Any 2nd Gen 4Runners out there?

[rc51kid]

I have been looking at a lot of tucks over the last year or so. FJ62, FJ80s and 4 Runners. Right now i am thinking 2nd Gen 4runner. I see a lot of stuff on the 1st gen but not a lot about the 2nd gen. Do they work well for overland? ny good pictures or build threds out there? Any one have ny dvice about them?
Thanks:victory:

 

[PirateMcGee]

main issue with 2nd gens is most of them came with the crappy 3.0 other than that they are great trucks.

 

[SilverBullet]

I have a 95, so last of the 2nd generation. Personally, from my previous 3rd gen this feels smaller. The motor is not a problem, or has not been so far, but heads and exhaust cause has been fixed before I got it.

The 4runners are all great in my opinion, and if you are not super tall and all legs like me, driving comfortably can be attained for long trips.

 

[tanglefoot]

I love the 2nd-gen--it's my favorite look out of all the full-steel-bodied 4runners. It does have a few caveats. The engines weren't very potent for the car and while having a tailgate is uber-cool, the power back window can be troublesome and you need to open it in order to open the back gate. The rear door openings are pretty small and there isn't a lot of back-seat leg room. The 3.0 V6 has a bad reputation but many people love them. My biggest complaint about it would be that it doesn't produce a lot of power for its weight and fuel consumption. The 2.4L 4-cylinder has legendary reliability but is a little under-powered by today's standards. I drive one with a camper on it though and have no complaints.

The 3rd gen, while not nearly as interesting, addressed the "issues" of the 2nd-gen with longer rear doors and more back seat room, a rear lift gate, and more potent and efficient engines.

 

[osucycler]

I have a 1994 and am very happy with it. Now that being said mine is a 5 speed which made the 3.0 not seem too awful slow. The automatics behind the V6 or the 4 cylinder made them seem like turtles from what I have read or been told by friends. Fuel mileage on both motors were about the same being that the 4 banger had to push/pull around a much heavier vehicle and the V6 just wasn't a very powerful or efficient motor. I had no problems with my original 3.0 V6 other than the lack or power, fuel economy, and a slight rear main oil seal leak. The factory head gasket recall was done but other people I have read about have motors that were/are prone to overheating and head gasket failures.

I swapped in a 1999 3.4 V6 and couldn't be more pleased now. Before I was running a set of nearly bald 31x10.5 street tires with the 3.0. After the swap I upgraded to a set of 33x10.5 BFG A/Ts and even with the switch to larger tires the 4Runner feels like a much more exciting vehicle to drive. If I stay out of the go fast pedal I actually gain MPGs over the original set up.

My 2 cents. I like my 4Runner but it is a little ways from stock.