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Survivor Short Bed: 1982 Toyota Truck 4×4

Before anyone says it: yes Toyotas can be classics! FJ40s and pickups are highly sought after and hold their value, much like most other Toyota products. Toyota has a long history of making reliable and affordable cars and trucks, and although their pickups have always been small, Toyotas are known for being tough. This 1982 Toyota pickup is an almost all original survivor, which is quite rare. Though the older Toyota trucks and FJ40s run forever, they were not known for their resistance to rust. This one is rust free! Find it here on eBay in Florida with a reasonable asking price of $10,500.

The engine is the well-known Toyota 22R four-cylinder. This is the original engine. With proper maintenance, a 22R can usually outlast the vehicle it is in. I’ve been an American car and truck enthusiast all of my life, but I can’t do anything but respect old Toyota trucks! At 140,000 miles, this truck has been taken care of and it shows. The engine runs and the truck drives, ready to hit the road. It has seen indoor barn storage most (if not all) of its life. The engine bay is as original as something of this vintage with that many miles on it can be, but it has some new parts including a new carb, fluids, fuel pump, gas tank, and starter.

Though there are not any great angles of the interior, it is clear that it is clean and in excellent condition. This truck has surely seen a lot of use, but likely no abuse. Even the factory rubber flooring is intact! The color scheme isn’t exactly eye-catching, but it is very Toyota and very 1980s. It also has factory air conditioning! These trucks have quite a following and are much more uncommon than the FJ40. It is truly remarkable how nice and original this Toyota is, and with prices on these trucks rising it will surely bring the seller’s asking price.

I have seen Toyota trucks like this before, but never one this nice that has not been restored. They were built for work and abuse, and that is what most of them did until they could not do it anymore. When looking for a Toyota truck of this vintage, you are likely to find either a project or a nicely restored truck. A survivor that is mostly original is something out of the ordinary, and although this truck isn’t perfect it is likely one of the nicest examples of an original truck out there. Would you restore this Toyota? Or drive it as it is?

Comments

  1. Avatar healeydays

    At 140,000 miles, this truck is overpriced at $10,500.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Rx7turboII

      It’s a Good thing the seller has offered that nice little option of MAKE AN OFFER then. You get to tell the seller what you think his truck is worth to you….

      Like 0
    • Avatar Jereme

      Where do I find rims like this ?

      Like 0
  2. Avatar PAPERBKWRITER

    Typical Toyota with no back bumper. I have a spotless ’93 and replaced the rear bumper twice. My daily driver, I get asked all the time if I want to sell it. (bought it new) 22R engine is bullet proof.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Howard A Member

      Hi PAPERBKWRITER, I believe these were shipped without rear bumpers. I had an ’84 bought new,( not by me) that had no bumper.

      Like 0
      • Avatar WestCoastRay

        I had an 83 I drove all through the 80s and 90s, I had an aftermarket rear bumper because they weren’t sold with rear bumpers.

        Like 0
      • Avatar boxdin

        Standard practice for all new trucks to come from factory w no rear bumper so buyer can choose one to suit his needs, or not.
        I bought two of these new, an 81 and an 83. By then the cab was too small for me and my two boys. Seems to me toyotas of this era were far better then todays toyota.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Howard A Member

        Hi boxdin, I wonder how they got around that bumper thing. You’d think by this time, where US bumpers went, the feds would allow this. Must have been some literal “truck” meaning snafu.

        Like 0
      • Avatar boxdin

        Most of the bumper laws you refer to apply to cars only. Trucks are a different set of rules & laws. I know the F100 is the largest selling vehicle but many buyers are business use from hauling hay & livestock or boxes heavy enough to need a lift gate. So w so many needs buyers specify the bumper they want during the sale. Haven’t you been to a ford dealer and seen a showrooom display of bumpers on a rack? Chrome, black, hitch or not, step or not, liftgate, many diff choices. Dealers run sales on cheap trucks w few options sometimes and sometimes I’ll see a truck w no bumper and think; What a cheapskate wouldn’t even buy a bumper… LOL

        Like 0
      • Avatar Howard A Member

        The only time I was at a Ford dealer, was to deliver auto paint to the body shop. My ex-BIL bought the ’84 I had brand new. He walked into a Toyota dealer, and said, “I want the cheapest truck you have,,,no options”. It took him 3 different dealers in order to get one.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Steve M

        The reason for no rear bumper was an import tariff on small trucks back then, they were not complete vehicles without the bumper. I bought a new one in ’95 and was FORCED by the dealer to buy a bumper. I currently have a couple Ford Transit Connect service vans, they are the same thing, they all come into the states from i believe Turkey with a rear seat and seat belts so that they are a passenger van. The seats are ripped out at the port and thrown in the trash, but if you want the seat and belts its an extra $$ option from the dealer.

        Like 0
      • Avatar American_Badaz

        I bought a new 1995.5 Tacoma when they first came out. It did not come with a rear bumper. I am not sure when they became standard, but I am thinking it was several years later. (I was a Toyota tech through the 90’s and into the early 00’s.)

        Like 0
  3. Avatar Phil

    Someone better buy and pick it up before Irma hits…..

    Like 0
    • Avatar steve smoot

      I was just thinking the same thing. That would be sad.

