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This 1981 Toyota HiLux costs more than a new model

An immaculate 1981 Toyota HiLux is being advertised for an astronomical $USD50,000 – the equivalent of $AUD73,000 – in the US, in yet another example of classic Japanese cars starting to fetch big dollars.


By comparison, the current 2020 Toyota HiLux range tops out at $62,990 drive-away for a Rugged X or Rogue edition.

The 1981 Toyota HiLux Trekker is regarded as the “forerunner to the 4Runner” because its ute tub was converted to carry passengers, and fitted with seats and carpet lining.

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The history of the Toyota HiLux Trekker series is patchy, but experts believe between 1000 and 1500 were built in the US from 1981 to 1983 in a joint venture with recreational vehicle builder Winnebago. 

None were officially sold in Australia, although the Toyota 4Runner – in essence a HiLux-based vehicle manufactured to carry passengers in lieu of a ute tray – was sold here across two generations from 1984 to 1996.

This stunning example of the 1981 Toyota HiLux Trekker – arguably the best of its type still in existence – is listed for sale by Vanguard Motor Sales in the US state of Michigan.

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It has 28,439 miles (45,768km) on the odometer and is powered by Toyota's 72kW 22R 2.4-litre inline four-cylinder petrol engine matched to a five-speed manual.

Vanguard lists the sale price at $USD49,900, which is about $AUD73,000 at today’s exchange rates.

The full walk-around video is shown below.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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