I'm not new to toyotas but am to the pre 80s models. I found a 1978 hilux long bed last night on CL and am considering buying it to DD and replace a 2001 Corolla I have. I'm looking at it tomorrow morning: toyota pickup He's asking 2500 for it. Says he only had it 5months and needs money to help his mom who's sick, he's also in college. Said it was sitting a few years before he got it. needs alternator, tie rods, maybe aradiator flush, AC doesn't blow cold but works, and fuel gauge not working. Said it smogged no problem which is my main concern aside from just running real good. It looks clean to me and better than most I've seen for sale in the past. Guy might even be willing to trade for the Corolla straight up. 2500 is about max I could pull for that car I think. It caught my eye because it looks like the pizza planet truck! I'd much rather drive a bare bones rock solid pickup than my rolla. Might also sell my 93 4wd extra cab because I only use it as a truck anymore (have a 100-series cruiser for 4wd). I like the idea of going from 4 vehicles to 3 also, but just want to make sure the truck is a good idea. What do you all think about this truck?
I think it looks pretty clean! I would say its priced a "little high", but the overall condition/what he says has been done to it, make it seem like a fair price. I think the mileage selling point kind of goes out the window at some point, considering how fast a vehicle degrades when it sits, IF 38k is the actual mileage... Looks like the smog is about to go out the window in a couple days, but the good news is that it passed and that it has a decent smog history: License plate # 1L86730 Vehicle Test History Bookmark the site, if you didn't know about it....I check CL cars all the time, bunch of BS'ers! lol I don't know what condition your rolla is in, but that could be a good trade. I'm actually thinking about picking up a rolla, just so i can finally put my truck down for a much needed overhaul....DD on these cali roads are rough!
2500 sounds like a typical price for these damn trucks now. Not sure if youre looking for a in depth project, but theres a '73 for sale on crraigslist in Los Angeles(if youre in cali)
Thanks for that website. Didn't know you could do that. Think I should be concerned about those last two tests where it fails, then passing? Smog is a big concern for me in CA and ideally I wanted a 75 or older to avoid it and maybe make an engine swap easy down the road. Price seems on par with what I've seen. Actually, there's been a few I saw in SoCal that look clean, but all the nice ones are well over $3-4k it seems. I've been looking a little while and this is the first that's caught my interest really. I like the original paint without any obvious damage or rust. I'd consider it the pizza planet truck! My Corolla is a 2001 Corolla S. Has about 217k I think. Still runs ok, but has the typical oil burn the year has. Starting to make a lot more sounds with age and misc stuff showing age too - faded upholstery in back, brittle plastics like door surrounds (?), driver side windows don't like to go up sometimes, has a warped front pass rotor thanks to the tire shop (small shake at 65-70mph only). I still drive it regularly about 250 miles a week and it gets average 36-37 mpgs, woohoo. I'd consider it a beater these days but stills decent and drives decent. Might be lucky to get $2500 for it. What's funny is tonight when we came home there was a note on the front door asking if I wanted to sell either my 93 xcab 4wd on 33s or my 01 Corolla. What timing! Haha. I also own a 2002 land cruiser and a 2013 Prius. Hoping to downsize to 3 cars so the truck would replace the Corolla and my 4wd. 4wd only gets used as a truck these days since cant take my wife and son in car seat.
I wouldn't b concerned with the fails... my truck has been failed for visual soo many times for stupid stuff!
Went and saw it. It needs a bit of investment. Not sure if it's what I want. Ideally will pay a little more for a truck that's currently operational and is ready to jump in and restore as you drive it. I also kinda want the short bed, AC if I can have it, and possibly pre-smog. I know it's a lot to ask, but I wanna enjoy it. Wouldn't start for us - says he went to start it one day and it wouldn't. That was 2 weeks ago. Battery was very low and we couldn't jump it. Told him he should take battery to get charged since its newer. Could be related to the alternator, the janky stereo addition screwed to under dash, or the partial ground wire I saw down under battery (went down to a "y" and one leg was partial sever - to the starter?). Guy did call me back a bit ago and said he got it charged and started up again. Maybe I'll go see it run, but still hesitate. Aside from that it needs a radiator flush or new, and new overflow tank. Someone did replace carb and vacuum lines at some point. Also saw new clutch master cyl and it had a 5spd swapped - torch'd hole cut further back. Gas gauge no worky, so fuel sender unit. Accel pedal pad missing. Dash had added hole under Toyota label and pad was missing. Needs all new rubber trim and gaskets. Glass looked great but seals bad. Body looked good for the age, only light surface rust in bed and undercarriage. Likely stored under a shelter. Some dents in cab roof from something, not too bad. Hood a few dents on top - maybe a tree fell on it. Mustang wheels he said are causing tie rod issues, so replace - maybe because of the extra width and 40yr old parts. Said it was a farm truck that was never registered. At some point some guy got it eventually and wanted to restore for a young driver who didn't want it. then sold it to the kid selling it. Think he just bit off more than he can chew. He's a young college student. I dunno. I saw a few other trucks out of my area while thinking it over. Might be better investment for me to buy something that's gotten more attention and already is a driver. Kinda want a sportier short bed and AC because of California summers. Pre smog would be even better. Then maybe slowly do something like that inspirational Polished TuRD I just read through.
Be choosey if you plan on living with it for a while You Don't want to get too far into a project and say, "Damn, I shoulda got one with..." In my case its A/C It can be added, BUT its one more thing, eating up that much more time and money and causing misery every scorching day that I don't have it, lol.
Yeah I'm gonna pass on this one. Started looking again and found some much nicer trucks for same price. I'm willing to pay a good amt too. Heck, I saw the ad for the beautiful red polished turd in Phoenix and would be interested. I don't think the price is ridiculous but it's a 78 and he took all the smog stuff off, so no good for CA. I'll keep looking for the one I want to drive around.
