89' 1st Gen for $14k??

[rmbertoldi]

Here's a good one for all you "classic" guys. I've seen some crazy prices..but $14,500 for a "tastefully modded" 1st Gen with 116K?? ..sounds like it should come with something to put in your pipe.

1989 Toyota 4Runner - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

 

[fourwd1]

Yeah, that's about 8-10K too high for this area.
But some idiot might bite.

 

[RAD4Runner]

Yep, too high, especially for a 3.0. I have seen how inaccessible things are in the engine compartment with a 3.0. I would never want to own one or work on that.

 

[Dropzone]

totally forgot to do anything about the undercarraige, rust galore
steering wheel looks like somebody with sweaty palms was nervous about driving for 300K
doesn't have the hard top

price did drop to 12K

 

[Blind Cleric]

He's dreaming. No hard top is a big minus, 3.0 a minor one. Missing engine bay photos is a mistake for someone looking to get big bucks.

Nice interior and paint job, undercarriage not impressive and I'm not a fan of the wheels.

Now here's a 1st generation I'd be interested in: 1985 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. 22RE, FIVE SPEED! Classic! - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

 

[SomeDay]

He's dreaming. No hard top is a big minus, 3.0 a minor one. Missing engine bay photos is a mistake for someone looking to get big bucks.

Nice interior and paint job, undercarriage not impressive and I'm not a fan of the wheels.

Now here's a 1st generation I'd be interested in: 1985 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. 22RE, FIVE SPEED! Classic! - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

The guy in Hawaii is dreaming also.

 

[Mr. O]

4Runners hold their value well, but people are bonkers.

 

[pinemind]

4Runners hold their value well, but people are bonkers.

These two examples aren't that great for the reasons mentioned. 1st one no hardtop, has V6 engine, "no rust" yet shows obvious rust. It's not unique enough at this stage of the 1st gen appreciation, though those could also go up as years progress. 2nd one has a mismatched interior color, primary being brown which is a nightmare. I could see $5k or $6k on that one though.

Why I bring this up is I'm currently trying to restore an 1985 and it's expensive to restore these correctly. Especially with the 1985's, a lot of the parts have been discontinued and aftermarkets may not even exist. So to find these parts in a decent condition used/junkyard is also tough. Interior parts are a whole different story. I don't if I'll ever find a new brown manual shift surround console ...

So for people complaining about mid-teen's for a 1st gen 4runner, I think they're just going to go higher. Rust and trail-use has eliminated a large stock of used parts and good foundations to start with. I see lots of rusty ones starting at $3k where it would require another $5k in body and paint work just to get it looking decent. And that's not even talking about rusty bolts, brackets, etc that need to be dealt with and mechanical issues.

With the new Jeep Gladiator which the 1st gen is pseudo-similar to with a top off functionality and bed, and the huge surge in 5th gen 4runners (I see them everywhere, mostly bro-dozers), possible return of the Ford Bronco, there's going to come a time shortly where these will command those prices and higher as people want to appear "classic." I can especially see this in the 5th gen crowd where they want to appear more legit by going after an old 1st gen to add to their stable.

Personally, I think it's ridiculous to pay $50k+ for a 5th gen 4runner that has all the character of a loaf of Wonder bread, even with "cement" paint. I'd rather pay $25k for a perfectly sorted OEM 1st gen 4runner, say with a navigation upgrade, maybe some heated seats, than more than twice that for a brand new one.

Don't mean to rant, but this whole "every 1st gen 4runner should be cheap" and "how dare they charge that" is exactly how those conversations start before an upswing on other modern classics that skyrocket in value.

 

[Mr. O]

Very valid points, I wasn't really thinking about it from a restoration/collector point of view. I'm currently in the market for a 4th gen, and I've looked at quite a few that have been overpriced for their mileage/condition. So I'm probably just getting frustrated haha.

 

[SomeDay]

Don't mean to rant, but this whole "every 1st gen 4runner should be cheap" and "how dare they charge that" is exactly how those conversations start before an upswing on other modern classics that skyrocket in value.

