My 85 pickup has developed rusteopathy: fragile bones due to age and too much salt. I'm looking for a replacement (AB,Canada). I live way out of town, so I don't want a vehicle that won't let me drive to town because some sensor or other widget fails. With the 85, I felt confident that I could at least get it going so I could drive to town for new parts. So, what year did Toyota pickups add complications that are unlikely to be handled by a home mechanic (of limited experience)? Computers seem like the complication that I couldn't deal with. I assume that ABS, anti-skid, and other such complications are also hard to deal with in the middle of nowhere. Fuel injection seems reliable enough, so that's acceptable. I drive manual, so no need to mention automatic transmission complications.

Being able to use the same wheels as an 85 would be a bonus, since i could keep my existing tires and rims (snow season and not-snow season). With an extra set of rims, I could even get some tires for really-slippery-mud season. 4WD would be welcome on rare occasions, but I expect the extra complications and expense just aren't worth it, so I'll stick with 2WD.

Sad about the rusteopathy. The gravel road here is salted, and I don't have the ability to wash the truck easily in winter (no pressurized water, and below freezing for 1/2 the year). I'll have to do some rustproofing on my new truck.

 

after 2013