Vehicle Advice

[ZMT588]

If you get one, install a separate trans cooler on the 3rd gen and you'll never have the strawberry milkshake problem.

I had to do it to my 2nd gen, 3rd gen, AND my current 4th gen!

 

[ZMT588]

I'll soon need to replace my 99 F250 v10. Looking to get into something with better MPG, suv 4x4 probably. Can only spend 3k, don't want a payment. Any advice on what yr/model and where to look would be great.

Another rig to look at if the 2nd gen 4runner. That would be more in your specific price range. Its a dog of an engine as far as power goes, it sucks, but if you can get passed the lack of high end torque in 2 hi and 4 hi you will be ok.

I bought mine for 1700 and it ran great till the head gasket blew. After that I decided I'd had my fun after I had lifted it and what not and wanted to move on.

2nd and 3rd gen 4runners are good rigs but finding them at the right price can be hard. If your looking for one make sure too look further than you normally would like to in order to find one. I've noticed once i expand my search area more pop up.

Don't rule out XJ's either. I find them to be smaller cab wise, and footprint wise. Just as capable as a Toyota. Lots of after market support like 4runners.

 

[ZMT588]

Wow, they're selling those for $3k and under? In the last few years I've had at least 1/2 dozen strangers offer me $5k for my '89 4x4 pickup. After telling one guy "not a chance", he offered $10k. I still told him "NO". I can't believe those later model 4runners are going that cheap......unless there's something wrong with them.

I personally haven't seen a clean 3rd gen with ok miles under 5k. Not to say they aren't out there, but....

 

[Fatcamp]

That tells me that they're leaving money on the table.

Maybe. You could always offer them more.

 

[MeatBuck]

So I already had a solid axle swapped 88 4Runner 3.0l lifted with dual cases 35s spooled rear end blah blah blah. She blew a headgasket so I bought a 96 limited runner for $1400 to do a 3.0l to 3.4l engine swap.

The 96 ran and drove fine but wouldn't pass cal smog. Interior told the story of about half a dozen out of control Mexican children's play area and the elocker wasn't working. No big deal I just wanted the engine and had a feeling the elocker was just in need of a once over as it had never been used.

I noticed water in the radiator so I was suspicious of that but I drove it home about 2.5 hrs in bay area traffic from San Jose to the winters area without any trouble at all. Burned an entire tank of gas over the next couple weeks, even towed another yota on 4flats about 4 miles. Thinking she was a friggin steal at $1400 I yanked the 3.4l engine and rear elocker along with all the wiring and swapped everything into my first gen 4Runner in place of the 3.0l and spool.

Had to source a few other items as the 96 was auto and the 88 is a manual transmission. However after scavenging the piss out of the 96 for anything I thought may be useful I sold it for $400.

Figured out the issue with the elocker was just a bad wire however after driving only a few weeks with the 3.4l it too blew a head gasket...

So I bought a 2002 2wd 4Runner that was rear ended and had only 120k miles on it for $500. Swapped the long blocks out after doing new headgaskets and knock sensor wires for assurance purposes. Took the 02 runner to scrapyard after taking anything useful and selling a few items on cl to recoup some funds.

Now I daily drive a 1988 4Runner 5speed "limited". Fingers crossed but been running it for about 4 yrs now only having replaced a throttle position sensor. It goes everywhere I need it to and it doubles as my camp on almost all my hunts. I keep a bed setup in there from about July through oct but it's still setup because I've been hoggin instead of duck huntin.

If you are capable of doing the work yourself or with a buddy it's worth buying a 2nd gen manual trans 4x4 4runner with a blown 3.0l and swapping it out for the 3.4l 3rd gen engine. You can get the 4Runner for a few hundred dollars in most cases and some will be really low miles(but may have sat for the last ten yrs). The 2nd gens give u 4 doors, the v6 that u will swap straight out for the 3.4 and a good strong 5speed trans but.... a weak chain drive transfer case. However with the money you will save by buying the 2nd gen you will have plenty in your budget to source the stronger 79-95 4cyl gear driven case and an adapter kit. This also leaves the door open to a future solid front axle swap. That way you aren't changing out ball joints in the middle of bfe without the proper equipment. Or paying for the most expensive tow bill of your life.

