1987 4WD Cargo

My love affair with Toyota vans started as a teenager when I actually thought they were one of the best looking vehicles going. At the time they were new and way beyond my pocketbook so I drove 4 or 5 beat up old Volkswagen vans until I could afford my first Toyota. The first van was bought in 1989 and I have driven only Toyota vans (with the exception of one year) since. My family and friends are continually asking me when I will move on to something else but I still can't seem to find a more practical, novel and reliable vehicle. I love them!

The first van I bought was a 1988 2WD 5speed Cargo which had been a delivery vehicle for an appliance company. Apparently a dump truck had turned left to sharply and demolished the front end on the meek Van. It was written off by the insurance company and I paid $2000 for a one year old van with 80,000 kilos on it. It was a bare bone van which I drove up to 280,00Kilos with nary a repair. It's final trip was from Toronto to the Gulf Islands on the West coast of Canada in December. We were loaded from end to end and top to bottom and the van made it without a problem. I sold it shortly thereafter and the new owners were still driving it when I moved back to Ontario. I forgot to mention I repaired the front end damage with a door from a wrecking yard and a bra. The bra hid everything. I will try to locate some pictures.

I had always dreamed of owning a 4WD as the Ontario winters can be quite bad. In 1996 I purchased a 1987 4WD 5speed Cargo with 170,000 kilo's on it. Drove this van for three years when the rust and leaking power steering fluid began to overwhelm me. This van is now my parts van.

Presently I have two vans on the road. My favorite is a 1987 4WD 5 speed cargo which I swapped the interior from an LE into so my son has a place to sit. Also salvaged a sliding door with a window so he can see something once in while. This van has been my introduction to do it yourself repair. This van never gets stuck in the winter and will cruise on the highway at 85mph, I am contemplating a full restoration soon.

My other van is a 1989 2WD auto window unit. I bought it with only 160,000 kilo's on it and apparently it was stored winters? it is in quite good condition but I am presently involved in fixing a broken stud for the exhaust manifold, big job! The auto seems underpowered compared to the much heavier 4WD. I notice on your site this should not be merely accepted so I might look into the gutlessness. Perhaps I have should have the injectors cleaned since they are off now anyway.

I have really enjoyed your site, was told about it by another Toyota van lover in my neighborhood. The technical help discussion area has already helped me on a quite a few repairs. I am not a mechanic but grew up with one for a father so I am willing to tackle just about anything and your site has helped immensely.

Thanks, Scott Neilson