Thingking of buying an 85-89 runner. any advise on which is most reliable? bryan

 

I would say my 89 has been extremely reliable. I have 180k miles, and have done just basic service for the most part. Nothing major. I've owned it for 9 years. I absolutely love my truck. I'm not well versed in the other 1st gen years.

 

89 is second gen.

 

wrong. '89 is a 1st gen 4runner. it changed body style to 2nd gen a year later than pickups

i'd get an '85. straight axle, and efi already on it

 

Get an 85 with EFI. You will regret getting anything else.

 

whats an EFI?

 

EFI stands for electronic fuel injection. It's got fuel injectors and a computor to manage when fuel is injected into the cyliders.

 

Im not looking to go any where fast. Im just looking for something to pull my little alum. boat and to take that top off. Not much off roading. How are the 22re 88 model?

 

If those are your needs, an '85 is NOT what you need (as much as I love them). Get yourself a '88 or '89 with the V6. While arguably not a great V6, it does have better pulling power than the 22RE. '89 has slightly better brakes (1" MC vs 15/16" in '88) but otherwise they are about the same.