Interest in Gen 1...but have a few questions

Mpower3

New member
So I have been in the market for 3rd car to have as a leisure vehicle and had been looking at 1st Generation Lightnings and Late 80's Ford Bronco's. And then it dawned on me that if if I were looking at a Bronco with a removable cap, why not keep it in the family with a 1st generaiton not to mention better reliability and fuel economy (especially with a 22RE).

So there you have it. Other than the usual rust is there anything else I should be keeping in mind when searching for a Gen1? I'm not looking for a rust free garage queen but just rather something that runs good and needs a a little TLC.

I found a local garage queen with a 22RE auto with 106,000 original miles for a little over $4,000, but I would prefer manual.

Any idea what I should budget for an 86-89 average mileage?

Thanks in advance.
 
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The value will greatly depending on your location.
And location affects rust. Frame rust is a big problem in some areas, and you don't see it until it's really bad.
And in most of the US, $4K for a 1st gen is waay to much, unless maybe you're in the SW (no rust problems) or the PNW (where used Toys are high for no apparent reason) and it's in super great condition.
 
I am on the EC in northern Virginia. I've found a few 1 gen's (including a beauty of a 22RE in Maryland with just a smidge over 100,000 original miles and looks to have rust, but red interior, yuck). He's asking $4,250 which is over my budget.

1987 4runner SR5 for sale - price reduced

BTW I've read your posts on advice for bikini tops. Very informative.
 
Something to look into is whether or not the timing chain has been replaced in the last 90K miles. Another common problem I see all of the time is the rear carrier bearings going out. Not as big of a deal as a timing chain but something you might can use to your advantage when negotiating.
 
Def. does but for $3,500?? Don't know why the folks love the 22RE so much other than the current state of gas prices.
 
Wow I wish I lived closer to that parts runner! You could easily part that out for more than $500!

Holy crap yes - the inclinometer alone gets $100 on ebay. That seller is a fool, and I wish I lived close enough to prove it. An afternoons worth of work pulling parts could get him a bundle, and he'd still get the same price from his wrecker...
 
Well the one I was looking to buy sold so it's back to the drawing board.

Convince me why the 22RE is a superior motor to the 3VZ-E other than the current state of gas prices.
 
Im a fan of the 3vze. I was getting high teens for MPG in my truck when it was a dd. Its a little harder to work on, just because there it more to it and its tighter under tho hood. But man, Ive never seen a 22re run as smooth as my 3vze. It has the obvious head gasket issues and it takes alot of money to get descent HP gains, but for what it is, its a solid running reliable motor with ok power. People think the 3vze is slow, try driving a 22re. Haha. It cost more to put dual cases on it, just because stuff is made for the 4cly, but its possible.

Heres a thread on yotatech about the 22re vs 3zve.

22re vz 3vze

I wish my 4runner was a v6.
 
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