Nick325is

I just came across this board while on the search for information about a 4runner I am looking at. I've found a lot of useful info on here and was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on a 4runner I am looking at.

It is a 1990 4Runner with 165,000 miles on the body, 20,000 on a rebuilt motor, and 7,000 on a rebuilt auto tranny with warranty.

The truck also has:

-4.5 inch Procomp stage 2 lift
-4.88 gears front soft locker, rear is locked
-33x12.50 Interco Truxus M/T radials
-Centerline 15x12 Wheels
-Motor rebuilt 20k miles ago ( I was told it was because the owner was paranoid of some valve tap, but who knows. The reality is that it has a fresh motor)
-Trans rebuilt 7k miles ago with warranty
-Both diffs rebuilt
-Steel braided brake lines
-New battery
-Flowmasters
-New brakes
-Sony head unit
-CB
-Polk audio door speakers



I believe the half shafts and CV joints are new as well. The only issue the car has is that it has an aftermarket alarm and the electronic door locks don't work.

The owner is asking 5200 for it.

I would really appreciate any advice that anyone might have to offer in regards to this vehicle.


Thanks,

Nick

MAIDEN

1990... for 5200?
I don't know much about the 2nd gen 4runners, but i got my 1986 for 3000 and it was completely stock...... I have heard on here that when you add things to your truck it actually lowers the price for some reason..

yotasavg

that sounds pretty good to me. i don't think that's a bad deal at all, at least it'd be a great deal where i'm at.

Jeenyus04

sounds like a good deal to me as long as there is receipts to document the motor rebuild

Nick325is

Thanks for the quick replies. I am basically looking at this truck as something I can drive to work and around town and take camping etc.

Does anyone have any idea as to what might be the issue with the locks? Evidently the key will not lock or unlock the doors and the locks cannot even be pushed down manually.


Thanks,

Nick

b.miller123

Is it a 4cyl or V6? What kind (brand) of lockers are actually in the front and rear? How new are the tires?

A "Good Deal" depends on where you live, up here (northwest) those go for that price all the time, in about the same or worse condition, now if you live where rust is a common problem, then a rusty truck that's 17 years old is almost worthless (and a rust free truck is slightly more valuable then elsewhere)

Does the owner have receipts for the engine/tranny/regear/lockers/brakes? there are scammers out there who love to tell people that all this work was just done, and wont have any proof for it

If these were done recently, and you run into problems with them, it would be nice to know where the work was done

My guess on the alarm/door-locks problem is that something is something is wrong with the alarm, depending on how old the alarm is, I would probably just call your local car stereo place and ask how much it would be to fix and/or remove the whole alarm system (and that is assuming that the alarm is the problem)

95SASMudRunner

sounds like a good deal assuming paperwork is all in order, the locks may be a simple fix such as a wire came loose/disocnnected (likely) or even better a blown fuse I would think it would be a simple fix toyota locking systems are not very complicated esp on these older trucks~~~~~ correction just re-read orig post the locks being jammed may be due to a short or something with the alarm having it constantly "unlock" but that doesnt seem likely is it just one door or all that cannot be manually locked?

Nick325is

He has receipts for all of the work and from everything he has told me and all of the pictures he has sent it has no rust.
I forgot to mention that it is a V6.

I'm checking into the brand of the lockers and wondering if the rear diff being permanently locked and the front being soft locked is going to be an issue.


Thanks again,

Nick

bigarms23

it is still a great deal i paid 5500 for my 884runner that has the same as the stuff you listed

Nick325is

After looking into this issue with the locks it appears that Toyota did a recall on Camrys in 1990 due to lock failure. Evidently, something with the central locking computer caused the lock solenoids to freeze and not work at all. The recall campaign number was 92V135000.

If anyone has any experience with this I would really appreciate it.


