Is this a good deal? 1988 TOYOTA 4RUNNER

[itsmejme]

Hello Everyone! I need your guys help and thought i would post this CL find and get your opinions. I've been doing allot research on here to find a good vehicle for my trip to Central America. Lots of talk about older Toyota's and 4runners. Found this truck not too far from me. What are your thoughts?

1988 TOYOTA 4RUNNER V6 4X4 SR5 - $2950
This 4Runner is in great shape! Totally complete. Top of the line and fully loaded. 3.0 V6 with 5 speed manual transmission. Power steering, locks, windows, brakes, cruise control, has A/C (currently not working) with vents for the back seats. This truck has many upgrades such as a slight lift front and back with 31" Goodyear tires with plenty of tread left, K&N intake kit, custom exhaust, Sony head unit with front input for your iPod or iPhone. This truck even has Keyless Entry! Truck is super clean with no tears in the seats or anything. Everything works and is there. Hard to find a 4Runner this nice and with the V6! Has tow hitch. Lots of recent work done such as clutch, water pump, oil change, coolant flush, all new brakes and master cylinder. Truck has 230k miles and since it's a Toyota it just got broken in, they go forever. Pink slip and Smog Cert in hand!!! Ready to sell!!! Currently registered until Feb 2011

Thanks a bunch in advance.

 

[RusM]

No

 

[austintaco]

Sounds like a beautiful truck, but with that many miles on the 3.0, I would pass. I had good luck with a V6 in my 89, but that was the exception experience with that engine.

 

[itsmejme]

Thanks for the reply. Is this not a good platform to start with? Or in particular, not a good deal.

 

[dro805]

platform is awesome IMO but the motor isnt the 3.0 have a head gasket problem

 

[selk78]

considering the year, it's not too bad, it all depends on how well it was taken care of, if it's super clean and if your happy then i say get it, but i would definitely try to get him to go lower on the price, first gen 4runner with 3.0 didn't have the same problem with the head gasket that the newer 3.0's have,other then slow as hell, i think it was in 89 when they changed some thing's on the motor( exhaust manifold and head gasket) i have a friend who went over 3k before selling his 88 toyota with a 3.0, he sold it to get a bigger truck, first gen 4runners are really nice trucks to build up into expo rig's, at the end of the day are YOU going to be happy with it, that's all that matters....

 

[itsmejme]

Thanks everyone for your replys. If the head gasket has been replaced, would that sweeten the deal? Should i be looking for the 4cyl for the reliability?

 

[Christian P.]

It is a great platform for sure! But i think they only concern would be the 3.0 which have a bad history. A 4 cyl would probably be better.

 

[Christian P.]

How about this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/85-t..._Cars_Trucks&hash=item2eaf8498ff#ht_932wt_948

 

[greg mgm]

Thanks everyone for your replys. If the head gasket has been replaced, would that sweeten the deal? Should i be looking for the 4cyl for the reliability?

It has a lot of miles on it, but it really depends on the maintenance. Definitely ask about the head gaskets. I'm not a fan of the custom exhaust and K&N intake. Does the exhaust have a cat? Is the intake smog legal? A lot of guys on this site don't care for K&N air filters because they don't seem to filter very well....Do a search on that. It's really important that all the smog stuff is intact and working correctly. My opinion is if all that stuff looks OK and there's maintenance records and receipts, and it's in great shape, nothing looks hacked up, and the price ends up around $2500.....then it sounds like an OK deal.

 

[itsmejme]

I definitely appreciate the feed back. I will go look at the 4runner and keep everyones thoughts in consideration. Nice find on ebay 2aroundtheworld. And thanks again everyone for taking the time to reply.

 

[austintaco]

Thanks everyone for your replys. If the head gasket has been replaced, would that sweeten the deal? Should i be looking for the 4cyl for the reliability?

Thanks Selk for reminding me about the 3.0 differences. I never verified with mine if it was the old style or new style, but I had great luck with it. Assuming that this truck has the more reliable 3.0, that would change my opinion.
The best thing about the later run of the 1st gen 4runners is that you had more creature comforts. If you have time, go drive the truck, see if he's flexible on the price and then have it checked out.

 

[Ruined Adventures]

How about this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/85-t..._Cars_Trucks&hash=item2eaf8498ff#ht_932wt_948

X2 on this option. Great find 2aroundtheworld...very clean, and very low miles! I wish I had a sunroof and SR5 options. From what I've been told, the 3.0 doesn't have much more power than the 22RE so I figure go with a 22RE manual and enjoy the MPG. As long as you don't plan on drag racing uphill, you'll be very happy. I've gotten 26 MPG driving thru Yellowstone with mine.

When are you planning on leaving for Central America and what upgrades are you planning for the trip? My girlfriend and I are in the planning stages of a Central America & South America trip in my '87:sombrero:

 

[Toyotero]

The 1st gen 4Runner is a great platform. Check out RambleWriter's rig: http://ramblewriter.com/travels.html

I had an 88 just like the one you are considering. The truck and engine served me well from 1999-2009 to 235K miles, but it got an exhaust gas leak into the cooling system through a blown headgasket. After a couple of overheating incidents on the highway, a shop verified exhaust gas in the cooling sytem with a chemical test of the cooling system. I had probably been driving it with the leak that way for 20K or so since I had heard gurgling in the heater core for about 3 winters, but thought it was a leaking heater core sucking air in after shut down/cool down... so I "retired" it and sold it to a friend with full disclosure that it could "blow up" at any minute. He's been driving it now for a year.

Other than the 3.0 engine, the 80s Toyota trucks are very solid machines that were sold all over the world. I think that they were designed and built with the expectation that they would not be properly maintained, but would still function safely.

Personally, I would avoid the 3.0. My experience was mediocre, but their reputation is horid. Also, they are complicated to maintain (Compere the water pump change procedures for the 3VZE and 22RE) and renowned for the headgasket problems. After I sold the 88, I bought an 86 and I've been really happy with the performance of the 22RE (keep your power expectations low...). BTW, I think that the 22RE is much more common on Latin American than the 3VZE; something to consider regarding mechanic expertise and parts availability.

Regards,

 

[Toyotero]

X2 on this option. Great find 2aroundtheworld...very clean, and very low miles! I wish I had a sunroof and SR5 options. From what I've been told, the 3.0 doesn't have much more power than the 22RE so I figure go with a 22RE manual and enjoy the MPG. As long as you don't plan on drag racing uphill, you'll be very happy. I've gotten 26 MPG driving thru Yellowstone with mine.

When are you planning on leaving for Central America and what upgrades are you planning for the trip? My girlfriend and I are in the planning stages of a Central America & South America trip in my '87:sombrero:

HP for the 3vze is 150, 22RE is 109. To me, my 88 and the 86 feel equally sluggish

120K? That is one sweet '85 in that auction.

Personally, for an expo rig, I wouldn't recommend someone to go for an 85 just because there is such a demand for that one year model (last year for solid axle and first year for EFI). They seem to sell for 3X + what an 86 sells for. An IFS rig would probably serve them equally well, but they wouldn't pay the premium for the coveted 85 model. Also, IFS is more comfortable when driving all day over solid axle/leaf springs.

Regards,