zerochance

Hello all,

I'm not sure if this is the place to post this but this is the newbie section. I have been looking around craigslist and I came upon this truck. I need opinions and thoughts and advices on purchaseing this truck. This will be my first car that I bought. I test drove it and it runs strong and I towed my boat with it as well and still ran very strong! There are some rusts on the wheel well but the two rear wheel well are in worse condition. The front two tires are a bit worn down but still have some thread about 1-2 cm. the rear tires are still good, the driver side bumper a little piece is missing. Inside the car looks a little bit dirty but a clean up could be done, the dash board and is good and the passenger side there are 3 cracks comming from the windshild to the passenger. I checked the oil, it was dark gold (Looks normal) and smelled fine. (No burnt smell). I talked to him and he said the lowest he can go is $2000 or he'd rather just keep it. Is it worth $2000? Awesome truck! I enjoyed riding it. Here's the post of the sale.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/cs...980902976.html

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

It does have fairly low miles for the age. Older toyotas tend to hold their value. In CA $2k is not bad since many will tend to hold value to their trucks because of known reliability. I wouldn't worry about the rust, if you truly want to keep the truck there are fiberglass options as well as junk yards for replacement. Seems all stock except for the tires for the most part - I'm guessing since its not listed, that the truck isn't even regeared for those larger tires, with proper low gearing for 33s (4.88gears) the truck will pull your trailer even better!

But, with rust as bad as it is on the bed, I would inspect the rest like a hawk - if it's gotten to the cab and frame then that could be the decision maker right there. Toyotas are abundant so I wouldn't jump on the first one, look at your options first. Id still try to get him down to $1800 or so if you can find some comparable rig and mention the flaws like rust and tires needed soon, then mention if be keeps it he still needs room for his kids Good luck!

zerochance

Thanks! I forgot to mention, the e-break does not work and he does park it in 1st gear. His cousin has offered him $1800 and he didn't take his offer. I doubt that he'll do $1800 to me. The engine is stock, and it is a fuel injected so it's also a plus!

zerochance

Opinions and advices needed!!!

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

i would look at the other trucks in your area as well but looking at your CL it seems like everything's a good distance away. there are some decent looking trucks, but dunno what your price range is since they are in the "normal" price range ($3-5k) for a good condition used toyota. honestly, to find that perfect toyota takes time to look through the classifieds daily and then jump on the first one you see. took me 6mo to find my truck.

as for the truck you're looking at, its really up to you. to me, the price looks good especially since it has low miles and a 22re. it's pretty much all stock except for the tires/wheels, rear bumper, and added CB/stereo. the only downfall is the rusty bed and ebrake. dashboards are notorious for cracking if parked outdoors in the sun for 20+yrs, not a simple fix but can be done. the e-brake isn't that much trouble as it's such a simple system you can easily rebuild it with new or junkyard parts. looking at the other trucks in the area it seems this truck is on par with them, maybe slightly better deal due to mileage. since all the trucks in your area seem to have rusty wheel wells, i would consider fiberglass bed sides as a replacement since junkyard ones are also rusted. if i were looking for a truck and saw this one for sale in my area, i'd probably be serious about buying it since you never see toyotas selling for that low unless it won't smog or has other issues. if you do get this toyota, try hitting up this guy: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/cs...921814580.html because it seems like he's got a few pickups and one of them might have a good bed on it to swap out.

good luck

SPARKS89

iTrader: (1)

Doesn't look bad. Rust is almost always going to be an issue with these trucks, but it's repairable. Check the undercarriage real good to see how bad it is. Also ask if you can do a compression test. I don't think 2k is unreasonable for that truck.

zerochance

highonpottery, sparks

Thanks for the help! I greatly apperciate the help. I have some photos on my iphone but I do not know how to post it up on this fourm using the phone. It has pictures of the engine and a closer look of the damages and tires. Also what other year models will fit this 1988 pickup model?
I'm leaning to getting this truck!

