For what it's worth, i've had FAR more problems with my 22re than my 3vze with almost 300k on it. My truck is now on it's third engine, and it's been maintained fanatically. The only complaint i ever had about the v6 was fuel consumption. Not quite as good as the 22re.

 

Besides one absolutely mint 91 with a 3.0 that sold before I had the cash from selling my tacoma I got zero replies from people selling trucks on Craigslist. I must have made 8-10 calls and a dozen emails last week on trucks for sale all over New England. Then I came across a 96 Tacoma extended cab v6/auto for just a few hundred more than most of the 89-95 trucks I had been looking at. So I bought it.



So no 3.0 for me. This truck has 250k on it but runs great. It needs a little work and I wish it was a stick but someday I may convert it.

 

I have owned three including a new 1994 Toyota with the 3VZE,I am in the middle of a rebuild of a 1988 4runner that had cracked heads,still ran and purred,just had cracked heads.The bottome end has 365k miles and did not smoke and made no noise.Owned by original family since new and had Headgaskets changed twice.I figured I would clean the cylinders,re-ring and polish the crank,throw some fresh bearings in and see if I get another 300k or so out of the little piggy.I am going to stick with the 3.0 but I also dont expect the 4runner to be a racecar.

 

I actually traded my 1994 3.0 for the same truck but a 1997 with the 3.4.It was indeed a rocket and would smoke the tire in a heartbeat.Mileage seemed the same but the build quality felt different.I have said it before if I come across a cheap 3.4 it will prob be swapped in one day.If anybody gets a chance to drive a supercharged 3.4 you will be really impressed.

 

They ain't that bad mines stock and I took out a ford diesel 7.3 in the dunes o.O

 

Bought a 91' 4runner 5spd 4x4 with the 3.0 at an auction for $450 with 160k miles...2000 miles after i hit 200k it decided to become a 4 cylinder...at least it happened a block from my house! I would talk trash about the motor but it made it to 200k and it was beat hard and put up wet...terrible mpg... im shopping for a om617 to put in but they are so scarce in central Texas i might have to go back to 3.0 cause they are a dime a dozen.

 

i know you already bought a truck, but im supprized how many people aren't a fan of this motor. ya, its not the best on gas ( i get 20 mpg 50/50 mix of highway and city) and the powers not bad once your above 3000rpm. hell, my 93 with 335,000km pulls better in 4th gear on the highway than my dads 2004 tacoma prerunner with the 3.4. as long as you keep your cooling system in check with the 3.0, you shouldn't have any major issues in my opinion.

 

mine outlasted the odometer

odometer stopped at 360,000 a few years ago...just replaced the cable last summer, so the odometer is fixed. truck has been nothing but a solid 4x4 through snow, mud, sand, rivers and hauling my dirtbikes too.

pulls hard, and never let me stranded..few other trucks have the build quality of a yota.

now, its not the epic 4cyl, and everyone makes fun of the 3vz-e, but many are quite reliable.
they are a pita to work on though.

 

had a chance to go through all the reciepts that were passed to me by previous owner and evn gave him a call,come to find out the 4runner I have has about 396k miles on it,head gaskets on 3.0 were done at 96k due to recall/campaign.I got it and it ran but was told it needed head gaskets.for $600 I did not complain.heads ended up being cracked but the #1 headgasket was the area of problem not the #6,and it had decent compression on the high mileage lower end.ended up building a long block with new heads and all toyota replacement gaskets and parts, I must say it moves pretty good and will blister the 31 BFG's I am currently running.all but one injector still had 175lbs flowing when tested before the cleaning.I have owned at least (12) 22r Toyota trucks ,7 of which I bought cheap due to blown headgaskets,this will be my third 3.0 but the first I have had broken.all the 22r trucks with blown headgaskets were decent daily driver trucks in the 150-200k range.not trying to say the 3.0 is the "best" motor in the world but its not the worst and some of the worst have a better fan group for sure......guess its just easy to follow the crowd and say throw a 3.4 in it,its good advice but not the only way to have a reliable motor in a toyota .maintenance and attention to the motor you have is key so I will just have to see how a maintained 3.0 will last,maybe another 396k miles?

 

I love my 3 point zero.Ive owned three 22re's and this is my first v-6.To me theres no comparison Even if I ever get another 22re,this truck will still be my favorite Toyota.Im meticulous about maintainance and good fuel and oil.Keep up with cooling system.Love it.I just need to find out how Mudhippy tunes his and I'll be all set.

 

I donno for me its a grey area.. My 22re was alright but it drive me nuts. My 3vze on the other hand needed alot of work but for some reason doesnt piss me off?? I donno why. Maybe it feels more alive like it has a heart than my 22re. After doing hg's pulling the engine it out twice i am not scared or worried about my 3vze. I just know my way around it so well now that i love it! If my HG goes again tomorrow i wouldnt even stress though id take the extra knowlege i have from before and do it even better. Plus im running 12 degrees advanced, glasspack in place o old crappy muffler an it really moves pretty good now with no power complaints. After a day of wheeling i was ripping down a logging road that was really open and i could get to 90 km/h with ease and drift corners no problem. Love my v6! Untill i actaully blow it up im going to stick with it