ayoung101
New member
ok. i have a dilemma. as you may have seen from some of my other posts, i am looking for my 1st 4runner. i have decided to not get a tacoma/pickup because i've test driven both, and i just think the 4runner fits me better. unfortunately at this time, i will only be able to afford a 1st or 2nd gen (i still have 2 years in college left). i just finished paying off my celica, and i love it, so i want to keep it and make the 4runner my secondary vehicle. so i've been looking for the past few months for a good 4runner that is relatively cheap. i've also been participating in a few different 4runner forums to learn as much about them as possible. i'm going to be using this for my winter beater and my summer toy (offroading, dunes, etc.). i live in michigan and we get lots of snow. matter a fact, it snowed yesterday. so, 4wd is without a doubt the only thing i will consider. from all i've read, i've heard different aspects of 1st and 2nd gens to be better.
1. i've heard 1st gens are better at offroading because of the solid front axle. i plan on offroading. however, i like the idea of being about to move people (which is easier with 4-doors)(although i LOVE the 2-door 2nd gens). but i also LOVE the fact that the 1st gen is convertible and that would be friggin sweet cruising the dunes with.
2. my celica has babied me with options. i don't know if i will survive without having them. i might actually stop breathing having to reach over and unlock doors or roll down/up windows or not using cruise. every 2nd gen i've seen/looked at/saw an ad about has had full power options. most 1st gens do not.
3. manual vs. auto: i still haven't decided what i want, but i've noticed that most of the 1st gens i look at are stick and most of the 2nd gens i've looked at are autos. (also, i don't think i've seen too many 5-speed 1st gen with full power options). i still have heard pretty close to 1/2 and 1/2 on which is better for offroading.
4. i'd prefer a v-6, but from what i've been reading, the 3.0 is massively underpowered and gets horrible gas mileage. and if they are that massively underpowered, why not get a 4-banger for not much less power and much better gas mileage? (however, my bro has a 96 tacoma 4-banger, and he says he'll never own another 4-banger truck again) also, i haven't seen too many 2nd gens that are 4-bangers. not to mention several of the mechanics at the local toyota (everyone at the local toyota knows me by first name) have all told me to be careful with the v-6, and that i could beat the hell out of the 4-banger and it wouldn't die.
5. i only have about $3000 to spend, which i should probably only be spending about $2000 on. this SEVERELY limits my choices on both 1st AND 2nd gens, but obviously moreso 2nd gens than 1sts.
6. i am EXTREMELY picky on my vehicles. i LITERALLY looked for more than a year and 1/2 for my 94 celica before deciding it was the right one and deciding to sell my 88 camry with 230,000 on it running STRONG (not to mention it was a stick shift. ALSO an EXTREME rarity)(i miss that car)
so, with all of that said, what do you guys think i should look for? 1st or 2nd gen? 4-banger or v-6? manual or auto? if you guys were me, what would you be looking for?
1. i've heard 1st gens are better at offroading because of the solid front axle. i plan on offroading. however, i like the idea of being about to move people (which is easier with 4-doors)(although i LOVE the 2-door 2nd gens). but i also LOVE the fact that the 1st gen is convertible and that would be friggin sweet cruising the dunes with.
2. my celica has babied me with options. i don't know if i will survive without having them. i might actually stop breathing having to reach over and unlock doors or roll down/up windows or not using cruise. every 2nd gen i've seen/looked at/saw an ad about has had full power options. most 1st gens do not.
3. manual vs. auto: i still haven't decided what i want, but i've noticed that most of the 1st gens i look at are stick and most of the 2nd gens i've looked at are autos. (also, i don't think i've seen too many 5-speed 1st gen with full power options). i still have heard pretty close to 1/2 and 1/2 on which is better for offroading.
4. i'd prefer a v-6, but from what i've been reading, the 3.0 is massively underpowered and gets horrible gas mileage. and if they are that massively underpowered, why not get a 4-banger for not much less power and much better gas mileage? (however, my bro has a 96 tacoma 4-banger, and he says he'll never own another 4-banger truck again) also, i haven't seen too many 2nd gens that are 4-bangers. not to mention several of the mechanics at the local toyota (everyone at the local toyota knows me by first name) have all told me to be careful with the v-6, and that i could beat the hell out of the 4-banger and it wouldn't die.
5. i only have about $3000 to spend, which i should probably only be spending about $2000 on. this SEVERELY limits my choices on both 1st AND 2nd gens, but obviously moreso 2nd gens than 1sts.
6. i am EXTREMELY picky on my vehicles. i LITERALLY looked for more than a year and 1/2 for my 94 celica before deciding it was the right one and deciding to sell my 88 camry with 230,000 on it running STRONG (not to mention it was a stick shift. ALSO an EXTREME rarity)(i miss that car)
so, with all of that said, what do you guys think i should look for? 1st or 2nd gen? 4-banger or v-6? manual or auto? if you guys were me, what would you be looking for?
