So I already posted this but I think it was the wrong sub and I'm sure here is better so here's a copy paste of the last post:
hey people! i used to have a v6 91 4x4 pickup until some idiot decided that a stop sign didn't apply to him and tboned me after a month of owning that truck, moved on, but the toyota bug never went away, and so i wanna go back and get a new pick up, i found this really nice looking 82 for sale for 4700, its listed as:

body and frame are almost rust free except for the bed ( not too bad)
last owner supposedly had motor rebuilt ( has 226xxx miles on it)
4x4 works
3 inch body lift
has custom heavy duty bumpers
clean title and registered.
has ac but works whenever it feels like it.
missing tailgate
and comes with a new dash panel to install.

sounds like a sweet little truck, but i was wondering, what should i look for? what warning signs, engine noises, etc. and does the price sound right? I am new to these older trucks so i am wondering, i know the 22r is a beast of a reliable engine but still you never know with used vehicles!

anyway, thanks in advance for any help! and i cant wait to be part of the toyota family again

 

Here's the sale ad and pics.
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/4854483618.html

 

It's super clean, for sure. Personally I wouldn't pay 5K for an 82. Don't ever pay the full asking price. If you could get it for 3500 you'd be doing good I think. First gens are hard to find though. If you drive it and have to have it, get it. It's nice enough to hold its value.

Pull the valve cover. For $4700 I'm looking at the timing chain and if I can't I'm not buying it. Would you buy a $4700 lottery ticket?! Haha. Look at the knuckles and see if they have fluid seeping. Check everything for leaks actually. And please haggle. Don't get excited until you have the keys. It's hard but you have to keep your poker face on. Good luck.

 

For one thing it needs a battery hold down.
ask him what electrical item it is missing on the passenger side fenderwell- big green connection that is unhooked

Do the usual compression check, fluid checks etc

 

Definitely not the worst one i have seen? Do Toyota (1st gen) trucks really go for that much more when you leave the NorthWest? Where do prices fluctuate the most.

If you want a 1st gen and have $5,000 to blow, be patient and you could land yourself a unique or low miles one.

I would expect to get just over $5000 for mine, and it is pretty built.

The one in the ad looks like it might have been repainted, especially the drivers rear. All in all, i would say that it is not much better than the others out there, and depending on your future plans (Build it, restore it, just drive it) you would be better off searching for a bit longer.

 

I bougth a 1980 4X4 w/20R running, no A/C everything works, very little rust except the bed had some pitting w/147K miles in South Georgia for $1000. $4700 sounds high to me.

 

Thing is here in the Houston area at least I have never seen any pickup 4x4 for under 3 grand and the 3 grand ones are the less desirable ones with auto and v6 engines. I talked to the guy and he said he'd go down to 4k but reading y'all opinions still feels like a lot.

 

ultimately, it's your money and your time. I will tell you that these first gen trucks are almost bulletproof. I am a mechanic and was amazed at the amount of technology in my 1980. Fully boxed frame, four piston front brake calipers, double roller timing chain and gears and windage trays in the valve cover and oil pan to make sure oil returns to the the oil pump no matter what steep angles you may be traversing. I think you would have to have it on its top to keep oil from getting back to the the pump. So in the end, its your decision as to is it woth it or not.

 

It is all relative, I think it is worth 4000$ plenty, but here we have so much rust problems this truck would be worth almost double.

 

"Supposed motor rebuild" is as good as no rebuild, if there's no documentation. Look the engine over real close. If you aren't mechanically inclined...then hopefully you're willing to become that way, or spend money on mechanics.

Awesome, bulletproof trucks they are. But they're 30 years old, with 30 year old technology. It's not going to be like owning an old VW or something, but there will be constant tinkering to do, little things to fix and troubleshoot. If you don't do (and enjoy) the work yourself, it's going to be an expensive truck.

Value is what they go for in your area. That's real high in Montana, but maybe not where you are. If it's worth it to you, it's worth it.

Check the frame for rust. Check the floor pan under the clutch and other pedals and see how big the hole is through it.

Oil leaks. Overall cleanliness of the engine. Leaking steering knuckles like someone already said. To get the front knuckles to stop leaking, once they start (and they WILL start), is basically a $600 job, if you pay someone to do it. It's basically a rebuild of the front. Seals, shims, bearings, a lot of labor. Not like replacing rear axle seals.

Listen to, and feel the tranny. They weren't the best transmission Toyota ever made.

It is a nice truck, which has definitely been painted, had interior upgrades (new seats, door panels, speakers, console), the paint on the valve cover lends a little more weight to the rebuild claim, cool upgraded front and rear bumpers, some air filter housing mod going on.

I'm going to say the truck was blue, originally. Paint is not professional but not bad. As long as it's not hiding rust, who cares.

So...if everything checks out, it looks like a good truck which wouldn't go for that much money around here, but it's not astronomical, and if it has a rebuilt engine and only as much rust as he claims, it's probably ok if you're willing to pay that much.

It looks like it was well treated and upgraded and loved.

 

Actually those could be stock bucket seats. My 83 had the split bench style so I don't know the first gen buckets too well. Those are probably actually stock.

 

Also it's either parked on a slant, or it sits crooked on its suspension. Easy to find out which if you go see it in person.

 

I'll chime in too. I learned my "rebuilt" engine was definitely not rebuilt when it broke a ring a month later. I didn't pay a terrible premium for it as there was no paper work but I should have paid less. In Oregon they go from 2k at the lowest to generally around 3k. I hear of people picking up trucks in Tennessee for like 500 bucks but that just isn't the market here. 4k does sound high to me but I don't know your area and these trucks do retain their value. That one does look pretty clean but a painted valve cover doesn't mean ˟˟˟˟.

 

Those are stock bucket seats...its no show queen, has its bumps and bruises, high miles, no tailgate.. etc.....my opinion $3500. would be fair to you and the seller...