1979 Toyota Truck shortbed from North America - Comments

6th Nov 2003, 18:55

"A good reliable workhorse"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

Fuel pump, water pump, carburetor.

The first two items went out simply from mileage -- no complaint there. But the carburetor is poorly designed. There's a gadget whose name I forget that is supposed to help the engine run smoothly when it's cold. But I've replaced it twice, and it's out again. So now I just plug in an engine block heater on cold mornings, and it runs just fine and was a heck of a lot cheaper.

The body is pretty rust prone, despite my conscientious efforts to wash off mud and road salt in the wheel wells and undercarriage frequently.

General comments?

I've never had a vehicle that was more reliable (I've had this one for 23 years now), despite the pesky carburetor problem.

My other complaint is with the cheapness of the interior -- the vinyl dash cracked way sooner than it should, and the heater controls wore out and are too hard to fix.

Mechanically this truck has proven itself -- still peppy, burns no oil, rarely lets me down, and all this after 175,000 miles and 23 years. I've treated it well all these years, driven it gently and maintained everything rigorously, and it has returned the favor.


17th Dec 2005, 21:40

1979 4x4 Toyota long bed. What s great vehicle!

I am the original owner. It has less than 100k. White with almost no rust. I love this truck. Like the first guy said, I too have kept mine clean and washed, always maintained.

Nothing unusual has broken yet. Finally replaced rear brake shoes a couple of years ago. Gets new tires every ten years if it needs them or not. I installed oversize tires/mag wheels. In 1980, replaced stock gauge cluster that didn't have Tac with another Toyota Gauge cluster, from another Toyota. This truck is very cheap to keep and maintain.

Let me say, if anyone is looking for a great 4X4 truck, find a 1979/80 20r or 22r and get it! Mine is not for sale and never will be.

Add another comment

Note: A Comments RSS Feed RSS Feed is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site

All Toyota Truck reviews