littledubber92

Well, I'm normally into VW's, but after my brother and I had a little accident with his scirocco, we decided it was time to change it up a little.
got an offer from a guy to trade our scirocco for his 95 4 Runner.

The guy told us it's been family owned for 7 years.
It's a 95
White,3.0 V6 with an Auto , 31" Bridgestone Duelers,Air bag suspension in rear to fix a sagging problem, lund visor, aftermarket rear spoiler.

as for maintence
he had the plugs,wires,cap,rotor,air and fuel filters changed
engine,tranny,transfer case and rear end fluids changed
aftermarket trans cooler
new oil cooler hoses and seals
all upper engine gaskets were replaced
heads were machined
cat back exhaust replaced
gutted cat
all power options
tint
aftermarket 15" Alloy wheels
front rotors were just changed
and it's got about 166k

sound like a good deal?

haven't seen it yet, but have been in contact with the guy for a while.
seems legit.

any advice for a newbie?

toyminator2000

Just make sure the engine is good. Headgasket issues with the 3.0 are very common, and very expensive to fix.

Also, the 3.0's don't have much power but they'll get you there. Expect about 14-15mpg. The 1996 and up models have a much better engine.

If its in good condition it's worth anywhere from $2500-$4500.

Tubbyfatty

I get around 18 city with my 3.slow, 5spd, 30x9.5R15s lol. I do shift around 2000rpm tho.

And Toyminator2000, that 92 lexus you have, those cars are pretty quick, well only if it has the v8 hehe.

VSU_4runnin

well if you do the headgasket yourself its like a $50 kit and an afternoon of being greasy

tc

For me, the automatic would be a deal-breaker. The overdrive is so tall, they are an absolute DOG on the freeway and the mileage is even worse than the manual transmission. If you want to go to larger tires, regearing and a tranny cooler are mandatory, making relatively simple upgrades expensive.

littledubber92

Well, not really worried about gas mileage as much as i thought, and speed isn't a big dilemma for me, as I'm mainly using it as a tow vehicle, weekend off roader, and a people hauler for myself.
And I've yet to own a 4wd in my life, so I think with the automatic It'll be fine for now, because If someone else in my family needs it, this way they can still drive it.

BTW, whats the easiest way to make tube bumpers and such? I work in a welding shop at my High School, So I've been thinking of making some stuff for it.
I'm guessing i should inquire in the fabrication forum?

Also, how good off road is a stock 4 runner with 31's and some minor modifications to the engine, I mean, I don't go rock crawling and such, I just mainly go in the woods, mud bogging occasionally... So i don't need an absolute power horse, just as long as I won't get stuck constantly.

TIA, Rich.

tc

Power has little effect offroad. Traction is everything. The open differentials will limit the capabilty of the rig more than anything else. That said, these rigs are very capable stock and will get you a lot of places others can't/won't go.

NOTE: as for engine work, the aftermarket for the 3.0 is practically non-existent.

buckz6319

I'll just chime in here and let you know that not all 95 4runners had the bad H.Gs...I have a 95 4runner 3.0 v-6 sr5 4x4 and it was not recalled for the bad H.G. problem because of my vin number.I have a number you can call to know for sure if your 95 4runner needs the H.G. changed....Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc customer assistance 1-800-331-4331....

littledubber92

Heres a few pics






what do you think? decent? or beat?

spaceycayce

As mentioned above my 95 4runner also did not qualify for the recall. It has 125kish on it and it runs great. Call in the VIN # and check, otherwise these things run forever. As far as keeping it stock, I'd say get better meat on the tires (a nice pair of AT's or MT's) and you can wheel it with no real issues. I had a buddy that took his stock 4runner wherever we went with our modified trucks. You can find some stuff for the 3.0 (headers etc) and I know of people who have done a turbo on their 3.0 but again read around this forum and you will learn a lot about a. inexpensive upgrades and b. how to keep your truck running well past 250k miles. As far as auto goes mine is and it works alright on the trails and highway, though with the mods I've had to adjust from doing 80 to 70 but no big deal. Maybe read some 2nd gen FAQ's too. Oh there is another recall on it for the tie rod ends and steering rod relay IIRC, but mine was already removed by then for my SAS.
There is a thread about that recall too, as you need to make sure that Toyota does it right and doesn't try to charge you to fix stuff that falls under this recall.


Anyway welcome to a new addiction and YT forums.

leebee

the only major off road mod ive made to mine was, m/t tires. oh, and a trans cooler.

the times ive been really in a bind, were from my inexperience. when off roading, your first impressions are usually your best. try not to get sucked into the 'hold my beer and watch this'!

lee