15k: Classic Pickup: 1984 Toyota HiLux 4WD

The Toyota Hilux Pickup is known for its frequent use by militant groups all over the third world as an impromptu
tank/troop-carrier/apc/goat transporter.  The HiLux is legendary for its rugged chassis and bulletproof
R-series engines– even the nay-saying talking heads over at Top Gear are fans of the simple pickup and it isn’t built in Britain.  The market for used HiLux models has been pretty tame and simple running/driving examples can be had for nothing…but…signs of an impending explosion of nostalgia from folks who remember them from their youth and now have money are starting to show.  Find this 1984 Toyota HiLux 4WD currently bidding for $15,400 on ebay with a few hours to go, located in Tempe, AZ.

This HiLux is listed as a Tacoma, but the Taco name wasn’t used until the 1995 introduction of a larger 4Runner chassis based pickup, so, at least in the USA, this car would have been sold as a Toyota Pickup.  It was called the HiLux in other markets and that name has been adopted by owners because naming a pickup…”Pickup” is about as lame as naming your van “Van.”  Thanks Toyota.  The Corolla name was actually a translation error, it was supposed to be called the “Car.”

This HiLux is powered by Toyota’s durable 22R inline-4 cylinder engine…which is surprisingly dirty in this example.  Strange, seeing as how the seller is getting top dollar bidding for this truck and everything else in the advertisement is so well done.  The negative is that the engine looks dirty, but the positive is that it indicates that the seller isn’t a semi-pro flipper who would have pressure washed the engine bay.

The sellers list of modifications is extensive and the car does look nice, but the ad includes only two pictures of the inside that I can find.  The seller includes what must be 10,000 photographs of the differential rebuild process, but only two of the inside? 

Seriously, I’ve never seen an ebay listing for anything that included this many photos of a differential.  Forget listings for used/rebuilt diffs, you could buy an entire company that specializes in diff manufacturing and rebuild and see fewer pics of gears and bearings.  I felt like the dude in diff pic 9,582 out of 11,455 after I got done scrolling through the forest of gear pics.  My mouse wheel was smoking and my middle finger was more tired than the last time I drove through downtown LA at rush hour.

See a nicer prepared diff wrapped with a restored classic pickup?  tips@dailyturismo.com