The prices of those 4Runner are high. Cheap price will be around $2000 for the first one, reasonable price will around $5000-6000 with no hard top and that engine. $14,500? Too high, but if you think that price's good for the red one, you'll offer me the double of that money for mine. It's not for sale anyway.

Look at this beauty!:
Imgur: The magic of the Internet

 

[Cali 4runner]

Agreed, price seems a little high with the 3.0 but the body/interior is clean.

I think the seller is a member on this form!

1st Gen T4R Picture Gallery

 

[87pony]

I may have overpaid for mine a bit or been right. but its pretty highly modified.
SAS, lift, 3.4 with supercharger, marlin cases, body is not beat to hell but rough. 10k

 

[JZiggy]

Whenever I see the V6 badge on a 1st gen all I can think is, "it's broken."

Looks nice on the outside though!

 

[Blind Cleric]

2nd one has a mismatched interior color, primary being brown which is a nightmare. I could see $5k or $6k on that one though.

You mean the gray seats, right?

I'm wondering if those are swapped in from a 2nd generation because they don't look like the seats my '85 had.

 

[pinemind]

The prices of those 4Runner are high. Cheap price will be around $2000 for the first one, reasonable price will around $5000-6000 with no hard top and that engine. $14,500? Too high, but if you think that price's good for the red one, you'll offer me the double of that money for mine. It's not for sale anyway.

Look at this beauty!:
Imgur: The magic of the Internet

I do think the first one is still too high. You think the first one should cost $2000? The red one? The paint is in great shape plus he put in fiberglass rear quarters, huge plus especially if it's done well. A good paint job on these is in the area of $3k. Interior is complete and in great shape, can't even put a price on that these days. And I just noticed it has the OEM rear bumper, and sidecaps. These are impossible to find. He dropped it to $12k, I'm thinking $8k to $10k if he had the hard top, lost the clear corners and tails. $7k to $8k as is, so we're not far off in our estimates in current state. But I'm sure he would rather die than let it go for $2000.

One thing the V6's do have an advantage of, is that they are way cheaper to swap in a 3.4 if you're going through a company like toyonlyswaps.com. They charge $4500 all in for V6 models, but recently jumped their 22RE price to $7500 in the past 6 months. It used to be $5500. I was thinking of doing the swap for my 1985 based on the old prices, but I have no idea where they think there is a $3k price difference all of a sudden in swapping in 3.4's from a 22RE. I'd be curious to know what caused the $2k spike in cost all of a sudden.

So, in theory, because people shy away from the V6 1st gens, prices do tend to be lower. Obviously not the case here given the cosmetic shape, but definitely something to keep in mind for anyone else looking to buy a 1st gen and get some additional power and reliability. I'm thinking of picking one up next year and sending it right in for a swap, making it more of the daily driver/highway vehicle vs the 1985 I have now which has the suspension and comfort of a John Deere tractor above 55 mph.

 

[SomeDay]

I do think the first one is still too high. You think the first one should cost $2000? The red one? The paint is in great shape plus he put in fiberglass rear quarters, huge plus especially if it's done well. A good paint job on these is in the area of $3k. Interior is complete and in great shape, can't even put a price on that these days. And I just noticed it has the OEM rear bumper, and sidecaps. These are impossible to find. He dropped it to $12k, I'm thinking $8k to $10k if he had the hard top, lost the clear corners and tails. $7k to $8k as is, so we're not far off in our estimates in current state. But I'm sure he would rather die than let it go for $2000.

I wrote examples of cheap, reasonable and too high prices for that 4R. $2000 for that truck is cheap, it doesn't mean he should ask that for his.

Anyway, I just found out the seller is a forum member, I don't want to sound negative or "pushing him down" with my posts, he can ask whatever he considers a fair value for his truck, and I hope he gets what he wants for it. I wish him the best with the sell.

 

[BillyWinston]

A man can dream. Some people just appreciate an ole' beaut.

