I continue to find Toyota Chinooks, despite their age. They have an enduring appeal, combining a bullet-proof Toyota pickup with a practical and durable fiberglass pop-up camper body in back. What’s not to like, in this age when any vehicle capable of taking one out into nature is so sought after?
I suppose it’s a bit questionable whether this one is still doing just that. But quite likely it will be again.
For full-height versions, the fiberglass Sunrader is highly sought after:
Far more of these on the roads here, many of which are clearly driven regularly, than a few other cars recently featured, such as the Dart Sport or even Diesel Rabbit. And a throwback to the days when a 4 cylinder Toyota, while certainly not considered fast, was deemed adequate for hauling around an RV. No need for a 7 liter turbo diesel; in fact these rigs probably felt spritely or at least more relaxed than a VW camper.
Still a few of these running around where I live, most of which look only marginally better than the example Paul posted .
Still on my bucket list…
Even here in New England, I still see these occasionally. There’s one sitting at an auto repair place near me.
There was one up my street on the way to work a few weeks ago for a time. Those R-series motors after about ‘73 or so are seemingly indestructible once they eliminated the valve issues in the really early ones. And those loaded up for a week on the go weren’t lightweight by any stretch of the imagination compared to a Corona or Celica. Admirable.
I used to have a 1978 Toyota Dolphin motorhome that I need to do a COAL on. Great size, but easy to overload. Dolphin had a unique dual rear wheel setup on a non-full floating axle. Not good and it they were eventually recalled due to axle failures. I think that the Chinooks were smaller and lighter and didn’t overload the frame and rear axle. Perfect for one or two people!
You’ll probably see it on Craigslist soon with a price of 8000 hipster dollars.
They are one of those vehicles that are if anything, more desirable now than when new. Not to me, but to their market. They look too small, but VW Westphalia campers were still in vogue then, so probably about the same size, camper wise, maybe even a touch bigger. I thought the Chinooks were dual rear wheels though.