4RHopeful

Little background... I've been obsessed with getting my hands on a 1st or 2nd gen 4Runner for awhile now and finally got the green light from my better half. I was hoping to get some suggestions or feedback on whether or not it's possible to have an 11k budget to build up something for that price and maybe if you were in this boat what you would be realistically dreaming up?

Here are some of my must haves... 4x4, mild lift, 33's, rust free would be great, however the paint doesn't matter to me at this time at all, but a solid body would be great, decent interior, auto and most importantly the thing needs to be completely reliable as it will be a daily driver so road manners are important. hopefully something with all new/rebuilt motor, trans, drivetrain, etc. i would love to have the confidence to take it on long rides for camping trips with the family. it won't be go off-roading much at all besides fire roads for camping/mtb trips, sorry im a poser in that respect.

...also keep in mind, im new to the hobby and have fairly low mechanical skills, so 90% of the work will not be done by me. should i look for something cherry in that price range or build something up? buying something would be instant gratification, but i have a tundra i can drive while having something built, so either works for me.

thanks for your help guys...

Bigdady

Firtst off welcome, For that kind of a budget you can find a nice toyota.Where do you live? I would look for one just like you want already set up the way you want it. Just keep looking until you find what you want.. Good luck

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

For 11k you could build/find several. Depending on your skill level. Having to farm out the work will eat your funds up fast, but you can find one really nice for that price range. Body wise there is a big difference between the two generations. 4 door versus 2 door. Top removal or not. There are a few 2 door second gens out there. Find which one meets your needs best and . Both generations have lots to offer. I have had both and really enjoyed each style.

Going by your skill level and your post, I would suggest buying one that is pretty much fixed up, even if I had to go the some great distance to get it.

MUD-LIGHT

11k is a lot. If you buy one already built and you don't know what to look for someone could have ran it into the ground and it may be on its last leg. If you buy a stock one from an old man chances are its been taken care of! I know my buddy put a lift and wheels and tires on his tacoma and it ran him around 4500 witch is RIDICULOUS if you ask me. Honestly If your not doing the work yourself get one already done just take a mechanically inclined buddy to give it a once over!

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Welcome to Yotatech.

I'd look for nice 2nd gen with blown 3.0 and do a 3.4 swap

:wabbit2:

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

11k is a good chunk of $ to get a rig. Since you aren't really asking for much in terms of offroad upgrades, you have lots of options. If you wanted more than what you listed, then many would probably suggest buying a rig already built up - most of them are priced around $8-10k and have basically everything on them already. You might even find one and have a few grand left for surprise fixes.

Since you really aren't looking for a crawler, and more of an on-road rig - why not a 3rd gen? It'll be safer on the road with airbags and already had 3.4l/auto. Heck, you could even buy a mildly built 80-series or a stock 100-series land cruiser for 11k - talk about dependable!

Junkers88

11K? Heck if you could live with a 5 speed I'd sell you my 1st gen runner for 5K and you can use the rest for camping gear and goodies. Or do an auto swap.


I sold a 2000 4runner limited a few years ago for 9K and it was in perfect shape. I'd recommend looking for something newer that you can just buy and drive. 1st gen runners are way cool and a hell of a lot of fun but are a little limited (in my opinion) due to having only two doors.

abecedarian

I'll sell you my '88 22RE, manual trans, 4" ProComp Stage II lift equipped ride for $6K.

It has no problems revving over 4K... and holding that for well more than 10 miles. I've done that up both sides of the Grapevine (I-5 in California). 3rd gear and 65-70 mph is reasonable, and who wants to be seen with big-rigs and Type-IV VW's passing them?

I'm kidding, mostly.

And it passed Cali smog too.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

You don`t say where you live!!!

I can`t believe all these people trying to talk you out of what you want(yes I can)

Search the southwest USA for the style you want.

I think for $11,000.00 you could have one rebuilt from the ground up...

