futurerunner

Well folks, as a few of you may have read, I was going to purchase a 95 4runner. This one actually. http://portland.craigslist.org/car/62165588.html

Well, I took it to a master mechanic. First thing I did was check the oil. No oil. hmm. Add three quarts. Then we check compression. 165 155 135 125. Not good. Ok, check blow by. Oil is spewing out of valve cover. Motor could be, most likely is toast. Oh yeah, CV joint is dry. All fluids low. Lucky for me, I have a contract that says I can back out for any reason. Well, I was only out $50. No big deal. Better than being out $3000+++.

Oh did I mention that the clutch was almost hashed after living with too tall of tires? Oh yes, bad rig. I was sad. I really wanted it. Oh well, I will stick with my 83 for now. Really don't want a 3.slow, but I may end up with one.

So, to all of you that are looking to buy a rig? Spend the $50 bucks and have the simplest of tests done on the rig. Those would be:

Minimum:
1. compression
2. Radiator
3. Blowby
Extra Credit:
1. Leak down
2. Test drive
3. Crawl around

to cheap to spend the cash? Ok let me get this straight. Multi thousands for your ride and bling bling ipod and no dough for a little check that could save you thousands?Suit yourself.

DudeBud

For all that is wrong the two low holes could just be bad valves . cv joint is dry how could you tell is the boot torn. it being low on oil 3 quarts wtf.... only holds 4.5 must of been nosiey valve cover thats an easy fix. I would offer the guy 2500 or maybe 3000 looks like a clean rig

4mydogs

I'd look elsewhere. 3 qts low indicates neglect. There are plenty out there to choose from . . . I saw one like mine for sale yesterday, with fewer miles, asking $5K. I'm sure it could be had for less. Spend a little more for a vehicle that's had proper care.

FilthyRich

save some more $$ or get a loan and buy a 3rd gen. More creature comforts and better power, plus cheaper to insure

lee

"Runs and looks great - very reliable"

yikes.

futurerunner

Did I mention the noisy lifter on the way back to their house?

4mydogs

That's true, but you can get quite a bang for you buck in a 2nd gen, quite a capable off-roader, and then there's the styling . . . destined to become a classic!

FilthyRich

No doubt about that.

Ontario

Because I know almost nothing about inspecting the inner workings of a truck I have always had my mechanic take a look at it before I buy... as a result, I had to turn down 2 other 4 Runners (breaking my heart) before finally finding my current Runner. It was an eye opener...

kyle_22r

when i was trying to drive my 20R into the ground, the leaky front main seal would spew out quite a bit of oil before i'd remember to check it. only real indication of low oil would be terrible gas mileage. i ran that engine down to only a quart of oil a few times.

futurerunner

Nice. So, Kyle. I never got a response. What gives?

kyle_22r

a response to what? a pm, email? i've found that hotmail likes to junk forum email so if you sent a message it may have been lost

gwhayduke

When I was shopping for a 2nd gen for an out of town friend, I found that 2nd gen prices were WAAAAYYY out of range for the age and mileage of the vehicle. Not to mention the problems with the 3vze and the poor gas mileage. All the vehicles had over 150K and all were over $6 grand.

In '98, I bought my '95 for $17K with 95K miles.
In '04, I bought my '99 for $14 with 60K miles.

Get a 3rd gen, but with a manual tranny. Dealers really deal on manual trannies.

ugabulldog

Maybe it's just me , but I would do a search and look into the 2nd generations history of head gasket problems. There was a recall and it is a very expensive fix when it goes. The problem wasn't fixed till mid 97

Eric

why is it cheaper on insurance?

gwhayduke

Probably because of the airbags. But yes, my '99 costs me less than the '95.