I am very excited about this. I need a couch and a rug, STAT. Smiller and I just emailed each other this article literally simultaneously.
Speaking of stuff I need to buy: Heckasac is in the market for a car or truck. Please let me know if anyone has anything to sell. I have a couple of months during which my search will occur. I want to spend about 2000-2500 bucks. I am interested in either a Geo Prism from the 90s with the lowest miles possible (stop laughing) or an old Toyota truck, like one of the small ones, not a Tacoma. I don't know the model of those dinky ones. Or you know, some other cheap Toyota or Honda. Anybody got anything to unload?
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37 comments:
Wow, 'egasm' AND 'stat!' right off the bat.
-miller
Within a block or so of that spot: coming soon signs for another antique dealer (where the bead shop was on L, who moved next door), Cheap Thrills relocating into the Bows & Arrows location, a Goodwill in the auto shop next to the tire store, and a gelato shop/bakery at La Petit Paris' location, all opening within the next few weeks. Plus a new Squeeze Inn location at 17th and K.
--mister know it all
They are just called Toyota pickups. The magic years are 84-89, I believe. You want a 6 cylinder.
gbomb
Burg, are you sure that's not gonna be just a Goodwill Donation dropoff spot? I always get fooled by those things!
-miller
a fourth squeeze? wow! also, as a correction-the magic toyotas are 4 cylinder 22r engines, not 6-
ed "never been confused with a mechanic" c
that's so weird they don't have a model. lately I keep checking them out and wondering where the model name is hidden. I can't wait to customize the back to just say "yo"
I figured you'd go with "OY"
-miller
good one
oops, yeah, Ed is right. 4 cylinder. They have a name in other countries "Hilux" I think. If you end up with one, but a club right away, they are really stealable.
g
You don't want a $2000 toyota pickup because that's about what they go for with blown engines. You're probably looking at about $4-5K minimum for a decent Toyota PU. And yes, you want the 4 cylinder not the 6. And 2 wheel drive.
the model you want is the Tacoma - but there are a bunch of variations.
-omf
Nissan's trucks through the 80s and early/mid 90s also had no model name besides "pickup". They made a TV commercial that called it the Nissan Hardbody, and that was adopted as an unofficial model name, but on the sticker, it still said "Nissan pickup".
Into the Tacoma age, Toyota still made the best small truck, but the one thing that suffered most was the quality of the seat foam. Those are dreadful to drive for any long distance.
The 22R 4-cylinder is the legendary motor, but the first-generation 3.0-liter V6 does not deserve a lesser reputation. Where that comes from is Toyota's claim in the 80s that V6-equipped trucks could tow 5000 lbs. Several people blew out their trucks trying to tow 5000, and several more actually flipped their trucks while cornering with a heavy load. Toyota issued a recall in the 80s on their V6 trucks. Customers brought their truck to the dealership, and the service folks would ask for their owners manuals. They'd rip out the page that had the trailering capacity and hand you a loose page with the new 3500-lb rating printed on it.
So, if you see a good price on a V6-equipped truck, check to see if it has a tow hitch. And if you see one, ask the owner what they towed with it. Anything beyond a modest-sized fishing boat is the wrong answer.
Your budget will go further on a Geo Prism or Corolla than it will on a truck if you want the longest remaining useful life. A darkhorse sleeper pick I'd recommend is a mid-to-late-90s Mazda Protege.
I have a 92 Toyota PU (the smallest ones). If you don't need it right this second, we may be able to deal. I've been the only owner and it hasn't been driven much in recent years. It has a shell and a few dents (keeping it janky). Email me.
Jed
I just impulse-bought a PT Cruiser. So we're all set.
-miller
what's a hardbody?
Hey Tim-I don't want a Tacoma, even though they are rad, I want something small, dangerous, and fuel-efficient.
yeah, do I even want a truck? I just want to take the damn toilet in my backyard to the dump!
Don't buy a truck without thinking it through. How often will you use it as a truck? Will it be often enough to warrant trading in the comfort and economy of a car? Will you also have a car? And how willing will you be to help every friend that moves?
my truck was the best purchase ever made. a purchase which in an unexpected way was made even better after it got t-boned a few months ago and we got paid $500 shy of what we paid for it and it's still perfectly drive-able. it's like a free truck now. my toyo has held it's value better than any vehicle i've ever owned.
