anymore because so many people come up to him and offer to buy it. I gave him what’s now his stock response: “You show up with $25,000 AND a new 4×4 truck, and MAYBE I’ll think about it!”
The ad was deleted so it’s gone. I had a yellow ’80 4×4 when I lived back east but I sold it when I moved to AZ due to rust issues along the bed welds and I bought a new white ’89. That one I wish I would’ve kept, especially considering the prices they can bring these days for ones that are in good shape like this one.
I knew that one wasn’t gonna last long. If I had the $$ and a place to keep it, it would have been me. 😉