This 81 Toyota Trekker has been up for sale seems like ever since it was sold at the Mecum auction. And the price changes each time, I’ve seen $22.500, $30,000, $15,000 and now $18,500. The last time it was on Ebay the bidding ended just before $10,000 so given that fact it doesn’t seem to be worth the asking price(s). That may be why it’s been up for sale so often. It may very well be the best surviving example of a Trekker left in existence. Still, it’s not totally original as the listing states. The drive train appears to be modified- check out the shifter area. It seems the original L52 trans was replaced with a later model possibly a W52 or G52. That means the frame was modified and the driveshafts changed or modified. Also the engine now has a Weber carb.

At least this seller is honest about the truck with the things that don’t work and the actual miles exceeding 200,000. I thought is was rather fraudulent for Mecum to have run the truck through as driven barely more than 18,000 miles which may explain why it brought $22,500 then.

So take a look at the older posts on this truck, click the link to see the old Mecum auction, or click the Ebay link to see more info on this Toyota Trekker.

I sometimes get the question: Why isn’t there more documentation out there for Trekkers? I would submit a possible reason is that because the Trekker really wasn’t a very successful venture. Even today there is a small cult following for Trekkers supported by a common claim that the survivors are rare and collectible. While that may be true to an extent, back in the day the Trekker did not have a very good reputation and I think Toyota wanted to distance itself from the Winnebago conversion. It was a great idea in theory; one that lead to the highly successful line of 4runners. But instead of creating a factory design from the start, the B4runners were a conversion from pickup to what is now known as an SUV.
There is the factory sales brochure which introduced the public to the idea of a 5 seater Toyota 4×4. But there simply aren’t many other vintage publications to support the history of the Trekker. Even Winnebago is now known to be tight lipped on any historical data on the Trekker. But I did come across an article in my copy of March 1984 Mini-Truck magazine which supports my theory that all was not well in the era of the Trekker. In fact it seems that only two years later consumers were banding together for a possible lawsuit against the manufacturer.

A quick search of Trekker recalls reveals only one dated of July 1981 so it seems unlikely that any group had successfully campaigned against either Toyota or Winnebago regarding the quality of the conversion. As rare as they might be I see Trekkers for sale via the internet once or twice a year. It’s easy to get starry eyed at the thought of owning a piece of Toyota history, but I think the end result would be the buyer inheriting a history of issues from a not so good design.

Up for sale on Ebay is a 1981 Toyota Trekker. Don’t bring a trailer for this one, you’ll need a boat since it’s on an island- Hawaii. Figure another $1200 minimum to bring it back to the states. There’s not much info provided in the listing but the truck looks to be modified. So if you’re looking for a nice original piece this may not be the one for you.

This is my 1981 Toyota Trekker the day I bought it.  I found this one at a garage sale, if you can believe that.  I had no idea what it was at the time, but had to have it.  I was able to drive it only a block before the carburetor died.  I haggled with the owner for a few days on the price before coming to an agreement.  Cash and tow strap in hand I towed it the 1/2 mile to my house.  As bad as it looked, I knew it had potential.  I started working on the clean up that day.   My intention was to make wheeler out of it until I started doing some research on the Trekkers.  I found out how uncommon they are and I decided to stay stock.  A few weeks later the previous owner brought me a folder that contained all the maintenance receipts back to at least 1985.

This is how my Trekker looks today.  I am still in the process of restoring it.  How far I will go into the restoration process is still a question for me, but I am very detailed.  I have done a lot of Trekker research in the last few years which has given me some great stock restoration ideas for my Trekker.

I found this former show truck for sale here. The 1981 Toyota Trekker sits on 35″ BFG Mud Terrains with 15×10 American Racing rims. Powered by a 350 Chevrolet engine, turbo 350 automatic and np 205 transfer case. There is chrome everywhere with triple shocks front and rear, Rhino axle trusses, and drive lines. There is a 6000 lb Warn winch up front and out back is a matching custom built trailer made from a pickup box.

