This is real pain to find a Toyota Hilux 1984-1994 in good condition in LA without paying $2000-4000 bucks for regular edition not even 4x4 version, Spanish people like them so much they asking fortune for them.

Every number i call in Los Angeles for this truck seller speak Spanish and he don't want a penny less for it no matter if dash not working, needs new tires or whatever else i point out that is wrong with it.

Another thing as soon as there's one with decent price like $1000 bucks it will go same day they like in a gold rush for this trucks!

Do average white / black people also think this trucks are so reliable or just treat it as any old truck with regular price tag (i mean regular basic non 4x4 edition, and not custom 4x4 editions clearly owned by reach white off-road enthusiasts that going for $5000+).

Will it basic version cost less in other states/cities around US that has little Spanish population?

Noticed that outside of Los Angeles metro area prices are way lower even though its sold by Spanish people also, however i currently have no car and cannot travel to somewhere where buses/trains don't go, so my option is another large city other than LA.

I was thinking maybe i need to go to Oregon, Nevada, Arizona or Utah to buy it?

 

I don't agree with your statements of race being involved with used car prices, but simply put -- "you gotta pay to play"

I see trucks priced all over the board here in CA, but the standard is to see them priced higher than blue book as you're seeing. This is a competitive market, used Toyota pickups are VERY well known for reliability and near indestructibility and because of this they almost have a cult following. It's not the seller's job to cater to buyers and make the prices affordable for a quick sale. Personally I always price high and wait for someone who "deserves" my vehicle, not just someone with the cash

For both my used Toyota pickups and my Land Cruiser I pretty much had to play the waiting game for a decent candidate to show up for sale, then basically pounce before someone else could snatch them up. My Cruiser I looked every day for 3 months and bought one the same day it was listed for sale. My 1993 I looked for a solid 6 months and ended up only finding the one I wanted after posting a wanted ad. My 1975 I responded the day after it was posted for sale and only got the truck because I got in line first and had cash in-hand -- he had 2 separate calls while we were test driving, 1 buyer was willing to drive 200+ miles for it. OTOH my neighbor across the street had his 2wd Toyota pickup listed for sale for like 6 weeks because nobody responded (earlier this year), it sold for like $2700 and it was pretty clean with only like 90k on it.

Keep at it, you'll find your truck.

 

Actually, OP may have a point. If you look around at the many Hispanic gardeners, they are usually driving old Toyotas and Nissans (not as much) mini-trucks. I am constantly getting cards stuck under my wiper blade asking if I want to sell my truck, mostly from people with Hispanic names. Maybe that is what OP should do...

At any rate, I am seeing more gardeners driving the first gen Tundras lately so I think the supply of cheap, used Toyota mini trucks is drying up.

 

Everyone seems to want a premium for these trucks. I mean shit ive seen one with a lot of body damage and a blown head gasket and the guy still wanted 2500.

 

Here's the pain i am going trough i am a hobby mechanic i always buy a car that is like under $1000 as long as body in good shape then i fix what needs to be done myself for cheap and i have reliable car that looks great then sells great without much investment if i have to. In this case though i am planning to keep the truck however, i cannot afford that paying $1500-2000+ for a car that is all dented, rusted, hit, has mismatching body panels then who knows how good it is mechanically, i don't believe in BS stories about rebuild engines etc.

So MANY AD's on craigslist say engine rebuild like couple hundred/thousand miles ago or some bull shit like this who is going to rebuild engine before selling car like pay $1000-2000 for it, what they did is went to junk yard bought engine for $300 with warranty swapped it tested and now selling it like brand new, i am so tired of this heresy, like everyone who sells this car truck is a freaking pro car flipper or something. Which is actually explainable i can low ball fools or girls witch regular cars who thinks its nightmare to have one dent or dead transmission whatever however they are people of "low hustling experience" they don't sell/buy/trade stuff as much like people who is actually drive pickup trucks they mostly not that rich, but more street smart people and they all firm on their price even though its sky high.

Actually i gave up on hilux today and went to buy any pickup truck and found same problem.

