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What would you do?

4K views 35 replies 13 participants last post by  flashkl 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,
I am new to this forum, but I am not new to cars and trucks. I am 42 years old and have built my share of engines since the age of 12. Since getting older, I am not real entheusiastic about having to work on my cars, like I was when I was quite a bit younger. Trust me, I know how, I just don't like to anymore.

With that said, I have something to ask. Keep in mind what I told you about me, and consider the truck I will be telling you about. I know the truck blue books much lower than what is being asked, but I have not seen one as nice for sale, in a very long time.

Here is what I came across: This 1993 Toyota xtra cab 4x4 SR-5 short bed truck (link to pics at the end of the post). I wanted to get your opinions about the deal.

The guy has all receipts and everything for the truck, showing oil changes at every 3000 miles. It has 220,000 miles on it now. He just had the head gasket work done at an ASE certified shop. Cost him $1250.00. It has less than 1000 miles since this work was performed.

There is absolutely NO RUST anywhere on the truck. The interior is in pristine condition. The sound system is a professionally installed Pioneer system with a 600w amp and subwoofer. It has 5(five) brand new Big O 31x10.50/15 mud tires. The spare is new and matches the rest.

The truck runs like a thoroughbred, I know lots of you say that the 3vze motors are weak, but this one feels as strong as an ox. The oil is pretty and golden colored, the anti-freeze is pretty and green. I will not have to do anything at all to this truck when I get it, unless I just want to make it a little more unique, but that is choice, not necessity.

The guy wants $6400.00 for the truck. I find trucks all of the time for less money, but they are no where near the quality of truck that this one is. I am not looking for a project. I am looking for something that will be reliable and will take me where I need to go when hunting in the hills of coastal Oregon. Some of those hills are pretty steep and 2 wheelers wouldn't have a chance. I wouldn't take my 95 4x4 Suburban up some of them, but I would this truck.

Oh yeah. The engine work has a 1 year warranty too, which is transferable. I called the shop that did the work and asked. They told me they knew the guy was going to sell this truck when they did the work and that he wanted the warranty to transfer before he had the work done, so yes I would be fully warranted if I bought it. Not a bad deal if you ask me. What else? Oh, it is a 5 speed and the clutch feels great too. I do feel a slight shimmy at about 60MPH, but I can only feel it in the steering wheel. It is very slight. What do you think that would be?

I would not be a new Toyota owner, but this would be my first Toyota pickup. My first car and first auto engine rebuild, was a 1969 (Corona << Yes I spelled it right), with a 1900cc 4 cyl and a 4 speed trans. (60 MPH downhill with a tailwind was hard to hit.) I also had a 94 Corolla that was as fast as my 86 Mustang GT. I loved both of those cars, and want a truck as reliable as they were.

Your opinion? What would you do? I have the money, and I really want it! So do I get a :thumbsup: or a :thumbsdow?

Mike

P.S. Here are some pictures too!


 
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#3 ·
I did, and that was a fair answer that you gave me. I did forget to tell you this little but important bit of useful information.

I have wanted a SR-5 Toyota pickup since I was about 8 yrs old, which would have been a 1975 model. I have had numerous brand new trucks for my business, but I never got a Toy! I always got a full sized domestic brand. Now that I am semi-retired, and no longer work in the field, I can have the truck I always wanted. This one has the look of the truck I always wanted, and it still looks modern enough to be considered to be a good truck, by today's standards. This is, in a matter of speaking, my dream truck!

Mike
 
#4 · (Edited)
Go for it then, these "dream trucks" will not be around forever. But that is a little much work him down if you can let it pass if he will not budge.
 
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#11 ·
Its nice to have folks re-assure what we already know....
Glad you decided to go get it. I am in the process restoring my dads truck and plan on handing it to my sons.... Just not for a LONG time lol.

Enjoy your truck.
 
#12 ·
It sure is!

Well, I just got back with my new Toy!

I will have to take pics tomorrow when the sun is out better!

She sure is a sweet driving ride. I didn't feel or see any play in the steering joints, but maybe I wasn't looking in the right places.

I will need to get a book and stuff for it and start learning about my new baby!

It is weird. I feel 20 years younger when I drive my new truck!

