Help/opinions please!! Unicorn 4Runner

R

rditto

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1998 4Runner
3RZ 4 cylinder
4x4
5 speed manual trans
OME lift kit
Tacoma ball joint and tie rod upgrades
New CV axles
Ditched the cast iron header for a better tubular one that won’t crack.
Almost new 33x10.50 ko2s
Brand new windshield, wipers, and battery

Super clean rust free southern truck I bought bike stock about 5 years ago with 100k on the clock. It has been an amazing the last few years, been on many many road trips and used as a daily driver. 203k miles now and less than a week after getting home from a 2,700 mile trip to South Dakota someone caused an accident clipping my passenger front quarter panel and causing me to rear end him. Not a bad accident but it must have hit right on an airbag sensor because they went off.. insurance totaled the vehicle but I bought it back.

Runs and drives great no mechanical damage. What do I do with it, or what is it worth?! I don’t want to list it on CL and fight off $500 offers from people who really don’t know how hard to find these trucks are. Do I get a shop to fix it and repack the airbags? Sell it if there is even a market for it? Make a buggy out of it?
 

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It needs a new core support which means welding. There was a user here that did the repairs himself and the work came out very nicely. Tbh, under $1000 is a logical number considering the average joe doesn't have the resources to repair this on their own. It needs to be dirt cheap to fix, or they're better off finding a nice one from the start. I'd keep it and repair it.
 
The 3RZ / 4WD / 5spd combo is rare and sought after by some folks. You can definitely do something with it or find someone that would really want to. Don't give up!
 
definitely keep it,
My front end was in about the same condition when i bought mine and i replaced the core support, headlight buckets and lenses. looks like you'd need a fender too but not bad at all
 
It definitely needs the core support. The fender/interior of the engine bay on the passenger side is punched in as well so it might be tricky to get everything aligned again. Thanks for the input
 
That's my very truck in different color, nice.

Coupla things spring to mind; one, now you know how it's gonna look with offroad bumper;) I'd go straight away for one instead of replacing the stock, after getting her roadworthy again. Second is how'd she do on 33s? I'm just about to jump on some tires and worry about fitment and power. Doesn't look like you're running spacers, any rub? Stock UCAs?

I vote fix, upgrade and supercharge, obviously.
 
See if you can find a straight, clean front end donor vehicle to pull/swap parts from. Buying front end parts new is very pricey and you'll find yourself having to buy miscellaneous clips, brackets, etc. that add up quick to the total. Having a complete donor vehicle really knocks down the cost.
 
I hate to be “that guy” but it’s only a unicorn to certain Toyota enthusiasts that geek out on that specific combo. I’m a Toyota fanboy through and through and the 3RZ 4WD 5 speed doesn’t even give me a chub :shrug: I really like the 5VZ so I don’t see the desire since the mpg isn’t dramatic enough to really be a good trade off with the lower HP.

I personally don’t think the rarity is valuable enough to consider it a Unicorn in that sense so my $.02 is that it’s a parts vehicle to be sold as-is unless you’re in love with it and want to fix it to keep it. Especially factoring in that it’s now a Salvage title and worth even less as far as resell value once fixed up.
 
Id fix it. Mine has had the front end wrinkled like that a couple of times now. It's a 96, so i didn't have the airbag damage to deal with...not exactly sure what it would take to set those off in mine...

After the second time, i replaced the stock front with a CBI Hybrid.

Slightly off topic...anyone know a source for those dark OEM bumpers like OP has? shoot me a PM. Looking for a rear. Thanks.

Good luck OP.
 
Dezert4Runner said:
I hate to be “that guy” but it’s only a unicorn to certain Toyota enthusiasts that geek out on that specific combo. I’m a Toyota fanboy through and through and the 3RZ 4WD 5 speed doesn’t even give me a chub :shrug: I really like the 5VZ so I don’t see the desire since the mpg isn’t dramatic enough to really be a good trade off with the lower HP.

I personally don’t think the rarity is valuable enough to consider it a Unicorn in that sense so my $.02 is that it’s a parts vehicle to be sold as-is unless you’re in love with it and want to fix it to keep it. Especially factoring in that it’s now a Salvage title and worth even less as far as resell value once fixed up.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the 3RZ-preferred club are those that migrated from 2nd Gen 4Runners or 1st Gen Pickups. They had the 22RE or 3VZE engines to choose from and the 3VZE has a host of issues so it led a lot of people preferring the 4-cylinder 22RE (or the rare turbo 22RET!) because it was so much more reliable. The same line of thought, like you said, doesn't apply to the 3RZ or 5VZE choice. The 5VZE is the better engine of the two and much more common.
 
gamefreakgc said:
Yeah, the 3RZ-preferred club are those that migrated from 2nd Gen 4Runners or 1st Gen Pickups. They had the 22RE or 3VZE engines to choose from and the 3VZE has a host of issues so it led a lot of people preferring the 4-cylinder 22RE (or the rare turbo 22RET!) because it was so much more reliable. The same line of thought, like you said, doesn't apply to the 3RZ or 5VZE choice. The 5VZE is the better engine of the two and much more common.
Click to expand...

Funny, I had a ‘93 ext cab truck with the 3VZ and a ‘94 reg cab truck with the 22RE, both manuals. I test drove a 3RZ auto 4Runner (after owning a 5VZ auto DC Taco) and while I didn’t find city driving problematic, the freeway was noticeable. I know it gets high praises for Tacoma owners who have it in their 1st gens but the 4Runner is a heavy pig and the 5VZ just has more power and is every bit as legendary as the 22RE IMO.

As far as this specific 4Runner goes, I just don’t see resell being there with everything factored in and wouldn’t fix it to sell it, I’d sell as-is or fix and keep but buying another 3rd gen and swapping at least the lift components over isn’t a bad idea either before parting this one.
 
HighDesert4Banger said:
That's my very truck in different color, nice.

Coupla things spring to mind; one, now you know how it's gonna look with offroad bumper;) I'd go straight away for one instead of replacing the stock, after getting her roadworthy again. Second is how'd she do on 33s? I'm just about to jump on some tires and worry about fitment and power. Doesn't look like you're running spacers, any rub? Stock UCAs?

I vote fix, upgrade and supercharge, obviously.
Click to expand...

Stock UCAs, and steel 15” wheels. They rubbed just a little bit but oddly enough it wasn’t at full turn. No rub going straight or at full turn but in between when the edge of the tire reached out it would clip the plastic part of the bumper and make decent grind but it was always brief and I fixed it with some mild trimming. Power is low but I stepped up from 31” so it wasn’t terribly noticeable.. if you go 12.50 or metric 385x? It’ll rub in a major way.
 
HighDesert4Banger said:
That's my very truck in different color, nice.

Coupla things spring to mind; one, now you know how it's gonna look with offroad bumper;) I'd go straight away for one instead of replacing the stock, after getting her roadworthy again. Second is how'd she do on 33s? I'm just about to jump on some tires and worry about fitment and power. Doesn't look like you're running spacers, any rub? Stock UCAs?

I vote fix, upgrade and supercharge, obviously.
Click to expand...

I almost had a used Shrockworks bumper shipped to Texas from Oregon just before the trip I referenced.. not sure if that was a good or bad move now
 
In before a 3RZ guy comes in and explains why he thinks his 3RZ is superior to a 5VZ.

Fix your 4Runner OP. I hate looking for a specific vehicle spec.
 
Where in Texas are you? If you want to fix it i can help with the core support if you’re close. Just did mine a couple weeks ago.


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