Becky- I think you're imagining that Tacomas are bigger -our truck is a Tacoma. That's the smallest of the Toyota pickups. they haven't sold a smaller truck in the US since the eighties.
That said, there is no (newish) Toyota PU that gets very good mileage- ours gets about 22-25 mpg- automatics and 6s get less. Pickups aren't very aerodynamic.
If you're looking for fuel efficiency, old hondas, toyotas, geos, nissans and mazdas are all fairly good. One killer, vastly underrated vehicle are the 4 cylinder Toyota vans from the nineties. yes, a minivan, but total utilitarian vehicle.
OMF... please cease and desist in your promotion of the minivan.
P.S. I'm surprised your vehicle rundown didn't include a shout out to the Suzuki Sidekick.
Tim, are you thinking of the bulbous Previa (ran in the USA from 1991-1997), or the more angular one (simply called the "Toyota Van") before it?
Smillarr: per the article I saw, it will be a store, not a drop off center.
Look at a station wagon, not a pickup. They get better mileage, hold almost as much stuff, can carry passengers instead, and your friends won't be constantly asking you to help them move stuff.
I've heard old VW buses are reliable, fuel efficient & fast. True?
-miller
My 92 is slightly smaller than a Tacoma. It's also one of the last models to not have AC.
Jed
I also hear that VW buses can also be modified to run on ass or grass, rather than the traditional gas, which makes them extremely environmentally friendly.
To address an earlier question:
I believe Hardbodies are the little foxes you meet down on the beach.
-Natalie.
Rick: either or. both rule. LM: it's the Suzuki Samurai (not the sidekick) that I'm obsessed with.
and yes, burg (as usual) is right: a station wagon is the ideal compromise- if you can find a good one.
You might find some mid-90s Corolla wagons in your price range, but most will be extremely high-milers. Most extra-utilitarian cars get extra-utilized. They were quite rare in that 93-97 generation...just a tiny fraction of the total Corolla build. I think they were actually phased out before the 1997 model year.
Camry had a wagon during that same generation, but it is one of the ugliest Toyotas ever made. It looked like a Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable in the back. A total Fat American-lookin' car. The only nifty bit was it had TWO rear window wipers. Also phased out in 1996.
The most amazing thing about that pre-Previa van that Toyota made in the 1980s wasn't even the fact that it was mid-engined and had less than 100 hp. It was the wheelchair-like turning radius, which was maybe the only advantage of its ridiculously short wheelbase (which had the disadvantages of choppy ride, poor handling, and rollover-proneness).
Again...best value in used wagon for economy, comfort, and initial cost might be the Mazda Protege. Japanese-built. All red dots in Consumer Reports. (Is that why Japan's symbol is a red dot?)
thanks for all the advice, I will consider a station wagon and a mazda in my pursuit of automotive perfection
i'm surprised you're not considering a minivan?
Ix-nay on the Inivan-may.
-miller
take your toilet to the dump? most people do it the other way around!
You could also smash the terlit with a sledgehammer and load the pieces in a garbage bag. That's more fun anyway.
Why throw the toilet away at all when they make such nice planters? You have a community garden... Instant raised bed. Or put in the back yard with a fern in it. Done!
Haha. Becky "loved" this idea when I suggesetd it.
-miller
Knock wood, but I've had a '99 Mazda Protege for ages and it's a super car. Like above comment, I used the Consumer Reports guide (because I am a librarian) to review models and it had one of the highest ratings. The two main things for that model:
1) There's issues with the oxygen sensors. Black Rock Auto reset mine about a year ago (and I don't go to them anymore) during repairs and it was a mother trying to get it to reset in time for annual smog clearance.
2) As long as I'm not speeding or doing piecemeal errands, the mileage is excellent. Probably in the 26-30 mpg range.
I bought mine through the regional Credit Union Auto Sales. Which is nice because it's a predetermined price, usually the pre-owned mileage is low, and you have the option of getting a warranty if it's past the original period. Plus you're giving business to a locally owned credit union instead of a bank for the loan.
Just borrow my truck, everybody else does.
gbomb
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