bbqfartz

Hello all-

I've been wanting to buy an old Toyota 4x4 for years now but haven't had the money saved up until recently. I've been looking around and scanning craigslist religiously for several months now and I think I've finally found one in my budget with all the specs I've been looking for. With that being said, I wanted to get y'alls opinion on what it's worth and if it sounds like a decent buy. So thanks in advance for reading this and taking the time to reply.

It's a 1985 xcab 4x4. 5 speed transmission with 22r fuel injected engine and straight axle front end. The body has 245k miles, and the engine was rebuilt around 100k...so roughly 145k on the engine. Truck runs really well, 4x4 works. It seems like the owner has taken pretty good care of the engine and undercarriage from the looks of things. There's a small oil leak coming from the valve cover but other than that the truck doesn't leak or eat any oil. It's got power windows, heated rear window, CD player, steering tilt and cruise control. Also comes with a camper top, heavy duty front winch bumper (winch not included), tool box, bed rails and mud tires.

Now for the cons..being an '85 the body has significant number of dents and dings. The passenger side panel above the front wheel has been replaced so is a different color than the rest of the truck. There is no tail gate and at some point the truck was backed into a tree so a portion of the bed is bent up really bad. Also, the owner was a game warden and removed the windshield sprayer things from the hood so that he could attach his blue lights to the hood..so those are missing.

Now I'm not big on aesthetics so I don't mind dents and dings or even a panel of a different color (which I believe would be relatively cheap to paint) but the missing tail gate and the bent bed do bother me. My other biggest concern would be the high miles. I understand that with a truck that's nearly as old as I am, to expect high miles. But I want to get y'alls opinion on whether or not it's a good idea to invest in a truck that old.

It will be my primary vehicle so I plan on using it to drive around town from time to time when the weather doesn't allow me to use my bike as well as for camping and fishing. Occasionally I'll want to drive a couple hours to visit my parents but other than that, I don't plan on putting too many miles on it.

The seller wants $3,000 firm and is selling it close to the Mississippi/Alabama boarder. Attached are the only photos I have. Please let me know what you think. Thanks again.


-Ben-





https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S...723ae415d7.jpg

smokinquack89

i don't wanna be the guy to tell you to buy or not that should be up to you...
but i will give you my experience ive had with my 85's and maybe things to look for and be aware of
First off i have 85 sr5 was 22re(efi)converted to 22r(carb)when i bought the truck.
3in lift 33's stock gear, when i bought truck had 196K on it running off 31/2 cylinders drove it till it blew about 3k later put in re man motor put 60k since.
Drove it 4 years of high school truck was a beast, i had the baddest truck at school went where everyone couldn't and pulled out more trucks than you could imagine....
straight axle means rough ride but reliability and durability
drove it for the first 3yrs no problems what ever then problems started occuring...
Im not going to lie i drove the living crap out of this truck but kept good maint of course
come to find out this truck is puzzle pieced together from several different trucks so that caused some problems trying to get parts from stealer ship.
i don't want to go into too much detail but here are some of the things i went through...
have had trouble with the brake calipers(lock up, pull to a side....
never had back brakes... well brakes never worked that great ever...
absolutely hated the carb always ran different, always having to adjust
front knuckles always leaked
2piece bed so rust was always an issue
5th gear went out in trans had to run in 4th til got used trans
transfer case when shifting to 4L then trying to shift back to 2H would get stuck in either 4L or in neutral position... would have to take out shifter and manually shift trans to 2H with screwdriver or something of that sort. put in used transfer case
rust in gas tank would cause carb to run like crap always having to take off and clean
went threw several fuel pumps and filters...(rust) one busted spraying gas allover under hood... talk about scary...
and the list goes on... currently the truck is parked having an issue with it but i can't figure it out and know one on here or any other forums can seem to find the answer either... but Do i feel like i got a bad 85 to start with... yes i do but aside from what its doing now... THESE ARE SOLID TRUCKS AND WILL LAST A LIFE TIME IF THEY ARE TAKEN CARE OF AND MAINTAINED WELL. Before its current condition i would trust it to drive to California an back to SC... why cuz i drove the crap out of the truck and its never left me stranded(although i fixed everything before it got too severe).
Don't forget the 85 i bought was rigged from hell, under the hood completely gutted and wires and vacuum hose everywhere all disconnected everything you can think of was by passed.... so i mean i knew what to expect when i bought...

Bottom line you find an original 85 that has everything on it, that seems to be in good shape and well maintained, no or little rust and if motor has been rebuilt(right) and taken care of should last 200k no problem probably even more. the one your looking at has no carb so you don't have to worrie bout that but still be aware of rust in gas.

i would say 2500-3000 is pretty fair depending on how good of condition...
but the problem with older toyotas is there liked by so many people and so many want them they will pay whatever is asked... and to be honest if you don't buy then someone will very soon... and here in SC i see trucks like that bought for like 4k no problem the people here use them for hunting trucks/play trucks/mud trucks you name it so as soon as one comes for sale on roadside or craigslist its normally sold in a day or two guaranteed... offer what you think is fair, don't over pay, and if you don't get another one will show up sooner or later!

DrSnow

iTrader: (4)

It's a fair price. Hard to get any better for less money. They are scarce.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

It is not too bad

warmonger88

I have an 84 that is a total hodge-podge of about a dozen other trucks. It doesn't sound too bad and I agree with DrSnow that it is a fair price. It also worth dropping a few bucks into because it may also pay off as a trade for another toyota you may want more, as these 85s are worth their weight in gold, giving you the upper hand in a trade. In my experience though, any yota that still turns over is worth owning.

bbqfartz

Thanks for your responses. I ended up getting the truck..the price seemed fair to me and as much as everyone raves about these old Toyota trucks I think it'll be worth it. Looking forward to it.