Junkyard Gem: 1984 Toyota Truck (AKA Hilux)

The fourth-generation Toyota Hilux pickup, sold in North America (as the "Toyota Truck") for the 1984 through 1988 model years, became an instant reliability legend. Used ones changed hands at high prices well into the current century, and I saw few in wrecking yards until just the last few years. These days, of course, there's a glut of big, powerful used pickups and these little Toyotas get discarded. Here's an '84 that I spotted in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service wrecking yard.



This one has the tough-as-nails 22R four-cylinder SOHC engine, displacing 2.4 liters and generating 96 low-revving horsepower. It's a rear-wheel-drive truck with four-on-the-floor manual transmission, just the ticket for budget-conscious plumbers, gardeners, or Soviet-battling warriors in Arghandab.



I have spent a lot of time in fourth-gen Hiluxes, at one point circumnavigating the United States in one, and they're perfect. Not luxurious, but comfortable enough to use as daily transportation, and cheaper to operate (when maintenance costs are considered) than any four-wheeled motor vehicle I have ever known.



This one has just over 200,000 miles on the clock, which seems low. I'll bet it was still in running condition when it got junked. Sadly, few Americans want small pickups with two-digit horsepower and no air conditioning in 2018.



If these trucks had one weakness, it was rust. Not much of a problem in California, of course, but this one shows signs of having spent some time in a more corrosion-friendly region.



Toyota stood 'em on their rear!

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