4hummer is the man! That truck is beautiful. How can you not like something that resembles that Fahrenheit 451?

 

I'd say sell the 2nd gen you don't like and get a mni van. Keep the 1st gen for fun.
For me, I bought a 95 used in 98 with 30K miles. I used 2nd gen stock to get the family around ..gone as far as 33's with 2" body lift and mild lift. Later I got my wife an Odessey, and SAS the truck. best move yet.

 

Fahrenheit 451 ....what have you done since this posting was placed?

 

I think all 4runners are sweet.

But looking at your situation, I say keep the 1st gen for your truckin purposes, trail rig, penis extension, status symbol, etc.

Lose the 93. It isn't gonna be as good a family car as a corolla wagon. You could get a wagon cheaper and get better gas mileage from it. That is what I would do.

My DD is mega lame and my trail rig/fun vehichle is only kinda lame.

That's my 0.02

 

Pretty much nothing really. I still have the '93 and have become somewhat acclimated to it. It consistently gets 25 mpg which suprises me and I have to redo the math to prove it to myself everytime I fill up. It is relatively comfortable (I'd love more legroom and am considering modifying the seat mounting somehow as I don't like how my leg is constantly resting on the center console) and having the 4 doors is handy on camping trips since it makes it easy getting Ben in and out with still having another access point into the back of the truck to get gear/clothing out. On dirt roads, it is comfortable, but I still don't like it if the terrain gets rough at all. It still sits way too low, bottoms out the suspension in the front far too easily, likes to drag the butt a lot and I recently put some little dents and scrapes in the gas tank protective plate after going over some stuff I wouldn't have even noticed in my '85.
The reason for the getting the truck, my son who is now 2 1/4 years old, has gotten to the point where he can kind of climb into the '93 by himself already. What I want to do next is to see how well he can climb into the back of the '85 and what it takes to get him buckled in afterwards.
My wife and I both decided if we were going to have a kid that we were going to raise him and not just hand him over to some daycare provider. So, she went to half-time. The resulting punch in the old pocketbook has pretty well guaranteed that the '93 won't have any work done on it for a long time. Currently, we have decided if the '85 works out for when I need to take Ben somewhere that my wife is going to sell her Honda CRV to get away from payments and I'll give her the '93 since I paid cash for it and it is pretty cheap to insure. I suppose it is still possible that I might trade the '93 for something else for her to drive, but she has retinosa pigmentosa which has already resulted in enough loss of visual field that she really needs a vehicle that doesn't have blind spots of it's own. That is another plus of the '93 versus a different vehicle in that it has a lot of glass and really is pretty good for letting you see what is going on around you.
The body style is fine, but it really isn't a truck which is what I have always driven and am still used to driving. Basically, if I had the time, money, talent, place to do it and could essentially make the '93 into a "4 door '85" I would quit my bellyaching.

 

>>I say keep the 1st gen for your truckin purposes, trail rig, penis extension...<<
Heck if I thought that worked I'd get two '85's LOL!

 

You ultimately gotta get what you want. I had a FJ40 and FJ55 because of their off-road capabilities, but neither of those were for me, and it was a hard thing to admit. I picked up a '90 22RE with 217k on it, and haven't looked back. It has all the room I need, being 6'2" and over 2 and a half bills. I drive a big F250 as a daily, and am seriously looking at garaging it to drive the 4Runner every day.

If you aren't happy with it, look around at other rigs, but for all the "faults" quoted, I think the reliability (I picked it up over 500 miles away with over 200k miles on it, and didn't hardly hesitate about flying in and driving it home) and the overall look - not EVER mistaken for a soccer mom-mobile, priceless.

 

Going back, I guess the real issue was my secretly hoping there would still be some truck aspects left in a 2nd gen, but there really aren't much of any. With some work it can be a real beast, but I just don't have the $ or time right now. If I can get it to where it is easy to get Ben in and out of the back seat in the '85, it will be the main ride for family outings again probably.
If only Toyota had made a solid axle utility version and made it domestically available (US) the market would still be trying to catch up with them. Especially if they had made it available with an injected straight 6 option.
I like the looks of them, but I am more concerned about being out in the hills with my wife and son and being able to go where we want and more importantly, get back.

 

It's easy to get Ben in and out with the top off......

Sometimes the little inconviniences are worth dealing with.

 

I have actually thought about removing the top for weight and for the potential convenience it might add into getting him in and out, but decided against it. My main concern is that soft tops are easily penetrated by branches and the like and out in the areas where we go there are often pinons and junipers that lean out into the roads to say hi to passersby.
I've had a few hit the windows and shell before and they just bounce off. I can see how it would be pretty easy for one to pop right through those plastic windows or even tear canvas and get into the passenger compartment.