Pickup trucks are considered to be a "money making machine" or smth even Ford Ranger/Dodge Dakota or any pickup truck that don't have blown head gasket cost maybe couple hundred ($300-500) less than Toyota hilux so i guess its just trucks in general that are pain to buy!

My last car was 1999 coupe that was $200 then another $200 to have it running and its killing me to invest $2000 in a car after that!

I mean i could buy a broken engine and fix it however that's the actual reason i am buying a pickup truck so i don't have to pay anyone to deliver engine from junk yard to the shop so i cannot buy one that does not run it has to be reliable out of the box, its like what comes first chicken or the egg, i cannot decide.
I cannot rent a u-haul because i have no bank account and low credit so i have to pay someone to drive my shit around from junk yard and to machine shop and anywhere else i need to go that's why i cannot get a bad truck now.

Thinking of buying some crappy minivan and use it instead of pickup for now but registration and smog checks in CA keeps me from doing it.

Here's the pain i am going trough i am a hobby mechanic i always buy a car that is like under $1000 as long as body in good shape then i fix what needs to be done myself for cheap and i have reliable car that looks great then sells great without much investment if i have to. In this case though i am planning to keep the truck however, i cannot afford that fucking price its killing me to pay $1500+ for a car that is all dented, rusted, hit, has mismatching body panels then who knows how good it is mechanically, i dont believe in BS stories about rebuild engines etc.



So MANY AD's on craigslist say engine rebuild like couple hundred/thousand miles ago or some bull shit like this who is going to rebuild engine before selling car like pay $1000-2000 for it, what they did is went to junk yard bought engine for $300 with warranty swapped it tested and now selling it like brand new, i am so tired of this heresy, like everyone who sells this car truck is a freaking pro car flipper or something. Which is actually explainable i can low ball fools or girls witch regular cars who thinks its nightmare to have one dent or dead transmission whatever however they are people of "low hustling experience" they don't sell/buy/trade stuff as much like people who is actually drive pickup trucks they mostly not that rich, but more street smart people and they all firm on their price even though its sky high.


Actually i gave up on hilux today and went to buy any pickup truck and found same problem.



Pickup trucks are considered to be a "money making machine" or smth even Ford Ranger/Dodge Dakota or any pickup truck that don't have blown head gasket cost maybe couple hundred ($300-500) less than Toyota hilux so i guess its just trucks in general that are pain to buy!


My last car was 1999 coupe that was $200 then another $200 to have it running and its killing me to just pay $2000 for car then who knows how much more have to be invested all just to have a frigging pickup bed on, its not like i need it that bad, but i was planning buying it for a while so don't want to step back anymore.

I mean i could buy a broken engine and fix it however that's the actual reason i am buying a pickup truck so i don't have to pay anyone to deliver engine from junk yard to the shop so i cannot buy one that does not run it has to be reliable out of the box, its like what comes first chicken or the egg, i cannot decide.

I cannot rent a u-haul because i have no bank account and low credit so i have to pay someone to drive my shit around from junk yard and to machine shop and anywhere else i need to go that's why i cannot get a bad truck now.



Thinking of buying some crappy minivan and use it instead of pickup for now but registration and smog checks in CA keeps me from doing it.

Not being a racial here, but also there's one other thing that stresses the hell out of me 60% of ads in LA are written in Spanish no english, no point to text/call, cannot offer them less because they speak no English.

I know for a fact if i was recycling cardboard/metal scrap or doing small deliveries or whatever else they using trucks for to make money there's no way in the world i would sold my truck because it was an asset, would only sell if it turn into expensive liability and no other way around.

 

Did you check this one out?

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/5610230134.html

 

^no smog and probably couldn't kill it even after draining all the oil and driving it.
Careful though, there's Spanish text in the ad....

 

Agreed. Our mexican enginuity can sometimes be scary lol. Especially when its older guys

 

looks legit!!

 

Yeah, but OP wanted to spend less than $1,000, like around $500...

 

Guna be tough finding one for less than a grand. I bought mine for 650 2 years ago and im still working on getting it on the street.

 

+1

 

Theres a 73 Hilux on CL in Sun Valley. Looks like it needs a good amount of work and theyre asking $2000