Meet AJ. He got his name from his first license plates, those lovely white on green plates that Colorado used to issue. His full name is AJ 5449, but he's been living under an alias in Texas for the past few years. Author's note: AJ's not an Xtracab, but there's not a category for standard cab pickups for this model year (and Epinions seems disinterested in adding new categories.)

AJ was born a plain vanilla kind of guy, your basic key-and-a-heater pickup truck. Meaning? he came into my life with no special packages, no nifty options, no fancy-schmancy trim or hot-looking paint jobs. He's so basic that he doesn't even have a cigarette lighter (who cared back in '88?), and he'd have neither a radio nor air conditioning if I hadn't installed them after the fact (the A/C didn't come until he moved to Texas at 89K miles). What he does have is simple: a V6 engine, four-wheel drive, and a ton of moxie. This is one brave, loyal, tough, dependable truck!

AJ was supposed to be retired when we bought the new truck (a '99 Toyota Tacoma), but he's still in harness and eager to go. Nowadays he rarely makes any trips over about forty miles, but he's always ready to go. He willingly totes lumber (he's hauled enough for decks at two different houses), musical instruments, lawn mowers, bricks and mortar, about sixty zillion books, hundreds of rocks, mucho camping gear, bicycles, skis, and the dog. Dogs, in case you weren't aware, love trucks! He was also the hearse for his first dog (I swear, he was crying, too). Right now he's sitting outside in the pouring rain, uncomplaining, ready -- in spite of his 172681 miles -- to leap into action at the turn of his key.


AJ's Resume

AJ is a simple kind of guy. His vital statistics are as follows:

Standard Equipment

* five-speed manual transmission
* hydraulic clutch
* four-wheel drum brakes
* variable power-assist steering
* vinyl "leather-look" bucket seats

Optional Equipment

* 3.0 litre V6 engine, with electronic fuel injection
* Four-wheel drive

Add-Ons

* Pioneer AM/FM/Cassette deck (he's on his second)
* Frost King after-market Air conditioning (added at 89,000 miles)
* Century "Rovel" (sp. ?) pickup bed cap and rear-window slider, added at 1100 miles

Things AJ Lacks, Being of the Plain Vanilla Persuasion

* rear bumper
* right-side mirror
* cigarette lighter/power port
* shift-on-the-fly 4WD

Original Cost: $10,800 (including transportation) on June 30, 1988.


AJ's Medical History

We thought we were going to lose AJ at just 23K miles. 1988 is the first year Toyota put the V6 in their pickups and FourRunners (they had developed a similar engines for the Camry in '87), and there was a bit of a problem in casting the engine blocks. His block cracked late one night, had to be replaced. Toyota covered all expenses under warranty, and he's never shown signs of any trouble since. So to be honest, his engine block only has about 153,000 miles on it!

Other non-routine maintenance items (excludes tires and batteries):

* Valence and front bumper replaced (after bump-and-run) at 67K miles.
* A EGR valve replaced at 89K miles (about $215). I suspect the original was damaged by the A/C installers, but they declined to discuss it. They apparently believe in coincidences, though I don't.
* Brake shoes all around at about 100K miles (around $150)
* A new starter at 162K miles (about $550)
* New clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder at 168K (about $230)

That's all. He's still on the original suspension, still on the original exhaust, still on the original almost everything.

Current minor problems:

* small leak in the power-steering pump (it's been there for 70K miles), requires refilling about every three months
* hole in driver's seat upholstery, which appeared after 40K miles but stopped getting bigger after about 60K miles
* loose ignition key slot: you can remove the key while the engine's running. I can remember, however, when on 50's-era GM cars, you didn't even need an ignition key to start the car!


The Plus Side

AJ is, as you might be able to tell, an easy keeper. He has a long record of dependability, a record proven over trips into the back country of the Four Corners area (forty miles and two rivers from a paved road), cross-country interstate driving (he's been in more states than a lot of people I know), and daily commutes in three different cities.

From a driver's standpoint, this truck handles well. Given a short wheelbase and the power-assisted steering, it's maneuverable in tight spots and easier to park than some larger passenger cars. The V6 engine is powerful, capable of charging up the approaches to the Eisenhower Tunnel (I70, west of Denver) at 65 MPH in his youth. Four-wheel drive makes him sure-footed in back-country settings and city traffic on snowy days; the low-range has sufficient "guts" that he's only been stuck once -- and we used an '85 Toyota pickup to pull him out! Clearance is much higher than that of many SUVs, so that he rarely runs into high-center situations and can easily ford small streams.

Body integrity is excellent: after all these miles, the body does not have any squeaks or rattles, and only a very few tiny rust spots

The overall pluses:

+ durability
+ inexpensive to maintain
+ forgiving of irregular maintenance
+ great traction in 4WD
+ clear, well-designed (though spartan) instrument panel


The Neutral Zone

= relatively mediocre gas mileage (about 19 MPG highway, 17 MPG city)
= seating is comfortable, but has little adjustment capability


The Negative Side

Even the greatest vehicle has some kind of downside, and AJ has his as well. He's by no means a luxury vehicle, so the cabin lacks almost all amenities. He has an ashtray and a small cubbyhole in the dash, but no cupholders, no change compartment, no console. His glove compartment is medium-sized, but does not lock.

The overall minuses:

- ride is somewhat nervous, especially after all these years with the original suspension.
- lots of road noise and some wind noise. The cabin has almost no padding (vinyl floor instead of carpet)
- lack of a right side-view mirror (I suppose I could add an aftermarket mirror).
- little safety equipment: airbags were rare in 1988, ABS rarer yet, and neither was an option for this truck
- lack of storage room in the passenger compartment (behind and under the seats only)
- lacks "modern" amenities: cupholders, power port, tachometer, trip odometer


Overall Recommendation

AJ is one durable, tough little truck, but he would never work for a family vehicle (unless your family is you and a dog or two). Based on my experience, even an '88 model with more than 125K miles on the odometer still has a great deal of useful life left in it, unless (of course) it's been abused. Should you find yourself in need of a dependable beater for snow days, trips to the lumber yard and vet, or a spare vehicle for the days when your luxury car is in the shop for its $700 oil change, this one's a darned good option.

Just don't look for AJ on the market any time soon -- I plan to drive him until the wheels fall off or until I get too old to drive, whichever comes first.



Amount Paid (US$): 10800
Condition: New
Model Year: 1988
Model and Options: V6 5-speed manual 4WD