Hi, found your site from a parts search. I'm currently shopping for a 4runner and had some questions:

What model/year is the sweet spot? I'm thinking pre-99 because they seem to have gotten fat in the 00's

What trouble spots should I look for? What things can be fixed easily and drive the cost down?

It'll be used for some offroading and mostly dirt roads to mountain bike trails.

budget ~5000

Hopefully this is the right subforum. Thanks in advance.

 

As far as model & year that is preference. Regarding "What trouble spots should I look for? What things can be fixed easily and drive the cost down?" That depends on the car and the year as a 90 4runner is different from a 98 4 runner. Each has different pros and cons.

Most Toyotas can be used for off road whether they are stock or modded which is also preference.

Most models from 1990 - 2006 will have anywhere from 100K to 200K+ miles on them. You can buy a 1990 - 2006 4runner for about $1200 - $3000. And keep in mind, any car with 100K - 200K+ will require work of some kind.

Hope this helps

 

Would yo recommend your 1990? What mileage should I be wary of, 200+? And yeah, normal wear and tear on any used car is expected. What problems have you seen in your particular generation of 4runner?

 

With my 1990 4runner, which is the 2nd generation of 4runners & pickups, the known issues are burnt valves & head gaskets blowing from cylinder 6. On mine, my HG has blown from a previous engine and the current one from which I did a full rebuild afterwards. The reason was due to a design defect and a last minute change in the material for the HGs from Toyota. The HG blows because the engine which is a 3vz-e, has poor coolant flow in the back and a hot spot builds up over time which causes a blown HG. A lot of 4runners and pickups have this issue but some do not. The 3vz-e is not a bad engine even tho it has a bad reputation. When maintained and cared for like any car, it runs great. I also put some headers on vs the stock manifold as some users have posted saying it will either eliminate or prolong the HG issue for good.

Aside from those issues, the frame, interior, ect.. will last a long time if maintained. Mine is 26 years old and still has the original body, interior, AC and transmission with 267K+ miles.

 

The 4Runners generations are 84-89, 90-95, 96-02. Really quite a big differences between each generation. I have had one in each generation. As far as the automatic in the first two generations, in my opinion, regardless of which motor you have, it is a real weak truck when behind the 22re or 3.0. A 5 speed transmission behind the 22re or 3.0 is descent amount of power.

The third generation that has the 3.4 with an automatic is great, I have an '01 with the 3.4 automatic and really like it.

All two doors for the first generation of runners. Very few 2 doors for the second generation of runners and mostly four doors. All four doors for the third generation.