 

[pinemind]

Very valid points, I wasn't really thinking about it from a restoration/collector point of view. I'm currently in the market for a 4th gen, and I've looked at quite a few that have been overpriced for their mileage/condition. So I'm probably just getting frustrated haha.

Fortunately for you, this seems to be really an epidemic limited to 3rd gen's. I can still find 2000-2002 4Runners with <=150k miles and people want $16k all day for them, most never go below $10k. Prices were the same 5 years ago. So you want to talk about crazy 4runner prices ... CarGurus - 3rd Gen 4Runner Listings. I love the 3rd gens, but they won't ever be a classic. They're mass produced people movers and were produced in an era (mostly) where rust issues won't take the life of a majority of what's left (unlike the 1st and 2nd gens), making scarcity never a driver for classic cost status.

And I completely understand why to an extent because they are stout, simple and have some factory off-road chops like the locking diffs and the ability to still get a manual transmission. But at least with the 4th Gen, you can find a V8, and those do tend to last easily to 300k+ region from some recent used listings I've searched. I've seen plenty in the $6k to $8k range with mid-to-upper 100k's mileage. Here's a 2005 V8 Limited with 147k for $7k. Now it's got me thinking about grabbing a cheap V8 4th Gen and slapping a supercharger on it ...

So consider yourself lucky you're not looking for a decent condition 3rd gen (per my link above). The 4th gen's are generally less expensive than 3rd gens. Plus given the age of those models are less and there is some upgraded technology so not sure why these 3rd gen prices are still so off the wall. I do have a soft spot for 2000-2002 4Runner Sport Manuals and V8 4th Gens. You couldn't give me a 5th gen for free ... (bummed they scrapped the V8, would be a different story if they didn't).

 

[pinemind]

I wrote examples of cheap, reasonable and too high prices for that 4R. $2000 for that truck is cheap, it doesn't mean he should ask that for his.

Anyway, I just found out the seller is a forum member, I don't want to sound negative or "pushing him down" with my posts, he can ask whatever he considers a fair value for his truck, and I hope he gets what he wants for it. I wish him the best with the sell.

Agreed. I just know when I was looking, a lot of these little things (no hard top) seemed to be apparent across my search. It seems small (pick one up on Craigslist) but who knows how that thing will seal. They're very temperamental. However, I would definitely advise at least looking for one on Craigslist to include with the sale, no matter the condition as long as it "has" windows. I've seen them range from $50 to $200 and I think from a completeness standpoint, it would help push the buyer over the edge. I love the search for parts, it's half the fun . Not everyone does though. But I think when spending > 10k on an SUV that is teetering on classic status, it's at the "complete" pricepoint and thus including the stock top would help justify that cost.

Different strokes though. I've completely changed what I'm looking for in a 1st gen from 10 years ago when I was in my mid-twenties. Then I wanted it lifted with 33's, not hardcore offroad but it had a presence. Didn't care about OEM because back then, the plastics were still in decent condition not as brittle as they are today due to another decade of age. And parts hadn't started really getting discontinued at the rate they are now. Now in my mid-30's, I'm going for a OEM-like experience, no dunking it in mud holes and jacking it up to the sky, lockers, etc. I just put on 31.5's and I "still" think they're too big. I'm actually trying to find OEM leaf springs and I will not lift this thing at all. Once I find some OEM 1985 wheels (another pain in the ass), I'm going back down to 30.5".

P.S. I'm still trying to get to my 15 post limit so I can start my build thread. I've been chomping at the bit since I've been restoring this for 2 months now and I still can't open a thread to document this ...

 

[Melrose 4r]

I watch ads for these first gens across the country. The first gen T4R is the only truck with a removable top that hasn't gone absolutely crazy in value yet. Scouts, Broncos, old Jeeps, Ramchargers, K5 Blazers are all nutz. If you can find a first gen that is unmolested for $3k grab it now. It is extremely hard to find one in original condition or one that hasn't been hacked up and looks like raccoons live in it. The original condition unmolested ones easliy bring $teens with the collectors on BaT and only see one about every 6 months. A rising tide raises all boats. Revisit this thread in May 2020.