Looking to buy 89 pickup, newbie questions

I've been lurking for a while, and I finally decided to try and buy and older Toyota pickup. I won't be doing to much with it, it won't be a daily driver, just something for fun and occasional runs to Home Depot.

I like the pickups from 1989 and earlier. Problem is, around here (Buffalo, NY) cars rust fast, and any of the trucks I like are all junk. So I started looking online, and I'm just not sure I can buy a car without driving it first. For example, this is exactly what I'm looking for:

http://www.leesautocenter.com/1989_Toyota_Pickup_Clayton_NC_171769259.veh

But, can I really trust the pictures? I guess I'm wondering if there are any questions I can ask that might reveal problems with the truck, anything the 89's are notorious for? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Its unlikely you will get much help from this forum. They just want to show pics of their trucks and act like this is cardomain and not a real forum.

Just use your eyes. If its a NY truck its likely to be rusty as hell. Chech the frame, the door jams and the rockers for rust. Those are death points.

 

Ask for the mileage and check if the engine has been rebuilt at 200k. Also you will face oil leaks. It's common for these trucks.

 

It appears the(gray) 92 was painted with primer-and the BED IS CROOKED.
YES--always drive it. Or get someone you know to drive it.
Never trust a car salesman-NEVER.
the 89 and earlier have a different body style than the 92.
I had a 91--tough as nails-GREAT TRUCK.

 

Check for rust, the frames tend to rust similar to Tacoma's. Don't go with a v6, they suck ass. You could if its had head gaskets done but is still be a lil cautious. Other than that just look for obvious things.

 

i used to have an 89 with almost 300,000 miles on it and never leaked one bit of oil. Great friggin truck

 

89-94 have a different body style than the previous years so I'm not sure what you mean by 89 and earlier.

The 22R-E is an I4 engine that is known very well to be reliable

The V6s are known for head gasket issues

Either way, look for one that is in good shape (hard to find, I know).

They are most prone to rust issues and teenagers. By that I mean if well maintained they will last forever but most people get one and beat it horribly.

If it's sketchy in any way and you don't want to dump a fortune into constantly fixing it up, pass. You can always look for one from a dry state where cars don't rust so bad and see if you can get it delivered or something. But you'd have to find a really good deal for that to pan out.

Basically, keep an eye out for that gem to go for sale because most you come across will be overly rusty, beat up, and not well maintained.

Also, that first poster has mommy issues.

Hope that helps, man