Bought my 83 for 200
Marlin's hy steer 400
brake lines 90
junkyard springs and IFS steering box 80
tune up 90
windshield and gasket 190
all the steel for hangers and shackles 70
2x4 bed 100
paint and bed coating 80
shocks 160

total 1,460 dollars for a rust free 83 shortbed.

 

Sounds like some of you guys could of just bought a slightly newer truck

 

Maintenance & Repairs on my 1997 4Runner:
Timing Belt
Water Pump-Warrenty
Drive Belts
Rear Axle Seal-Warrenty
Tranny flush
Total $ 450

Michelin LTX A/T $ 650

Brakes: $45

Spark Plugs$ 25

$1,170

My Celica is another story:

Purchased April 1st 2003 with 53,000 miles for $8,200

Rebuilt turbo: $450
Misc Hoses, gaskets, fluids, spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor: $500
Rebuilt front axles: $50
New Yokohama Avid tires: $300
Rebuilt head, head gasket, ARP Head Studs, timing belt, drive belts, cam seals, front crank seal, water pump, rear main seal, stage II clutch, oem pressure plate, power steering pump, fuel filter, Distributor O ring: $3015

Total invested in 1 year 2 months: $4,315 + $8,200 = $12,515

 

Wow.... this makes me worry about the small costs I'm going to face with my 16 year old vehicle.

Brought Vehicle Home 1/18/2004 ($800)
Engine Rebuild Finished 6/20/2004 ($2071)
TRD Stage 1 Camshaft 6/20/2004 ($140)

Misc Alarm parts, Tach, bodylift and gauges set me back about $500 and I haven't even started buying hoses, spark plugs, other ignition parts, a water pump, etc.

I'm worried about all the "little" things that can now go wrong.... oh well.

 

[sounds like some of you guys could of just bought a slightly newer truck]

And then you'd still have to put big money into making it trail worthy, plus the newer ones need more modification and beefing up than the older ones - they get more car-like every year...

I learned with boats that keeping a ledger of costs is counterproductive. We pay for our fun, and fixing up trucks (or buying sails and equipment for boats) should be thought of as a pay-as-you-go hobby, like any other. Keeping track, like it's an investment, is depressing. Way more peace of mind to suspect the total but not really know. (Crap - my window glass alone was 2 grand.) I know I've spent more than $2500 on my truck in the last 3 months, that's scary enough! I think it's almost more than the grand total I spent on the 85 4Runner in 15 years!

 

Exactly.

Most of the things people are listing are normal wear and tear items for high mileage vehicles.

ksig4runner bought his truck for $4500 which means it's either it's probably a 95 or older. For a 10 year old truck that's pretty good.

 

$32k 1998 Brand new 4Runner
$600 TJM-T15 Bull Bumper
$700 SAW's
$260 OME coils and shocks
$1800 4.88 gears and ARB Air Lockers front and rear (whole new 3rds)
$179 ARB Compressor
$1100 285 BFG MT's and Pro Comp Xtreme wheels
Free Panhard drop
Free Shackle hangers
$35 SS Rear Brake line extension
Free e-Brake bracket
$30 Front diff drop
$3 ISR Mod
$150 Optima Blue Top
Free Front swaybar discos
$200 LightForce 170 Strikers
$3 Beer Bottle Opener
$5 Longer battery-to-starter power cable
$65 new OEM floor mats

 

$4100 for vehicle(tax included)
$48 asin hubs
$125 all parts for a good complete tune-up
$220 for exhaust parts and labor(welded in and all new piping)
$20 steering stabilizer shipped(thanks to summit racing for free gift card)
$25 mt-90 tranny oil
$15 tire mount and balance

FREEBIES(work next to a junk yard)
Toyota brush gaurd
Reese Hitch
Husky floor liners
98 Tacoma Alloy wheels with Goodyear Wrangler tires
Factory cd/cassette radio(outragous to buy on ebay)

Next up is landcruiser coils, and body lift.

 

This is a hard thread to read, but I too have fallen subject to the empty pocket syndrome.

 

Newer vehicle? Never!

I'm building up a perfectly good truck and I'm into it for less than $3,500 including the cost of the truck. Why spend money on a something that isn't a first gen?

 

because WE ALL can't afford to have a DD and a dedicated offroad only vehicle. Plust the 1st gen doesn't come with a 3.4.

 

Well put keisur the cost of maintance and insurance alone on a TOY will eat a hole in the pocket book fast ,not to mention mods.

 

Don't want to waste room listing it all but its over 15k!!!