My situation - '94 auto v6 vs. '96 5spd 4cyl

[mx52nr]

Hi there, been trolling for a little bit out here, and I've come to a decision on purchasing a 4 Runner. For my price range, I've found 2 trucks - 1 is a '94 v6 with an auto tranny, the other is a '96 4 cylinder with a 5 speed. Both have the same mileage (~150k), both in the same price range ($5-5.5k), and both seem to be well taken care of.

With gas prices what they are, I was wondering if it'd be worth it to go for the 4 cylinder model (completely base '96 model - roll up windows and all), or go for the v6 (fully loaded '94 - leather, sunroof, etc).

I guess what I'm asking is if the 4 cylinder has enough power to get the truck out of it's own way, and how reliable is the 4 cylinder known to be. Is it worth it to go for a 4cyl base 3rd gen or go with a v6 2nd gen? Gas is a factor, especially nowadays; plus I don't think I'll ever have a chance to do any real offroading - mabye the occasional trail mixed in with a few trips to the beach and drive in the sand. Also I forgot to ask is the power rear window standard on all 4 Runner models?

Sorry if these questions have been raised in the past, the "archive" button isn't working for me... Thanks for any and all input!

- Jay

 

[drake3]

I have a `93 V6 SR5 auto. For me it does not have enough power, but to be honest my weekend car is a 350Z. (not trying to brag, but a guy needs to get his speed on sometimes) The only time the truck had enough power was when I trading up from a `84 SR5 4x4 longbed.

The V6 labors alot moving around the truck and I usually only get 15 mpg in the city. That is with the 10.5x31 Revo`s on it. I am not sure about the 3rd gen 4 cly is. I personally would definitely test drive both and see what fits you.

Personally, I will be looking to get a V8 Sport later this year. I think with the gas prices going so damn high the 2.9% financing deals will stay around. The reason for the V8 is that I am tired of driving under powered Toyota`s. Toyota is putting some great engines in these new vehicles and I am going to take advantage of it!

But seriously - test drive the V6, because it is certainly no speed demon and does drink gas. I would say I get the same mileage as the new V8`s.

 

[mx52nr]

Thanks drake 3, I looked up the hp #'s and mileage # for each, and the 3rd gen 4cyl states 150 hp with 24 hwy/20 city; the 2nd gen v6 states 150hp with 16 hwy/14 city. Anyone know torque numbers for each? I'm assuming the v6 will have a big advantage here.

I am replacing my daily driver ('90 Infinity M30), and need something that can be used in doing upgrades to a new home I'm closing on in a month. I have a weekend/fun car ('99 modified Miata) to deal with my speed addiction as well.

I'm really impressed with the numbers of the 4 cyl motor. Is there anyone that can give me their real-world assesment on their 3rd gen 4cyl? I saw that there were very few 3rd gen's sold as 4 cyl manual. For '96 it appears that 4% were 4cylinder, and 20% manual.