Thanks,

Nick

misterzee

Even with all the work, the $ might be a little high. If you have >$5000 to invest in a truck, find a 3rd gen that's a little closer to stock.

stormin94

Yeah, that rig is worth like $3500 MAX, and that's bone stock with NOTHING wrong with it. For a rig that has been modified, and not everything works, I'd say it's worth no more than $3000.

idanity

you haven't seen it in reality yet?
p.o. does have records, and it was mainained, thats good, but you dont know if he overheated it or sunk it in a lake.

be skeptical on everything, hey, i bought a truck that had only 1 driveline bolt holding it together. (no joke- i test drove it very hard, the owner had no idea, b/c the owner took me out to the muddy woods, and we rallied it.

the good is no rust. the bad is for that much money you could find a lot more trucks and throw a few thousand into it for you exact liking.

but hey, its all up to you, you gotta meet the owner, and feel good about it.
check out kelleys blue book

Nick325is

I'm headed down to look at it tomorrow and take it for a drive. Hopefully all will be well with it and he will get the lock situation figured out.


Has anyone else had any issues with the locks not working as I mentioned in the earlier post? It seems strange that another toyota product would have a similar problem and have a recall on it.

Thanks,

Nick

b.miller123

As stated before, even with all the work done, I wouldn't pay $5200 for it, take it for a test drive, really look it over and knit-pick everything, and if thier are no show-stoppers, then offer the guy $3500 for it (make the offer right after you mention all the money your going to have to put into it)

I really hope that this isn't the first 4runner that you have found that you like, look around and take your time. If you really really want this one, then print out a bunch of adds from cheaper 4runners and take them with you to show the guy what you are about to go look at, but be wary of this because if you go back to the owner of this one he will assume that he's got you (because he thinks you really want his and that you didn't like the other one's you looked at)

after you do research and find other vehicles and know what the average asking cost is, you'll have a better idea of what this one is worth (about $1000 less than what the average advertised price) and don't count the stereo in the value either, and don't put much thought into the value of the lift (those are a double edged sword, you get cooler looks & bigger tires, but crappier mileage and a "modded" vehicle)

You really need to find out what kind of lockers are in there, because if he's got a spool in the rear or something then this wont be something you will like driving to work everyday

b.miller123

oh, and about the lock thing, there is a chance that it is just like the camry thing you mentioned, but not widespread enough in 4runners to cause a recall, but I've never heard of anything like that so I would look at the alarm system first

If this guy really is a stickler on the price, don't buy it unless he gets this fixed first,

He probably doesn't have people beating down his door for a truck that doesn't lock, so don't listen if he starts saying: "I have a couple other people that are coming to look at it tomorrow"

misterzee

Coming from a conservative angle, you said all you want to do is drive to work, and occasionally camping. You certainly dont need lifted, oversize tires, locked diffs, etc to do all that. Those things screw up the driveability and safety in general. A stock Runner will do all those things you want and more; drive better, get better mileage, and be cheaper to maintain. :-) Something to put into your criteria when you look for a truck. Take your time, keep looking south of the mason-dixon line. I like vast.com for vehicle searches.

davenjai

This is how I look at things.

That truck done for 4500.

or

Buy stock truck for 2500
add
lift 1000
lockers & gears 1000 ? depends greatly on what kind
tires and wheels 1000
engine & tranny 2500
total 8000
+ labor ?

If something on his truck breaks it can be fixed, you don't have to throw the whole thing away, lol. He's asking for what he put into it without the truck. Buying things already done is always cheaper, much cheaper. Just make sure it's right. The lock thing does not sound like a good thing. I don't like trucks with electrical problems. It often stems from wrecks or idiot's with wire cutters. I would want several hundred for a buffer on that. As for the rest of it, get a friend who really knows about vehicles and go drive/look over it.

stormin94

^^^^^Yeah, but you don't know how good a job they did with the mods. It's your safety in their hands, otherwise, you can buy a stock rig, that you know there was no questionable mods done to it, and work with what you have. All that the rig in question is, is someone trying to get rid of their problem. I'd really look elsewhere for a stock one for MUCH less money.