tux424
New Reader
10/11/20 6:56 p.m.
Due to some unfortunate events (uncle's passing) I have recently come to own a 1989 Toyota Pickup. This is currently a 3rd vehicle for me, and its usefulness overlaps with another vehicle in my fleet, so I don't have much use for it.
I'm struggling what the value is on one of these since they all rusted away a long time ago in the Midwest. Hoping the GRM crew can lend a hand in its "potential" value. Its far from a show stopper. With its rarity (at least) in the Midwest, I would think gives it some value vs being just a $500 truck.
What I know about it:
- 3L 3VZ-FE, 5 spd Manual, 4x4 (manual hubs)
- ~215k miles, odo broke at 199k.
- Run and drives - I personally drove it from Lake Tahoe, CA to St. Louis, MO without issues ~1900 miles. Cruised at 75-80mph no problem.
- California truck its whole life (as far as I can tell)
- Cracked dash, makes me think if not California, lots of time in the desert
- Missing interior pieces
- Nothing beyond surface rust; no cracked frame here
- Dents/scratches all around; passenger bed side the worst of it
- Newer radiator
- New front bumper/fenders
- Leaks power steering fluid
- New front pads, belts, shift bushings and muffler (I installed)
Pictures:
I'm not ready to sell it yet. I plan to fix the obviously things, and hopefully find a new owner that can use/enjoy it. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks this might be worth, or what fixes would help increase the value the most.
A great truck.
A note of advice, if you are going to sell it, the money you put into it you will not recover. It will sell for the same price whether you do updates/repairs or not.
Your story of driving back from California will sell it faster than anything else.
Folks here in the South would buy it for a hunting truck knowing they aren't going to add 2,000 miles per year at the most.
For reference my brother bid (and lost) on this 87 a year back locally in VA, brought $3k+ with the 4cyl 22r
http://jlrauctions.rasmuscatalog.com/cgi-bin/mmlist.cgi?jlrauctions336/13000
Im from ohio where these have all went extinct. At first glance I thought $3500, then I saw unknown mileage over 200k, so I was thinking $2500, but prices have been a little bonkers lately, so probably more than that.
I think this is a perfect example of something you should sell to me for $500.
Kidding.
I say, put it on ebay with a high reserve... like $5000. Let it go for a week and see what happens. If it only bids up to $1500, that is a data point to put toward your research. If it shoots up to $5500, you scored. All it takes is two 'yota enthusiasts to start salivating, and ebay is a pretty broad market.
And terribly sorry about the loss of the Uncle.
The 4 cyl is actually the more desired engine... that V6 is well known to not be a powerhouse, with a tendency for blown headgaskets.
that being said, had a 89 with the 3.0 and 480K miles still running. One cyl failed, so we unplugged the injector on that cyl and drove it a bit longer.
I don't know what price, but a not rusty old Toyota pickup in Missouri / Illinois is going to be quite the find for someone.
V6 manual 4x4 standard cab checks all the boxes for some Toyota fan out there for sure. This combo isn't super common. Poke around a Toyota forum and see what they are selling for.
That's probably a $5000 truck, especially if you join a Toyota Truck forum, put some work into a build/maintenance thread, post pictures to show it isn't rusty and then list it.
At the bare minimum, $3,500, especially if you can get it advertised in the rust belt.
From what I've seen those are worth more on the west coast than back east. Not sure what the middle of the country is like. The toyota tax is strong right now though. I'd be thinking about 3-4000 and do nothing more to it than wash and clean it.
At first glance, I'd say an easy $3500 - $4500 minimum. You can probably do better if you connect w/the toyota forums or find the right person. Manual transmission & 4x4 are a big++ I'm not sure what the diehard 'yota fans think of these V6s, but normal people would pay a premium.
Looking a bit more, I think there's sweet spot where you could make it better and double that price. Color match the front fenders, paint the bumper, new dash, clean up the interior and add some retro decals and $7k is realistic. Even with the dent in the bed.
Stickers will increase the value the most.
tux424
Reader
10/12/20 9:33 a.m.
Appreciate the feedback and kind words everyone.
I think I'll take a step back and focus on the cosmetic items, and give it a deep cleaning. Those "elbow grease" items seem like the best bang for the buck.
Cruising through rockauto, parts are CHEAP! I'll need to keep a level head while placing future ordered to no over do it.
Maybe I'll follow the suggestions of a poster and track the cleanup process, fixes. If I do, you'll see it here!
you might be able to check the mileage here
https://www.bar.ca.gov/pubwebquery/vehicle/pubtstqry.aspx
I tried the plate number but nothing came up ,
so try the VIN and see what happens ,
Good luck
tux424
Reader
11/7/20 10:16 a.m.
No luck with mileage through the CA DMV website, but thanka for the suggestion!
Seems like the needle is completely broken off the speedo, so I'm going to be looking for a cluster with "similar" mileage as a replacement.
docwyte
UberDork
11/7/20 10:48 a.m.
I'd be interested in buying it. I could use a truck this size
That would sell for like $4k here in the PNW within a week. Even without you doing any work. You could probably just take the rear bumper off if you don't want its rust to distract from the rest of the truck.
AaronT
Reader
11/7/20 7:58 p.m.
I'll fly in from NC with a high bid of 1,003.50.
Joking, the truck is easily worth well more as everyone has already mentioned. Good luck, and sorry to hear about your Uncle, hope you're doing okay.
Sorry to hear about your Uncle.
Of the other trucks posted above...I think there's probably a fairly significant difference between the value of a '79-'88 Toyota and this '89, with the earlier trucks being worth a little more in similar condition. But those trucks were already rusty when this truck was brand new, so this is the next best thing.
I'd love to see this truck on an episode of Dirt Every Day.