http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=184949565

I drove down to denver the other day and looked over this 89 4runner. It is showing only one spot of rust on the body on the front right wheel well near the passenger door. The owner says that his father is a retired mechanic and did an overhaul about 10,000 miles ago. It started up quick and felt smooth at idle. I did a tight turn and didn't feel any popping. The undercarriage isn't showing excessive rust. So the question is what else should I be looking for on this car as far as problems and what do you think would be a fair price?


karl

 

when were the headgasket and timing belt done? How's the interior (water damage etc.) from having the top off? Make sure the transmission doesn't have much slop...I've got a 91 with a v6 and 5 spd and there's so much slop you can't tell if its in gear or not, time for a new transmission. I don't know too much about 1st gen 4 Runners so hopefully someone else will chime in. I do know that you can get alot newer 4 Runner for $4k, I know because I'm looking for one right now
Good luck

 

"but wife is making me sell because no time to go fishing." this guy needs to add some more verbs and pronouns to his description before i can make up my mind.

 

He checked the timing belt and noted that it did not look like it needed changing. During my test drive the transmission felt solid, the clutch had good engagement also. He stated that the top has never been removed, he didn't want to break the seal and have leakage. I called toyota and gave them the vin and they told me there were no open repair campaigns on this truck, I'm not sure what that means, either it was done or isnt offered. I only spoke to a dealership I didn't call toyota directly. I dont have toyota's customer number.

karl

 

timing belts need to be done every 60k on our motors so make sure you're within that period...if theres nothing open on it then the headgasket recall was already performed which is a good thing

 

the sloppy shifting is proabably caused by the rubber bushing in the shifter. it was mentioned in the july 2005 Four Wheeler mag. i need to replace mine too. id check that issue out, its got alot of toyota stuff in it.

 

We just picked up a Runner EXACTLY like that! I love the color! The only difference is that ours has a 350 V8 Here's ours:

 

thats definately nicer than the one I'm looking at. Nice score

 

I bought the truck on friday and went directly to aspen for a camping trip. 500 miles later and there are no noticable problems. Now I'm going to add a new radio and speakers. I'm also interested in doing an add aleaf install. How dificult are those to do on your own or should I take it to a shop to have it done?

karl

 

You can do it on your own definately... me and a friend did mine in no time at all...

Ian

 

I love mine! $4k seems a little high for that many miles. Guess it would depend on what the overhaul included though. Good luck!

 

I talked them down form the $4,000. I'm pretty comfortable with what I paid. It was exactly what I wanted and I trusted the people I bought it from. After loking at was available at some of the dealers on Broadway in denver, I knew that if I could find a private party to buy from who would be honest and tell me what the car had been through then that would be the perfect situation.

karl

So when I search for leaf springs I can only find aftermarket lift kits. Where can I find oem leafs and shocks?

 

Direct fit replacement springs will be hard to find, except from Toyota. I put in the Rancho soft-ride add-a-leafs and have been happy with them. Ended up costing over $200, which is about the same price I was finding for the aftermarket kits. They all say x" of lift, but don't say if this is lifted over stock dimensions or worn-out, 15 year-old dimensions. I've heard both stories. Let me know if you want some more info on the Ranchos.

 

I used the Procomp Explorer Rear add a leafs... like them a lot and are still looking good... only like 50-60 bucks too

Ian