1981 Toyota Truck

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Rusted frame All years One source so far

  What to check: Look along the frame rails and crossmembers for rust, flaking and patches, and tap suspect spots.

  Four members of a Grassroots Motorsports forum thread about a 1979 4x4 say the frames rust, and two say theirs did. One calls bed rust tolerable and frame rust bad.

  Sources ⁶

• Rusted bed All years One source so far

  What to check: Look over the bed floor, sides and rails, and the seam along the body line, for rust and patches.

  Curbside Classic's writer says the single-wall beds were prone to rust, and its readers say the beds rusted faster than the rest of the truck.

  Sources ³

• Diesel timing belt All years One source so far

  What to check: Ask when the timing belt was last replaced.

  Curbside Classic readers who own the diesel report a snapped belt and repeated belt changes.

  Sources ²

Recalls

What buyers say

Reputation: what owners and the press report

• Sought after: 22R four All years

  Three people praise the R-series fours. A Curbside Classic reader says the 22R in their truck was worked very hard and kept running well, and two members of a Grassroots Motorsports forum thread call the R engines highly esteemed and tough as nails.^3,6

• Avoid: 20R four All years Less sought after One source so far

  Three members of a Grassroots Motorsports forum thread about a 1979 4x4 find the trucks short of power. One calls the R engines somewhat underpowered, one calls the 20R a slug, and one points out that a 1979 has the 20R, not the 22R.⁶

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.