My wife likes it too!

I went ahead and got her a new ride today too! I traded the guy my wife's 2002 Honda Accord for a 2001 Suzuki XL-7 4x4 for the wife. It is pearlescent white and is very stunning to look at.

It needs some new tires in front, but the rear have good matching tread.

All in all I am happy with the deal we made tonight. Both of us got new to us vehicles in better shape than what we already had, and I am actually only out a few grand.

Thanks everyone for all of your help today, I am sure I will have more questions in the near future.

I'll try to post pics tomorrow!

Mike
 
#17 ·
Is that your truck in your signature? If so... Very Nice! I like the color. I actually wanted that Cal Trans Orange color that was so popular in the mid 70's. That is what color my best friend's dad's truck was. It was that truck that spawned my dream of owning a Toy pickup. That was back in 1974 or 75. I loved that truck. I got my first kiss in the back of that truck. My best friend's sister was pretty cute too! LOL

We used to go to the drive-in movies all the time. That was back when it was $5.00 bucks a carload. We would load up all the kids in the neighborhood we could get in that truck and a few parents would drive separately, and all of us would go to the movies for about $10.00 or $15.00. Get a few pizzas and a case of soda on the way, and it was a heck of a lot of fun!

Great childhood memories were sparked by that truck. Now I get to spark some good ones for my kids in my new Toy. I am going to start this afternoon. My Daughter and I are going black bear hunting this afternoon and tomorrow. My daughter is 7, and is excited as heck to be able to go 4 x 4ing with dad! ;)

Mike
 
#19 · (Edited)
I took those interior picture through the window, so the colors really DON'T show correctly. It is a Blue on Blue interior. The seats are a bit darker than the carpet!

Thanks for your comments.

I will try to post up some more pictures of the interior later on this weekend or sooner if I can. I am leaving in a few minutes to go black bear hunting with my daughter. Wish me luck! If I get one, I will post some pics of that too! I am betting the truck will not be as clean as it is right now, when I get back. LOL

Mike
 
#23 · (Edited)
My daughter and I went hunting, and it turned into a weekend camping trip!

We came back Friday night and loaded up all of our camping gear, food, and water. We slept in the back of the truck in our driveway.

We got up early Saturday morning and headed back out into the hills. We went into, and out of places, that I would not take my Suburban last year. This truck is AWESOME!!! I feel like I could have climbed a tree. it does so good! The short wheel base also makes it easier to turn around in tight spots, unlike the Suburban.

I did get into a situation, that had me a bit worried though! I took a cat trail that I had never been down before. Usually, they have a wide opening at the end to turn around, but this one just came to an abrupt end. I found myself on a hillside trail with no where to go but 800ft down to the right, and 500ft up on the left and 15ft to 20 ft of width to turn around in or back out 1/2 mile and risk going over the side that way.

I chose to turn around. I made a 40 point turn, and when I got to about the 20th point, all I could see in front of me was sky, and distant mountains! I actually felt the front tires start to go over and I clinched my butt cheeks a little tighter and got it in reverse. With the E-brake on and letting out the clutch while feathering the throttle, we backed up and finally got pointed in the right direction.

I tell you what... I now have a very best friend... My Toy! I can't tell you or put into words, how I feel right now, about my truck, but 1st gear and 4 Low is about the best thing I have ever experienced! (Short of losing my virginity!) :facepalm:

My Suburban was automatic. It was my first ever 4x4, so a 4x4 with a manual tranny, is a new experience for me. What a blessing it was, when I got stuck on the side of a cliff, and this truck, with it's powerful 4 low, got me out safely!


On top of all of that, I am still getting used to driving a stick again. I haven't driven one since about 2003, so I am a little rusty, but after putting a couple hundred miles or so this weekend, I am getting pretty good at it again!

I have learned that this truck does not like to run below 2000RPM. If I do run it below 2000RPM then it is pretty much gutless. But keep it above 2000RPM and it will just go like hell!

I never revved it, or ran it, above 3500-4000RPM, since I am still breaking in the motor, but it seems to want to cruise somewhere around 3000RPM on the highway in 4th gear, and drops to 1750RPM at 55MPH in 5th. It is getting somewhere around 16-18MPG, but these were out in the boonies miles. I was getting 10-12MPG highway, with the Suburban, so this is a hell of a lot better!

