Hello all,
I just joined today looking for advice on buying a first gen 4Runner. I've always wanted a Runner and when I got my first car ended up with an Avalon to my dislike. With that said I finally have $4500 and need a new car. I know nothing about working on cars and wouldn't mind learning, but I have no one to teach me but the internet. All that to ask, what should I look for when buying me first truck? Engine Condition, Mileage, body condition.....or something else. Anyways, all the advice you can give would be appreciated.
Thanks!

welcome.
4500 dollors to me sounds like a good start
first thing to look for but not as bad since your in CA is frame rot
Depends on if your looking for a first gen or a second gen as well
first gens are a little more hard to come buy compraed to 2ed gens
85 have solid axles and are cheaper to lift/work on in my opinion
the 3.0s are known to have issues and be under powered
the 2.4 or 22re engines are usualy good strong long lasting engines that will run forever if you take care of them.
most likely you will need to do a bit on a truck here are a few i found in "northern CA"
im a gen 1 or gen 2 kinda guy
1986 4runner
1987 toyota 4runner

Firstly, I love the Gen 1 trucks especially the fact that they have a removable top and secondly, good to know....so how does one check for frame rot, are you just looking for rust on the frame? (At least I know what a frame is...) and I've been looking around craigslist for a few days and am wondering whether this truck would be worth it even though it has the 3.0
CLEAN 1989 Toyota 4Runner sale or trade

Welcome to the site. Look for rust IN the frame, too, and look under the plastic rock guards on the rear fender. If it's got rust anywhere, it'll be in one of those two spots.

That one you posted looks nice and clean. A little high for around here, but I understand California prices are a little higher. I wouldn't pass just because it's got the 3.0 - if he's got good maintenance records, $3800 or $4000 might be a reasonable offer.

As an aside, the V6 makes more power and gets worse mileage than the 4cyl, what a surprise, huh? What gives it such a bad rep is it's tendency to blow head gaskets, and this comes from two places in my understanding. The head bolt torque settings from the factory were wrong on a lot of trucks, and there was a recall to correct that. If your truck has ever had the gaskets replaced, and it almost surely has, the torque settings are probably correct now. The other cause of gasket failure on these trucks is the poorly designed crossover exhaust pipe that comes too close to the block and cooks the head gasket. A set of aftermarket headers will fix that and give you a little more oomph besides. In my opinion, the 3 liter motor only looks bad/unreliable because it's so commonly compared to the 4 cylinder, and the 20r/22r series of motors have proven to be some of the most reliable powerplants ever built. It's kinda like saying that Hercules is a wimp because he's standing next to Zeus. The 3.0 will probably serve you fine, and if it DOES blow up in your face, hey, 3.4 swap!

So I don't think you can go horribly wrong with either motor, each has its plusses and minuses - one is bulletproof with better mileage and easier to work on, the other is nearly bulletproof with 50% more power. Unless you have to have one, pass on the automatic transmissions though. The slushboxes behind both motors suck rancid yak dong, they're horrible. Stick shift is the way to go with these trucks.

Great info to have on the engines thank you! So, other than frame rot are there any issues I should be looking for? And other than receipts and the guys word is there any way to tell by looking at the engine if the headers have been replaced, AND, if I buy this rig would it be best just to buy a set of headers when I buy the truck and fix that issue out the gate?

If I bought a 3.0 truck, the next thing I did would be to buy a set of headers. That doesn't mean you have to, though. The board is full of guys who run stock 3.0s with no trouble at all.

No other special issues to look for that you wouldn't check on any other 25 year old truck, no. Unless it's in great shape and has meticulous records, plan on doing a lot of work to it in the first year you own it, just to get all your scheduled maintenance baselined. You can save yourself a lot of money if you're handy with a wrench and do that work yourself.

Alrighty, and thanks for the advice...I'm still open to advice and recommendations about anything but I'm pretty sure I'll be going for one of these rigs in the next few weeks, I'm thinking my next thread will be about what to do first as far as maintenance is concerned.

Nice dude.
What city are you in? I'm SF. When I was searching myself, they always had one big turnoff- either thrashed or not living up to value. My advice man, patience. Seriously, don't jump on the first one that looks nice and is in your budget! My budget was about yours and I almost bought one out of eagerness. But after about a month, I found one that looked clean. I met the guy and drove it. It was perfect, no body damage, engine runs like new with 150K and only $3600. There will be one that pops up for ya, trust me.
So don't stop searching, and it'll be there. I personally prefer the 2nd gens cause you will find more in better condition that you can work with.
Cheers! Happy hunting!

Also man, look beyond your local Craigslist. There's sacramento, SF and SoCal. If there is a good one, it can be worth it.