I bought my 1988 Toyota standard bed, half ton pickup truck brand new in November 1987 for $5888. This was a totally stripped model, but over the years I've added some basics like a cigarette lighter, clock, radio (and antenna), floor mats, air conditioning, rear bumper and passenger side outside mirror. It's still plenty basic with it's vinyl bench seat, vinyl flooring and 4 speed manual transmission, but certainly more driveable than the way I drove it off the dealer's lot nearly 20 years ago. During the time I've had it, there's only one time it wouldn't start for me - an 8 year old battery (not the original) gave up the ghost and I needed a jump start.

Since I've had it, I've taken it everywhere: camping, Home Depot (many, many times), work, family vacations (just throw the dogs in back and go), towing my Hobie Cat, skiing, country clubs, and just about everywhere else. It's certainly not the most glamorous vehicle, and not as nice as either of my Porsches, but it serves a different purpose, and does it well.

Under the hood lives the fabled Toyota "22R" engine, a 2.4 liter SOHC four cylinder powerplant putting out around 103 horsepower (when new) if you believe the sales brochure. I have the carburetor version of the engine, the fuel injected edition has more power. Other than changing the oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles and regular tune-ups every 15,000 miles, I haven't done anything else to the engine in over 175,000 miles. The engine is broken in, but it's not uncommon for these things to run well over 500,000 miles.

This is a very basic, 20 year old low end pickup truck, so the ride is not what you would describe as quiet or luxurious. Definitely not Lexus smooth or comfortable, but 400 mile trips are definitely doable. I rent a lot of cars because of travel for business, and this truck still rides better than many of the low end domestic and Korean cars I rented over the years.

As with any vehicle with over 175,000 miles, you would expect to have to replace parts as they wear out. I live near the ocean, so I face the added problem of parts rusting out as well as wearing out. I've replaced a lot of wear and tear items like tires (usually every 40-50,000 miles whether they need to be replaced or not), batteries (every 6 years or so), and brake pads (about every 70,000 miles). In the last few years, I've also replaced the front windshield (it cracked, but was getting so pitted it was hard to see out of), the original stereo I installed (hard to find cassettes to play, now I have a CD player), wheels (it's getting harder to find decent 14" tires, so I upgraded to 15" rims, and don't have rusty wheels any more), and brake calipers (they corroded after nearly 20 years). I also had the vinyl bench seat reupholstered for $140, and it looks better than new. Not much else needs fixing at this point, but more parts will wear out and/or break in the next 20 years. Maintenance cost is pretty modest, even at the Toyota dealer.

As far as complaints about the truck, I don't have many. The five speed transmission would make the truck more comfortable on the freeway above 70 MPH. The engine could use more power going up steep hills. And with gas over $3 a gallon, it would be nice if I could reliably get more than my current 24 MPG. The extra cab version, with a little space behind the seats, would probably be the first thing I would do-over given the chance.

I'm sure the newer trucks are more comfortable and powerful, but I can't imagine anything more reliable or economical than this truck. In the past few years, and it's gotten older, I've started doing more work on the truck myself, figuring there's not much I can ruin at this point. My hood and fender rusted out from a crummy repair job using sub-standard replacement parts 12 years ago, so I bought a replacement hood and fender myself, sprayed them to match, and put them on without any manuals or help. Overall, the truck is super simple to maintain and work on. I have bought some of the service manuals on ebay (Bentley is the best, but Chiltons and Haynes are also OK), and they are helpful.

Parts are still plentiful for this 20 year old vehicle. There were several million of these manufactured over the years, and with most still on the roads, plenty of demand. Toyota still makes most parts, there are plenty of aftermarket parts, and auto wreckers know the value of making parts available.

If you're thinking about buying one of these for yourself, be forewarned that they're getting harder to find. Not because they fall apart or have problems, but because the owners don't want to part with them.

Amount Paid (US$): 5888
Condition: New
Model Year: 1988
Model and Options: Bare bones