babyfood1217

Had to finally get rid of my '88 4runner. Didn't want to, but with the jerry-rigged electrical system and tranny on the way out, with no garage or driveway to work in and the recently stolen tool collection left me hangin' with no options. I would love another 1st gen., but have currently removed it from my options. Things I am having trouble prioritizing are as follows (I am flexible on the order of things, but this is what my order is currently at)...

-Fuel economy
-Mechanical reliability
-4 door (or at least an extended cab/rear seating option)
-purchase and maintenance costs

So what I'm really have trouble with is engines and transmissions...

Engines:

22R/E - My '85 and '88 4runners were powered by 22R/E's. I had no problems with it's lack of overall power, and I enjoyed its' relative simplicity reliability (not with every particular motor that lived in my trucks, but anyhoo...) I knew it wasn't a race car or tow truck, but I had it fully loaded, with a heavy trailer for my cross country move (WI to WA) and loaded or empty, the only times it got really bogged down was in the steepest of mountain passes. Couldn't beat the fuel economy, as I always got around 21/23 (not too shabby for a capable 5 seater SUV that could double as a pickup truck when needed.)

3RZ-FE - I know so little about the 2.7L, but fuel economy listings are very similar to the 22R/E (which makes me happy) and are available in both pickups and 4runner. Unfortunately started being offered later in life, so purchase prices will typically be higher.

3VZ-FE - I imagine there are a number people with 3.0's that don't have horrible problems, but it seems like a lot of people do. Unfortunately, many of the vehicles I have found with the 3.0's are rather high mileage trucks, and typically are priced rather steeply (PacNW pricing sucks.) I wouldn't mind the claimed "slow" or "power lacking" traits, but I can't afford to commit to a continuous problem-plagued vehicle. Came in both pickups and 4runners, and are present in the earlier model years, which will bring the overall purchase price down.

5VZ-FE - Alot of people seem really happy with the 3.4's. Two things which deter me however are over all costs (new vehicles typically cost a little more, right?) and fuel economy.

Transmissions:

I prefer a manual, though EPA listings typically claim the AT will yield an extra mile or two per gallon (varies.) Are AT's something I should be afraid of? I mean, with a MT, there is the possibility of attempting at least some potential repairs (clutch, MC/slaves, clutch forks), but I have no clue of even how AT's work, not to mentions what, if any, repairs I could do on my own.

I'm not worried about suspension right now (plenty of options for whatever I could find) and I'm fairly flexible on outward appearance as I can do a fair amount of body work myself. I want to focus on mechanical reliability and fuel economy that won't break the bank. I'm not in a rush ever and I won't tow again, but I enjoy road trips and need something that will survive mountain adventures (not intense trails or crawling, but more or less fire/logging roads, as gnarly as they may not be.)

I think I'm just complaining. And stumbling in my search.

Ugh.

-Chris

bob200587

I would look for a 3.4 Tacoma or 4runner with a manual transmission.

I don't think the mpg will be that much worse than the 2.7

Swimmerboy2112

iTrader: (2)

I get 21.4mpg mix highway/city in my 02 Tacoma with the 3.4L 5speed.

bob200587

And I get ~18 mixed with my 22re (Would be better without 31's and 4.10s)

Hence my thread about considering a 3.4 swap.