      Like 0
  4. Avatar dirtyharry

    10,500? Did I read that correctly? I better take economics over again. Yes, a nice little truck, but that’s what it is, a little truck. No, they don’t run forever either.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Jimmy Holt

    A friend has one that is also all original. Has no interest in selling it, is almost as nice as that one. Hers is white and has a camper shell with a carpet kit in back.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Bill T

    I know it’s hard to believe, and I would not even believe it myself, but… I know several people in this area who will pay (almost) this much for a Toyota this ‘rust free’. If it were black and had a few more bells and whistles.. it would sell for more. Why? In this area a truck like this would last MAYBE 8 years before the “rust worm” took it to junk yard, and there are a lot of people here who “wish” they could have “the 80’s back”.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Howard A Member

    While I never in a million years thought these would bring this kind of money, that’s what it will take to buy one of the most dependable, useful small pickups ever. These trucks changed everything. This was the truck to have in the early 80’s, and many of my friends, construction workers, mostly had these. At a recent auction, Amelia Island, I think, one of these came through ( no, I wasn’t there, I wish) a 1990 like this, in brand new condition, a seemingly 1st for Amelia, sold for a whopping $16,500!!! Ultimately, the same old thing, most, being 4×4’s were driven in the winter, and ended up like this. Super find.
    http://c8.alamy.com/comp/BEN087/old-rusty-junky-toyota-pickup-truck-BEN087.jpg

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Peter K

    after this weekend the owner may have to use it just to negotiate his neighborhood if Hurricane Irma has its way and devastates the Florida peninsula .

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Peter K

    after this weekend the owner may have to use it just to negotiate his neighborhood if Hurricane Irma has its way and devastates the Florida peninsula .

    Like 0
  10. Avatar dirk sichveland

    I bought a brand new Toyota 4×4 in 82, sold it in 85. Last year, 2016, I saw it for sale and bought it back. True story !

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Bubba5

    Imported as cab and chassis (farm vehicle) to circumvent federal safety standards. The non-collapsible steering column in a front end collision would come thru the center of the steering wheel and stab you like a moth on a 3 a graders science display. Once the US figured this out and forced Toyota to change the design, tens of thousands with the cheaper old column were sold in third world countries.

    Like 1
  12. Avatar JW

    Brother inlaw had one of these with the 22R motor, he drove it until the body completely rusted away then pulled the motor to put in a boat he was building, he’s a carpenter by trade. Haven’t seen him in years I always wondered if he got the boat finished and how that motor worked out in the boat.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Ken Kittleson

    I bought a new ’82 Toyota 2wd pickup in that same shade of blah tan, sticker price was $6200 as I recall, drove it for 15 years and 180k miles, the 22R and 5spd were going strong when I sold it to a college kid in ’97.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar KevinR

    Having owned a few vehicles that spent time on one Florida coast or the other, I would have to see better underside shots before I believe it is really rust free. My experiences have proved otherwise.

    It doesn’t matter; the truck has already sold.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Bob

    I thought cars in Florida rusted from the top down,whereas here in New England, they rust from the bottom up.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Jubjub

    Nice looking but appears to have been “touched up” in all of the usual rust out areas. These ’79-83s really were the coolest of the Toyotas.

    Like 0
  17. Avatar BMW4RunninTundra

    Been there, done that, owned a bunch of Toyota’s!!!! While impressed by the ask, not entirely surprised!! It is sold. I would be willing to bet that he got ask or extremely close to. As Jubjub said, it has been touched up, A LOT! And in almost all the “rust prone” areas. Still, if I could, I would!!! There is a gentleman up here in the mountains, that has this trucks twin, but it has what I’m going to call SR5 striping on it and front bumper with winch built in. It is in actually better condition than this one!!!! He said he has been offered well over 10K and respectfully declined it. The “20 series” engines were bullet proof!!! Even with fools who chose to drive them (no/barely any maintenance) until they dropped!!! They still “dropped” a lot later than most anything else in its class.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar Steve

    We still have the family 1980 SR5 4×4 long bed in red…it’s mine now that my dad has passed. Purchased from Pomona Toyota East of Los Angeles that summer, it has survived the rust worm due to our dry climate. It seems like yesterday we were sitting in the dealer hammering out a deal. As a teenager, I think I was responsible for putting the bug in his ear to get one. I wanted a short bed(they look better), but he was more practical. A bit worse for wear, with some bumps and bruises she is still solid with a few spots of rust on the tailgate. He wanted to sell it many times, I told him I’d never talk to him if he did ;-)

    It’s been on the Avocado farm for the last 20+ years and needs a few things to make her right. About the only thing dad ever had problems with was the exhaust manifold…think he went through about 3 of them as they continued to leak. She’s been sitting for a long time (thankfully inside) and needs a carb rebuild too. Being a CA truck, the early 80’s emission setup is a total nightmare. There must be 50 separate vacuum lines going to every conceivable type of smog contraption.

    I’ve been collecting NOS parts for a future resto, until then I’ll get her running and drive her. She might be gutless and maybe dangerous but is priceless to me. I hope to pass it on to the kids someday.

    It looked just like this the day we brought it home.

    Like 2
  19. Avatar JohnD

    You have a real gem there. I lived in California from 84-91, these were literally everywhere. Toyota really made their reputation with these and the next two generations of Hilux. Enjoy bringing yours back to life!

    Like 1

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