There is a claim that this truck was hand built by John Safro (Jack?) but I’m not sure what that means. There are definitely more than two Toyota Trekkers in the United States, so I wonder if this truck is titled as a pickup? In any case it’s a very cool Toyota and well worth the asking price which is a fraction of the original cost of $50,000.

1981 Toyota Trekker

So now here is this Trekker that was owned by one of the original designers Jack Safro and its made an appearance on Ebay. I originally saw this truck last spring for sale through Mecum auction service at a state fair. I had serious thoughts of going to bid on it, but not knowing the price range I decided against the two day road trip. At that time this truck was advertised as driven barely more than 18,000 miles. Now the truck is in very good condition for sure. The more I read the more I begin to have issues; and now I can see it was a good decision to pass on the sale.

Now that the vin has been revealed: JT4RN38D4B0011149 we can see that the truck in fact has over 200,000 miles. Since the 81 Toyota trucks only had 5 digits we can assume the actual mileage is close to 218,700 miles; although it could as easily be 318,700 miles too. Here lies the issue- this truck has been restored- not an original collector’s piece. Again don’t get me wrong it is in great shape for a 1981 trekker. But again with my pet peeve on some of these “original” trucks- the vin reveals that the base truck was a deluxe model and there are SR5 stripes on the outside and an SR5 interior. Yes it does have an SR5 package, but its not original as the vin indicates. There also has been some modification of the drive train that is not original to the truck. Again it is a nice restoration, but not an original SR5 Toyota.

Now to add to it, the seller claims distress and will be selling the truck for “half” of what was paid. I saw it for sale on Craigslist a few weeks back and the asking price was $15,000.

Update:I just found the original auction site for this truck and it did sell for $22,500 then- wow! Now the bid is at $9100 and the reserve is not met. With the issues revealed I don’t see the value but considering what it sold for at auction that would be a bargain 😉

The Toyota 4Runner

1987 Toyota 4Runner sr5 for sale on Ebay!

Up for sale is a hard to find 1987 Toyota 4runner turbo 4 cyl with an automatic. From the auction listing: The Toyota is all electric – all power windows, locks; everything power. It also has the electric instrument cluster that lights up blue. The Toyota is in great running condition the engine has tons of power and the tranny runs and switches great. There is no rust on this 87 there is dings and a couple of dents but no major damage. The paint is faded in all the normal spots such as the hood and the top of the removable top. The 4×4 is an working order it needs a new cv boot on the driver-side about a 30 dollar fix. The interior is ok no rips or tears in the seats; normal dirt stains on the carpet nothing outrageous or unidentified sticky substances. The tires have 60 percent tread left on 33 inch bfgs. This is a great everyday driver and has tons of potential as a off roader . The trucks odometer reads 208xxx miles but the head has been replaced and runs like new. New water pump, oil pump, timing chain, new brakes in the front oil changes every 2500 miles.

Click the link at the top of the page for more info or to bid on this truck!

1983 Toyota Pickup Trailblazer on Ebay

This is an example of a rare 1983 Toyota Pickup Limited Edition with a Trailblazer conversion by Griffith. These are very similar to Trekkers, however Trekkers were converted by Winnebago. The Trailblazer differs from a Trekker in the conversion. Trekkers were made with a rear fiberglass shell. The back of the cab is cut out and the shell is bonded to the cab. The Trailblazer were more of a fiberglass cap conversion where the original steel box is retained. Which is better is a subject of debate. The seller states that there were only 400 made that consisted from 1979-1983, and also a few 1984’s. I doubt any were made before 1981 and there were definately no ’84 Trailblazers as the 4runner was in production by then. This one is an 1983 and it has A/C, power steering and appears to be an SR5.  It has 177,000 original miles and shows it. The good news is most of this truck is just standard pickup parts, so finding restoration parts shouldn’t be a major problem. I hope someone can buy this and restore it; as it is a rare piece of Toyota history.