Hi everyone! A little intro help/advice maybe?

[bah humbug]

Despite my sn, I'm not as grumpy as I may appear. Hope I can learn a lot from everyone here, and I am sure I can as I know little about cars.

I don't want to be redundant, and I am happy to do my own research by looking through old posts, but I am in a time crunch, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I'll try to make this short.

Just sold my GTI, currently borrowing gfs car. I like the snow in Tahoe, it make me feel like a kid again, so I would prefer a 4x4 to take me up and not have to rely on friends. But reliability is a concern, so naturally a Toyota comes to mind, but with that being said, it's not like that is a well kept secret, everyone wants a Toyota due to it's outstanding rep!

So, I've been looking in the sub $4000-$3000 range, and trying to shoot for more of a $2000-$2500 range. I know, not much to work with. But I've come across a few in those ranges, with mileage ranging from 90kish to 170kish, on 4x4 4Runners, years 92-95. How confident should I feel driving one 4+ hours to the snow, then being up in Tahoe during mild to possibly heavy snow?

From my research so far, and knowledgable friends, the previous care of previous owners is huge. Replacement of timing belt, water pump, hoses and such can make a huge difference. Some have salvage titles, but claim it was only door damage, from what I know I should be concerned with any frame damage. Manual would be preferably over auto tranny with lots of miles.

Any other advice anyone can offer would be great! Or if I am misinformed, please feel free to fill me in!

Thanks in advance!

 

[priestsallore]

Welcome good sir, and glad you can join us here!

Really, all you need to know is this - My 4runner is a '92 3.0 v6 with a 5-speed transmission, with 325k on the OD. I'd drive all the way up to Tahoe, tear through your snow for an entire week straight, then drive back, just to say I did it. Lol, so yes, you can absolutely trust a 2nd gen with ONLY 170k-ish miles on it, that is just breaking the motor in. Also, you can return a Salvage title back into a blue title. I had to do it, because some ar**** kid driving his momma's car hit my bumper doing 50mph+, so I just took the bumper off, and had no damage whatsoever to the body/frame. Now I'm re-rocking a blue title on my truck , AND was paid out more than 2k from his mom's insurance company, because of their 'totalling' my perfectly good truck. If it's just a door, go to the salvage yard or buy a door off someone here, replace it, and re-get a blue title for it.

Only thing you need to worry about as far as the engine, is that with just a regular Autozone/O'reilly's timing belt and water pump, you'd look at replacing it every 70k miles or so.. about the lifespan. Head gaskets aren't a big issue anymore, as most of them were fixed by dealer warranty. Just take care of the engine/undercarriage, keep all the oils changed, and you should do well!

 

[bah humbug]

Thank you for the welcome sir!

Sounds good, I think my one friend, who does know a decent amount about cars, is just more concerned because he doesn't have to buy used cars, so I think his view may be a bit skewed.

I appreciate the advice priestallore. I might have two lined up today to take a look at. 93 with 150k and a 95 with 140k. We shall see.

 

[priestsallore]

93 with 150k is driven less than the 95 I'd assume. Our 2nd gens are actually amazing pieces of machinery, and I guaruntee you, I've TRIED to get this thing stuck, even in mud and everything else.. And, my water pump went out on me, didn't even know it, still drove.. After I stopped 20-30 min later, it was billowing steam. Melted my valve cover gaskets, but my head gaskets and everything else were perfectly fine. Had to put new oil in her, replaced the water pump & did the timing belt while I was in there, and redid my valve cover gaskets.. Still runs like a champ. Yeah, they lack high end power, but have great low end power.

And you are very welcome bud. Call me Gabe if you like, as my full is Gabriel. Choose well, and make sure it is 4x4 haha! Let us know what you choose, and again, welcome to the family!