It is a machine so things do fail most often at the worst possible time.:wabbit2:

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

For 11K you could have a VERY nice 80-Series Landcruiser, 91-97.... Just saw one FULLY rebuilt motor and trans, w/warranty, for 6500$(believe it was a 96 with factory e-lockers, front and rear, pretty hard to find at times).... Desert Truck, too, out of Riverside... So likely no rust(claimed it had none)... I mean, then you'd have an Auto if you wanted with at least enough power to back it up, VERY reliable 4WD and 4 door with PLENTY of room to camp IN, let alone take camping. Mileage? Meh... not so much. I'm guessing 14-17MPG's max? If you're lucky? lol... BUT MAN, those things are hard to kill... Comfy and you'd be rolling a VERY much loved series of Toyota(that's, as said, a lil newer and likely less romped on).

Also agree with the 96-2000 or so 4Runner, 3.4 with Auto... That would leave you some money left over to 'mod' a bit and/or spend on other things, ya know?

I ALSO agree with the "if you're not interested in 'building' or 'repairing' or 'restoring' something... steer clear of older rigs... They are LOTS of fun and very durable... But WOW, they can be a lot of work, work which would cost you plenty. HOWEVER, for 11K? You could have a SUPER clean 1ST or Second Gen 4Runner, maybe even SAS'd and Auto with a 3.4 already in it, already rebuilt(or maybe even a 1UZ-Lexus 4.0 V8.... look up RMA on here, he and many others have done it)... And STILL have money left over.

Remember, spending 300$ on something YOU'RE JUST ABOUT TO BUY, letting a VERY qualified Japanese Auto Mechanic check over FULLY? GREAT INVESTMENT, IMHO, for someone like you who might not want to really have a project that keeps on 'GOING, AND GOING, AND GOING, AND GOING', RIGHT? lol.

Best wishes, either way, and welcome to Yotatech, man!

westjohns yota

for 5500 you can have my built 86 lol, everybodies right, we dont know where you live!

4RHopeful

Thanks to everyone... I've been lurking around yotatech for along time and this is just the support and feedback I was hoping to get when I finally felt I had a valid question to post. I'm in Cincinnati, OH. Sorry for not mentioning that. Lots of great insight from you all... I have to admit... I feel like I'm in an even better situation now because I think I can justify 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations with some of your thoughts and I didn't even think of the 80-series! They look pretty awesome too. Nonetheless, the search will begin in early 2013 and I will be taking my time considering every option!

4RHopeful

Thanks a lot, I really appreciate the welcome. ROLL TIDE! My wife and I graduated from UA... absolutely loved the South. Stopped back a couple years ago on the way to Destin simply to visit Dreamland and walk the quad for old times sake. Beautiful place.

4RHopeful

Thanks a lot, but I will be married to an auto since the wife will be driving from time to time as well. Question though... is the 22RE really as slow as most guys say? I have actually never driven one with the 4cyl. I don't mind going slow at all and it's not a worry of mine if it is since I will value longevity over power, but does it make it unenjoyable to drive? Is it quicker than my G. Caravan with 160k on the clock loaded with a family of 5 and everything else that comes along with 3 young boys

4RHopeful

Awesome suggestions, thanks for opening the options even more! I completely agree with the mechanic's inspection. We did that with a low mileage 3/4 Dodge we almost bought a couple years ago. Was about to pull the trigger and our mechanic who inspected it found nearly 2k worth of "must fix now" issues! Ended up with a new 2010 Tundra and from that moment, I was bitten by this bug.

Thanks again, really appreciate the help!

InternetRoadkill

I bought an 88 and did a full mechanical restoration for a total of $8K including the cost of the vehicle which was DOA from ebay. That included removing the body from the frame and stripping everything off it and either replacing it with new parts or having existing parts refurbished (engine, tranny, driveline, brakes, etc.). It also included new lockers front and rear. Yep, it was overkill. But it shows you can do a lot for under $10K.

4RHopeful

Wow, I appreciate the input. Did you do all of the work yourself?

InternetRoadkill

Yes. I had a bunch of pictures, but I had a hard drive crash and I'm trying to find backups.

B-Fake

You can definitely get a nice rig for under 10 grand. I see lots of SASed rigs on CL in my neck of the woods for around 6-7K. Since it sounds like you have a family I'd look at getting a Land Cruiser. They're a little harder to come by, but they have more room than the 4Runners, probably less likely to have been beat on, and like you already have been told they are hard to kill, but that's just how Toyotas are made. Either way with 11K to go towards it you're gonna end up with a sweet rig, I'd go for a LC or a 3rd gen Runner!