Found another 1985 but the dang thing is an auto and I was wondering if that tranny is worth keeping or would it be better to swap it out if I buy the rig.

Here it is.
http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/963466267.html

 

i have an 86 w/ an auto, sure its a little slower than the 5spd, but i regeared and now i keep up with the manuals, and plus its nicer to drive everyday

 

When compareing the toyota autos and manuels they are about equal for reliability as far as i know, just a matter of preference.

 

Drive it until it fails. 5 spd swap is easy.

 

I have an '85 Runner with AT. Now it starts to slip in 2nd gear. I'm going to do a tranny swap very soon. I'm not an AT fan so I say it sucks. My '97 LC is an exception since it came with no factory manual option.

 

I have an auto in my 89 and its pretty slow but my motor is new so its not to bad. Either way the auto is bulletproof in my opinion but the 5 speed is so much funner. My auto runs better than some of the new autos I drive daily but its still getting swapped out eventually lol.

 

auto is better for a trail rig..

 

My 85 Auto has not had any problems over 10 years. I began flushing all the fluid out via the cooler lines. Its a motorhome so the tranny gets really hot. I have a good cooler though.

 

mine does great, a little lathargic on hills driving around town, but nothing I can't handle. Re-gearing will take care of that!