I love my 91 3.0 4runner, but I'm considering selling it soon to grab a 3rd gen. Anyone who has made the jump add your comments - good or bad

thanks

 

I haven't made the swap because I've always had the 3rd gen, however, my father had a 91 4Runner and I remember when he upgraded to a 96, it was a lot more powerful, roomier, and handled better. Plus, there are a lot of mods for it (s/c, headers, exhaust, fuel upgrades) that can put you above 260hp. That's not easy to do with the 2nd gen.

 

Since I have & had the 4cyl + 5spd in each gen my comments may not mean as much, but the extra power going from the 2.4 to the 2.7 is fantastic. The ride is better but I don't sense a huge difference. The interiors aren't as different as I expected.

Silly things I miss are the tailgate vs liftgate, and the e-brake in the dash. Overall I think they are very similar, which is a very good thing in my book. I can't think of any substantial reason against the switch, and plenty of pluses.

 

I moved from a 1987 to a 1999. HUGE difference. Much more powerful of course, but I love the ride also. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The 3.4 rocks.

 

I went from a '91 4runner 3.0 V6 to a '98 4runner 3.4 V6

The power difference is incredible and the money I'm saving on gas is very nice, especially right now. I towed with the '91 and was frustrated everytime i had to do it. The '98 is a lot better at towing (not the greatest, but still WAY better than the 3.0). Plus the 3.4 gives you the option of the Supercharger. I have not regretted the switch at all...
Well, except for my brand new truck payment

 

Haven't made the switch, but I have owned 3 3rd gen's and they all were amazing rigs.

Do it!

 

nothing but positive feedback

 

id wanted to get a 3rd gen for the last 4 or 5 years. when i finally got mine last october, it had 45K miles and was an absolute find. whoever had it before me loved it, and took amazing care of it. since, i have put about 13,000 miles on it, and it has been terrific -- smooth, powerful, fun, useful.. everything i thought it'd be.

i love it

 

I say go 4th gen ..

 

sdastg1, I say do that only if they come out with the s/c for the V6. Also, the new V6 hasn't been out for a while, so we don't know what issues it may have, and future models might have the kinks worked out. The 3.4L has proven to be a reliable engine. But it's a Toyota, so either way your not going to have major issues.

 

Sure...if you want to pay about $0.20 more per gallon of gas than you already do. The SC has to use premium. Not all of us are into speed, and a good lot of us would rather keep the extra $2200 doing other things for us...Like getting out to places ya have to use the 4wd and locker.

Still have the '95...but thinking about the change myself. The 2001 Limited I test drove recently was nice...but not that much nicer than my '95 Limited. Especially at the $24000 the dealer picked for his "rock bottom" price. He still has it on his lot 2 months later. But it had no locker. 2000 was the last year for the locker I think, and that's the last year I'll even consider.

 

Yeah, if budget is one of your concerns, I's say go for the 3rd Gen. If not, go all the way to the 4th Gen. Even with V6 of the 4th Gen, the power is amazing.

It's a major difference between the 2nd and 3rd Gen. in term of power and reliability of the V6 engine. I personally like the 1st Gen. better than the 2nd Gen.

JM2C,

Nam

 

I went form a '90 3.sl0w to a 2000 3.4, as much as I loved my '90.

Positives:
1. more power
2. quieter
3. more power
4. equivalent fuel mileage
5. more power
6. better towing capability (goes with items 1,3,5 and 7)
7. more power

Negatives:
1. I found the hatchback to be less useful (other than in the rain) than the tailgate.

 

my company truck is a 97.. and my mom had a 92..

i like teh 97 much better.. alot better ride... but to me the 92 was a little bit more rugged

 

very good point, I like the tailgate very much, but just so long as the dog can jump in the back with the window down, she will be all good!

 

There is a positive to having the hatch though. If you can't get the window down for whatever reason, you can still open the back. In the 2nd gens, if the window is stuck, you can't open the back, and makes the back cabin hard to use. Just my $0.02 + tax.

 

Since my wife and I own both, I can compare. If you get a 3rd gen get at least a 99. There were a lot of little changes from the 98-99. My wife owned a 98 before she owned the 99. Many of the little things like the cup holders on the dash weren't fixed untill 99. The power is the big difference between the 2nd and 3rd gens. The difference in size between the two is minimal.

 

I bet I know where you can get a '00 SR5 w/ less than 60k miles all blacked out w/ some 265/75-16 Dueler MT's on it...

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