Are these 1st generation Tacoma to increase value as some FJ ?

Just wondering what are the odds?

 

50/50

Either they do, or they don't...

 

lol.... somewhere online should be a reason what was the factor that made some Old FJ so expensive........ I like the 50/50 option, lol..

 

Depends mostly on if they survive the frame rust issues, the old FJ's are expensive because there aren't that many around, lots of 1st gens around though at least right now.

 

It ALL depends on what people are willing to pay for the vehicle. There are some pretty crappy "classic" vehicles out there going for ridiculous prices, all because some guy wanted one and had the money to pay for one. Other people wanted to "keep up with the Jones" and so the demand went up but supply stays the same.

Like the VW Westies as of late. Arguably not that great of a vehicle platform to begin with, since everyone is swapping subi motors in them. They had a pretty cool syncro design, but that desire (i.e. fad) has bled over to people paying ridiculous prices for mid 90's front wheel drive westies just so people can have a westie (any westie). My brother paid $24k for his poop colored brown 87 2wd Westie that needed a new motor (had a bad subi motor), mild rust on the body, and various other issues like stinky mildew interior, ac issues, etc... $24k for that...

Don't get me wrong, the Westies are "cool", but not for that price. I'll take my Taco and put an RTT on it and go WAY more places than the westie ever could, and more reliably, too. Or, buy a used Sportsmobile for the same price but get much more modern stuff inside.

 

I don't think they will, there are plenty of pickups out there but not a lot of fjs or equivalent.

 

FJ resale is crazy right now, I read on some car magazine's website that they're at nearly 95% resale value, that's insane. It's funny because it was like no one wanted one when Toyota was making them, now that they're discontinued they've become increasingly popular and desired. As desirable as certain model 1st gens are, there are way more of them out on the road than FJs...not to mention most are considerably older. I don't see them getting the same resale value as FJs.

 

No.

I think you will find the Cruisers were produced in far fewer numbers and were inherently more scarce (and less in demand in general). They also have a bigger cool factor.

The first gens are just another iteration of the hilux/pickup line, and a far more common commodity vehicle that was mass produced. Did you ever see anyone hauling lawn mowers and leaf blowers in an FJ?

Even with the frame rust issues, existing numbers are still likely far higher than original FJ production numbers.

 

That's because that issue is limited to a specific geographic region (or regions). I don't know the numbers, but I'm willing to bet that for the *total* number of Tacos on the road today, the rusty frames constitute a fairly small %.

There are probably more rusty frame Tacos on the road than there are FJs...

 

...yeah....that was the point I made. Some frames were replaced. Other trucks were bought back and destroyed. Even with those campaigns, still far more Tacomas than FJs.

 

My Ex found a 79 Westie in a barn and paid $2k for it. She paid $1k paint and bodywork, $1k for new heads and transmission work and $1k for interior and miscellaneous parts. She flipped it on craigslist for $16K and immediately bought a low mile FJ for $16k. I was proud of her for pulling that off. Westies are awesome for the vibe you get while driving them but absolutely suck mechanically- they always break down even if you take care of them. Her FJ is indesctuctable and now worth more then what she bought it for.

 

With all the smarts and cool toys, why is she the "ex?"

 

A few thoughts in favor of increased 1st-gen Tacoma values -

1 - No one sells small pickups in the US any more.
Recently, I saw a mid '80s Isuzu pickup for sale at the Virginia Beach Pick-N-Pull - priced about the same as vehicles like a late '90s Honda Civic they were selling.
When I asked, they claimed that's what decent small trucks are going for.

2 - All new vehicles are far too complex, with added electronics and technology that may affect long-term reliability. Not everyone wants to pay for maintaining all this stuff.

3 - What's happened with station wagons. Station wagons were mostly utility vehicles that got used up and discarded. They didn't get saved like sporty coupes and convertibles. But there are people that want cargo-room combined with the comfort & handling of a regular car. So prices of decent vintage wagons have shot up. Compare used prices of Camry wagons to those of the sedans.

Happy Motoring, Mark

 

CONDTION condition condition makes or breaks the value of each truck

 

You are not wrong my friend...not wrong at all. Nice buggy!