Should I Buy a 1st Gen?

Brian757

Brian757

New member
So, I have contemplated purchasing a 1st generation because their my true favorite.
I get a few nice 1st genners for sale in my area every so often. Heres a couple within a 15 mile range of me. Should I invest in either one?

87 Toyota SR5 lifted 22re
1985 Toyota 4Runner 4x4 5speed

Tell me what flaws each have and if it would be a deal breaker. Any info is helpful!
 
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If it is mainly going to see roads or light trails I would go with the IFS. It rides a ton better than solid axle vehicles. If it is going to be an off road rig, I'd go with the 85 in a heartbeat.
 
Get the 85 :frog::frog: you can make it ride just as good as a IFS and it will be stronger in the front axle area. better off road and most other 1st gen guys will be jeloous. LOL. Really go look at them both and pick the one that is going to take the least work to get to where you want to be.

sam
 
I'm gonna take the other side of this debate :D.

I think the IFS is highly under rated offroad, and now that I've had my '85 around the block once or twice, I think the straight axle doesn't get a fair shake on pavement. Maybe I'm just more tolerant of a rough ride, but I don't think it matters much. If you're desert racing, you need the IFS. If you're taking the hard lines and trying to follow rock buggies, you need the straight axle. If you're on the road 99% of the time, it's probably worth it to have the IFS, and if you're breaking CVs every time you go out :), you'd prefer a straight axle for sure. But if you're anywhere in the middle like 95% of 4Runner owners, either will serve you well. Drive them and see what you think.
 
I am a fairly new 4Runner owner ( 1987 ) and do not want to hijack the thread however I do have a question. As far as pricing a 1st generation 4Runner, do modifications such as lift, wheel arch extensions, modified roof and bumpers etc. make it more desirable than one that is "all original"?
 
The 4" lift on the 87 is too much for the CV joints and I wonder what the new paint job is hiding? The overall tone of the ad sets off alarm bells for me.
The 85 looks a bit more reasonable.
One thing to look at on both would be frame rust, a major issue here in the mid-Atlantic region.
 
85HJ75 said:
I am a fairly new 4Runner owner ( 1987 ) and do not want to hijack the thread however I do have a question. As far as pricing a 1st generation 4Runner, do modifications such as lift, wheel arch extensions, modified roof and bumpers etc. make it more desirable than one that is "all original"?
Click to expand...

That's going to depend on the buyer. If it's well and tastefully done it can increase the value of the truck, for sure. But a lot of buyers are leery of getting into somebody else's project, so half-done (or half-assed) mods aren't going to boost a price much, except maybe to somebody with that specific set of mods in mind. Unless you're talking about a truck like the one Scotty at Addicted Offroad just sold, in which case all bets are off!
 
I'm not a fan of the body lift or fender flares but that's just my opinion. A body lift should only be used for minimal body lift to fit the tires. Fender flares... well, they're useless unless your local law says you have to have flares for the bigger tires.

The 85 looks good and is well worth the 3k. In my area that would be a 4-5k 4runner.
 
That '87 has come up before - it's got to be the cleanest ugly truck I've ever seen. If I recall correctly, he's come WAAAAAAAAY down in price from where he was... wasn't that listed for 6 or 7 grand at one point?

To be honest I'm not a fan of that '85 either. It's lifted a little too high, and why go to all the effort of dressing up the engine if you're going to leave the bumpers hanging inches below the body lift? And nerf bars and smittybilts at that, that truck wasn't built for utility. That's a pavement queen. But at $3000, a lot of what's wrong with it could be corrected, and it sure is clean.
 
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KidVermicious said:
That '87 has come up before - it's got to be the cleanest ugly truck I've ever seen. If I recall correctly, he's come WAAAAAAAAY down in price from where he was... wasn't that listed for 6 or 7 grand at one point?

To be honest I'm not a fan of that '85 either. It's lifted a little too high, and why go to all the effort of dressing up the engine if you're going to leave the bumpers hanging inches below the body lift? And nerf bars and smittybilts at that, that truck wasn't built for utility. That's a pavement queen. But at $3000, a lot of what's wrong with it could be corrected, and it sure is clean.
Click to expand...

I do mildy like the '85 more. I like the solid front axle. But I like the paint of the '87 better. I'm not a big fan of the tire/rim setup on the '85.
ALSO, I hate jumping into someones "has-been" project and purchasing it but both of them, in my eyes, still need work. At $3000, that leaves me with room to build the '85.
I was thinking the same thing. There is a lot I would have to do with the '85 if I were to purchase it. I did notice how damn low the rear bumper was.

I would:
...like to tear both bumpers off and maybe take DOM tubing and weld a diagonal bumper extension upwards and then weld it into place. But it looks fugly hanging down like that.
...re-do BOTH interiors if I were to get either one.
...probably pull apart both motors, peer into it a bit, just for piece of mind.
...normal maintenance
...check timing belt, serp belt, etc.
...Convert the '85 to a soft top? (Not sure on this one)
 
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I mean, if I truly wanted a REAL project truck, one that would take months or longer, I could go with this:
1987 Toyota 4runner
(I would literally keep NOTHING on this truck) - [Body repainted, windows retinted, engine swapped to 22RE or 3VZE, Dana44 in front?] It would take A LONG time to get where I'd want it.
It would be my primary trail rig. I want something I can do hiking trips with, my '02 is my DD. The only real "Off-Road" thing in Virginia Beach is to LEAVE Virginia Beach and go to NC. Haha, or be a hill-billy and go mudding. But thats not my thing..
But I am not trying to get a basket-case. I want something I can be driving in within a week after purchase. I am busy and cannot devote time to a lemon.
 
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For me it was difficult to find a good 1st generation 4Runner in the first place and of the few I saw none were in the $2,000.00 to $3,000.00 range. ( at least not within a reasonable distance from home )
 
Brian757 said:
I would:
...like to tear both bumpers off and maybe take DOM tubing and weld a diagonal bumper extension upwards and then weld it into place. But it looks fugly hanging down like that.
...re-do BOTH interiors if I were to get either one.
...probably pull apart both motors, peer into it a bit, just for piece of mind.
...normal maintenance
...check timing belt, serp belt, etc.
...Convert the '85 to a soft top? (Not sure on this one)
Click to expand...

Are you planning on wheeling it? If so, I'd remove the body lift (they aren't horrible, but you don't need it for those tires and it'd lower your COG), ditch the nerf bars and bumpers (smittybilts are cheap, and will crumple if you wave a rock menacingly in their face) and replace them with real armor, and you absolutely want at least a bikini top for shade, because you absolutely want to have the top off in the summer. That's, like, 50% of the reason to own a 1st gen, right there. :)
 
KidVermicious said:
Are you planning on wheeling it? If so, I'd remove the body lift (they aren't horrible, but you don't need it for those tires and it'd lower your COG), ditch the nerf bars and bumpers (smittybilts are cheap, and will crumple if you wave a rock menacingly in their face) and replace them with real armor, and you absolutely want at least a bikini top for shade, because you absolutely want to have the top off in the summer. That's, like, 50% of the reason to own a 1st gen, right there. :)
Click to expand...

Yes, it will get wheeled. I will try to remove the BL and take a look at the underside. What are some good/reasonable bumpers/sliders for the 1st gen? I have a friend with a bikini top; I was thinking more of like a "Softopper" style though. And yes, I love the removable roof :D

I think the red with the black softopper looks nice! Also, I like the tube bumper on this! Who makes this? Or could it be homemade? Looks sort of like the AddictedOffroad one. Not sure though..
ry%3D400
 
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