Kyle F

OK, So I am young and into racing cars more than offroading, but as I am getting older I am wating to go camping and muddn more often and would prefer to have my own rig as opposed to always having to ride with someone else.

So with that, I have my eye on a 93 4-runner with 212,000 miles.
My first question is... is this too many miles to be a reliable driver to work daily so my Mustang can sit in the garage. I drie about 15 miles round trip.
The truck ran great, shifted nicely(Automatic) and the 4X4 system engaged smoothly. Stereo Sucked!

I would like ot lift it up and put 33's or 35's on it for fun use!

So, second question, What will this involve a about how much are we looking in Tires and suspension components. Not serious off roading, but just the occasional Muddy trail and general obstacles


Third question is $3995 a fair price for this truck

Thanks for helping a newbie!

celica

212k isn't bad. I have over 230,000 miles on mine and it is still reliable as sin. I am currently putting a mild lift in my 92. I am putting ball joint spacers in (1.5") and new OME springs in the back (2"). If you want more lift then that you will need to do land cruiser coils in the back, BJspacers in the front & crank up the torsion bars.

ctcost

First off get the VIN number and ck with Toyota to see ithe head gasket service campaign has bee used on this truck and check eligibility for this if it has not. If it is eligible, and hasn't been done, then you can get the motor torn down to the crank, and if necessary, totally rebuilt from the ground up for free.

$3995...not too bad is the truck is in primo condition. But my guess is you will have to put some work into it...trick is to find deals on the parts but first, before you buy, check all the fluids, make sure they are all clean, the tranny oil is red not brown, no water in the oil etc...check all the rubber: ball joints, CVs, etc...make sure all has been well maintained in other words,,,then, if you do buy, changes all the fluids including the rear end gear oil immediately and do a lube job.

Ck the brakes, a well maintained vehicle will show here too. Notice whether or not things are clean in the engine bay or really grimy and the hoses are starting to fail...A compression test is a good thing to do as well.

If all looks good then buy...If not, look elsewhere...So far I have over $8k to my truck, new engine, new tranny, shocks, ball joints, tie rods...more....

Ting is to get on a schedule...once the heavy work is done, buy a hose here...a belt there...make sure to do the fluid changes etc. But I started out with a vehicle with like 230k my dad had driven all over the desert....gotta love your truck

Kyle F

THe interior is in great shape except for a small tear on the side of the Drivers seat. I hav ento checked all the Fluids yet, but I know its got a Fresh Oil Change. I am purchains it from a Toyota Dealer, so I am going to guess that they passed it through an inspection when they took it in on a Trade, but I will check for myself. As far as the Head Gasket replacement goes. Who pays for that, Toyota? Will the dealer still be able to honor that with the 200+K Miles?

What about the Cost of getting some 33's on it.

tc

First, mileage doesn't matter with Toyotas...At 212k, it's in the prime of its life!

What engine and size tires does it have? If it came with 31's, there are a few people here running 33's with no lift (although 1.5" is recommended). 35's will be a problem without regearing.

A search on here will provide more info than you can imagine. This is considered a "2nd generation" 4Runner - use that to narow down your search, and be sure to check out the FAQ sticky in the 4Runner forum.

I just bought a '93 with 178k for $3000 out the door. Very little rust on the body, a fair bit underneath. No radio. Since then, I've had to put in about $1000 in maintenance - CV joint, springs (to fix the saggy ass), shocks, timing belt, tie rods, idler arm, pitman arm. Maybe another $1000 in "options" (radio, lights, etc).

Some things to know:
The 3.0 is a dog, and there's not much aftermarket support to do anything about it. It's certainly going to be different than your Mustang. It's not a bad engine - smooth and reliable - just not the greatest performance or even fuel economy. This engine is particularly badly matched with the auto tranny IMHO (mine is manual, and I don't have nearly the complaints I read on here from people with auto)

Fuel economy was not as good as I was looking for - runs 17-20 mpg

Factory speakers are 4" in the dash and 5.25" in the rear. You will definitely need some bass. Don't know if you can enlarge the rear speaker openings, but an 8" (or maybe 10" sub should fit in the compartments on the side in the back if you don't want a box tying up all your cargo space.

IMHO the headlights suck (the light pattern), and there are no aftermarket options. Small driving lights will fit in the openings in the valance.

tc

Oh almost forgot - Steering relay rod recall also.

Check NADA or Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com), but I think $3995 from a dealer is pretty cheap (I thought they were in the $5000 range blue book). Take it to an independent mechanic and have it checked over top to bottom (looking for all the stuff ctcost talked about and more)

Kyle F

Im Not trying to compare it with my Mustang... just as long as it will move its butt up a hill its ok with me.

tc

Sometimes that is a problem with the auto tranny. Got to keep the RPM's over 3000 to have any power! (which is about 70 MPH)

ctcost

Yeah the dealer will honor it and get reimbursed by toyota. There are a few things you can do to improve performance a little...search the board and there will be plenty of hits...I would describe my power, even with the auto tranny, as "adequate"....Its definitely not a V-8, could have more but meh, I love the truck...If I ever have it redone again I'll drop a Chevy short block 350 in it.

With an auto tranny remember you have control of what gear its in as well, use the shifter that's what it's there for!!! hehehehe And yup TC is right. As long as its been maintained and not trashed, and you keep it maintained, its in the prime of its life. Enjoy!

Epic Ed

I wouldn't pay that much money for a 212,000 mile vehicle. Offer them $2900 and see what the say. They probably got it from auction for under $1000.

Gas mileage wil suck as a daily driver, and you'll get up hills...but not very fast. As for a lift, you can get to 33" with some reasonable mods, but keep in mind it's going to drag down your gas mileage and power even worse. Regearing is the best investment to make in order to recover the lost power (do that instead of sinking money into engine mods) if you go with larger tires. I run on 32" tires and am regeared to 4.88, but actually would benefit more from going with a 5.29 ratio.

Getting to 35" tires will cost ya. Major suspension mods need to be made and regeraing is mandatory. If I were you, I'd go with some simple, cost-effective suspension mods right off the bat -- get heavy duty/taller coil springs for the rear (Downey makes a good product), and ball joint spacers for the front. Do a manual hub conversion to take the stress off of your CV joints (relatively inexpensive), and this should allow you to put 31-32" tires under the beast which will get you enough clearance to take on much of the terrain you're going to encounter.

Ed