29th Aug 2007, 22:07
My first new vehicle was a 1991 Toyota pickup. I drove it everywhere. I totaled it at 195,000.00 miles in 2002. I wanted something bigger to drive so I bought a Chevy van. What a disappointment. I Sold that thing and bought a 1993 Toyota pickup. I can't imagine owning another make of vehicle. My Toyota, has always giving me a warning when something is going wrong. The Chevy just left me sitting wondering where to start.
3rd Sep 2007, 18:25
Whoever made the first comment is not in touch with reality. Toyota is not the end all to be all that some make it out to be, and when they break it is not always the fault of the owner like some Toyota fanatics like to claim. My dad owns a '93 Toyota pick-up 4-W-D automatic with 174,000. At around 165,000? the timing chain broke and caused coolant to leak. Thus the truck overheated and the head was warped. This was nearly $1,000 to repair. I cannot stand driving this truck because it shimmies bad over 60 and the throttle is very hard to press for some reason. We live in the Mid-west so Ford or Chevy is obviously the first choice for a truck, but he chose the Toyota for its size and ground clearance that the Ranger and S-10 could not match. His next truck will probably be a Chevy.
4th Sep 2007, 19:39
The Colorado and S-10 are by far a joke, and the Ranger has not been redesigned since 1992 and it never will be as this is the last year... I know as I live right next to the St. Paul plant. The only other truck that can compete with the Toyota are other Japanese brands or maybe the Dakota... but no one wants to buy the Dakota either... that is what I can tell from the Detroit airport being full.
26th May 2013, 08:20
These early 90s Toyotas are very reliable trucks, but like any vehicle you intend to use in remote areas, you have to stay on top of your maintenance issues. I own a 91 and a 93. The 93 had the typical head gasket failure at 95K, and I got a whole new short block on warranty from my local dealer in Calgary. The 91 I bought from a guy who dropped a V6 in it that came from a wrecked 4 Runner.
If you intend to haul much or tow with these trucks, you need to beef up the stock suspension. I have had new leaf springs fabricated for the 93, and I put a Firestone Ride Rite airbag kit into the 91. The airbag kit is OK, but it rides a lot rougher than the leaf springs in the 93.
You have to make sure you change the timing belts out before they fail and cause valve train damage. Naturally you have to take care of all the other systems on the vehicle once you start getting into high mileage. I currently have 455,000km on the 93, and there's 550,000km on the 91.
The original brake rotors and drums can last a long time. If you're not hard on a clutch, you can get over 150,000km out of one before you change it out.
The cooling systems you have to watch. The aluminum components can corrode. There's a resistor under the glove box that controls the heating fan blower motor. Just put a new one in right away if you buy one of these old trucks.
These older trucks are not for everybody. If you had to pay for dealer rate labour every time you had to fix something, you'd go broke. If you're handy, and you've got patience, you can get years of very cost-effective service from these trucks. I have done 17 hunting seasons with my 93, and dragged moose out of the bush with it, hauled a 3000 pound hunting trailer for many thousands of Km, and gotten through a lot of Canadian winters.
I feel that these early 90's 4 wheel drive pickups represent some of the most cost effective trucks ever sold in North America. If you don't mind working on them yourself, you can keep them on the road for a long time.
2nd Oct 2014, 15:05
Today's new GM and Ford full sizes are excellent. Also the MPG is decent. Granted this is a tiny truck review. If you buy and insure a new truck, why not a full size? Otherwise a nice crossover SUV will do much the same if you fold down the rear seat.
6th Jun 2007, 15:04
I've had many different brands of cars and trucks and I still stand by Toyota and what they offer. yes you have to repair wearing parts, but its not that big of a deal. I know many people with trucks hitting 200k and better. I would buy a Toyota pickup with 130k and not worry about it. I couldn't say the same for other company's like Chrysler, kia etc.
Stick with what works for you. Toyota works for me.