Like the tortoise of Aesop fable fame, the Toyota Hi-Lux has engendered a reputation for a slow and steady life. Today’s ’84 is a little more hare-raising, but will its price still win the race?

Not too many of you were racing to support the asking price of yesterday’s . To be honest, as much as that car had going for it - handsome wagon body, rebuilt 2.3, um, that’s about it - it still had issues with rust, interior problems, and the fact that it was a Vega. I think that tipped the scales and its 58% Crack Pipe loss was hence, well earned.

Chevy once advertised the Vega with the tag See What It’s Like to Drive a Winner. Maybe people took

Yesterday’s vote was perhaps just the latest pock mark in the Vega’s reputation, one of many. Oh how things would have been different if only Chevy had built a car with the durability and reliability of… say, Toyota’s Hi-Lux pickup truck. Ah yes, if only.

The Hi-Lux is named for getting high, and then getting lucky, Toyota seeking to capture the horny stoner audience which at the time no other manufacturer was serving. The truck debuted in the U.S. in 1969 and quickly established itself as the mini-truck of choice for people who bought Toyota pickups exclusively.

represents from the fourth generation of the marque (’83 - ’88), and while this edition was originally offered with a slate of 4-bangers - both gas and diesel - as well as a 3.0 V6, this particular one gets its motivation from an Buick L26 out of a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix. I’ll bet the owner of that Pontiac was super surprised to learn about the switch.

The ad offers a litany of internal upgrades to the balanced and blueprinted 3.8 six, which include a fat cam, flat tops, and a spate of breathing improvements. There’s no word on when the mill was baked but it does look to be a tidy installation under the very orange truck’s hood.

Power is fed to a T5 out of a Camaro and the shifter sits between what are described to be bucket seats. A custom IP apparently keeps tabs on all the action. A note to the seller, pictures of all that would have been nice. That is of course unless there’s a family or raccoons living in there or something.

What’s not to like? Well, aside from a possible raccoon infestation there a few actual debbie downers here to contemplate. First off, the bed is off a third-gen truck. Not that big a deal, but it makes you wonder why that is. Next up, it’s lowered on blocks which isn’t my favorite thing. Then there’s the 7.5-inch rear end which is spooled. That we all know, is great at the strip but sucks dead hobo ass when it comes to these crazy things called corners. Tops on the post-purchase to-do list should be the installation of a proper Posi rear end. Oh, and sandbags, lots and lots of sandbags.

Aside from those minor monkeys in the wrench it’s a freaking Toyota truck! It’s also one that’s so orange that nothing rhymes with it, and it carries one of the world’s more unexpected engine choices under its hood. The seller says it’s FAST! which I don’t doubt. The question is, should its $3,600 price have potential buyers lining up just as fast?

What’s your take on this Buick-imbued Hi-Lux and its $3,600 asking price? Does that sound like a deal? Or, is this modded Toyota’s price no prize?

You decide!

Wichita , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Cullen for the hookup!

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