Heavyhammer

I been in the market looking for a runner or pickup and need some advice. I've been searching for the 22re or 22r as they are more economical and have had fewer problems than the 3.0. But my problem is most vehicles in my area (western massachusetts) are mostly 3.0 and if I find a 22re or r it is usually rotted or out of my price range. Im seriously looking for a vehicle I can lift up and do some wheeling with and I know with Toyota quality it would most likely not leave me stranded but I hear with 3.0 that they are possibly the worst toyota engine ever made and I don't want to buy one and have the head gaskets blow 10 miles down the road. Now this also pops up the question would a jeep cherokee be better for me? I'm sure most on this forum are biased toward Toyota but I'm on a tight budget of probably 3k max to start off and I can add things later as money trickles in. Is there an advantage to the jeep stock solid front axle to the yota ifs? Does Toyotas long lasting dependability outweigh the value of a solid front axle for wheeling? Right now I own a 96 GMC jimmy and I dont know if its worth me doing anything to it to make it offroad worthy, aftermarket support for jeeps and yotas is way more diverse. I would really appreciate some input as id like to purchase something soon in preparation for summer! Thank you

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Well since you used the dreaded J word

May as well just get one.

If you want a real vehicle just keep looking of course the better condition the more cost.

What kind of skills do you have??

If you can do all the work and have the tools and a place to work A $3000.00 budget will get you a real good start

Zelephant

How far are you willing to travel?

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/2920480726.html

Shorten or lose the body lift all together and you're good to go!

combatcarl

Thing is with a Cherokee you're gonna start by junking the 35 in the rear for a 44. Not cheap...not to mention you're still gonna sink a lot of money into the whole rig. Then you're still stuck with American reliability...and stuck waving at every clown in a j**p that goes by. I know my truck's cool, I don't need a wave to tell me..."

combatcarl

And really, the 3oh can be reliable and somewhat powerful. Still kinda gas hog-ish, but take good care of it and it's ok. I do love my 22RE, tho...

Heavyhammer

Well I really do love the Toyotas with the way they drive and feel but I just can't get myself to want to look at a 3.0 because I want to buy a vehicle that would be a good investment, I plan on keeping it until it rots away and a 3.0 would seem to require more maintenance and overhauls and I hear they are a pain to work on to, while the smaller gas sipping 22r/e would be better as gas prices continue to skyrocket. Also jeeps scare me because they are American and have their flaws as well. I've heard of people having good jeeps and some that give them nothing but trouble. Besides that EVERYONE has them. Anybody know anyone in the western mass area with a 22r/e runner or truck thats solid and runs and drives? I hate to say it but if gas prices weren't an issue I would buy an old chevy k5 blazer, they're much easier to find probably because of their poor fuel economy. Oh and Wyoming my skills off-road I would say would be amateur because I am unable to go anywhere decent since I drive an unlifted 96 GMC Jimmy and its my everyday driver and I don't want to rip the underside apart. And that link isn't working on craigslist it got deleted.

Zelephant

Weird. I can still see the link. Sorry about that.

Heavyhammer

No problem Zelephant, thanks for keeping your eyes open for me

Heavyhammer

And Wyoming I misread your question haha. My skills are limited I mean I know how to take things apart and put them back together or replace old parts but fabbing up new parts or welding I've only been introduced to not even close to ready to any extensive work there. I have done a little bodywork before though. I have access to a pretty nice tool box set with wrenches sockets and the such, a set of ramps, a couple floor jacks some jack stands, a compressor, a mig welder and a garage to work in.

California

Maybe fate is telling you that 3.0 is the way to go?

They arent that bad you know.

Heavyhammer

I'm not so sure California, I guess right now i'm just looking for the right deal to come along. I really like how cherokees have a solid axle already set up and initial price is cheap but I realize that I dont think jeep can beat Toyotas reliability and how long they last. It would seem to be a bit difficult to do a sas to a Toyota though. If only these Toyotas had a factory front axle and had the 3.4 as a second option to the 22r/e I'd be won over hands down...

BoredOutnJackdUp

Have fun fixing dana 30/35s.
And dealing with poor fuel mileage and constant problems.

Dont get me wrong they are good rigs. i had a 91 cherokee with a D44 swap 35s and w/ 233k on it.

