Toyota T100 Trucks+Owner Review

[dareo]

I bought a 98 T100 4x4 ex cab manual trans this february and have now driven it long enough to give a good review thread of it. I got it with about 226k miles, and now it has 235k miles. It's been very good to me in all seasons. I added some newer Toyota alloy 17s and some Cooper AT/3 tires. Snow performance is great. I run 10w30 M1 HM oil in it, half quart top up every 2,000 miles to slow leak and burn.

What is so cool about these trucks?

Light weight: only about 4,000 lbs for a 4x4 ex cab manual.
Manual transmissions are available.
Toyota 5VZFE engines in the 95+ years are awesome
Good gas mileage: In mixed driving and non-winter conditions i can get 19 mpg tanks without trying too hard. Winter&4x4 use brings it down to 16 mpg.

Wider than a Tacoma, narrower than a full size. Bed is wide enough to fit a 4x8 sheet of material flat, yet you are still only 75.2" wide. Those 4-5 inches of difference between a full size and a T100 make a big difference in tight park spots.

2,000 pound payload, doesn't sound like much, but its more than most half ton trucks.

Solid build quality, there are no rattles or squeaks in the body work or interior.

Might be inexpensive. Due to the age and no rear door, sometimes they go very cheaply. Sometimes people think Toyota=Solid Gold, so your market may vary.

It's just so, driveable. I could have one as my only vehicle and enjoy it.

Whats not:
They can rust easier than other cars. It's not an issue on my truck but we have all seen plenty of rusted toyotas. The first thing to check on any Toyota should be the rust level. There, we have covered that topic.

Not a lot of power. It has to carry over 21 lbs per horsepower. The newest V8 trucks are around 15 lbs per horsepower. It feels good around town but at highway speeds it feels slow.

Only rated for 5,000 lb towing. This is not the truck for heavy towing, no doubt about it.


I love the size, the low frills interior and dash, the simple utility of it. I would buy a brand new T100 if they offered it. These trucks MSRPd at only 22k in 1998. Sadly, today's trucks are in a size, towing capacity, horsepower, and electronics war now.

Eventually, i want to buy another one for my father in law. I found this ad here locally, nicely broken in at 380,000 miles. http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/1105151?ad_cid=6 It looks pretty good, i may go look at at it in a week or two. Only $2400.00! Would i be crazy to buy a truck with such high mileage?

 

[NHGUY]

The early T100s were basically widened Tacoma/HiLux trucks.Gutless and readily rusted (New England),the rear bumpers being especially flimsy.Around here,even 2WD T100s are going for big bucks,even with rotted out beds.That said,I would rather have a T100 than a small HiLux/Tacoma.
Toyota wanted to call the new T100 the T150,Ford complained that it was too close to their F150 and Toyota backed down calling it "Tundra" instead.It hasnt set the market on fire either (not to mention the Nissan Titan either...).

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
The early T100s were basically widened Tacoma/HiLux trucks.Gutless and readily rusted (New England),the rear bumpers being especially flimsy.Around here,even 2WD T100s are going for big bucks,even with rotted out beds.That said,I would rather have a T100 than a small HiLux/Tacoma.
Toyota wanted to call the new T100 the T150,Ford complained that it was too close to their F150 and Toyota backed down calling it "Tundra" instead.It hasnt set the market on fire either (not to mention the Nissan Titan either...).
Dunno, they're selling like hotcakes around here. but I'd be scared of the frames rusting any place salt is used. The Titan, not so much-although the ISV Cummins may change that.

 

[andyd]

T 100s are rare in MA. I had to settle for the Rat, a 94 Ranger. 4.0 V6 manual shift 4x4

 

[Jarlaxle]

They're rare because most rotted to powder long ago!

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
They're rare because most rotted to powder long ago!


+1. FIL had one and it rotted away bigtime. Replaced it with a shortbed F150 that he was far more happy with after 20+ years running toyotas.

It was a good utilitarian vehicle, but just like my wife's 4runner, they rotted terribly.

 

[dareo]

They would still be rare today if none of them rusted. I couldn't find exact production numbers, but 141,531 from 1992-1997 seemed to be on a lot of pages. 1998 numbers, who knows? T100 was only a small fraction of trucks sold at the time.

It offered things not really needed in its day: Smaller? Better Gas mileage? Who cares! It's the 1990s and gas is a dollar per gallon.

 

[supton]

Sounds good. Somedays my Tundra feels pretty darn big; a step down in size might be nice.

2,000lb payload? Impressive. Mine is only 1,255!

