Oh great, our truck (and parts) prices will be going up......

[emsvitil]

http://www.fourwheeler.com/news/1704-the-next-big-thing-in-collector-vehicles-toyota-trucks/?wc_mid=4035:5771&wc_rid=4035:422342&_wcsid=44AEA1C66EC5CB2DBF7AF9627EB34AB323EA9417B64F2CE1

[300k]

time to dump pepsi down the server hosting that page lol. Not helping the cause...basic interior panels already cost a hundred dollars.

and people buying nearly good Toyotas just to strip them and sell said parts for big money! 

[kneedownnate]

Yea, I still don't get that!  Sure, part it out if it's a basket case, but if it's not it needs to be at least kept functional.  I am looking for more but can only house 1 or 2 at a time due to having a small yard.  Have my eyes on a first gen shortbed that I plan to make a simple, basic and mostly stock dd/hunting rig.  If I do that I'll be selling my 2wd and can again look for another.  I'd rather buy, fix and sell them than buy them to part out any more.

[Cheesemaker]

I have my  on a 76 2wd.  Would be fun to go 22R in it!  But I don't have the funds to get it, or build it. 

[Rockcrawlintoy]

I really wanna get another 3rd gen ex cab. Luckily no one wants a 3.0 truck so when I get one I'll get one of them.

[H8PVMNT]

I would say encourage enthusiasts NOT to pay too much for them. Just say no until the right deal comes along. We (wheeling/hobby 4WD Toyota enthusiasts) have a large share of the market, there will always be those who will pay way too much for original/survivor vehicles in good shape, but other than that, something is worth what people will pay for it.  We can all help control the market by not being chumps .

The one thing we have going for us though is that these things are gutless.  A perfectly restored, stock trim '85 Toyota 4x4 is fun, sure, but no thrill ride. Who wants to put that much effort into a 100 horse power sardine can when they could restore something like a muscle car or even a V8 domestic pickup.  This is why it takes $50K to restore an 80s chevy from LMC and they get away with the prices.

The upside is we may start getting more restoration parts available if these become popular like that.

[Gnarly4X]

OK.... well..... my '86 Xtracab just increased in value about $5,000!! 

Gnarls. 

[redneckcustoms13]

Kind of sad. A guy offered me 7k for my brown 1st gen last week. I told him it was flattering, but I liked it too much to sell.

[Snowtoy]

I would say encourage enthusiasts NOT to pay too much for them. Just say no until the right deal comes along. We (wheeling/hobby 4WD Toyota enthusiasts) have a large share of the market, there will always be those who will pay way too much for original/survivor vehicles in good shape, but other than that, something is worth what people will pay for it.  We can all help control the market by not being chumps .

A little, but not as much as you would think.  Back in '07, just before the crash of "stupid money", 1st and 2nd gen(SA) rigs that were barely more than a shell were selling for $2-3k in my area, when just a few years prior were selling for $3-500, which then helped to inflate the IFS rigs.  I doubt there is a lot that can be done to manage the rate of increase in value of the pre-Taco generations, too much pressure from all directions.

FJ40's have pretty much priced most entry level Landcruiser buyers out of the pre-FJ80 market, the 2nd gen Tacoma being less trail friendly due to its six keeps the 1st gen Tacomas at a premium, the previous boom in the 4 wheeling hobby and the "body damage is cool" mentality that came with it removed a large number of rigs as well, then add in the X-Gens who are nostalgic for the '80's cars along with the Millennials who want something different then the cookie cutter wind tunnel designed cars that are out there today, and you have the perfect conditions for the 1-3rd gen stock trucks to be selling for the same price as 1st gen Taco's.  The only thing that can really prevent this is if Toyota realizes the demand potential in a mini-truck, and decides to build a new version, like they have with the Supra, which is expected to drive down the price of the last MKIV Supra(or those priced out of that market are hoping), like the 350z did to the last gen 300z.

The one thing we have going for us though is that these things are gutless.  A perfectly restored, stock trim '85 Toyota 4x4 is fun, sure, but no thrill ride. Who wants to put that much effort into a 100 horse power sardine can when they could restore something like a muscle car or even a V8 domestic pickup.  This is why it takes $50K to restore an 80s chevy from LMC and they get away with the prices.

True, but the '80's were pretty much a dead period for Detroit styling, and outside certain ethnic paradigms or "must have V8 power" hot rod minded individuals, there aren't a lot of vehicles from that era that have the classic appeal to the eye design as the 1st-3rd gen Toyota trucks, I doubt you will see people lining up to build Mustang II's, Camaro's(mullet gen), or Daytona's, and most of Europe was producing have a finite niche market like the M3 or 190e.

The upside is we may start getting more restoration parts available if these become popular like that.

This would be the only real upside for those of us who use our gens as DD's, and given the popularity these gens have always had, I am a bit surprised that LMC(or a company like them), hasn't already made agreements with Toyota allowing them to reproduce everything down to hvac knobs.

