I have never paid too much attention to 4runners before I bought mine not so long ago and now I see why 4runners are special.
It seems like there are a lot of enthusiasts in 4runner communities regardless of what generation their trucks are. But seeing people doing 3.4 swap instead of buying the whole 3rd generation 4runner makes me wonder if there should be something special about 2nd gen 4runners. I am aware of that 1st gen is special because the top comes off and well they are the 1st gen so enough said.
Are there any technical advantages of 2nd gen that make them so great for enthusiasts?
Preach me.

PS. Let's not talk about 3.0 engines. Take the engine out of the equation for this!

 

to me there isn't anything special about them, they are cheap to buy so parts are plentiful
a 90-91(some say 92) 2 door 2nd gen is sorta special

 

I mean look at your sig pic though. There should have been something special about that 2nd gen 4runner for you to make that many mods on it. Perhaps, Classic body style that will not look as dated as other cars built around that era?
BTW your truck is sick lol. My other car is low 2door coupe but my new 4runner is making me becoming more towards an offroad guy now lol

 

His sig picture(Avatar?) is of his Trekker, not a 2nd gen 4Runner. Not much special about a 2nd gen, in my opinion, other than the 2 doors previously mentioned.

 

I got the 4Runner for $400 after a relative hosed a simple brake job. It is a cheap project for me since pre-95.5 Toyotas are like Legos. And glad you like it.
I have a 2nd Gen 4runner to the left of my Trekker, it is the same sig pic.

 

Well, let's see, here are a few things
- It has a 2" shorter wheelbase than the 3rd gen.
- You can change all 4 shocks in 30 minutes without even getting out your jack. Try that with a 3rd gen or after. No life threatening coil-over struts to mess with.
- My favorite - It has a TAILGATE that you can sit on, cook on, repair your fishing tackle on, etc. etc. etc.
- A better OEM roof rack than the 3rd gens
- Even stock, it doesn't look like a mall crawler.

I've had both my 2nd gen and my 4th gen on trails in the backcountry. For getting to the trailhead, the 4th gen is the hands down winner. For rock crawling and slipping through the narrow trees, the 2nd gen eats its lunch. Plus, who cares if I scratch it up.

 

Oh, I know. I just didn't think that would be the one he was describing as "sick", sitting next to that Trekker.

 

I have 3 going on more. I love them all and this is why:
IV owned a lot of 4 wheel drive vehicles and the 4runners take the cake in all departments.
They looks nice, they drive solid, they are reliable when cared for, A LOT of great engineering where others lack. The tail gate as previously mentioned is bad a**. 4runners in my opinion have unlimited modifications and options that can be done.
I could go on and on....they have their pros and cons. A lot more pros.

 

Myself nothing special cheaper cost then the third generations

At the time I was dating a women with two younger children and needed the 4 door option.

 

2nd gen 4runner is the cheapest entry to a capable off road rig out there.I would not be afraid of a well built sound 3.0 and an auto . although mine is a 22 5 spd . throw in lockers ,add 33's some armour . no lift stock wheels . and it will do the most amazing shtuff 5 speeds need a crawl box imo twin stick 4.7 ,and the wheels will not fall of it like 3rd gen 4r and Tacos (a reference to the worst lbj design by Toyota).in the 12 years with my 2nd gen 4runner I have broke zero times with this setup,and rebuilt my idler once with bronze.lots of these in the junk yards parts are cheap silly cheap I can buy a complete 4x with a bad engine for under 500 bux ,and even seen people giving them away.I currently own first 4 gens ,and have owned from 79 up toyota's and even jeeps . where else can you build a serious capable wheeler that you can sleep in and haul stuff for under 4 grand ? ok maybe 5 . i wheel the shnits outta mine cv boots wasted for the last 5 years water crossings included . on many occasions i have watched some serious rigs break where i just walk over ..out at the hammers or Mottino, and Big Bear wherever this works pretty well, and spanks alot of well built rigs . its weakness is its tippy even with no lift I've flopped into bushes and soft dirt 3 times not too much damage . my other wheelers rite now are a sased 1st gen on 37s locked crawl geared... and a 4th v8 with a 3" lift and 32s with the atrac (very capable) but too nice to hurt .the 3rd gen 4r is going bye bye .great engine ,looks and trans though .

 

Oh, one more...
- 15" wheels. You may disagree, but I'm a firm believer in more rubber and less metal when it comes to off-road tires/wheels. I've never seen an earthmover or a farm tractor with low-profile tires. I figure they have a reason for that.

 

+1 on this. I'm running the oem wheels because they fit the style well and the size is ideal. Always more rubber than wheel when off road. All these guys with full size 4wheel drive trucks that have 24 inch wheels and Lo pro tires. What the heck?

 

im running tacoma ugly azz twisted 5 spoke 16"s now cause no one had 33"x15 tires at the time i needed them . i wanted the bfg mud 33 10.5 15 . ended up with hankook mtr 285x75x16 , im very happy with the tire ,but the original 15"sr5 wheels are what I want to put back on this rig they look great blacked out too .

 

I have a set of dick cepek MUDs 33/10.50/15s on the oem wheels and could not be happier. No rub issues. They are quiet. Perform well aired down. The locker in the rear puts a little extra wear on them but it's worth it.

 

What makes it special for me is the 1) tail gate, 2) overall looks, 3)off road capabilities stock.

When I was in the market for a 4x I gravitated towards a 4runner, after considering the cost of purchase 2nd gen it was. Don't regret it one bit, it does a great job of keeping up with buddies larger lifted trucks on 35's and larger sized tires.

 

I think its mentioned, but there are "rare" 2 door versions of the 2nd Generation 4Runner

Also 22RE (tho I doubt that any were imported here to the USA)

Some people prefer the 86-95 era twin A arm suspension (vs the later coil over)

 

The twin-A arm suspension on the 2nd gen "feels" stronger and more rugged than the later version on my '06. Certainly it is very solid - I've never done a wheel alignment in 80,000 miles on the '94, and the tires still wear perfectly evenly and it tracks ruler straight. The biggest downside is the limited front suspension travel - not much more than 1/2 of the travel of the '06.

 

I love the 2nd gen 4runners because it was my first car, I prefer the body style of a 2nd gen over a 3rd or new model, parts are cheaper and despite its known issues, it is a solid truck in my opinion. Mine is 26 years old, still has the original interior, Air Conditioner & Transmission and everything still works.