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

from your phone you'd have to use something like photobucket but it's much easier on a computer.

for parts interchangeability, any of the 85-88 trucks and 4runners will be able to swap parts for the majority of the body/interior. for engine parts, pretty much any rig that had a 22re in it up until 95. YotaTech is pretty good resource so if you have a question regarding what will fit, search here first and see, because these trucks are so popular it's likely someone's already done it.

zerochance

Here's some pictures.

zerochance

New photos are up! these are the one he sent me through text!

kdevine321

First of all, that engine is NOT a 22re!! Its the 6 cylinder 3z so right off the bat if the guy is telling you its a 22re he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. It didn't look at the CL post, only your photos. But regardless, the engine could be in good shape...or not. Do a compression test on it. Invest $50 in the tool and it will take you maybe an hour if you've never done it. If the cylinders are in spec and the front end seems solid, go for it.

zerochance

Oh, what type of engine is this then? Could it have been swaped out? I talked him down to $1900 actually so that's even a better price.

kdevine321

Its the 6 cylinder 3vz. The 22re is the 4 cylinder engine. I doubt its been swapped judging by the pics, but not 100%. Seems like the dude would tell you if its been swapped and the that would change the "original mileage" of the truck. I mean I'm not saying the 6cyl is bad, just not the 22re. If you're hauling a boat, the 6 is prob better. If you are new to buying cars, get a buddy or mechanic to look at it quickly, pull the spark plugs and see what they look like or indicate. There is plenty of info on the web and on yotatech on this subject. Ask when the last maintenance was done. When I bought my truck with the 22re, within 7 months it needed a new fuel pump which cost nearly as much as the truck since I hadn't got the confidence to do my own work yet. And if you're buying this, go ahead and buy yourself some tools to boot.

zerochance

Oh, I see. Thanks! does this engine use a lot of gas? When I tow my boat I use my brother's 2001 2door extra cab sr5 auto(Stock)? It's a nice truck! but Not sure what model it is but can it be a compared to each other besides that it's newer.

kdevine321

In general, it doesn't get the best MPG. Look on the forum here where people post their MPG for this engine. Ill take a wild guess and say you'll get 15-18 MPG highway and less if you're boating. But a lot of factors play into MPG...oxygen sensor, spark plug / plug wires / compression, all that stuff. If it has good compression the other things are EASY in comparison to fix. The compression test I would say is the single most telling test of the health of the engine. If two cylinder are more than 20% different, then you've got problems. Even if you get it done at a shop, they can probably do it for < $70 in an hour. Maybe negotiate this into the purchase...if it checks out OK, you pay for the test, if not make him pay...(For trying to sell you a truck with headgasket issues).

zerochance

Ahh, nice! I'm guessing any shop would do a compression test? Plus for an old truck it has low mileages. Is there a way for it to tell it's true mileage? I'm guessing carfax? And how do you know if it really runs on 4 wheels or not? (take it out to a mud puddle and floor it?)

kdevine321

Just lock'em out, put'er in 4wd and drive around the block. If you hear any major screeching or serious crunching that's not good. But you'll know if the front wheels are spinning.

SPARKS89

iTrader: (1)

Calm down ace. The craigslist ad says it's the 3.0 V6. The first mention of a 22re that I see comes from highonpottery's comment.

Do the compression test and look at the spark plugs. That will tell you more than anything about the engine. As far as everything else, check the fluids for color and to see if there are any leaks anywhere. Also check for torn boots on tie rod ends and ball joints. Most of all just drive it. If you've got a good feeling about it then go with your gut and buy the thing.

zerochance

I've been reading about the 3VZE. It seems like people prefer the 22re or just jumping to the 3.4L. Also it seems like the 3VZE gets a lot of HG problems. This is a 88 pickup as well so it falls perfectly in this category. the 3VZE also get's bad mpg. I commute to work M-F about 20 miles one way. Hmmm... how do you "Lock them out"?

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

my bad on the 22re comment, what i meant to say is that regardless of 22re or 3vze that the rig is only a baby with only 120k. both engines are considered reliable as long as well cared for, both have proven to last several hundred thousand miles, yet both have their common failure points/issues. with the v6 you will be getting ~2mpg less than the 4cyl, so maybe 14-18mpg instead of 16-20mpg, which really isn't that bad - try driving a land cruiser that only gets 15hwy on a good day and likes premium still though, if the truck pulls your boat ok now, it would pull it even better if it had proper gearing for those larger than stock tires - but that's a future upgrade. actually, with being geared high right now you might be getting better than stock MPGs on the highway (not so much in-town though).

anyways, the comment about "locking em out" is in regards to locking the front hubs and putting it in 4wd to make sure everything works. you can test it on pavement, but it's not ideal due to the high traction surface - but for a quick test around the block you'll be fine. i wouldn't worry about the HG issues - seems hit or miss and as always you'll hear more about the failures than the positive comments.

truck still looks good though if you want it. either way, you could most likely drive this truck for a few years and sell it for the same price you paid...one of the awesome things about Toyotas holding their value (a non-running/serious issue Yota will usually be in the $1k range, a running/decent Yota will always be in the $2k range)