40k-Mile 1985 Toyota Pickup 4x4

Remember the black Toyota pickup truck Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) salivated over in the first Back to the Future film? I used to be perplexed at the appeal. Why did he want it so bad? Oversized, impractical, poor handling, poor gas mileage, bad on highways. I just chalked it up to one of the quirks of being a teenager in 1985.

But finding this unusually clean and low mileage similar survivor makes me think twice. Maybe Marty was on to something.

The car is officially known as a fourth generation 'Hilux' and was produced from 1984-1989, making it THE Toyota pickup of the second half of the 80s.

The seller of this example is a dealer who acquired it from an estate sale and say the mileage is only an astoundingly low 40,850. They go on to explain it had only one previous owner from new who owned a Toyota dealer and kept this pickup in immaculate condition. The seller says it has the rare "National Traveler Special Edition" package which consisted of a lift, wider turbine wheels, offroad tires, striping package, rollbar, deluxe carpeting and cloth seat upgrade.

The exterior looks fresh in refrigerator white and the period side striping is fitting and not overdone.

The interior plastics look remarkably fresh and almost new.

Underneath the hood lies a 22R four-cylinder engine powering all four wheels. With the grippy tires and ample ground clearence, this is a serious off-roader.

Toyota sold lots of pickups and gained lots of fans, but most were trashed, thrashed and abused, so finding low-mileage and well-kept examples is almost impossible. Many people have fond memories of these sturdy and ultra-reliable trucks that looked good and were simple to maintain and fix. They're ripe and ready to be upgraded to collector status.

Available here on ebay in Etters, Pennsylvania.