Rigger

Hi. I've looked around and found some answers, but I have some questions. I've always loved Toyota trucks, but it hasn't been practical for me to own a truck/SUV in the past 15 years or so. My last 4x4 was a '80 F150 on 36's! So I came here to ask everyone's opinion and about their Runner experience. Here's what I'm looking for; 4WD, mild lift with larger than stock tires, NO MORE than 125,000 mi and no more than $6000. So my questions; what kind of Toy/ Runner peculiarities do I need to look for mechanically, what mods are most practical for Toy/Runners? This will be my daily driver, plus weekend duty as a toy hauler to the beach, hunting and fishing on well established non-crawler-type trails with a little mud, sand, low water fords thrown in. How practical is this set-up and what do I really need to watch out for? TIA! -Rob

bigt

id look for a gen3 runner with the e locker... thats a really goood base stock and a great dd and has the bigger 3.4l engine

fishon1213

Pickups are just(if not more) capable that 4runners and easier to find. If you don't need to crawl or do a lot of technical stuff you would be fine with an IFS toyota. Much cheaper. Solid axle toyotas are usually a good $500 more. I have an 85 4runner with SFA and paid more than I should have. If I would have went with IFS, I could have gotten a nicer 4runner for half the price. IFS can handle pretty good size tires too. If your toys dont weigh too much definitly find a toy with the 22re if your looking for a 1st or 2nd gen. Of course thats all just my opinion. Others will chime in. Do some more searching and you will figure out what you want. You can get 2gens with 3.slows for dirt cheap if you want to change a HG. But if you want to spend 6K I am guessing you dont want to wrench. 3.4's are also great in later models. Miles dont mean a whole lot on Toyota IMO. Yeah, like said above, you probably would like the 3rd gens with Elocker. Out of my price range.

Dare44

the 3rd gen like mine has the nice motor the 3.4l v6 and nicer ifs. for off road the pre 1985 trucks and suv's had a solid front axle that is much better off road but not as plush on the road

jeffy67

personally ide go with second gen 4runner, stock 3VZE, great truck, im a ford guy ... but! i bought my 4runner about 6 months ago, its a DD great in the mud, snow, river, hurricance, hwy, you name it i mean i would like to start modding it a little bit when i get a new daily driver so i can have some more fun with it to see what she is capable of, only downer, finding one in really good shape with low mileage.. of course im a silly canadian and 125,000 miles means nothing to me.. however i bought ine at 250,000kms for 2,500 cdn

denpacc

Having driven my friends 4runners and trucks with the 22re, owned a truck and a 4runner with the 3.0 (total 7yrs), and now owning a 97 3.4 v6 4runner with the e-locker, hands down the winner is the 1997 3.4 4runner due to better power (towing/passing) and fuel economy over the 3.0. The 22re is a great "reliable" motor that is good on fuel, but that is where it ends for me. If your toys are bigger than one or two dirt bikes the 22re will greatly disappoint you coming from your ford.

Get a good set of tires and you'll be good to go for what you described with a 3rd gen runner. What to look for depends on which motor/4runner you choose. Do some more searches on yotatech, then you can read up on more opinions and "official" problems to look out for with each motor/runner.

My 2cents, cheers

Rigger

Thanks, guys. I've spent all morning with my nose in the Auto Trader and now it's off for some test drives. I had originally wanted a PU (still do) but I want a safer place for the furry kid than the back of a PU.

Ohio4R

Get a 3rd gen you can roll down the rear window, so your dog can sit back there.

bigarms23

I would look for a 96 to97 4runner with a 3.4v6 and that way you can still sas it and run 35s if you want

Rigger

I found an IMMACULATE '94 extended cab on 35" Swampers with 3" suspension and 4" body, 3.0 with 5 spd. It's got a shell and in my price range! I'm expecting an insurance check from getting hit in my Jetta, so I hope he'll hang on to it that long! You know that giddy feeling right before getting a new car?

denpacc

Great, let us know how it goes.

Cheers

Tofer

if you plan on wheelin it sell the 35's buy some nice 33s and cut the body lift down to 2 inches. ifs and 35s arn't usually friends. nice find though. post up some pics.

Rigger

Well, the guy sold the PU, and it's not a Runner...it's a '91 Cruiser. I get it next week! Now lemme see if I can find the Land Cruiser forum...

4Runner202020

ih8mud.com is a great cruise fourm...

Rigger

"I UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE JEEP THING THATS WHY I HAVE A TOYOTA!!"

That's funny! I can tolerate the people that spend a little time and effort on their rigs, instead of just throwing a "If you can read this, roll me over." sticker on their stock Liberty! I just added ih8mud to my favs. Thanks!