 

[GenSan]

Nice truck Dareo! Care to share any pics?

Depending on where one's T100 was manufactured out of Hamura, Japan(Hino chassis) or Gibson County, Indiana(Dana chassis), this would explain how some got rust-prone trucks.

Our 1997 4Runner shares the same chassis(Hino) and manufactured in Hamura, Japan as do some T100s.

This 4runner lives outdoors and sees plenty of snow and salt. With nearly 330,000 miles there is absolutely no rust on underchassis just slight superficial rust on recently replaced KYB shocks.

 

[CBR.worm]

A friend of mine had a T100 in the 90's that had over 200k on it. I used it to pull my trailer through the mountains every few months and loved the size and the overall feel. I much preferred it to my F150 w/ 351. What I liked about it was that it drove like a car and the size was right. I was not fond of the exterior shape, but I didn't spend much time looking at the outside of it.

That is what led me to buy two tundras, and never regretted it. The new Tundra is too big for me. At the current size I might prefer a ford.

 

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
A friend of mine had a T100 in the 90's that had over 200k on it. I used it to pull my trailer through the mountains every few months and loved the size and the overall feel. I much preferred it to my F150 w/ 351. What I liked about it was that it drove like a car and the size was right. I was not fond of the exterior shape, but I didn't spend much time looking at the outside of it.

That is what led me to buy two tundras, and never regretted it. The new Tundra is too big for me. At the current size I might prefer a ford.


The new F-150 is gigantic as well (it seems all of the full-size 1/2 tons are), although the torque curve of the ecoboost is pretty addicting.

IMO, the closest thing to a T-100 at this point is probably a Dakota. They're a bit smaller than the full size 1/2 tons, but like the T-100, usually have solid payload ratings (1700+ lbs). They're also available with a V8 / manual trans combo in some years, which is pretty uncommon. Sadly, they're now discontinued as well...

 

[supton]

I drove a first gen Dakota a few times, that was a nice size.

 

[dareo]

A pic, as requested, this is its ugly dented side:



Someone bought the 380k mile T100 that was for sale locally before i could even go see it. Still looking for another one for my father in law.

 

[Ben99GT]

Originally Posted By: GenSan
Depending on where one's T100 was manufactured out of Hamura, Japan(Hino chassis) or Gibson County, Indiana(Dana chassis), this would explain how some got rust-prone trucks.


AFAIK, all T100s were from Japan. Indiana's first trucks were the 1st gen Tundra. Dad had a '95 T100 XCab, cousin had a '97 T100 Xcab 4x4. Pretty good trucks.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: dareo
A pic, as requested, this is its ugly dented side:



Someone bought the 380k mile T100 that was for sale locally before i could even go see it. Still looking for another one for my father in law.


I am pretty sure that T100 has less rust than the ones I saw being sold new on Toyota lots around here back in the day.

 

[supton]

You should have seen the rack of wasted frames behind the Toyota dealer... I'd walk the used car lot, while I had the Camry in for prepaid service, and the frames were just out there in the corner. I'd have thought they would cover them or something.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: supton
You should have seen the rack of wasted frames behind the Toyota dealer... I'd walk the used car lot, while I had the Camry in for prepaid service, and the frames were just out there in the corner. I'd have thought they would cover them or something.


I saw this at the stealership in my area a long time ago. I was doing a search for a trans "flush" machine and spotted a huge pile of neatly stacked frames. The person I asked said there were many more as the recycler picked them up regularly!!!

BTW, they only had a passive trans machine, just like every single place I looked at up and down three counties...

 

[dareo]

Mine has no body rust but there is some rust on the whole frame and suspension parts. Nothing bad, but i figure i won't get more than 10 years out of this rig unless i put some serious work. An uninsured deer caused those dents at some point in the past. It never chipped any paint, and got me a great price on the truck.

 

[supton]

Spray the frame with oil, that should slow down the rust. Even in Utah. But I hear you. When I bought my Toyotas (either of them) I wasn't planning on much life past 10 years. In the end I still think of Asian vehicles as disposable vehicles, rack up 200-250k on them and toss, the repair cost likely is more than replacement cost. Actually, I wasn't planning on going that high on the Tundra. I'm not sure I can stomach the repair costs, and by then I'm guessing I won't be able to stomach the fuel costs.

 

[dareo]

I plan on cleaning up some rust and possibly oiling or painting parts when it gets warmer. I really like this truck so if i need to put in a JDM engine or something to keep it going i will. It is one of those i would not mind fixing at all.

Nothing on the new market makes me wish to upgrade. Maybe a next generation Tacoma will be interesting.