Need help in determining whether to buy 1988 4runner

[hotzuk]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post. I am currently looking at purchasing a 1988 Toyota 4Runner with 108K miles on the odometer. The car has no rust at all, interior and engine look great. The car had two previous owners and all the maintenance records were attached. The major services performed were as follows:

1) Exhaust at 55,000
2) Timing belt and tune up at 61K
3) New heads, oil pan, head gasket and O2 sensor at 63K
4) AC blow resistor at 72.5K
5) New master clutch cylinder/slate cylinder and clutch pedal at 99K
6) New tires at 67 K
7) New battery/alternator and starter at 74K

There are other items that have been replaced but they were consumables such as brakes, air fliter, etc..

The car has the six cylinder engine. I really had a good feeling about the car until I called the original owner. His contact information was still within the car if you can believe it.

He informed me that the car ran absolutely mint. The engine work was replaced under warranty. He sold the car in August 2005 after being rear ended. The rear was pushed in almost near the rear wheel. His insurance totalled the car which he purchased back it from the for $100. BTW, this was not in the carfax report. He sold it to a guy for $700 who had a family member who owned a body shop who fixed the car. The car has been on the road since that point.

I drove it today and everything seemed just fine. It ran straight and true. I really have to get the car up on a lift to really check it out.

Are there any other issues that I should be looking for within the car? What is a fair price for the car? I was planning to have the car checked out at my local Toyota dealer before making an offer. Any guidance is appreciated on this issue.

 

[mikes4runner]

88 and no rust? where is the truck from?
it must have been repainted so I am sure there was some rust over the rear wheel wells very comman on the 1st gen. unless you are on the west coast or down south or such.

There was a headgasket recall on the 3.0L V6 that is why there was engine work done to it.

I would put it on a lift and check the rear good maybe have a body shop guy look it over good for frame damage and bondo filler.

with only 100K it has lots of life left in it.

Did the seller tell you it was rear ended? if not that's dishonest I would take everything else he says with a grain of salt.


I would have it checked out good and offer something in the 2-3K range if all checks out well. What is his asking price?

Oh yea welcome aboard lots of good info and friendly people on T4R.org


Mike

 

[team haymaker]

yes be sure and have it checked out. and when purchasing it be sure to bring up the fact that you talked to the previous owner and know the history of the vehicle. it could help with your asking price.

as for the year, i lov my 88 4runner to death.

 

[hotzuk]

Great info

Thanks for the welcome to the forum. I talked to my local mechanic. He currently services about 8-9 older Forerunners on a regular basis. I had the current owner contact the shop to set up and inspection date.

As far as the rust goes, the first owner (whom we shall call A) had the car down in Florida for about 4-5 years. He then came back up on the Northeast coast for a while but always kept the car garaged.

Now, about the dishonesty part. The original owner (A) got rear ended and sold to owner B. Owner B got the car fixed, drove it for about a year and then sold to Owner C whom I am looking to purchase from. I honestly believe that Owner B never informed owner C about the hit and I know that Owner C never called Owner A. If Owner C knew about this I will be very disappointed for them not disclosing this information to me.

My mechanic is a very good and most importantly very honest. I will wait for his assessment of the car and then inform owner C of the information on the car.

While I have the forums attention, is there anything else in particular that I should pay close attention to when checking out the car? Any links or lists are greatly appreciated.

 

[hotzuk]

Two little things I found on the test drive

I almsot forgot. On the test drive, the rear window was working just fine. I stopped the car with the engine on the crawl underneath to check out the exhaust, got back in the car and the window would not come down. I am pretty sure that the window lock switch was not on but it was working perfectly.

The second was the motor for the antenna. I could hear it knocking but it was not moving. Luckily it was already in the up position. It sounded like a cog or somthing might have been shot or maybe something needed to be lubricated.

 

[brick privy]

I also have an '88. In my opinion, with the 3.0 and the collision repair, either get it VERY cheap or pass and look for a good 22re runner.

 

[mikes4runner]

Re: Two little things I found on the test drive

I almsot forgot. On the test drive, the rear window was working just fine. I stopped the car with the engine on the crawl underneath to check out the exhaust, got back in the car and the window would not come down. I am pretty sure that the window lock switch was not on but it was working perfectly.

The second was the motor for the antenna. I could hear it knocking but it was not moving. Luckily it was already in the up position. It sounded like a cog or somthing might have been shot or maybe something needed to be lubricated.

