1988 Toyota Pickup 2WD Long Bed review from North America

A part of the transmission valve body went bad, tried to machine it out a little bit, but a piston inside this valve body was sticking, and prevented the transmission from shifting into 2nd and third gears when throttle was fully depressed. Shifts still have to be manual sometimes, but with the new oxygen sensor the engine is running better and the throttle isn't, uh, pushed so hard. Can't get new piston, would have to buy a whole new transmission for it.

Oxygen sensor replaced a few hundred miles back. It was coated in carbon, not working, the engine had been running rich for some time.

Bed rusted out a while back, put an aluminum flatbed on it.

A great little truck. The bed rusted out a long time ago, so my dad put an aluminum flatbed on it and custom made wooden panel sides for the flatbed. We haul lots of stuff around with it. The truck still has good paint and good chrome on the cab, it just needs some undercoating for the frame. Under the hood, there is Toyota's bulletproof 22RE four cylinder. the engine has enough low-end torque if you can keep the right foot light, but when revved the power just flattens out and you might as well have just gone a little slower. It is underpowered. A turbocharger would give it better power. A sticky transmission further limits any exhilaration you might be able to imagine. The handling is secure enough, but the truck plows through sharp turns if you go in too fast, and there is a lot of body roll if you push it to the limit. The ride is better than many SUVs I've been in, but most cars have a better ride. It's a great truck for running errands and hauling stuff around, with a comfy bench seat and surprisingly roomy interior, plus the great flatbed. The only thing is that, besides slow acceleration, this truck starts to strain at speeds nearing 70 miles per hour. It would probably go 85 or so maxed out. I will be glad to get it next year from my dad as a first car, I might add a turbo, a cold-air intake, or exhaust mods to increase performance somewhat. I will probably keep it for a couple of years and buy something nicer. I'm thinking either a GM car with the 3800 V6 supercharged, a 750iL {V12} BMW, or one of those old Ford Crown Victoria station wagons. Time will tell, but for now I will have fun with that good old Toyota pickup.