Welcome to Marlin.
As for the cost of a Toyota. It's all in what the buyer is willing to pay. Yeah, $7000 is a bit steep. Some guys think that they are sitting on gold. I wouldn't hesitate on using a Toyota for all my needs. Yes, I would love to have a full size to take care of things, but 14 mpg vs 20 mpg, I'll take my Toyota. I've done things with my truck, and people will look at me and say, there is no way that truck will even get going. And yet I take off and wave at them as I drive by. Your not gonna break any land speed records with a 22R motor, but reliability is key. I'm getting ready to do a 800 mile round trip in a couple weeks. And my greatest concern is going to be how am I gonna get everything I need, loaded in the back, without it being stacked cab high?
I would look around and find a Toyota in the $3-5000 range. Just be patient, because the right one will come along for the right price. As for pulling a trailer, it will slow you down. The 22R series is barely putting out 110hp. But a good header, and a good tuned carb, you could squeeze more out of it. I'm running a 22RE stock, and I will pull a old pickup bed trailer I have with a yard of rock in it. It will be slow starting out, but once you get rolling it will run good, until you climb a hill.
