Thinking of selling my t4r - need advice

elcidsurfer

elcidsurfer

New member
Hey y'all, I haven't been on in a while but I'm looking for some advice on what to do with my 87 t4r now that I've got a baby on the way.

Some back story and info on what I have now...

I am getting a company truck in the near future and will be allowed to take it home and use as my DD but can't use it on the weekends or on trips, as expected. Problem is, that will give me four total cars at the house and I don't have the room or the money to keep all four.

My DD 87 t4r 5 speed - 90k on a rebuilt motor, 300k on the truck itself. Freshly replaced stuff - radiator ,water pump ,battery ,alternator ,starter, coil, front windshield, rear window motor, Alcan rear spring, Bilstien shocks, and misc interior and exterior cosmetic parts. I drive 40 miles round trip to work every day plus it goes from sc to pa twice a year for family visits. No rust, great condition, gets 24 mpg only bad thing is its just old, potentially unsafe with kids on a trip and could cost me a fortune if it were to start breaking down.

My wife's DD 06 wrangler 5 speed - 65000 miles, 3 in lift kit, 33 ats, and other heavy duty suspension upgrades, hard top, soft top, water proof seats, and other misc accessories. Biggest downfall - bad mpg and no room for family on trips.

Project - 67 mustang, motor is rebuilt, slowly working on the body now.

The mustang is the project in the garage and selling is out of the questing. But like i said, I don't want to waste the space in my driveway or the money on insurance and maintanence by keeping both the jeep and Toyota and one becoming a weekend driver. So what do I do between the two bellow options that will be best for a baby on the way and needing a reliable DD for my wife as well as a trip vehicle?

A). Sell the jeep and use the money to pay off some bills and turn the old t4r into a vehicle that will last another ten years as a DD and trip car.

OR

B). Sell both the jeep and the Toyota, pay off some bills and buy a newer more reliable and family practical 4runner or 4 door jeep. (I specifically list going right back to the jeep or toyota because I refuse to by a car or van and I love toyotas and jeeps).

Any and all advise is welcome and much appreciated!!!

Thanks!!!
 
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all personal choice
if you have a family the newer 4 doors are better, but parts will be more costly
i personally hate jeeps because everyone and there brother owns one same thing with mustangs.
1st gen 4 runners are rare and neat you just dont see them as much.
but as i said its all personal choice.
let me know if you do sell the yota.
 
id say part out the 4runner especially if its a 22re. there is way more money in the parts of the vehicle than the whole thing is worth. if i ever have to get rid of mine that is the way i will go, it will really hurt to do it to your baby but where im from the parts of a 1st gen t4r will almost pay more a 2nd gen or some not so easy on the eyes 3rd gens.
 
If you want to kill the car count while keeping the mustang, it sounds like you need your wife's daily driver to be a perfect road trip/family car. 3rd and 4th gen 4runners are quite reliable, spacious, and safe. 4th gens are particularly large and roomy, with a nice powerful 4.0 V6.

I'd say go for one of those if the wife is willing to let the wrangler go. And how badly do you want the 1st gen to stay around? I can't see it getting "expensive" to keep around. The motors are reliable when properly maintained, trannys are cheap as dirt, etc.
 
Option a, no contest. Turn the Jeep in as down payment on a decent 3rd gen or LC, and ignore the Mustang for a bit while you get the 1st gen back into a condition where you trust it again.

Jeeps are capable and fun, but they just don't compare to the Yotas in terms of reliability or safety.
 
I would go with option a too. I trust my Yotas mine has 235k and I would takit on,trips. I have 3 kids and I have no problem putting them in my first gen. It would be a little shakey foe a baby though
 
I appreciate all the input fellas.

