What's the big deal? All you 3rd genner's keep talkin' about how great the 3rd gen is. Yes, the ride was a little nicer, the electric 4wd button wouldn't disengage until we rebooted (must be windows software), It wasn't that much peppier than my anemic 3.0 with the 5 speed. Oh...It did have a locker. 64k miles, Limited, $24K.

I was showing the salesman all the battle scars on my 95 and talked myself out of the deal.

It just wasn't that much better than my 2nd gen. Am I missing something?

 

Personally, I think the 3rd Gen steering wheel looks way better than the 2nd Gen version...

Hey, if you like your 2nd Gen, keep it. On the other hand, there is an advantage to having a 3-year-old truck with 60k on it vs. a 9-year-old model with more than 200k. That just sorta makes sense, wear-wise.

I've spent quite a bit of time as a passenger in a 2nd Gen while living in Iceland years ago. The owner, a friend of mine, had added a slight amount of lift, larger tires, and a winch. He beat the piss out of that '91, and it never stumbled. And this was in '93. To me, the 3rd Gen is a refinement of what Toyota achieved with the 2nd Gen. To each their own.

Andreas

 

Im with you totally. I would never get rid of my 2nd gen. unless it was a 96-97 at a great deal.

 

I've got a 2nd gen and a 3rd. The 3rd is a MUCH better ride, much more power at highway speed, better brakes and handling. I notice my 3rd gen seems to have a much more rigid frame. It doesn't creak or anything or squeak on bumps and corners like the 2nd gen does. It also has a lot more bells and whistles, while not necessary, sure don't hurt. And it has a rear locker and just as competent if not more so of a 4wd/off-road capabillities. Of course i'd never pay anywhere in the neighborhood of 25k for a 3rd gen either.

 

$24K is too high in my books also. BUT...
I'm going to look at a couple of Landcruisers today. One of them sounds veeeery enticing. 1994, 106K miles, asking price is $13K. Now THAT could talk me out of my 2nd gen...expecially with lockers.

I just hope Lady Hayduke loves it also.

 

I had a 1991 SR5 4runner (2wd) and I knew I wanted a 4wd and better safety features ( My son was on his way) So we kept looking at all the 4runners that popped up at dealers and drove 5 or 6 '94-'95 runners... then there was this 2001 and drove it...I knew I needed it. It drove like a tank compaired to the 2nd gens. My only regret is the fact that I got a 2001 vs one with the locker option.

 

The 3rd gen was probably an auto, and yours is a 5-speed. Try driving a manual 3rd gen and see if you can tell a difference. My auto was a lot slower than my dad's 96 5-speed (before I added my S/C)

 

Very few 5 speed manuals can be found. Which is another gripe of mine about Toyota. The only truck type Toy I can get with a manual is a Taco reg cab or extra cab. 4Runners up to 2000 had optional autos on the SR5. The 5 speeds are rare.

 

I drove a 2001 and 2002 that were both 5-spd..you just have to look.

 

I agree. Its stupid that the Tacoma DC only comes in an auto.


Didn't the 94 LC's come with the I6? Those are going to be more gutless than the 3.0 & 3.4L

 

I-6's are usually known for their torque. Yeah, I've heard the LC is slow...I believe they're commonly called "iron pigs". I've lived with my 3.slow for 6 years and it's really not that bad. The torque comes on fairly low and is good up to about 4500 rpm. Trouble with most folks is they try to make it move by redlining it. There isn't much above 4500. And mine still manages to get up to highway speeds and then some. I'm 46 and I stopped measuring my gonads using 0-60 times quite a while back.

 

i drove a 2nd gen (was a 94, 4wd, locker, auto) after i had test driven a '99 sport. i see it in reverse, how can you possible see a 2nd gen as better than a 3rd??

the 3.4 has a lot of power & torque in its stock form, and i think its the best looking of all the gens, though i have seen some 2nd gens and 4th gens that are amazing, not to mention that 1st gen on here that had like 32k miles!

i love my 01, locker or no locker...

 

You are on crack Lee The best bay far is still a 1st Gen I love those old runners.

