My Toyota pickup finally has a name

I had a 1988 that I bought in 1989 when it was 1 year old. This summer after 23 years of ownership it was stolen. I knew they were easy to steal. In fact that 1988 is the 11th most stolen vehicle. But I never thought someone would steal a 24 year old truck.

I liked it. It was an Xtra Cab and a long bed. Bed was 7 feet 6 inches. I only saw 1 or 2 like mine in 23years. Easy to spot because it was so long. 5 speed manual. Back then the Xtra Cab did not have jump seats - just a shelf where you could store your stuff. I kept it as original as I could. Toyota did not even have a name for it back then - it was simply called a pickup in this country. In other countries it was called the Hilux.

After 4 months of waiting for it to be recovered by the police, I gave up. Time to find a replacement.

I had been on Yota Tech for years, so I started there to see what the newer models were like. I do not like the 2005 up because it is no longer a mini truck. I thought 1995.5 - 2004 since the truck finally had a name and was still a mini. I like the facelift Toyota did for 2001 - 2004.

The 2001 I bought last month has an issue I do not want to go in right now. It is an automatic. I have never owned a vehicle with an automatic transmission. At first I wanted a 5 speed manual just like what I had. I have driven 2.4L with the automatic and it is slow. But I am getting old and the traffic is stop and go so much these days that I gave into an automatic.

The old NUMMI plant in Fremont is close to where I live. I use to see the transporters on the freway with the beds coming from Southern California to Fremont. The "rusty" frames were made by Dana in Stockton which is a few hours from me. When GM filed for bankruptcy the joint venture with Toyota ended and the NUMMI plant was close. The plant has since been taken over by Tesla.

 

Welcome to TW from Ferntucky, NV

 

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