The ad for today’s 4Runner warns that the “gas” gauge isn’t accurate. That’s okay since the truck has been converted to run on diesel. Let’s see if this unique oil burner’s price is more accurate than that gauge.

Of all the countless model names that the Ford Motor Company could resurrect, it’s unlikely that Probe would be among them. I could see another round of Thunderbird down the road. Maybe a twenty-something Torino too. The Probe name however? Along with Pinto, that’s about as likely to get a do-over as is Microsoft’s .

That means that, should your life’s goal be to own a car called Probe, your only option is the existing cars like yesterday’s. Fortunately for all you Probe fetishists, that car’s tidy condition paired well with its $2,600 price, earning the car a 78 percent Nice Price win and hence our NPOCP seal of approval.

What however, if your wants and desires were a little less mainstream? What if in fact what really floats your boat is something that doesn’t exist in the real world. Would you then go to great lengths to create it yourself?

That seems to have been the idea behind this , as it is not as it was when it was born. No, this U.S. model 4Runner has been given a JDM edition 1KZ turbo diesel engine, because that’s what somebody apparently wanted. What somebody apparently wants now is to get rid of it, and hence here we are.

That 1KZ is a 2982cc SOHC four, and that, as we all know, is pretty damn big for a four pot. At 22:1 the engine’s compression ratio is equally impressive and that helps the turbocharged mill pump out 130 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque. The ad notes 120,000 miles on the engine, and 200K on the rest of the truck.

Those miles are evident in the war wounds scattered throughout the body. Big-ass dings mar the hood and driver’s door while the passenger side appears to be emulating a Rubik’s Cube with different colors front and back. That’s okay though, since it makes the truck look tough.

The interior’s a little funky too with Pep Boys serape-style seat covers up front, some loose dash panels down below, and floor mats that look like they need to be corralled under the pedals.

The good thing is, all of the necessary changes to keep tabs on the diesel engine up front have been made here. There’s a glow plug indicator on the dash, and an “Idle Up”switch on the left for those ultra cold mornings. All the other needles and lights, save for that fuel gauge, are all said to work properly even with the diesel.

That’s all part of what the ad claims was a “flawless conversion.” Other claims are that the truck “runs amazing” and carries $1,500 worth of aftermarket ARB bumper up front. Behind that the truck has what looks to be one bad headlamp.

Behind that, the hood has a scoop for an absent intercooler. Additionally, there are running boards and and a hitch festooning the sides and back respectively. Remarkably, the title is claimed to be clear and the truck does appear to carry California plates meaning that it’s likely able to be registered practically anywhere.

Before that can happen however, there is the matter of the price that must be discussed. After all, that’s why we’re here. The asking is $15,000. That’s three-grand shy of what another, is asking. That truck also carries the unfortunate stigma of a salvage title.

This one has the clean title, fewer miles, while albeit more dents. The question is, could that be an equatable trade off for the three grand? More importantly, is this truck worth that $15,000 asking at all?

You decide!

San Francisco Bay Area , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to thxoneonethreeeight for the hookup!

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