1994 Toyota Pickup from North America - Comments

I have replaced the exhaust manifold gasket and one of the manifold bolts.

I have put several thermostats in the truck.

The starter contacts needed to be replaced after 115000 miles.

This has been a fantastic little truck. It has been incredibly cheap to own. It runs perfectly, uses no oil, and is easy to maintain.

The starter quit working at 115000 miles, but the Toyota dealer (very nicely) told me that I could replace the contacts instead of the whole assembly. The contacts cost $7, the starter itself costs over $200.

This truck does an admirable job for its size. I have carried many heavy loads in the bed and I tow my small jon boat with the truck. It has done 14 hour trips and travels well on the highway. The mileage it decent; around 26 for regular driving.

The truck is not equipped with many options (not even power steering), and the seat has lost a lot of support over the years and hurts my back on long trips.

The truck is surprisingly good in the snow (just RWD) if it has good tires and weight in the back. Years of work have made the rear leaf springs weak, though, and the back of the truck sags.

The body is in great shape. No rust whatsoever and the paint is still shiny. I added a very nice body-colored Astro fiberglass topper, which really adds to the functionality of the truck. It also improved the mileage slightly.

The build quality makes it seem like it will last forever. After 11 years and 128000 miles, I still have the original exhaust system on the truck, and even the stock battery lasted 8 years. The Cooper tires I added currently have almost 60000 miles on them.

This truck has been so cheap and dependable that it overcomes its size and comfort problems. I plan to keep it for years and years.

Just an update to what I wrote above. Since gas prices have increased, I began driving more conservatively and keeping an eye on my mileage. On the last tank (about 75/25 country roads and town driving, no highway at all) I got 29.6 MPG! I've recorded about 32 on the highway in the past, too, and that was at an average speed of about 75 MPH. If you need a truck with good mileage, you can't do much better than this!

Hi I just got a 1994 Toyota 2WD pickup, I had a 85' for a very long time. MY new 94' seems to be geared a lot lower any comments? Also it seems to run very close to the cold part of the temp gauge.Anyone?Thanks Dave. send any comments to duke_851@yahoo.com.

Sorry for replying to your comments after so long. Not sure about the trans. You probably had the 4 spd in your 85, and that may have been geared higher. I find that 1st gear is actually quite high, and makes pulling up a boat ramp pretty exciting... lots of gas and a quick hand on the e-brake to keep from rolling into the lake. Since then I've begun towing with my Chevy, which is geared much lower.

As for the temperature, yes, it will tend to ride low in the gauge. Mine rests about 1/4 of the way up. If it seems too low, replace the thermostat with a genuine Toyota part as they seem to last the longest.

Just finished a 2200 mile drive in four days, and the truck was perfect... even 34 mpg on one tank. I'll never get of this thing.