If you’re into trucks, you know about the Toyota Hilux. Or, you’ve watched the OG Top Gear lads try to destroy the damned thing to no avail. Indestructibility aside, Toyota knows what it has and maybe knows a little too much about its demographic. I mean, the automaker offered the pickup with a crane—a crane!—from the factory. And a ready-to-rock, gently-used model can be yours for just 22 grand.
Previously purchased on Bring A Trailer but now offered up on Facebook Marketplace is a 1995 Toyota Hilux SSR-X. Being sold out of Closer, New Jersey, the low-mileage four-door pickup looks practically perfect.
Equipped with a turbodiesel 2.4-liter four-cylinder mated to a 4-speed automatic, the right-hand-drive JDM truck has about 130,000 miles on the odometer and a clean New Jersey title. Looks like an oil change was done recently along with some servicing on shocks, timing belt water pump, auxiliary belts, and batteries. The seller also had anti-rust Fluid Film applied to the frame and undercarriage to mitigate corrosion.
Oh, plus a factory-optioned bed-mounted crane. So, maybe this truck is perfect?!
Why the heck did Toyota add an electronic crane option, anyway? And for a non-commercial pickup at that? Well, no surprise, the option is also rare. The seller says there are only three such Hilux pickups in the U.S. Known as the “Active Base” trim (at least in 1997), a Toyota press release says, “A crane is mounted on the rear for lifting sports gear such as off-road motorbikes.”
There are other reasons to drive around with a crane, of course, but I’ll leave that to your imagination. It’s a do-anything survivalist Hilux, for goodness sake. Hoist whatever you want — as long as it’s within the supposed lift capacity of up to 450 kilograms (992 pounds). Oh, and you’ll likely need the included but detachable stabilizer bar to place under the left rear fender. Unless Hilux tipping is your way of bringing country life to the city.
Now, if you wake up one morning and aren’t vibing with the exposed-crane look that day, you can simply tuck it away. The hook is hidden so flawlessly into the opposing roll bar-like quasi-C-pillars that you’re unlikely to notice anything out of the ordinary until you look specifically into those attachments. Otherwise, it just looks like a tough Toyota truck.
The seller also claims that the Hilux is rust-free, perhaps referring strictly to the underbody. In the old BaT listing, there is rust surrounding the crane’s joints, rear bar, and along the front side of the bed where it meets the cabin. The images included in the current FB listing do provide a closeup of those vehicle sections.
The crane-equipped Hilux sold for $20,500 a year ago, but the seller says the total price came out to $24,000 after auction fees, titling, and maintenance. The seller is asking for $22,000, but a previous Marketplace listing from 38 weeks ago shows an initial price of $22,500 dropped to $20,000.
Obviously, the truck wasn’t sold, and considering this is its second appearance in Marketplace (there could be for-sale listings elsewhere), maybe there’s some buyer’s remorse going on here. Nevertheless, I don’t believe the listed price is non-negotiable, so feel free to OBO.
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