juanshop

hey guys, so i used to have a red 91, she had something like 150k miles when we got her, it needed some love in the engine, but otherwise was almost new, no rust, and got her for only 2900 bucks... anyhow, forward 3 months after getting it, some idiot t-bones me and long story short the truck gets frame damaged and i had to get rid of her... i tried to forget it, and it all was going well until i came across a 93... it has something like 190xxx miles, is automatic and a v6... and they want 2900. i must be crazy to buy it right? i was doing some reading, and it says that the 3.0 L 3VZ-E V6 is not that great compared to the 22r and it usually requires more maintenance and is more expensive to maintain and what not... They do have a list of parts replaced/maintenance they did before putting it up for sale so that's not too bad.

anyhow, besides looking for rust on the frame, for what else should i look/hear for?

by the way, here are a couple of pics from my old baby... i miss her every day

mitutoyo

That is a nice truck. I use to own an 89 4X4 22re Xcab with AC. If I would have known then what I know now I would have NEVER sold it. Hope some chime in about your 3.0L. I may need to get me one.

RJR

The 3.0 isn't toyota's best ever motor, but it's still a toyota, which means it's far from being junk. My 3.0 has 190k miles on it and it still runs like it just rolled off the factory floor. One new timing belt and a set of plugs at 130k is the sum total of engine maintenance, so i'm not complaining. The 3.0 is more complicated than the 22re, and some have a history of head gasket problems. You can take the VIN number of the unit you're looking at to your toyota dealer and they can tell you if the head gasket recall applies and if it's been done.

All that being said, $2900 sounds a bit high for that vehicle, unless it's in unusually good condition. $2000-2500 might be more in line with its true value. I know people price them a lot higher on craigs list, but i think they're reaching.

Good luck,

RJR

SCToy

Auto transmission is a mistake in my opinion. You lose a lot of power to the wheels with a slush box and you really can't afford that with the yotas.

Dingotech

The autos are bad news- poor gearing and they overheat (in my experience with a 4Runner).

Hold out for the manual, be it the 22RE or the 3.0L.

The 3.0L with stick is a solid rig.

Good luck.

ddv1126

i have a v6 with 200k and running strong. People bash the motor, but its been good to me.

scope103

What can I say? I really like my '94 automatic 3VZE. Truck prices are very regional; $2,900 sounds okay to me, and I've heard lots of higher prices on this site. But it all depends on what options you and the seller have.

In my opinion, the auto overheating is caused by driving pattern. If I get just the right long hill with the right speed to keep the transmission from making it to lock-up, I can get the "temp" light.

tgmaul88

dont do it, I bought a running 89 for 500 bucks,
Get the 22re or the 3.4 or 2.7 3rz avoid the 3.0 at all costs
Every one I talk to said "yeah I had a yota, it was a xx94 xxxxxx with a 3.0"
all I reply with is "say no more" and I can count at least 10 people who have been burned by a 3.0. its a money tank. low ball him for 1000 and buy a 3.4 and swap it in

Innocent Fool

My last truck was a 3.0 with a 5spd transmission.
Had 320,000 KM on it and ran GREAT! Until it got written off....

Have to agree with the post about the auto transmission. I've had the 3.0 with an auto before getting the 3.0 with the 5spd. The auto was really sucked out. The 5spd feels WAY better. I was really surprised but It felt like a totally different truck.

My current ride is a 22r 5spd and I found I prefer the 3.0.
The 3.0 is really smooth and I really liked the low end torque.

tgmaul88

when the 3.4 is avaliable at a very little price increase why wouldnt you consider it. I would pick my 3.4 4runner over a 3.0 4runner anyday hands down.
to each there own, But have YOU ever rebuilt a 3.0? 3.4 liter all the way 5fvze

Gizler00

iTrader: (1)

I think it can go either way. The only 3.0 I had was under 100k original miles. But everyone with problems that I have dealt with was higher mileage. The 22re is more desirable for me because its cheaper, and easier to work on. The last 3.0 Yota I had in the shop blew a rod cap and left a quarter sized hole in the block before lodging its self half out of the oil pan.

I think as long as it had all the required maintenance, just like anything else, timing belt, water pump, tensioner, oil pump, head gaskets, and not just all original, you should be ok

The simple fact is that its getting very hard to find any Yota 22re or 3vze that is clean and not all beat up.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Innocent Fool

I totally agree. Which is why my current build has a 3.4
As for the OP it's way easier to get a truck with the 3.0 and have the choice to swap it out later than get a 22r. Don't forget the original question was asking for information specific to to the 3.0

By the way, The reason I did the 3.4 swap on my current build was for more torque and power. NOT because the 3.0 was a bad engine....

juanshop

first of thank you all for responding to my thread, i really appreciate it.

so under what circumstances does the auto overheat? because where i live (galveston, TX) it's completely flat. Also i will use the truck just to move around town, i hate full sized pickups. so the use will be to go to work, school and back home,maybe 10-15 miles a day at most, and the most i will load the truck with besides by fat ass will be maybe some wood and light construction materials (son of a contractor, and employed by him, so the heavy stuff is done with my dad's f150)

now in the next days, maybe by the end of the week i will make my mind up about it, I wanna go check it in full tomorrow (it's in town) and they already lowered the price to 2800 (people around here tend to ignore mini pick ups... ) so i will offer them less depending on the supposed maintenance they did to it prior and whatever i can tell is wrong with it. and if it's not on my taste, or just too far gone, i found a87 single cab 4x4 manual with the 22r engine in houston. so we will see and will update you guys.

cman1

iTrader: (1)

check for regular maintenance , timing belt,water pump,head gasket re-call.put an external trans cooler on it,and enjoy.ive had a few 3.0s,all i can say is ,take care of it,itll take care of you. good luck.

juanshop

here is the other one i am looking at: http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/3790040612.html

203.xxx miles. interior is extremely clean for the age, and body is clean as well, only 2 small rust spots on the bed.

that one is tempting too.

for 3000, is it too much to pay for? its running perfectly, the guy maintained very very well, seems to be in 100% working condition.

solidaxle85

check underneath the oil cap on any 3vze those things are prone to blowing heads