As I'm typing my wife and I are in the yota on our way back to sc from wv (1000 miles round) and the old girl is doin great as usual. We've done a lot of talking and I think the decision has been made to loose the jeep. Its just not nearly as practical and eventually the mustang will be reatored (in ten years or so, haha) so that will be the fun car. Now the question remains, to keep my baby or sell it as well and look for a 4th gen in good shape. Also, on the trip we made a list of what we know needs to be done to the yota in the near future. It is as follows;

Replace oil pan, replace power steering pump, replace rear passenger side E break lever at drum, replace drivers side window regulator, replace rear seat belts, replace passenger seat release cable, replace two in-dash lights, fix exhaust pipe brackets, replace O2 sensor, diagnos idle issue.

A lot of what is on that list I'll do myself, plus I'm takin her in for an oil change this week to our local mom and pops Toyota LC specialist and see what his thoughts are as well.

I'll keep y'all posted!!!

Thanks again!!!
 
Got the Yota back from the shop Friday for it's normal servicing. Had my mechanic go ahead and replace the PSPump since it was leaking onto the Alternator and didn't want to loose that in the near future. My mechanic gave it a pretty clean bill of health. Only serious concern he had was the oil pan drain plug which unknown to my knowledge when I bought the truck had been lost and replaced with a random one from a previous mechanic. Problem is the treads dont line up and any little bit of extra tightening it slips and pops out. So I guess Im gonna need to get a whole new oil pan. I just dont see how I could rethread the pan without taking it off so I might as well just get a new one. This is definately something I need to do very soon. But other than that no real safety or mechanical issues that need to be addressed in the imidiate future. Looks like I'm keeping the old girl for a while. Yippie!!!!
 
Worst case on the oil pan, get one from rockauto.com They have one for about $65.

How mechanically inclined are you? Most little things on these runners are easy to take care of with basic tools and a little bit of mechanical confidence if you can read a chiltons manual or a factory service manual. Doing things on your 4runner will save you a lot of money and will make your 4runner very affordable to keep for a long period of time.

I would assume that if you're able to restore a mustang then you should be able to do just about anything on your runner.

Either way, good luck!
 
I'm no mechanic, but do have the confidence to do basic bolt off bolt on fixes. I've already saved a ton of money doing a lot on the runner my self (radiator, water pump, alternator, starter, shocks, ect) but some stuff I don't have the tools for. I could do the oil pan myself but would need to get ahold of an engine lift so I could clear the front axle when removing the pan. May make the decision just have my mechanic do it.
 
I don't know about where you're at, but there's several places around here that will rent hydraulic engine hoists. You could look into that.
 
Update to my predicament... or should I say solution :-)

Sold the '67 Mustang last month. I know, I know, I said we wouldn't get rid of it, but money talks, haha. Currently selling the '05 Jeep TJ. Once it's sold, I will be in the market for a 3rd Gen. T4R for my wife.

Best thing is I get to keep my '87 T4R and if I get a company truck at the end of the month then I get to turn it into a "build" project.

Been doing alot of research on the 3rd Gen. forum and have it narrowed down to a 1996-2000 Sport, SR5, or Highlander models. We definately want a 4x4 with a 5-speed. Not particular about the 2.7 or the 3.4, they both seem to be great. Would like to grab one with less than 200k miles, so y'all keep your eyes out ;-)
 
BV, why you say the 2.7 is junk? Are there actual mechanical problems associated with it or the fact that the 3.4 is more powerfull, just as reliable and gets only slightly less mpg? Just curious....
 
2.7 is a non rebuild-able engine block when it fails typically the crank nose breaks the crank nose main bearing seat.
it also has a issue with under fueling and burns valves.
just my experiences with several of these engines. the 3.4 is far better.
 
elcidsurfer said:
BV, why you say the 2.7 is junk? Are there actual mechanical problems associated with it or the fact that the 3.4 is more powerfull, just as reliable and gets only slightly less mpg? Just curious....
Click to expand...

I used to have a 99 Tacoma with the 2.7l, and I agree with BV. If you are going to buy a 3rd gen, you should defiantly get the 3.4l.
 
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