woody77

So, what are the pros/cons of going with the 2nd gens vs. the 3rd gens?

I'm looking at buying/building up a desert camping rig, and want to get something that I know will get me into the places I want to go. Budget will be pretty fixed, based on the selling price of my current truck ('00 Ram 1500 4x4). No back seat, so it needs to be replaced, and it's just too big for what I want (height/width wise), especially because at it's 3-4" lifted height, it won't fit in the garage.

Anyway, I'm looking at about a $6K budget, and I can probably pull from savings to go a bit more.

I've been eyeing the early 90s 4runners, cheaper, leaving money left over for mods/fixes, and a reputation that the engines will last forever (minus the head-gasket).

$2500-3000 seems to be the prices I've seen for ok condition non-modded 4runners of the 90-93 vintage, and that gives me money for lockers/air/etc.

Or, I could go with a later one, with less mileage, and pick up something that's about the same cost as the truck I'm selling, and go from there, doing a slow build-up, starting with stock and no cash reserve for spending on mods.

The 2nd gens have the t-bar IFS, which seems kinda "enh", and not a lot of parts are available, but all I really need is the little OME, so that's probably ok (who cares if there's a bunch of different parts available vs. one, when the one you need is the one that's available).

The 3rd gens have a coil-sprung front IFS, and it looks like there are more options for coilovers (longer-term I might go that route, some of places we like to go are 50+ miles of desert washboard each way, like Racetrack Playa in Death Valley).

thoghts/recommendations?

Tofer

i would suggest a 3rd gen. because of the 3.4 and e-locker. if you plan on camping in the truck i *think* there is more room.

NC-B17A

woody77 I am in the same boat as you I even have the same $6000.
The extra power of the 3.4 in the 3rd gen is a big plus but added cost of a newer 4runner will eat up any mod money. I am leaning toward getting a 2nd gen with around 130,000 miles on it & modding it myself but all these guys calling the 3.0 a 3.slow has me kinda in the air about that too.

Racer944

I personally would go with a 2nd gen just because of the rear door. I find it very useful to have a truck-style rear gate instead of the swing up door. I am also not a very serious off-roader, just occassional. That being said, I don't really give two snots about coilovers and stuff like that. The t-bars work fine for me, gives me as good a ride as most Lexus' I've driven. Also, the 3.0 is fine with a manual transmission. It could use some more get up and go, but I just put on a Borla and K&N FIPK and it has plenty of power for everything I need. Plus, it seems you can pick them up for cheaper, in better condition. But hey, that's my 0.02

paddlenbike

iTrader: (1)

Can't go wrong with either. I loved my second gen and the 3.0 served me with perfect reliability for 155,000 miles (the point at which I sold it.) The 3rd gen has a more powerful and more economical motor, locking rear diff option and coil over front suspension. If you can afford it, get the 3rd gen, otherwise the 2nd gens are great too!

Scottiac

Just letting the air out of the tires a bit on the 3rd gen is enough for the death valley 500... Bulldog had us at 50mph+ on the racetrack road with that!

You can't lose either way; the 3rd gens are big enough inside to sleep in if you pull out the back seat bottoms (which you can do when setting up to sleep; you don't have to leave them at home, although I generally do).

But you will definitely have more cash to work with on the 2nd gen; the 3rd's are at the top of your price range plus a little extra (on average).