There is a rear window lock button next to the window button so maybe you pressed it by mistake?

The power antenna needs a new mast. search"power antenna fix" in "classic 4runners there is a write up DIY.


Mike

 

[hotzuk]

Great info

Okay,

I realize that I accidentally depressed the wiper and tried to open the window at the same time so that is working. Mike, thanks for that antenna fix. I will be sure to look that up.

Brick,

When you say cheap, how cheap is cheap. I am looking for some suggestions in pricing. KBB states that in good condition it should be worth about $2500. I can't rate the car as excellent because of the hit it took. Thoughts?

 

[brick privy]

Re: Great info

Brick,

When you say cheap, how cheap is cheap. I am looking for some suggestions in pricing. KBB states that in good condition it should be worth about $2500. I can't rate the car as excellent because of the hit it took. Thoughts?

When I say cheap I mean VERY cheap. I would look around and price an '88 22re runner and then subtract about $500 for the 3.0 and another $500 or so for the collision. If you like the deal go for it, just keep in mind this truck will cost you more in the long run.

 

[biglatka]

Re: Great info

Okay,

I realize that I accidentally depressed the wiper and tried to open the window at the same time so that is working. Mike, thanks for that antenna fix. I will be sure to look that up.

Brick,

When you say cheap, how cheap is cheap. I am looking for some suggestions in pricing. KBB states that in good condition it should be worth about $2500. I can't rate the car as excellent because of the hit it took. Thoughts?

Did you say how much the seller wants for it?

Personally, based on your information, I wouldn't value it at more than a $1000, but I would have it checked out by a good mechanic before you make a deal. It could turn into a real money pit.

 

[hotzuk]

Owners asking price

Believe it or not, I believe the owner wants $3200 for the truck. I am pretty sure that they don't know the full history of the truck. If the do, I am expecting the cost to got down fast.

As others have indicated, I will be letting my mechanic take a good look at everything.

Question: What is the best way to evaluate the engine within the car? From what I could tell, I didn't see any leaks and it had good power?

Question 2: What should I be looking for within the axles of the vechicle and the leaf springs within the back of the car?.

 

[brick privy]

$3200 is WAAYYY too much for that truck.

The best check for the motor is a compresion / leakdown test. Ask your mechanic to give you the actual readings. That way you know the test was performed, and if something is slightly off, and you still want the truck, you can show the owner the numbers during negotiations. The problem is that the 3.0 has timing belt and head gasket issues that would be hard to check.

As far as the rear suspension and axle goes, the main concern would be the collision. The springs may not be parallel, the axle may be bent, and the frame might not be straight. Any one of these can cause handling and tire wear problems, and the truck could "crab walk" down the road. Crab walking is when you're going strait down the road and the rear is slightly offset to one side or the other.

If it sounds like I'm trying to talk you out of it, I am. There's no way I would buy it for a daily driver. Maybe for a weekend beater, but even then I would rather have the 22re.

I forgot, one more thing. As if the 3.0 isn't bad enough in '88 Toyota used an oddball 3.0 in some trucks. I have the oddball motor and when it puked I was quoted $2500 for a used replacement with 80k miles on it. Thats not counting install. Needless to say, the runner is still setting in the yard waiting to have it's body removed to replace the one on my '84 22r runner (if the '84 will ever fail state insp.).

 

[hotzuk]

Reply to Brick

Brick,

Thanks for the information. It is all very useful information. I will be sure to pass this information on the my mechanic.

As far as talking me out of the car, you are not. You can never have enough info. I am still on the fence about the purchase. The mechanical assessment will be the key point for me. It will not be my daily driver. It will be the third car in the house for weekend tasks, bad weather and my fun toy.

My biggest concern is that I do not want this car to be a money pit. I believe this concern was already expressed on the board. I really appreciate all the honest feedback from the board. Believe it or not, it is helping me to make sure I ask all the correct questions

 

[hotzuk]

Update on the truck

Hello everyone,

Thanks for all the advice. My mechanic got to look over the truck. He services about 8 old 4 runners on a regular basis and told me that this one is in really good shape. He only found two small things wrong:

1) Rear pinion seal was leaking and needed to be replaced.
2) He noticed a small leak in the gas line.

He said that the body was straight and true. There was no rust under the car or the wheel wells. Now my question is how much do I offer the seller. Thoughts?