Motor caught on fire and still ran afterwords. But they are called HEEPS for a reason.
Ever hear a clever name for toyotas like that? Didnt think so.

fork

get a 3.0 truck or 4runner and source a 3.4, find a straight axle and build yourself the last 4x4 youre ever going to need.

combatcarl

Oh and on which to go with, I'd say 1st gen 4runner or...86 to 95 truck. 89 to 93 trucks being my picks..but I'd love to add a 1st gen 4runner to my collection...

fork

having owned both of those combatcarl I personally would side with the 89-93 x-cab. unfortunately I don't own one right now, just 1st gen 4runners. that x-cab body style is by far my favorite as far as trucks go

az_eaglescout_pilot

iTrader: (1)

1st gen 4runner! in my opinion the 3.0 is a great motor, yea its kind of a pain to work on (havent really had a vehicle that was "easy" to work on tho...besides a 94 chevy) but if you keep up on maintenance and dont just run it into the ground it will run as good as any other motor, it is still a toyota btw! i am consistently getting 18 MPG around town WITH 33's and 4.10s too! asfar as the jimmy...get rid of it...i had an 89 s10 blazer and there were very few options available to increase its off road ability. SFA vs IFS well that depends onthe type of wheeling you'll be doing most...slow,crawling over big rocks SFA is gonna have an advantage over the IFS, high speed forest roads and the like with be better with the IFS, idk if this is going to be your DD but ive heard that the SFA ride pretty rough on the street...maybe someone who has made the switch can chip in on that particular detail, but many people wheel the IFS without a problem...myself included... just my 2 cents...take it with a grain of salt, this is of course MY opinion.

-Jordan

jd20phill

iTrader: (7)

Don't be scared of the 3.0. I drove one for 5 years without a problem (put over 50,000 miles on it, and it started with 150,000). Yeah, it was under powered, but it always started up and got me where i needed to be. And after it gives up the ghost, a 3.4 swap isn't really that hard or expensive.

IFS does have its limitations, but it will out wheel a stock jeep any day with a good set of tires. The ability to properly fit 33's without too many modifications is a big plus as well (try doing that in a jeep).

Heavyhammer

Im not sure fork, I've done some research and heard its almost more worthwhile to just rebuild the 3.0 the right way and put it back in than fab in a 3.4 and because theyre newer its probably harder to find them for a decent price. And BoredOut, did you have to do a lot of repairs to your jeep hence the name HEEP? How was it compared to your current Toyota trucks? Eaglescout, I think I really would like to end up with a solid axle at some point on the front. I want to get into some more difficult wheeling instead of the small stuff I am limited to with my Jimmy. I was thinking of maybe getting a body lift if I bought one first off then get bigger tires and rims and when I get the money buy a sas kit from low range offroad and find an axle to put on. Im not really concerned about it riding like a lumber wagon, I don't commute on a highway everyday I live in a rural area. jd20phill, why didn't you keep the 4runner was it giving you trouble? And what would a 3.4 swap consist of? Is it basically bolt in or would it require relocation of motor mounts and a new trans and the such? To me it seems like a bigger project than completely rebuilding a 3.0 as I stated above.

jd20phill

iTrader: (7)

I got rid of my second gen 4runner because I wanted a first gen; there were no problems with it when i sold it. The first gen I found had a knocking 3.0 in it (with 287,000 miles). After looking at the price of building a 3.0 right, the 3.4 swap was a no brainer (more go for less $). As far as the 3.4, its really not that hard of a swap. The transmission and engine bolts right in with no modifications needed. The wiring can be a challenge, but you can either do it yourself with the help of the 3.4 Swap section here or have someone fab the harness for you.

To reiterate, the 3.0 is a good/reliable engine that will go for many miles with just regular maintenance. But when the time comes to rebuild or replace it, the 3.4 swap is the way to go.

Young Guy

Well first off, id like to say that i have the 3.0l in my 1990 4runner with over 200k miles on it. If you perform standard maintenance and what not, like any other engine needs. Then she will treat you right. It wheels great, stays cool and runs strong. I would agree that yes, it is a little tough at the pump but i knock that up to everything i have thrown on my truck to enable it offroad, starting with a 5 inch suspension lift and 33" super swampers, not to mention that this is my daily driver.

Next i would like to talk about the ifs vs a sfa. It really does depend on the type of wheeling you are doing. However, i have had zero issues with my ifs. as long as you wheel smart and dont jam the skinny petal to the floor, then the independent suspension will impress you with what it is capable of.

I will apologize right now, saying that i dont know what kind of terrain there is in Massachusetts, near where you live. I live in Washington State, so all i have is mud pits and tree strewn trails. So articulation isnt a huge factor in my wheeling. But when it comes down to it, there is no right answer for any of the questions you are asking.

But when it comes to the Jeep debate, then i will say that i have done my research and between the money you will have to put into the Cherokee axles and reinforcing the unibody, you will be throwing a lot of money into something just to get it to par with what a toyota can do as a benchmark. Now i feel that wranglers are great vehicles, and if you decided to hold off and save for anything i would say go for that. However the reality of it is taht you wont find anything close to 3k worth buying with a jeep tag on it. I personally will never drive a jeep because there is way too much main stream blabla for me atached to that name. I love rolling up in my toyota with ifs and walking through whatever those jeeps in front of me are stuck on Thats what it's all about!