Help me potentially pick out a 4Runner

[DanF.]

Hi guys. I'm heading up from Galveston to Houston to look at this 1993 5sp. 4Runner, and would appreciate any input you have have on it. I'm a Toyota newbie, and am not sure where to start with questions for the seller beyond the obvious tire-kicking stuff.

https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/5599397867.html

I've messaged back and forth with the owner today, and he says that it's in very good shape for it's age, and he's replacing one C/V joint tonight. Claims timing chain was done at 120,000 miles by previous owner, but doesn't have paperwork on it.

He's selling because he's moving and can't take multiple projects with him.

I asked about the condition of the 5sp gearbox and transfer case. Sellers says it's 100% functional and smooth-shifting.

There is a "small" oil leak on the driver's side valve cover, but should be easy to DIY. (I'm a fairly competent DIY wrench-turner... have to be with all the Saabs I've owned.)

Is the price he's asking too high for the year and milage? KBB says it should be lower, but KBB isn't always the best indicator of actual market value.

 

[Owyhee H]

The price is not too outrageous given the mileage and condition. These have a reputation for blowing head gaskets, toyota replaced many, but not all have the issue. These engines are not known for their power or fuel mileage. The R150F Transmission should be solid and it should have the chain drive t-case which is pretty solid.

I wonder why the relay and fuse cover is off in the pic?

Take a look, you could do a lot worse. Try to get him down to or below $3k to allow for some of the immediate repairs which all new/used cars have.

 

[borison]

Looks like a good truck, I've always liked that body style. Drove a few and I remember the 3.0 was a dog. In the PNW I would think that would go for quite a bit more. Seems like it could be a winner.

 

[mattafact]

I spent many months daily driving a 2nd Gen 22re powered 4Runner and I felt the V6 I drove was far more powerful. Is it a 3.4 or 4.0? No, but it beats a worn out 4cyl. LC Engineering has an ARP head stud kit that I would be looking at if the HG ever failed.

 

[cdthiker]

Walk away....
We have had 2 of the second gen 4 runners in the family one my personal rig the other in the same household.
Awesome trucks when they work... but dont expect it to be hassle free. Also, good luck getting over 15MPG even with the 5 speed.

Even if the head gaskets have been replaced these trucks with the 3.0 v6 aka the 3.slow are known for blowing them often. Like every 60 k or less.
That truck is over blue book price. I would say its a high price for a 20+ year old truck.
At the very least have it taken to a good shop and pay to run a compression test on it and a full run through. Best case you know have a great tool to get the price down because they will tell you everything that is wrong with it. Worst case, you spent a hundred and fifty bucks at the toyota shop and saved your self 3 grand.

For the record I bought the same truck except it a limited ( all the bells ) for 2300 with three sets of tires and rims it was a 95 ( last year of the 3.0) with an auto and a few more miles on it. It lasted a year before the headgaskets blew. its a 2500 dollar repair.

These trucks are also known for having problems with the rear sliding window. The brakes are a bit wonky, it is underpowered, and every seal in the truck is going to need to be replaced soon.
I loved my 95 runner but after dumping 3 grand into it on top of the purchase price to fix all sorts of stuff I got rid of it for a thousand bucks or the cost of the brand new tires that were on it.

Trust me, for a few more dollars get a 96 or newer with the 3.4 v6 in it. Much better motor and better truck.

I really enjoyed ours off road, It was much better then my Tacoma in the snow and even being slow it was a blast to drive.
But at this point the second generation ( what this is, the owner has labled it wrong) are just too long in the tooth for that sort of price.

check out the t4r.org aka the toyota 4 runner forum, go to the classic section and start reading. If you are willing to wrench and can rework the top end that offer the person 2 grand, anything else is going to be over priced.

best of luck

 

[CabinFever]

From what I hear the 3.0 engine in this is one of the worst built by Toyota.

 

[NIVEK_TURK]

The 3'slow isn't that bad of a motor with an upgraded head gasket. The block is the same block they use on the 3.4 only with different heads.

 

[BIGGUY]

I had both a '90 pickup and a '90 4Runner with the 3.0 in it and I never had any problems. I bought the 4Runner used and it had the automatic and it was okay. Stock tires were 28" and the previous owner had installed 31" so it was a bit low on power and the fuel mileage was about 15-16mpg but I ran it for over 150,000 miles and when I trade it off it had over 325,000 miles total. I bought the pickup brand new and it had the 5 speed. I had a clutch go out that was fixed on warranty and then at somewhere around 300-350,000 miles the transmission went bad. The head gaskets were replaced under a recall and warranty and I never had a problem with the engine at all. I averaged 19.5mpg overall for the time I owned the truck with a few tanks in the 20-22mpg range. I owned that truck for 20 years and when I got rid of it I had just over 485,000 miles. I did the regular maintenance of both of them as called for and they both served me well. If I was looking for another vehicle and found one of these years in good shape for a decent price I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. The both were used as daily drivers, camping vehicle, they did a lot of the different trails in Moab, and helped me move a few times too.

 

[JasonRedwood]

My personal experience is from an 90' v6 4x4 pick up and a 89 v6 4runner. Both had ok power for something designed and made in the 80's. I sold my truck to a friend at around 200k and it made numerous trips to Mexico until about 245K the tranny went out. I added to headers and exhaust to keep the heat away from the #6 cylinder that seems to be the area of issue with the head gasket, just to be safe and it sounded great. These engines do have head gasket issues but many dont. The short of it is that Toyota made the engine just to have something in the market in the V6 realm. They have nominal power over the 22re and weigh a lot more.
There have been so many issues with them that they now have a rep. That rep tends to keep people away from buying anything with these engines. Resale will be a challenge down the road. I don't mind these engines but I would just look for a 4runner with the 22re, 3rz-fe or 5vz-fe.