[Gnarly4X]

Hey Snowtoy,

Very interesting perspective.

Generally what drive up value, or price, are two things – scarcity and demand - in almost anything.

When I moved to AZ in 1986, I spoke to a Scottsdale police officer who told me that there were over 50+ Toyota trucks reported stolen every month!  I was shocked, and immediately had a sophisticated anti-theft alarm installed in my first 1986 Toyota pickup..  When I get my current truck up and running I will install some kind of anti-theft deterrent. When it comes to vehicles, there is no such thing as a foolproof anti-theft device.

Since living in AZ, I have seen literally 100's of Toyota truck and 4Runners, mostly early ones, being flat towed, heading for Mexico.  Go to AutoTrader.com and search for just Toyota trucks or 4Runners from 1984 to 1988.

There will always be many niche groups of auto enthusiasts from serious investor/collectors to just the average guy or gal that just wants a nice classic truck to drive, to the people that actually use a truck as utility vehicle for work.  Of course there are the "off-road" hobbyists.  Unfortunately, the 4-wheeling community tends to modify, chop up, and thrash these vehicles to the point of almost zero value only to a very limited few buyers.  From the past 22 years I actively off-roaded, almost everyone I knew who actively off-roaded or 4-wheeled, thrashed and destroyed their first vehicle and ended up buying another one.

The value of the early Toyota trucks or 4Runners will simply depend on how much someone is willing pay.

Fortunately, the global automotive market as a whole and USA's fascination with our cars and trucks will continue to be supported by factory parts, the AutoZone's, internet parts distribution, eBay, and the remarkable niche suppliers like Marlin Crawler, 22RE Performance, engbldr, LC Engineering, Randys Worldwide, ARB - just to name a few. 

Add to that the extremely popular race and competition organizations, and you have a continuing demand for everything "automotive".

Prices will most likely continue to go up.

That's just my opinion – it may be worthless.

Gnarls.

[green200b]

Unfortunately the problem starts when person A advertises their complete car, or part, for some crazy amount, and person B sees this and thinks "well mine is worth that much too then". Person C thinks theirs is better so advertises it for more again, and up goes the price. That has happened over here in the Mazda rotary scene over the last ten years which is why RX-2s and RX-3s are now $30,000-$60,000 cars when ten years ago they were $5,000-$15,000 cars. The power lies with us, the enthusiests, to not let this happen, to not push for top dollar on parts, and to refuse to pay that also.

I paid $3,000 for '82 dual cab V8 which I think was a bit on the cheap side. I see people out here trying to get a lot more for substantially shitter examples than mine, but I don't know how many of them sell. I suppose people want to try and get back everything they have spent, but that is not how these things work unfortunately!

Regarding reproduction parts, it depends on what you need but I have found a lot of stuff on eBay. I have bought lenses, window winders and a bonnet release cable from there, and so far everything has fitted. Mine was also fitted with a reproduction bonnet before I bought it, which fits well. If nothing comes up on eBay US try eBay Australia, a lot of the parts come from Asia so I doubt there will be an issue with postage if they'll post it here.

I've found that hobbies stop being fun when they get too expensive, so let's not let that happen to our Toyotas!

[Gnarly4X]

Unfortunately the problem starts when person A advertises their complete car, or part, for some crazy amount, and person B sees this and thinks "well mine is worth that much too then". Person C thinks theirs is better so advertises it for more again, and up goes the price. That has happened over here in the Mazda rotary scene over the last ten years which is why RX-2s and RX-3s are now $30,000-$60,000 cars when ten years ago they were $5,000-$15,000 cars. The power lies with us, the enthusiests, to not let this happen, to not push for top dollar on parts, and to refuse to pay that also.

I paid $3,000 for '82 dual cab V8 which I think was a bit on the cheap side. I see people out here trying to get a lot more for substantially shitter examples than mine, but I don't know how many of them sell. I suppose people want to try and get back everything they have spent, but that is not how these things work unfortunately!

Regarding reproduction parts, it depends on what you need but I have found a lot of stuff on eBay. I have bought lenses, window winders and a bonnet release cable from there, and so far everything has fitted. Mine was also fitted with a reproduction bonnet before I bought it, which fits well. If nothing comes up on eBay US try eBay Australia, a lot of the parts come from Asia so I doubt there will be an issue with postage if they'll post it here.

I've found that hobbies stop being fun when they get too expensive, so let's not let that happen to our Toyotas!

While I understand your point of view.  One man's trash is another man's treasure.  Each person may place a value on something. I will not consider the perspective of "person A, B, or C", when deciding the value of my "stuff" or the value of someone else's "stuff".

Quite frankly, I couldn't care less about how the "enthusiasts" in the rest of the world value their stuff.

Gnarls.