 

Comparing my 94 and my wifes 99, the only thing the 3rd gen has over the 2nd is the 3.4. Both our Runers have the exact options. The steering is the only thing that feels tighter on her Runner, but I also have 210,000 miles on mine. There are things on the 2nd gen that the 3rd doesn't have. One is the ability to easily/cheaply add manual hubs. I don't see any difference between brakes or frames from 2nd to 3rd. They're slightly different, but both built well. The 3rd gen has some nice upgrades like digital odometer, and better cup holders. These are all small things to me. The motor is the big difference.
The I6 in the Landcruiser is a very good engine. The newest ones have 4 valves/cyl and make a lot of power. I6's are the best style of engine to have.

 

I didn't say my 2nd gen was better...The 3rd gen just wasn't that much better. Especially $24K better. IMHO.

 

oh, well if youre talking about whether its worth THAT much more money to own a 3rd when you love your 2nd, of course the answer is clear: keep your 2nd gen.

but i wouldnt go around saying the 3rd has few improvements.

 

Let's see...
2 coils vs. 4 (3rd gen wins)
3.slow vs. 3.4 (3rd gen wins)
Limited package with 5 speed vs. Limited package with auto (my 2nd gen wins)
Moonroof vs. moonroof (tie)
Not too many electronic doohickeys vs. too many electronic doohickeys (my 2nd gen wins)
Great looks vs. great looks (tie)
Tail gate vs. lift gate (my 2nd gen wins)
Manual hub option vs. expensive manual hub option (my 2nd gen wins)
Not afraid of a little road rash vs. #$@%%^ (my 2nd gen wins)
Little plastic on exterior to break vs. More plastic on exterior to break (expensive Toy fender flares) (my 2nd gen wins)

No payment vs. working for the bank (my 2nd gen wins)

So Lee...Your '01 is beautiful. My '95 is GORGEOUS (until it blows a headgasket).;-)

 

Hey I vote do as you wish. Honestly if it weren't for my distaste of airlines and the fact that I take a lot of long trips, I might be driving something substantially older than my 3rd gen. But, the 3.0 does not have the reliability of the 22re or 3.4. And the 3.0 and 22RE can't tow a car/trailer behind them whereas the 3.4 can. It's all personal preference and what you need. If you like the 2nd gen and see no reason to change, then I wouldn't try to convince you otherwise. Simply neglecting the fact that Toyota made some substantial improvements in most all aspects of the vehicle between the 2nd and 3rd gens is somewhat strange, just like if I were to say the 3rd gen is a better truck than the 4th (although the 4th gens haven't been out long enough to draw a concrete conclusion), from an engineering standpoint. I think between the 2nd and 3rd gen, both have adequate offroad capabilities, and the reliability is similar aside from the one major component, that being the engine. Therefore, it comes down to money, needs, and personal preference IMO.


Oh yeah, what's wrong with the 4wd on the 3rd gens? Seriously, the only reason I can come up with is you think you need manual hubs so when you lift it, and have your CVs at ridiculous angles you can unlock the hubs so the axles don't turn and wear out?

 

hahah.. i like how almost all the comparisons were based on opinion.

anyway, do what you want, im really not trying to argue with you on it -- im just saying i love my truck.

 

I'll throw some more out there.
Back windows go all the way down on the 3rd gen.
More speakers in the 2nd gen. Better placement in 3rd gen.
Two side compartments in back of 2nd gen.
Map lights can come on as dome in 2nd gen.
Courtesy lights on doors of 2nd gen.
Rear wiper hidden on 2nd gen behind wind deflector.
ABS and air bags on 3rd gens. These are two things I could definetly do without.
Power antenas easily break on 3rd gens.
2nd gens steering system is much stronger than the 3rd gens.
Pockets on the rear doors of 3rd gens.
Hugh ass front bumper on 99+ that hinders approach angle. This is why my wifes car doesn't go offroad a lot anymore. The lower part of the bumper is all scrached

So its really a compromise on which features are more important to you.

To me, I saw more little changes from the 98-99 than 95-96 (my wife had a 98). There were a lot of things that weren't carried over to the 3rd gen and were nice features. Of course the 1st gens had features like removable top, and rear bumpers hooked to the frame instead of the body.

IMO the ONLY thing my wifes has over mine is the engine.