Now if you can source a wrecked 3rd gen 4Runner for cheap like I did you will have nearly everything needed to do the engine swap and can easily accomplish this within your budget. Especially if you do a part out or sell/scrap the 3rd gen. That's like I said, if u can do the work yourself or have it done for free.

This may seem kinda unrealistic to you if your not mechanically inclined however it's a common swap and there are lots of write ups and forums on the web dedicated to just this. Also a couple companies that sell the conversion kits/ parts.

Just a suggestion... A very long and perhaps confusing one.

Beware of bad ball joints on the 2nd and 3rd gens!

 

[Billinsd]

This is your best bet. It will probably be beat to s*** on the inside as well lol.

have a trusted mechanic check for head gasket leak and other show stoppers.

 

[ZMT588]

Beware of bad ball joints on the 2nd and 3rd gens!

Ball joints!!! Especially with a low budget lift with out upper and lower control arms if your staying IFS.

Ran big tires and a cheap lift when I was younger. Had to replace ball joints and wheel bearings (bad offset on wheels) about once a year..

And Beware of seals on the back of the spindles where the cv axle goes through. Those fail and people don’t realize how much water gets into the shaft and bushing and damages the shaft.

 

[bluegrassbackcountry]

4 Runners aren’t Trucks from my experience. Price wise....

That's another reason I was thinking of an SUV is they are usually way cheaper.

 

[MeatBuck]

Please rule out xjs. Garbage sub frames and weak ass axles. Go Toyota and never be stuck with the jeep, just empty every pocket slogan.
Toyotas are the longest lasting and cheapest to keep on the road of any other vehicle in America. Drivetrain parts are interchangeable from 1979-1995 for 4cyl and 89-02 for v6. i have extensive experience with both vehicles and Toyota is the top dog by far.
Pirate4x4.com is where I learned almost everything I needed to know about building a reliable Toyota 4x4.

 

[MeatBuck]

have a trusted mechanic check for head gasket leak

How exactly do u do that before purchase? Aside from checking dipstick for milky white oil or oil spots floating in rad fluid?
Price may be determining factor in that determinations as well. Cheap likely means issues.
My advice would be if it's advertised as running driving reliable etc, as soon as you get there to check out the rig, you fire it up and let it idle throughout the entire time you are there meeting with the seller. If it's still at proper operating temp when u get done talking and the fluids aren't freshly changed, and there's not a new water pump or radiator. (As All these are signs of an overheating problem being covered up as "recent maintenance"). Then it Probably has good gaskets and no vet heating issues and isn't a worry.
Don't let the seller tell you what's what, make him show you what's what. Even pull spark plugs and check them for signs of bad rings or leaky valve seats. If the seller says no to a in depth look then he's obviously hiding something and it's time to move on to next prospect.

 

[MeatBuck]

4 Runners aren’t Trucks from my experience.

Trekkers and first gen 4Runners were certainly trucks converted to fit a young Asian family of 4-6. First gens had factory rear seat delete for a functional pickup bed and after removal of the top, the look to match. A great feature if you don't have shitcats pissing up your seats at night. I personally never take my top off. The sliders, sunroof and rear window are enough air flow for me.

 

[TREE ‘EM]

I met a kid at the gun shop last night that bought a 98 4Runner with 250k miles on it for $750. The cheap price reflects the small head gasket coolant leak in one of the cylinders.
$5 bars leaks and go.
He’s put 15k miles on it since and no issues.

One guy I know bought a clean 02 4Runner with 180k on it for $3500 then proceeded to put in a solid divider and changed the rear side windows for aluminum panels with closable cut outs for his dogs to get their heads out. It’s about the best cheap bear and lion rig I’ve seen yet.

 

[Billinsd]

How exactly do u do that before purchase? Aside from checking dipstick for milky white oil or oil spots floating in rad fluid?

My mechanic used a pressure test on the cylinders, I don't think it was a compression test. I had them do this on my old civic with 250,000 miles after I had checked myself with some tailpipe test, which was negative, probably because the gasket leak was "just starting"......

