I'm looking to purchase a 86-89 4runner and found this one on autotrader and wondering about the price? Might go and look at it. I konw I should keep an eye out for rust, time chain and head gasket... Anything else?

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=en&cardist=29

 

Skip anything with a the 3.0 V-6 unless it's toast adn that brings the price way down... SR5 is nice for the guages and trim, but IMO not really worth what people usualy want extra for it. Gen1's are getting harder to find, so if you find one with a good body and frame, buy it, and worry about the motorafterwards, there's litteraly no end to the potential these things have, from fully on tube framed, to daily driver. Any reason you're not looking for an 84-5 with the solid axle(not that they're easy to find)?

Good luck and Cheers

Dave

Edit: that one looks pretty nice... Check out the rear window relays and see if it works alltogether... Since it has to work to get in and out of the back, it's a real pain in the ass when it doesn't... Belive me, I'm currently w/o a working rear window, luckily, it's stuck up not down like it was a few months ago... another good thing about the one you listed, is that it doesn't appear to be saggin in the rear which is a problem with older toy's...

 

cant tell too much from the pix, it looks like it might be worth checking out further. take it for a drive, test out the locking hubs and listen for any noise (no lube in the hub body). if you have a mech close by, drive over and have them take a quick look, see & listen. roll up the rear carpet and check the floor and wheel wells for rust as well as inside the storage bins in the back. check the rear window operation using the button on the console as well as the key on the gate. if youve owned a 1st gen before, youll know pretty much all the spots to look into!!

good luck and keep us posted.

lee

 

Thanks for the help with the all the suggestions. I'll be taking my mech with me. I have never use locking hubs. How do they work? I'm looking to get the 86-89 only cause they are ez to find and it's only going to be a daily driver at first.

 

Tell them you want a discount since it doesn't have the 4 doors that they say it does :-).

Seriously, it looks like it has had some body work done. It's missing the front valence/air dam, the front mudflaps, factory rear mudflaps, the black plastic around the rear and has an generic rear step bumper. It does have the original wheels. Also missing is the vinyl/fabric shifter boot cover. Looks like the original cloth on the seats. How worn is the drivers seat?

HTH

 

The ad says "alloy wheels" but those are steel wheels. It looks pretty clean but it's hard to tell from the pics.

Good luck!

 

i was actually thinking about taking a look at that myself but due to my 95' running like a champ and a college kid's budget i dont really have room for a project right now lol

where in PA are you?

 

I'm outside of Philly by about 20 miles in North Wales, PA

 

I just did the number crunching on the finances. And lt's looking like I may have to wait a few weeks before I can actually purchase another 4Runner. But that doesn't mean I can go and test drive.

 

I could'nt find a 4Runner Less then $2500.00 anywhere! Even in the Rust Belt Ohio. Mine was $1700.00. But, it has Had Pretty Extensive body Work and has Some Bugs to Work Out. I Justified Buying it Because it had a Solid Frame and Everything Works, 4wd and All Electrical is Good. I bought it about 1 Month Ago and have Already put About 1600 Miles on it! Top is off and Me and My Dog just Freeeze our A$$es off Driving Around. I can't Get away From it! My 05 Taco has to be Getting Jealous Just Sitting Around. If i can Enjoy this thing for One Summer it Will more then Pay For itself. I hope to get a Few Summers out of it Though. Truck has Alot of Character! Its a Toyota!

 

Hey Noodle,

I went to look at that same Runner over the summer and had a pretty bad experience with it. The truck had a pretty good bit of rust on the frame, dont know if it was worth grinding down. The body seemed pretty decent for an '86, but the interior was in pretty rough shape. The dealer really couldn't tell me anything about it, and they've had it for a pretty long time. They didn't seem interested in talking to me and were kind of rude at points so I just walked out of the place. But go take a look if you can cuz you might have a totally different experience than I did.