I am looking at buying an 87 Toyota 4x4 pickup. I want it to be a trail truck for the mountains and a spare vehicle for the family. It's in great shape. 203K miles ,manual, no rust. Has the 22r, its bone stock. Mechanically the truck is sound. What is this thing worth? He was asking $4200. I have him down to $3200 right now. He wont go any lower. It only books for $3200 high retail and $2700 average retail. I know Yota's usually bring high prices but is this about right?

 

A lot of it comes down to what they are going for in your local market.

In the PNW some people think their 3rd Gen x cabs are good and want $9k

 

Yeah, found a few early 90's pickups and they want $4500 and they are in worse shape than the 87. I just don't want to over pay way to much.

 

It is supply and demand as well just How bad you want this truck and how bad it needs to be sold.

While it looks in good shape there is always neglected areas that need to be brought up to speed.

If you can do the work yourself your good to go if you need to pay Labor it gets expensive

 

Yeah, I just want to know if I am crazy buying a 203k 87 Toyota pickup for $3000 that is bone stock no rust?

 

That seems to be a reasonable price for that truck & mileage. If you think its worth it, buy it. With any high mileage car you will be fixing things and having issues of some kind later on.

 

What should I look for when I see it? Does the 22r have a timing belt that needs to be replaced every so often?

 

22R has a Timing Chain. recommended interval is about 90k.
It is often overlooked. The problem with not replacing them is they can stretch over time and start grinding away at the timing chain cover and causing an oil leak.

Do the usual tests- compression test to make sure all your cylinders are good to go, does it stop in a reasonable distance- not pulling to one side or the other.
Bring a floor jack - jack it up and test the bearings etc, is there a done of play in the tie rods, ball joints etc..
Any uneven wear in the tires..
-pull up the carpet or vinyl floor covering to check for rust behind the seats or floor.

 

Cool, I will check all that stuff as I usually do. Is there anything I can look for that might tell me the timing chain was done or is still ok? The owner doesn't know and he has only owned it a year and he said he just changed the oil and that's it.

 

Telling if the timing chain has been done is kind of a tough one. Maybe if you can see some type of sealant between the block and timing chain cover.

Engines get dirty fast..best of luck

 

Plan on spending at least 1,000 to play catch up on the maintenance.
Ground and power wires, alternator/water pump belt etc, replace shocks, exhaust work, brake work, transmission work, differential work, changing fluids...




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