Hello everybody! I have been lurking here and reading for a couple weeks now and appreciate the wealth of information here.

I have been looking for a good 4runner and haven't had much luck. Here is where the advice comes in. I have found an 89 4Runner with the 3.0 and automatic, with 216k on the speedo. The problem is that they say the motor is blown. The rest of the bad is that the front and rear bumpers are bent up, all four corner markers/lights are broken knocked out, and the a/c faceplate is broken, and the radio and bezel is gone. Also, it looks like it was in the mud pretty good, everything underneath is dirt brown. The good is that the body appears to be in great shape with no rust and the interior looks good, just dirty. It has nice aluminum wheels on it with 265/75R16 tires with some tread left.

What would guys think about starting with such a specimen and just working on the engine to get it going and start from there. They are asking $800 for it like it sits.

Thanks in advance for your help and information.

Chris

 

don't do it IMO. You would be better off finding one with a manual transmission and the 22re.

Now that being said, i have an 88 3.0 auto, I love it personally but the mileage is poor, and its no powerhouse.

Of course you could change those things in terms of engine choice since yours in blown, don't know what issues you might have with the transmission then.

 

Sounds like a flood victim - run the VIN on CarFax or similar (there is a link to a free version on here somewhere) - to make sure it hasn't been issued a salvage title.

 

dude run away!

this was $800 with a dead HG.



It has 205K and "perfect" condition.

 

I would be suspicious, too. With all those things wrong that you 'know' of, I'd check for rust on / in the frame. Look for it on the top of bends in the frame, like near the fuel cell, etc. Would be a shame to sink a couple grand into it, only to find that its rusting out on you.

Mike in AR

 

Thanks for responses. I know you all are right. That's a good point about this is what I know now, could be a whole lot more wrong than just what you can see from walking around it.

Is the concensus pretty much that a 22Re with a 5 speed is the preferred package for general use? I am not in to rock crawling, now anyway. Does the SR5 have the a/c, power windows/locks and sunroof? Or were they options on the other models as well.

Thanks for help everybody.

Chris

 

Not all SR5's had a sunroof as part of the 'package'-- my 92 doesn't . However, it has power locks, windows, cruise, etc.

MIke in AR