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Buy it or Leave it? 1978 Little Chief, 43,500km


ethelmuggs

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Hello Toyota Motorhome enthusiasts! I have the opportunity to purchase a 1978 Little Chief with super low mileage. One friend of mine thinks the mechanics of the truck alone are worth the price of $2600 (something about it being like a sought after Hilux engine or something?). However, having gone to look at it. The batteries need replacing (so that's over a couple hundred dollars already). There is quite a lot of rust spots on the truck/cab part itself which doesn't bother me so much... 

The interior... is not much to look at and needs some work. Also have no idea if anything actually works as the current owner just bought in the Spring as a "redo project". Some of the exterior door accesses to the propane/water heater etc were also hard to open.

I'm mainly considering it as something to get into RVing on the cheap I guess? So I'm okay with using a cooler/camp stove if needed. But, would like to eventually see about using the furnace.

The ad is located through Kijiji in Calgary, Alberta if any one is interested in looking at it. Direct Link to the Kijiji Ad <- For the Toyota Little Chief

 

Any way... any honest thoughts, opinions, concerns etc would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Christina

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9 hours ago, ethelmuggs said:

Hello Toyota Motorhome enthusiasts! I have the opportunity to purchase a 1978 Little Chief with super low mileage. One friend of mine thinks the mechanics of the truck alone are worth the price of $2600 (something about it being like a sought after Hilux engine or something?). However, having gone to look at it. The batteries need replacing (so that's over a couple hundred dollars already). There is quite a lot of rust spots on the truck/cab part itself which doesn't bother me so much... 

The interior... is not much to look at and needs some work. Also have no idea if anything actually works as the current owner just bought in the Spring as a "redo project". Some of the exterior door accesses to the propane/water heater etc were also hard to open.

I'm mainly considering it as something to get into RVing on the cheap I guess? So I'm okay with using a cooler/camp stove if needed. But, would like to eventually see about using the furnace.

The ad is located through Kijiji in Calgary, Alberta if any one is interested in looking at it. Direct Link to the Kijiji Ad <- For the Toyota Little Chief

 

Any way... any honest thoughts, opinions, concerns etc would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Christina

If the rear axle has duel wheels and only has 5 lug nuts you should walk away. These axles are unsafe and can be quite expensive to replace. The asking price seems high to me for a vehicle needing as many repairs as this one needs. 

Also, keep in mind you only have a 5 digit odometer. That vehicle could have 143,500 or 243,500km depending on how many times the odometer has “ rolled over”. Best to have someone with a good auto mechanical background evaluate the drivetrain. 

Edited by fred heath
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