Unloaded my POS '98 Chevy S10 Blazer and am considering an older Toyota 4-Runner as a replacement. I pocketed $2,800.00 from the sale, so that's pretty much my budget. Checking the local classifieds, that gets me a 1990-1996 4-Runner with anywhere from 125k -200k miles, with the lower mileage vehicles in that price range tending to be in rough shape cosmetically.

Are there certain years that were better than another? Anything else to look for?

I had an 88 4runner. It was a nice vehicle. I believe that some of the years you are talking about had some problems with head gaskets or some thing like that.This was on the V-6 engine. IIRC I heard and thats just it heard that Toyota may or may not have been helping with fixing them. I remember some guys saying if mileage was under a certain amount.Toyota would take care of some or all of the cost.

I liked mine.

I had a 1985 4Runner. Last of the solid front axle, and first year for fuel injection on the 22R.

The one in the above picture, was bought new by me in Sept 1987 with 2 miles on the odometer. It is an 88 Model with the 2200 RE engine...

Currently it has 508,000 miles on it..

and the current owner has NO intention of selling it...

I am very pleased with my 1988 4Runner. It is my daily drive, as well as my woods truck.
Goes anywhere, sand, mud, mountains. Around town milage is right at 22 mpg, on the highway, fully loaded, I get 28 mpg.
A/C finally bit the dust, and as it used the old refrigerant, I am not going to replace it. Just costs too much.

I put 280k on mine, and still going strong, when sold for $800...As stated before, I'd find one with a 22r engine. I could tune mine by ear.....

I would not buy one with the 3.0 V6, those are dog engines, and notorious for blowing headgaskets. I liked the 3rd generation 4runner the best, with the 3.4's. The 2.7's are nice engines too for a 4 banger. The 22re motors last forever, but you'll get passed on hills by someone on a ten-speed.

I had a 1990 that was trouble free for the 160k miles I owned it.

That said, if it were me I would look for one of the 1980's models with the 22R engine. Moe better bulletproof and simple.

I also like how the fiberglass portion of the top comes off on the 80's models.

This is everything you need to know regarding those years GW. DC is spot on.


Travis

'88 to '91 were the trouble years, I believe.

Any year is a good one

Mannlicher-- pm sent

That sounds right, the turbo 4cyl was available in 86-87, they stopped making the turbo when the V-6 came out. That V-6 was a dog even if it didn't have a head gasket problem. Toyota didn't get the V6 nailed down until the Tacoma came out.

I used to have 91 4-runner with the V-6, it blew one head gasket then the other one two years later, in between the intake manifold gasket went bad. The head gasket design in those years was very similar to the old Ford head gaskets that had issues using an overly thick metal ring in the gasket. The head gasket replacements available now for those years of 4-runners have been redesigned.

I can't offer much technical insight, but I can offer this: my last two vehicles were/are 4Runners. First was a '97 (3rd gen?) and I got 120K trouble-free miles out of it in less than 3 years. I now run a '05 Runner that I've had for 2 years. Already put 90K on it. So, creeping up to the quarter million mile mark between the two. Not so much as a lick of trouble from either, and I'm hard on things. Any guesses as to what I'm going to get next?

HTH.

My wife has a 2001 model. It is an absolute gem.

Only purchase a 4Runner with a 3.4L V6 or larger. the
3.0L all had headgasket problems and were very hard to work
on.

I have a 90 SR5 4X4 with a V-6 3.0 3VZE and manual transmission. I believe this motor was used in the 4-runner around 1989-1995. It is notorious for blowing head gaskets toward the rear of the engine compartment due to heat from the exhaust manifold, and aluminum head vs iron block configuration.

Terrible gas mileage, timing belt needs to be changed every 75k miles or so, rides like a tank, more wires and hoses than I know what to do with.


I love mine and don't mind putting a little money into it from time to time. Well built and robust.

Favorite Toyota forum,
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/index.php