hypothetical reliability of old Toyotas

[4Rescue]

Ahem...you're talking about "new" Toyotas, as far as I'm concerned.

Ha beat me to it...

 

[p nut]

So a year later......

But 3rd gen's are dead reliable. If you can find one with lower mileage (relatively speakig), you'll be fine. Just change the oil as recommended, as 3.4's have been known to be victims of sludge.

 

[Arktikos]

I've had my 1985 4runner for 15 years and have no plans to replace it. I really have no interest in anything newer. While I wouldn't personally take it to Alaska, mainly because I'm a chicken and wouldn't take even a brand new car to Alaska, but chances are it would do just fine. I do worry about cars all the time but have had very little go wrong. It's probably about time, I stop worrying, right?

Come on! Yeah, it's time you stopped worrying and go ahead with a trip to Alaska. Agree that this discussion is actually about newer Toyotas rather than old ones.

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

Agreed. Tanglefoot, why the fear of going to Alaska? I made the trip on the Cassiar in 1996, when that road was still dirt, in an old, beat-to-s#@t, literally falling apart vanagon on bald tires and a broken clutch/brake master cylinder. Me and the van did just fine roaming the peninsula, north near Denali, and back home to the southeast. You gotta go man!

Come on! Yeah, it's time you stopped worrying and go ahead with a trip to Alaska. Agree that this discussion is actually about newer Toyotas rather than old ones.

 

[tanglefoot]

Why's everybody pickin' on me?!

Thanks for the encouragement but I'm more of a web explorer these days...I don't like burning gas and spending much time behind the wheel. That's why I'm on here, following along on your adventures! Glad the Vanagon held together! That sounds like it could have been made into a Nat Geo documentary.

 

[4Rescue]

I've done the trip to AK (Portland to Homer and all over the place in W. CA) in my 1st Gen that's pushing 315+K and I had zero issues and got around amazingly (Toyotas are great AK rigs). If you know how your truck works, load it correctly, don't overload the drive-train/systems and keep up on the maintenance then Toyota built it tough enough to take nearly anything. All IMO, but I've had the joy of working Toyota trucks and Landcruisers in a lot of amazing places and they never let me down. NONE of them were newer then mid 90's models.

Cheers

Dave

 

[BulletHead]

There is also the 2uz v8 4runner as an option.

 

[86tuning]

There is also the 2uz v8 4runner as an option.

And those are some of the best 4Runners ever made, having one of the best Toyota engines ever made.

The 100-series cruisers are getting very affordable. At least the cost of entry is good.

 

[Utah KJ]

I bought a 97 3rd Gen with 197k miles from the dealership I was working at when we took it in on trade for a new KIA; I paid $1800 and I was the 8th owner. It was due for a timing belt, the front rotors were warped and after my first off-road trip to The Maze a few weeks later, it needed new cv's and the double cardan joint on the rear drive shaft rebuilt, but nothing that prevented me from getting home under it's own power. Was it the smartest thing to take an untested rig into the most remote area of Canyonlands? Probably not, but this is a Toyota not a Jeep.

After about another $1k investment, my 4Runner has been a reliable friend in all manor of terrain. In July, I towed a double axle covered trailer from Western MT to Southern FL. I do acknowledge that the 3.4 is not the best engine for towing as the best I could muster up mountain passes was 49 mph @ 4k rpm but I did reach FL on time. In my opinion the 3.4 is the best motor made by Toyota to date, just not the most powerful. D.A.V.e has 239k miles on the clock to date and I hope he can hold out for a couple of more years. When the tome comes, I hope to sell it and buy a Tacoma or whatever materializes in diesel form.

 

[Jeffrey Patrick]

My DD is a 2001 4runner LTD. Aside from the driver's seat showing tears on the leather, this rig is in fantastic shape at 133,000 mi. My Dad was the original owner, he sold it to me at 65,000 mi. Always properly maintained, synthetic fluids, ect. He bought a 4Gen 4Runner and loves the extra power but thinks his "old" one is better looking. My wife and I take it all over the country and off-road it on mild trails. The only vehicle I can think of replacing it in the future is a 200 Series Landcruiser.

 

[NorthernWoodsman]

Why's everybody pickin' on me?!

Thanks for the encouragement but I'm more of a web explorer these days...I don't like burning gas and spending much time behind the wheel. That's why I'm on here, following along on your adventures! Glad the Vanagon held together! That sounds like it could have been made into a Nat Geo documentary.

I hear ya. Burning gas and long hours behind the wheel are not particularly enjoyable...unless it means going somewhere fun!

If i had only known about handheld cameras back then, and if i had only had money. The Vanagon was in that shape because I had no other choice. Still the best vehicle I have ever had, well, best as in most fun to drive and road trip in. Earlier today I was reminiscing about it and wishing I had never sold it. Wish I could go back and keep it and do all the things I have dreamed of doing to it...new interior, Westphalia top, larger wheels/tires, Subaru flat-4 diesel...

Once I'm back on my feet I am seriously thinking of getting another one to fix up and maybe sell off the Toyota. An all-wheel drive is all I really need these days so maybe a Vanagon project and a Subaru or an old Camry alltrac DD.

 

[dorton]

I'm with everyone else on here. I believe it would be a solid and reliable ride provded the previous owners had done their part. I'm also in agreement that "old" in Toyota isn't the same as "old" in other makes. My 86' had 307k when I left for CO in July. It now has 321k and will be heading back again next summer with probably over 335k. I think of a 3rd Gen as a "fairly recent" model.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[madmax718]

A toyota is pretty damn reliable. However, any vehicle is reliable, if you take care of it. Of course some vehicles like to break more than others (i.e. engine rods, bearings, etc), so take that into account.