Toyota Trucks: 4Runners - Best year?

If you are really going to wheel it, '85 EFI hands down. The solid axle and all
around leaf springs are the key. If you are into show and tell the 4 gens are
pretty and expensive and can probably handle a drive in the snow ;>)
I never wheeled my '85 really hard, but it went a bunch of places and I only
got stuck twice. Like an idiot it was the same place both times. I went through
a ravine in 2 wheel drive and it was narrow and steep enough that coming out
the other side the rear bumper drug in the bottom and got the back wheels off
the ground...duh. Luckily, all I had to do was put it in 4 wheel drive and that
got me enough traction to get out. Wish I had a camera of me engaging the hubs
with them as high as my head LOL!
A week later I went through the same place was going the other direction so
once again I left it in 2 wheel drive with the same results. I did learn my
lesson in the end.
The best part about an '85 too is the availability of aftermarket mods and
maintenance parts. You can practically build one from the ground up now out of
a catalog.

<Yost> wrote in message news:com... 

I don't understand the knocks on the 3VZ-E. Mine has 295,000 miles on it
and does not use a drop of oil between changes. All that has ever been done
to it outside of timing belts, water pumps, etc. is a valve job at 180K.
And that was probably my fault for not keeping the valves adjusted. I DID
just change the front crankshaft seal and oil pump - the seal was leaking
and there was nothing wrong with the pump but I swapped it out anyway while
I was in there.

The 3.0L is not the most powerful motor in the world on the highway but I
have never had a problem with torque when off-roading. The combination of
this motor and the overall 'built like a tank' package of the '88 4Runner
have kept me from letting this one go (my friends say I am emotionally
attached to it.) I have had many offers to sell the truck and even looked
at the third generation 4Runners once but -- once I climbed under them to
see how they are put together (gel-filled motor mounts?? Please!) -- I knew
they wouldn't live up to my '88 for my purposes. I have been to hell and
back in this truck and it just seems to love the punishment. You can tell
it was designed with off-roading in mind. As such, it's not the smoothest
on the highway.

You HAVE to take a look at this one that I noticed the other day to see what
I am talking about:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6442&item=
2457519059

Watch what this sucker eventually sells for and you will see what I am
talking about when I say that people "in the know" understand what a special
vehicle this model is.

NOTE: With regard to this particular vehicle, the exterior looks fantastic
and backs up the mileage of 124K - however, the interior looks a little bit
worn for that mileage. But, what I notice is mostly stains and maybe the
people were slobs. Incidentally, 124K is nothing on one of these vehicles,
particularly if it is highway miles.

I am not an expert on off-roading or trucks or motors. I can only tell you
is that mine still runs like new and I have several folks who have told me
to let them know when I decide to sell it. As I have said on this forum
before, there is a slight tapping sound from beneath the head covers and
there always has been. It has not gotten any better nor any worse. Other
owners of this motor have said the same thing.

As for the tranny, mine is automatic and it hasn't caused problems while
off-roading. Again, I am not expert on 4-wheeling but I've played around a
lot and once had to have a backhoe pull me out of some gumbo in Louisiana.
A manual transmission wouldn't have helped that situation at all.

Good luck in your hunt. Obviously, my advice is: if you find a cream-puff
'88 SR5 V6, give it some thought. Especially if the owner doesn't know what
he has and you can get it cheap.

Luther

Yost <> wrote in news:com:
 

1st or 2nd gens are great offroad. I have wheeled my 91 (2nd gen) a
couple times now, so I'm not by any means an expert, but that little
sonofabitch just grumbled through pretty much anything. As has been
mentioned, a 1st gen with a solid axle is the holy grail, but I'm happy
for now.

For highway travel there's a reason the 3.0 is called a "3.slow" but I'm
using it as my daily driver with no complaint.

I've also read -- and can vouch for -- the fact that using an auto on a
trail is good because it's one less thing you have to deal with when
reading a spotter's signals or going for a line on an obstacle. I do
have to say that I would have had a worse time of it in a manual tranny
-- you're going about 2 or 3 MPH and even in low range, it's still nice
not to have to deal with the clutch.

---
Paved roads - a fine example of needless government spending.
http://www.sharetrails.org