Great site all. From what i have read there seems to be alot of expense upkeeping these old rigs. For everday use and occassional abuse is an 85 4runner not a very ideal vehicle(wish i would have found this site before i bought last week) What is a more reliable year for an older 4runner?
Thanks Rex

 

Got pics of your rig?
As in any older vehicle, they need certain attention, but dollar for dollar I would always buy a Toyota over any other vehicle. There is a wealth of info here to use. In MHO nothing beats an older 4runner as a DD and occasional trail rig.

 

Just found this site tonight so no pics. My 4runner has 86k on it and not a speck of rust. Thought 3500.00 was a good buy but now scratching my head a little. Going backwards. Just sold my 05 doublecab so i could get something i could actually use but i think i might have gone too opposite end of the spectrum.
(not the brightest star in the sky)

 

Dude if you got an 85 with no rust and those miles, you got a deal.

 

An 85 w/ 86k and no rust is a deal and a half. I've never regretted getting rid of my 00 4Runner and the car payment...I've missed it...but never regretted selling it.

Toyota has only gone down hill w/ the 4Runner since it quit making the 84-89 models IMO. The removeable top, the narrower body, the reliability of the 22RE...can't go wrong w/ an 85 or a 1st gen in decent condition. Even if you have to spend $3K fixing one up...still a heckova lot cheaper on gas, insurance and car payment and it will run forever if maintained.

 

Well maybe i'll put th 82 bmx dirtbike back in the garage and stick with the 85 4runner.
Thanks for the input.

 

Wabbit said it much better than me, listen to him grasshopper...

 

I've owned my '85 4Runner for almost 14yrs now. Some years back it needed a timing chain. Being one half of a DINK I opted to shell out some big $$ for a performance engine instead. Had trouble with that due to a lousy mechanic on the install, but got it fixed ultimately.
Otherwise in 14 years I've done brakes, clutch master and slave cylinders, rebearinged the rear diff, u-joints, radiator (wanted a 3-core, old one was fine really), oil pump seal and alternator.
So, discounting the BLING engine stuff I wanted and didn't actually need, I've probably put into repairs what you would have put into 3-4 payments for a 2005 Doublecab; maybe even less.
Even with the modified engine I get around 20mpg, I haven't had a car payment in years, it costs me about $27 a month for insurance and $25 a year for licensing.
Don't think it gets much more reliable and pocketbook friendly than that.
Welcome to the happy end of the spectrum. 215,000 miles and counting...

 

these trucks are bullet proof. keep it man. thats one heck of a deal. i bought my '85 pickup with a rusted out frame, 200k for 2500. for one more grand a 4runner, no rust, and 86k. wow, thats a deal. small matinence is needed on ANY old vehicle. nothing too hard. you should be able to do it in your drive way like me

 

3500$ is a steal for what you got I paid four for mine but I was helpin a buddy out and I knew that the time he had put into it and the quality of his work was well worth it. The up keep on these old rigs is no diffrent than any other vehicle of that time the only diffrence with the toyota is that the body will rust out before the mechanics ever give way. I.E. I just picked up a '87 Toy pickup for parts for 250$ and it started right up after sitting in a field years, Toys are the shat and some of toughest factory trucks out there. The '85 in my opinion is the the most ideal year, the two benefits being the EFI engine and the SFA... Like stated above anything between '84-'89 are kicka$$ rigs ('90-'95? diffrent body style same mechanics for the most part). Most of which have the 22RE which is one of the most reliable engines out there. Stock axles usually are running 23-spline birfields and 4:10 gears. The 4:10's you can usually get away with running 33's but 5th gear is about useless unless your going downhill, 4:88's will fix that prob. which are another real common gear set in the toys for those years.. The plus side of the 4:88's is that they can be picked up for about 200$ at most per differential and are a bolt on project, the downfall is the way the diff. was built you can't upgrade the gearing later. Other useless info. the rear axle out of the '86s-'95s are 3"s wider than the '84 & '85 (axle spacers for the front 75$) and is another bolt on project. These axles can run up to 4D's stock as long as you aren't throttle happy. Another minor upgrade is rear springs upfront which is a little more indepth cause it requires some fab. work but does move the front axle 2"s forward which has its benefits depending on the seriousness of your occasional abuse and the size tire you plan on useing... Just about everything between the trucks and 4Runners between the years '84-'85 is interchangable.

Other sites of interest...
www.4x4wire.com
www.pirate4x4.com
**Pirate4x4 ~ Check out the FAQ's under the Toy section pretty much anything you would ever need/want to know is in there, I don't recomend posting anything under the Toy forum though... If your gonna post head towards the General4x4 section or the newbie section on the board cause those guys are hardcore, some of the most brilliant tech guys out there, and aren't the friendliest at times, but they give ya a good laugh if you aren't the victim...

Awesome Vendors
www.Marlincrawler.com
www.Trail-Gear.com
www.Davezoffroadperformance.com
www.Longfieldsuperaxles.com
www.Allprooffroad.com
www.Frontrangeoffroadfab.com
www.Tyres1.com

**About no rust i'd take a hammer or something and go around taping the frame and make sue there are no areas where it has started rusting from the inside out... Other than that hope you find something useful out of this and good luck

 

C'mon, I wanna see this rig!

 

[IMG]C:\Documents and Settings\BRENDA\Desktop\4Runner 002.jpg[/IMG]

 

yep it works. looks pretty good!

 

You got a deal, No doubt.
Everyone above me has said the obvious, so I won't wast your time.
Take care of her, and she will take care of you.

 

Looks Good! (a bit hard to tell for sure...read, TINY PIC)

 

Welcome to the Gen1 family, that is one hell of a deal. Congrats on the find, and I'll just add my .02 like everyone else, andtell you you're going to LOVE it. IMO they're one of the coolest 4x4's Toyota ever made.

Cheers

Dave

 

Thanks all for the moral support. Sorry about the picture but computers are my kryptonite.

 

you might feel that you got screwed, 3500 would be high for a rust bucket. but like they say 85 was the good year. you did not do bad. 3500 is ok for one in mint shape. I would pay it in a heart beat

 

great site! I just bought an 85 22RE 4runner no rust 172000 miles runs great for 1500.00 and it came with a 88 22RE 4runner that is kinda roached out, cant get the 88 to run. Any ideas? its getn gas and has spark.

 

Got my 85 4x4 for $500 with a cracked block and 160,500 miles. About $700 later (84 motor, brakes, spray paint, winshield wipers) its done! Just need lockers and sliders and it'll be perfect.