If it's still at proper operating temp when u get done talking and the fluids aren't freshly changed, and there's not a new water pump or radiator. (As All these are signs of an overheating problem being covered up as "recent maintenance").

Yes look for signs of overheating. Also, if the engine and compartment has been cleaned, that is a red flag to investigate.

If the seller says no to a in depth look then he's obviously hiding something and it's time to move on to next prospect.

Probably there is an issue, maybe he just doesn't want to take the time. It doesn't really matter what his motivation is. The cheaper the price the higher the possibility of major problems. You could spend $1,000 for a car and quickly find out it needs several thousands of dollars in repairs. I've bought cheap cars when I was going to college and every single time I got burnt real bad. In fact every single used car my brother, my mom and I bought, about 8 from private parties ended up being junk. I've only sold one car we had that was in great shape, however it needed new tires. That was because I believed since the car was at 130,000 it was going to need costly repairs for catalytic converter, coil packs, etc. The only good used cars we ever bought were from reputable Car Dealers, like Nissan or Toyota dealers that stand behind their used cars. These used cars are more expensive than from private individuals, but you get peace of mind when they have a 30 day warranty. Bill

 

[IdahoElk]

My mechanic used a pressure test on the cylinders, I don't think it was a compression test. I had them do this on my old civic with 250,000 miles after I had checked myself with some tailpipe test, which was negative, probably because the gasket leak was "just starting"......Yes look for signs of overheating. Also, if the engine and compartment has been cleaned, that is a red flag to investigate. Probably there is an issue, maybe he just doesn't want to take the time. It doesn't really matter what his motivation is. The cheaper the price the higher the possibility of major problems. You could spend $1,000 for a car and quickly find out it needs several thousands of dollars in repairs. I've bought cheap cars when I was going to college and every single time I got burnt real bad. In fact every single used car my brother, my mom and I bought, about 8 from private parties ended up being junk. I've only sold one car we had that was in great shape, however it needed new tires. That was because I believed since the car was at 130,000 it was going to need costly repairs for catalytic converter, coil packs, etc. The only good used cars we ever bought were from reputable Car Dealers, like Nissan or Toyota dealers that stand behind their used cars. These used cars are more expensive than from private individuals, but you get peace of mind when they have a 30 day warranty. Bill

You can do a coolant system pressure test to find a bad head gasket.

 

[16Bore]

Trekkers and first gen 4Runners were certainly trucks converted to fit a young Asian family of 4-6. First gens had factory rear seat delete for a functional pickup bed and after removal of the top, the look to match. A great feature if you don't have shitcats pissing up your seats at night. I personally never take my top off. The sliders, sunroof and rear window are enough air flow for me.

True. I had an ‘89 and it was a peach. Damn I wish I could have it back!

 

[tdhanses]

Have you looked at older tundras? I’ve seen them for a little more then $3k, just make sure the frame isn’t rusted out.

 

[Carr5vols]

Isuzu trooper or mitsubishi montero

 

[Antarctica]

Wow, they're selling those for $3k and under? In the last few years I've had at least 1/2 dozen strangers offer me $5k for my '89 4x4 pickup. After telling one guy "not a chance", he offered $10k. I still told him "NO". I can't believe those later model 4runners are going that cheap......unless there's something wrong with them.

The older pickups (89 included I think) were solid front axle - highly desirable for folks wanting to build something for offroad, and thus command more.

The cool thing about the 3rd gen is its essentially a pickup/tacoma whit a different body - but without the price point. The 3rd gen v6 (3.4) is also a whole lot better motor than the 2nd gen (3.0).

Brent

 

[NateK]

I wouldn’t be afraid of a 2nd gen Explorer as long as it has the V8. Lots of power but still small enough to be nimble on tight trails. I bought one with 130K on it when I was in college for $2,500 and drove it for six years, put over 100K on it, ran into a few deer, a couple trees, rolled it once, and it still ran and drove great.
No where near the off-road capability of a highly modified Toyota but stock they are close and the 302 engine has way more power than the 4runners. An added bonus is they are super cheap to work on and fairly simple.

 

[NateK]

Something like this:

Autotrader - page unavailable