I am not new to Toyota's but have been out of touch for some time. I am trying to determine the worth of a 1989 4 cylinder 5spd 4X4 ExCab truck. The body and frame are in great shape for it's age with no signs of rust or rot. It has it's original paint and the interior is in decent shape. The engine was replaced with one that has 65K on the clock and prior to install, all seals and gaskets were replaced. There is no evidence of abuse other than your standard nicks and small dents. I have tried the classifieds and other sites but they just don't seem to be for sale so it's hard to come up with a value. The seller is asking $4250 which seems high, but i'm in Hawaii and we pay a premium for everything especially Toyota's. Let me know what you think.

 

could try and talk him down to maybe 3500 and see what he says. It sounds like a solid truck.

 

How many actual miles are on the truck? the price is about what you'd pay for one like that here in excellent condition, (which it sounds like that one is).
That model truck is very popular since it is the last of the made in Japan trucks you can get here.

 

I do appreciate the input. The seller is pretty firm on the price and the odometer shows 163k. I am actually surprised at the lack of rust considering it has been surrounded by the Pacific Ocean for all of it life. Are there any major problems that I should be aware of for those early 3rd generations trucks?

 

I think that would be a fair price (in the northwest anyways), as long at it's in good shape. Mine was almost perfect when I got it, and I paid more than I should have, but would have still paid more for a 4 cyl in the same shape

those miles aren't bad at all, so i wouldn't think that would detract from the price. How does he know that the new(er) engine had 65k on it? Does he have any way of proving that? Maybe a receipt from the shop that did the work?

I've heard that decent used Toyotas aren't that easy to come by out there, so you might just want to try and talk him down a little, but don't walk away over a $100, just make sure that you take it for a good test drive and look it over really well. If the owner will let you take it to a (trusted) mechanic for a look over, that's never a bad idea either

I'm not sure as to the "earlier" 3rd gens, but as with any 22-RE, keep an eye (ear actually) on the timing chain, it's not too hard to fix yourself anyways, just be aware of it. I've heard that the headgaskets aren't that great (I never had one go). Other than that, it's good old 22-RE reliability. Do a tune up, get it timed right, and take care of it, it'll last you a while.

Oh, and there was a steering rod recall for these trucks within the last few years, if it's not done it's not a big deal, the dealer does them for free

 

www.kbb.com

www.nada.com

 

With those miles I'd jump all over it at the price, just amke sure you take it to a mechanic for a check first. The timing chain is about to come due for replacement (you should do them every 120K or so) but if it is a low mileage motor as the owner claims then no worries really, just find out what the mileage was when it was installed and go from there. Never herad of an HG problem with these engines though if you were to put a turbo on it that would be a diff. story some folks over boosted them ansd the HGs failed then.