We never did get a bear, but that's ok. We had an awesome time trying to find one! :smokin:

Mike
 
#24 ·
mike -

you're racking up a ton of cool points on this one:

1 toyota (duh huh !)
2 spotless toyota, previous owner cared enough to buy a real SNUGtop (pricey things!), toyota liner, decent tars, and it's a 5 speed instead of a automagic. NICE
3 camping
4 hunting
5 camping IN THE TRUCK = 1,000 points for taking your daughter, or even better, you daughter wants to be seen with you, awesome. really awesome man. i hope my kids still like me when they're old enough to decide to camp/hunt out of a 4x4 with me. that is soo coool.

re-read 5 man, this is a rarity !

i actually could care less if the truck was a 3.slow, a v8 monster or a rock crawler - reading someone else's take on a dream being reached is so cool. rock on man, and enjoy that time with the daughter. awesome. :)

postscript - got pics of the camping, i know everyone doesn't want to post pics of their tags/kids/house on forums. i don't blame ya if you don't. :)
 
#25 ·
Ohgod wrote:
"1,000 points for taking your daughter, or even better, you daughter wants to be seen with you, awesome. really awesome man. i hope my kids still like me when they're old enough to decide to camp/hunt out of a 4x4 with me. that is soo coool."

I forgot to mention that my wife came outSaturday afternoon after she got off work. So there was; My 7 yr old daughter, my wife, me, and the dog, a rotty/mastif mix all sleeping in the truck Saturday night! Let me just say that we were Kozy! It was me and my wife in the back and our daughter and the dog in the front! The dog and my daughter fought over who got the back seat... The dog won! :facepalm:

Ohgod also wrote:
"i actually could care less if the truck was a 3.slow, a v8 monster or a rock crawler - reading someone else's take on a dream being reached is so cool. rock on man, and enjoy that time with the daughter. awesome. :)"

You know, I figure I only get one pass through here, so i want to make the best of it I can. I love my family more than life itself! If I can't enjoy life with them, then I don't need to be here!

As for the pics, my wife took pics with her phone. I will see if she can e-mail them to me so I can post them if they came out ok. My camera phone is better than hers is, but she used hers anyway!

Mike
 
#26 · (Edited)
Someone asked for pics of the engine. Here they are. Sorry they are not very good, but you get the point. It is a stock engine. Fairly clean for 221000 miles on it. I have not cleaned it and I guess they didn't clean it very well when they did the engine work either. This was also after about 100 miles of dirt roads and off-roading too!





My wife took pics of camping alright! LOL She only took 2 and they were of the creek and nothing else! Oh well, that just gives us another reason to go back out and camp some more! :naughty:

Mike!
 
#29 ·
Wicked, sounds like you guys have tons of fun :)

Thats what its all about, out there with the people you love and a toyota truck that will take you almost anywhere! hehe

Most 3vze's dont really wake up till 2,500rpm anyways, mine feels like it a turbo kicking in at 3,000rpm. Don't be scared to rev it, mine sees 4-4,500rpm everyday

p.s whats with your battery? Looks like somebody left a tube of red grease on it and it melted everywhere :lol:
 
#31 · (Edited)
p.s whats with your battery? Looks like somebody left a tube of red grease on it and it melted everywhere
someone got crazy with the anti-corrision spray, hehehehehe, or so it looks like. Nice to hear a "good" story with a 3VeZeE. They are the problem child of the toyota family, but mine has only let me down and stranded once, and I think it was the re-builder's fault (how else would a crank snap on a fresh rebuild with 3k miles on it?). and even re-geared and on 33's, mine does not have any real power until 2500-3000 rpm. and doing 75-80 on the freeway, it will regularly see 5 grand, so do not be afraid to get the rpm's up. I have actually taken mine in to e red on many occasions just to climb a hill or boulder (short bursts of course). ON the flip side, even starting out, it has nice low-end torque, for what it is (is what it was designed to be, more torque than HP). Take care of that engine. Learning when it is happy, and when it is not, will keep you happy for a long time.
 
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