 

Although money is tight, I think if you got rear coils 1.5" (appx. $300 give or take) you would be more satisfied with the look and aggresiveness you want...once I got my rear lifted, it made a big differecen in the ride and look...when the rear sags it looks like crap...everything else for the truck should come in time and wait...you got a great truck there...I've had the same issue you did...I had a 1 ton gmc pickup with a 6" lift and 35" tires and many other mods...no one can come between me and my pick up..but guess what, my wife got pregnant 6 months ago and so I had to get rid of it in order to put a legal car seat in...SUCKS!!!!!...so my friend who had a 95 runner with 80Km on it gave it to me for $2k...i was lucky...i'm still not over selling my truck but i have to say i ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY 2ND GEN!...its a mean son of a B#@%h....anyways, good luck!

 

I love my 2nd gen. I have owned a lot of yotas and this one is still a truck. I have plowed snow with it for 5 years, I have towed a lot including larger items like bobcats. I have beat the living tar out of the truck and it has never left me stranded. Now I wouldn't blame it if it did. My only complaint is now I am getting some rust. Oh well, not bad for 230,000 miles and 14 years old. I bought a sequoia and was going to sell my truck. Took it out wheeling and decided it was pretty good. I was suprised how well it did on a lot of stuff.

Matt

 

CELICA>..... seriously you have to post some pics of your 2nd Gen......

 

Ive had 1st gens, and am buying another one in a couple weeks. but my "go to" baby is a 92. Basically IMO there is nothing the 2nd gen has that the 1st gen doesnt. Its pretty much the same platform as "more manlier 1st gen".

Your 85 may have a solid axle but it has a weaker steering box, narrower axles, and smaller brakes. Also you cant get them with auto's (I refuse to wheel with a stick again)

That being said I love the 85. Ive always wanted one but I decided to make one instead. Im putting a solid axle under my 92, and someday a 3.4 under the hood, the best of both worlds IMO.

However, right now my truck is only as strong as the factory components, and im pushing 150k mi, and its my daily driver (3 hours in the city of chicago), and I can drive 100mi to the park do this......







And drive home with no problems!!!! try to do that with any of those domestic "TRUCKS" you listed off

 

Well, I had my '78 Chevy 3/4 ton in the air twice, once on purpose, once by mistake and got home just fine and (as a greenie I shouldn't be saying this) even used it to push over a tree in order to get out when I got stuck coming out of Rough Canyon years ago after a rain had washed out the road and the only option was taking a tight sharp road made by Jeeps. Let's see a 2nd gen do that LOL!
With work, I can see a 2nd gen being a decent ride. Out of the box, uh-uh. Someday when/if I get solid axle and leaf springs under it I'll probably brag about it until you guys get sick of it.

 

Let me get this strait you are comparing the abilitys of a chevy to a toyota when it comes to high speed prerunning and jumps.....im just going to leave that alone bc you have done more damage that I could.

Let me get THIS strait you got stuck and run over a tree to get out of somewhere bc your fat a$$ chevy cant fit down a jeep trail....

First most toyota wheelers are responsible have heard of "tread lightly" secondly WE CAN FIT DOWN A JEEP TRAIL

 

Actually, I was going about 25, 30 tops and the road collapsed which made for an interesting ride when the truck hit the other side. Something for the guys that know what the Bookcliffs are...the country out there can bite you in the butt fast. Of course, I had to try it again in more controlled circumstances to see what it was like and managed to get all 4 up in the air. Learned my lesson! Fun, yup. Scary, yup. Gonna do it again? That was 22yrs ago and I haven't done it since.
I didn't exactly "run over" the tree. It was a quakie and I pushed it over to a nice 45 degree angle so I could get that fat ass truck around it (courtesy of the little up, over and around track created apparently by a couple short wheel base vehicles before me), to get back on the 4 wheel drive road and get home. Somehow the 20mile walk home didn't seem like a good idea in comparison. Besides, how's this for hubris, it was Demeter that messed up the road in the first place. If it wasn't for the flash flood that wiped it out, there would have been plenty of room for that old fat ass truck where the road used to be
Besides, the line that most Toyota wheelers Tread Lightly is pure BS. I have seen just as many bozos in Landcruisers and Minis as in Jeeps and Broncos. It just goes with the sport. Men + trucks = bad decisions on a somewhat frequent basis.

 

I know I know... holy thread resurrection batman.

Just wanted to say I'm starting to enjoy my 4Runner a bit more then when I first got it driving. Compared to my pickup(which I am parking for the winter to keep the salt off of):

its not as fun to drive, but I drive more carefully auto vs. manual. The automatic isn't as crappy as I thought. +1 for Toyota
Stock 4.88 (according to door jam sticker)
I can't wait to try it out once we get a whole lot of snow
enclosed cargo area
paint isn't in perfect shape, has some scratches etc... but I don't worry about waxing it like my pickup
remote start (going to come in handy for the upcoming winter)
comfy bucket seats
the 3.0L runs like a champ (I just laugh when I'm getting passed by dump trucks etc)
short wheel base, easy to maneuver
something about the 4Runner's looks that make me like it over any other small SUV