Scotty, I am looking for the perfect small 4x4 truck, its going to be a vehicle for me and my son to work on and take in the bush. I an no machinic but would like to learn with my son the simple tasks. I'm interested in something that would be conceded a classic (pre 1992) that would hold its value, and be easy to work on. I know you are already thinking about a Toyota, but what year, what model, what mileage? Im not worried so much about price, more interested in the best for the money and what will hold it value in the future.
thanks Nick
Toyota trucks that old could possibly have issues with parts availability. You might consider finding a domestic truck of that age. They weren't as poorly made back then as they are these days. You can find parts for them like no tomorrow, and it will surely have value down the road -who doesn't like a classic American truck that has minimal rust and is mechanically sound?
Old Ford Rangers were decent trucks around those years. You'll likely find them with Cologne V6s if they're older than 1991. I'm not sure when they switched to the 3.0L Vulcan, I believe it was in the early 90s. If you find one with the Vulcan, the design was used in a boatload of Ford vehicles, all the way up to 2008, so and there will be no parts availability problems.
Whatever you buy, check for frame rot. If it's rusted underneath, don't buy it. You'll have a rat's nest of problems and will chase your own tail trying to fix rust.
You would be surprised to find any part you wanted for the pre-'92 Toyota pickups. Between major suppliers like Rock Auto and specialty shops like LC Engineering parts are absolutely available. My '81 long bed 4x4 may be a little old for your intentions but the early 90s Toys are great little trucks and very easy to work on.
So Doc, you can still get essentially any part for your ‘81 Toyota? Or which ones are hard to get now?
Soft parts like the plastic interior trim stuff is difficult to find, but everything mechanical is readily available. I have a lot of sources. It's kind of like finding parts for old VW Beetles now. There is a whole aftermarket that exists. There are even salvage yards that specialize in older imports, ie, California Mini Trucks, Montclair, CA.