Hello guys and gals. Im a newbie here so this maybe in the wrong section and I apologize if it is. Im in search of some advice about purchasing a 1986 Pickup. Im currently living in Kauai and am leaving next week to go back home to Indiana. I am currently at a fork in the road with what option to choose Option 1: Fly home. While this is the easiest option it is defiantly the least interesting of the two. Option 2: Buy a Toyota and drive it back home while stopping to see friends,family, and maybe a little offloading. I have found a truck I'm interested in but am hesitant because of its age. Ill be using it as a daily driver when i get back too. Im not worried about it breaking just worried ill be wanting something newer. I could afford a newer tacoma 08-10 but don't know if i want to deal with car payments. Plus the truck has almost everything i would end up doing to another truck anyway. Im young, 23 ,so part of me says go for it, but the other part says get something thats a better daily and that is more "Professional or mature" ? So any one with any input or advice would be great. Also i would eventually be using it of a camping / overland rig in the future. Here is the Craigslist ad.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/5788175616.html

 

If you want it, you should buy it. Personally I would say buy a truck and enjoy it now. In 1-2 years assess your life and if you can allow it, buy a 2nd car or trade up toward a newer Tacoma or whatever is more presentable to perhaps show up at a woman's parent's house in

Owner seems fairly knowledgeable and has provided significantly more info than your typical CL vehicle ad. You can tell it was his baby and I wouldn't be surprised if he knows about YotaTech. I would be more prone to trusting his opinion vs a vehicle the PO knew little or cared very little about, especially knowing you'll be travelling across country in it. Toyota pickups are pretty darn reliable and usually can be rigged in case of emergency to limp home.

Had a graduate student this past year who was in a similar position to you - young college student looking for a truck; I suggested he look for an older Toyota pickup that fit his budget. He went and bought an 82 Toyota 2wd longbed pickup w/22r. The PO seemed to take at least some care of it and it was a pretty solid truck despite showing its 34yrs of age. Only issues I think was his pitman arm fell apart one time while parking (manual steering and worn parts) and he had a hose or belt or something bust on him while on a short road trip. Anyways, what I'm getting at is when he graduated in June, he drove that truck from CA to Philly and that 34yr old truck handled it like a champ with zero issues.

 

BUY IT!

Could just be that I always work on my own stuff and I like my old stuff because it is much simpler than new vehicles so little break downs don't scare me. I am also 23 just got out of school and I am working on my 1991 pickup and plan on doing what highonpottery said, in a couple years buy a second vehicle that is more "professional" but right now its just about having fun.

Side note I'm crazy jealous you'll get to road trip with it, something I wish I had planned for after college, having funds to take some time and travel across the country and see what all is out there.

 

You don`t mention if your mechanically inclined any vehicle needs maintenance if you need to be paying shop labor and parts for most things a older vehicle is going to get expensive very fast.

If you can figure out most things mechanical then go for it

It depends no payment is nice but not when the repair costs are double what a payment can be for quite a few months .

Things can go any way even a 3 year old truck can be a garage queen.

I do think $6000.00 is quite expensive what we have here is a person who really does not want to sell there truck but put the ad up to keep domestic peace .

Best of luck deciding what to do.

 

hahahahahha - sounds like what I'll be going through later when I likely have to list mine

 

I would consider myself to be fairly mechanically inclined.Ive been doing work on my own cars since high school. Unfortunately someone may have already beaten me to the truck.I will find out tomorrow.In the mean time the search continues, and hopefully something shows up because I am running out of days.

 

I'm a poor source of advice on driving a "professional and presentable" vehicle, I'll be 44 in Dec. I drive my dream rig so really don't care. I drove mine from NC to Wa. I'm currently plagued with axle seals leaking but front is 31 years old and rear was 30. Seals are/we're leaking from where they have worn ridges on contact surface. Been a bit more than I wanted to spend and sourcing parts here means ordering and shipping. So what I'm getting at is maintenance on a 30 year old vehicle may be more than a newer one. I don't mind but a bit of an inconvenience at times.

 

If I where you, I would buy it. If I had this fork in the road I would go full force with the longer and more interesting trip. It's a good way to learn more about the truck, drive and experience some road / surroundings. If it's in the budget.....do it!
If you do. Please tell us about it.

 

i would fly into san diego and buy this to drive home: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyot...ack-hilux.html

although it would a sacrilege to subject it to the rust belt winters :-(