I need the hiveminds input - 1993 Yota 4Runner

Tomorrow I will be going to look at this 1993 4Runner SR5 4x4. What I know:
220,xxx miles
2 owners, last owner has had it for 10 years
clutch is firm
brake pads and tires have good life left
new starter
good heat and a/c
it has not had any major work done such as timing belt, water pump, head gasket, etc.
the price is in my range, under $3000

I'm not "in love" with it but it will do. What should I be looking at or asking about when I go see it? Thank you in advance for your help!

I don't know anything about them, but I spotted one near me a few days ago that needed a head gasket at 120k, but it was cheap and looked good. I can't find the ad to save my life, but I did find this one, which has fewer miles than the one you're looking at.

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3546626450.html

Also found this which may interest you:

http://hartford.craigslist.org/pts/3526530814.html

It will run forever until the rust bug stops it.

Remember that Top Gear where they try to kill a Hilux and they can't? This is basically the SUV version.

I still can't find that damn ad. Here are some more for comparison:

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/3506396769.html

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/3498811666.html

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/3429986632.html

I hope at 220k it has had timing belts done at some point. They are tough, but the head gaskets are potential problems. A coworker has put over 500k miles on two of these. He has had issues with radiators in both and the current one has developed an oil leak. The first one started using a lot of oil before he sold it. Both were capable off-road vehicles that got him to work reliably. Gas mileage is nothing to brag about. I have a 99 2wd version that is very versatile. I drive it little as I can and in 126k miles have only done basic maintenance, oil changes, O2 sensor and TPS.

Edit: For that price I would grab it if it passes the inspection.

the v6's are pretty durable but the head gaskets are a bit of a wear item, like has been said they don't make a ton of power or get very good mileage, but that one easily has another 200k in it. the rear coils sag over time like that one has, so some Old Man Emu replacements will improve the ride and cargo carrying capacity back to normal.

I bought a 1994 as it came off lease with 52,000 miles on it. At 184,000 I gave it to my kid who put 20k on it. It's no ball of fire, but it's reliable as gravity.

At ~70k I replaced the rear coil springs with aftermarket ones, stock dimensions and properties. For some reason every 4-Runner I see is all hunkering down in the back.

The rear window lift rusted out, replacements are cheap. I live in a land where they salt the roads so anything to do with suspension is going to be up hill, rust! My water pump started weeping at 140k so I replaced it, but what the heck, if you're going to keep it you might as well do all the belts, hoses, serpentine and by then the radiator was mumified. It was ~$1500.

If it weren't for the rust issues I would probably still be running it. Do what you would with any used vehicle of unknown history, change fluids, that kind of stuff. Fellow 4-Runner owners seem to enjoy the crotch cooler in the AC. I like the fact you can roll the rear window down a bit while driving, most cars you are either open or closed and have to get out to change it.

I wouldn't be afraid of it.

Dan

If I ever have to replace the Trooper, 4Runners are on the short list. Head gaskets have been known to fail, otherwise I don't know of any issues.

Look for RUST, saggy-ass rear springs (easy to replace), worn ball joints (not too hard to replace and getting something stronger is a good idea) and damage to the front subframe. Head gaskets and timing belt are the weak points on the engine, but it's pretty reliable otherwise.

If anyone has one and needs a factory hitch let me know. I pulled the hitch at the junkyard and found it won't fit my pickup, well it will fit but probably drag on the ground.

A 93 would have the 3.0 V6, or the 22RE 4 banger.

The 3.0 blows head gaskets, and has all the power of an asthmatic gerbil. Uses a timing belt, but is a non-interference engine.

The 22RE is a tough engine, but not nearly enough engine for the weight of this 4runner. Figure 3rd gear, floored, to go up hills at 40 mph.

The gearing of the trucks of this area was screamingly high, I'd expect the 4runner to be the same. Makes interstate driving exhausting, slow and thirsty.

Thank guys, you are awesome as always! If the weather isn't too miserable I will go see it in the AM.

OK, well I went to see it this morning and there are too many red flags for me, so I thought if anyone local was interested I would post the link in case you want to check it out for yourself.

The first red flag for me, which I knew before going to see it but it was not necessarily a deal breaker, was that the guy was selling it for someone else who is supposedly moving (to FL). What I did not know was that this resulted in him not having ANY maintenance records for the vehicle at all. He said he wanted to assume the oil had been changed every 3000 miles and I said, "Yeah, I want to assume that too, but I'm not".

The coolant was low, as in not visible over the top of the fins and none in the overflow reservoir either. He could not tell me if it had ever been run hot.

There was no oil visible on the dipstick AT ALL when I checked it with the engine cold. He said it had not been cranked in about 4-5 days, and so I had him start her up, and at that point some VERY dirty (almost black) oil was visible on the dipstick.

There was oil weeping from the back of the valve cover gasket.

There was a grinding sound/vibration you could feel upon applying the brakes. He said he thought it might be a drum brake sticking but was unsure.

None of the window switches worked on the driver's side (although they did work at the other door switches) and the rear window switch did not work either.

So, thank you again for your input and advice everyone. I will keep looking.

EastCoastMojo wrote: The coolant was low, as in not visible over the top of the fins and none in the overflow reservoir either. There was no oil visible on the dipstick AT ALL There was oil weeping from the back of the valve cover gasket. There was a grinding sound/vibration you could feel upon applying the brakes.

Good call. Run like the wind.

Same here. Strange: I went to look at a Protege5 and when I got there, the sticker in the windshield showed the oil change was 9,000 miles overdue. That, coupled with midnight black oil and some crunchy crap from the valve cover, told me to run like hell.

You'd think that someone wanting to sell a car would at least have the oil changed and a new sticker.