Looking at buying a 2nd gen

[Geolander]

Hey guys, new to the forum here. No T4R yet, but after a lot of research (and egging on from my friends who already own them), it seems like pretty much the perfect vehicle for me.

That's the good.

The bad: I only have about $4k to spend on the car, with possibly an extra thousand or two by the end of the summer, plus $1k allocated for accessories, insurance, tuneup, and the like. This puts me pretty firmly in 1st/2nd gen territory. That's not necessarily a bad thing - I've seen what all of you have been able to do with yours - but it does have to be driven about 2k miles at the end of the summer with all of my stuff when I go off to start grad school.

So now we come to my main question: how comfortable are all of you 1st/2nd gen owners with long-distance highway driving? Will the lack of power be an issue while carrying a full load of books, camping gear, bikes, furnishings, and other miscellaneous junk, or am I just being paranoid?

You should probably also know that I have basically no experience working on cars - though I'm more than happy to learn - and this will be my first vehicle.

 

[mattb]

I think most owners are pretty comfortable with driving long distances. It really depends on what kind of mechanical condition your truck is in. With $4k to spend you should be able to find a really nice one with no rust and pretty mechanically sound. I mean, you take a bit of a risk every time you drive a long distance. There's always the "what if" factor. Just be prepared. AAA maybe?

As far as hauling stuff, are you loading up the inside or using a trailer? Either way you should be safe as long as you don't over do it. As far as power, I would think you'll be ok as long as you're not climbing too much with a huge load.

 

[Geolander]

Thanks for the help!

I think most owners are pretty comfortable with driving long distances. It really depends on what kind of mechanical condition your truck is in. With $4k to spend you should be able to find a really nice one with no rust and pretty mechanically sound. I mean, you take a bit of a risk every time you drive a long distance. There's always the "what if" factor. Just be prepared. AAA maybe?

Yeah, that's what I figured. With my budget, I could either scrape the bottom of the barrel for a gen 3 or get a really nice gen 2. Given my budget post-purchase, something in good mechanical shape is a must.

I've already got AAA, so no worries there.

As far as hauling stuff, are you loading up the inside or using a trailer? Either way you should be safe as long as you don't over do it. As far as power, I would think you'll be ok as long as you're not climbing too much with a huge load.

It'll just be the inside, with a bike on the roof or on a hitch rack. It'll probably be reasonably full though. Previous moves have roughly half-filled a Suburban.

What would be climbing too much? I do have to cross the Rockies...

 

[mattb]

I was in the same situation as you. I got a really nice '94 instead of a bottom of the barrel 3rd gen.
As far as climbing, I have no idea. I've never been out west. I'm fairly certain you won't have any problems though. As long as you're not lugging a huge heavy trailer through the nountains you should be fine.

 

[turboSR5]

As long as you don't get an automatic you will be in much better shape for the mountain passes.

 

[XtremeAdventurer]

As long as you aren't trying to race up the mountains, you won't have any problems. The 4Runner is more like a truck than an MR2. Sure, the MR2 is a lot of fun to drive on steep, windy mountain roads, but you'd never take an MR2 very far off the pavement. The 4Runner isn't designed to race up mountains. Take your time, don't lug the engine, & everything will be fine. Tire size & gear ratio will make a bit difference (also the manual vs auto transmission as mentioned above). I'm currently running 33" tires with 4.3 gears (ok, let the flames begin... I said currently... There is a plan for re-gearing...), and I've climbed long, windy 7% grades (3rd gear). There have been other places that I've climbed short 6% grades and only had to down shift to 4th gear to negotiate the 45mph curves at the top. All this is between 2,000-5,000 ft elevation.

If you're going to be driving the 4Runner up the mountains outside of Denver, just go slow, be mindful of the engine, and everything will be fine.

Oh, and enjoy the scenery! The 4Runner will take you places the MR2 doesn't even want to dream about!

 

[Geolander]

Ok, so after looking around a bit, I've found this one:

91TOYOTA 4RUNNER LOW MILES STD 5 SPEED 4X4 RUNS AND DRIVE GREAT GREAT

It's a '91 with 128k miles, v6, 4x4, manual, and the best-looking paint I've seen so far on a 4Runner of that age. It's obviously been well-cared for. Price is $3800.

Does that sound too high for the mileage and condition, or just about right? Most 2nd gens in my area are about $2200-$2800, but they almost always have body damage, faded paint, 200k+ miles, and/or engine issues. An extra $1k seems like a bit of a steep premium to pay, especially for something 20 years old.

If I do go look at it, what should I check mechanically or ask about? I know I should check out the timing belt and ask about head gasket troubles, but are there any other common things I should look for?

 

[Saved]

Ok, so after looking around a bit, I've found this one:

91TOYOTA 4RUNNER LOW MILES STD 5 SPEED 4X4 RUNS AND DRIVE GREAT GREAT

It's a '91 with 128k miles, v6, 4x4, manual, and the best-looking paint I've seen so far on a 4Runner of that age. It's obviously been well-cared for. Price is $3800.

Does that sound too high for the mileage and condition, or just about right? Most 2nd gens in my area are about $2200-$2800, but they almost always have body damage, faded paint, 200k+ miles, and/or engine issues. An extra $1k seems like a bit of a steep premium to pay, especially for something 20 years old.

If I do go look at it, what should I check mechanically or ask about? I know I should check out the timing belt and ask about head gasket troubles, but are there any other common things I should look for?

I agree that the price is a bit high. It just depends on how bad you want it. Also the mileage is questionable. You should pull a car fax or DMV inspection report on it using the vin number and check the milage year by year to see if the odometer has been tampered with or changed.

 

[mattb]

Looks pretty nice. It says "or best offer," so low-ball him. The worst he can say is no and then make a counter-offer. Cash talks.