I am currently finding out as much as i can about 4 runners, as soon (hopefully within the next year) i will be looking for my first truck.

Right now i'm looking for a 4 runner between 85' and 89', because i want the removable top, preferrably EFI, and possibly a solid front axle if i find one (but otherwise it dosen't really matter).

I was wondering what the difference is between SR5 and Deluxe, i saw a deluxe for sale around my area, and i never knew there were 2 different models...i've heard things about how they are different but i can't remember, any help there? whats better outta the two??

one more question is about the truck i saw in my area...it's a black 1989 4 runner deluxe, and it is 4,999 dollars. here's some info on it...please let me know if you think it would be worth the money, or if i should see if he will go lower on that price...as we can't afford that much right now anyway.

COMMENTS:

Clean, Well Maintained, No Rust, New Clutch and Timing Chain. No Oil Leaks. This truck drives and looks great!

OPTIONS INSTALLED:

Air Conditioning; Alloy Wheels; Compact Disc Player; Rear Window Defroster; Power Door Locks; Power Mirrors; Power Windows; Power Steering; Tinted Glass; Tilt Wheel;

CAR'S DETAILS:

Price $4,900
Mileage 212,000
Exterior Color Black
Interior Color Grey
Body Style Sport Utility

Doors Four Door (what is up with the 4-door thingy by the way i have never found the other 2 doors is this a mistake????)

Engine 4 Cylinder Gasoline
Trans. Manual
Fuel Type Gasoline
Drive Type 4 wheel drive

 

I've personally never heard of the Deluxe model (only thing I can think of is maybe it was from Canada).

Anyway, '85 was the only year 4Runner's came with a solid front axle. I believe the V6 became available in '87, but don't quote me on that one. Also, I think all 1st gen's came with the 22RE (unless they had the V6), which means they are all fuel injected.

 

The 4Runner History Page shows the Full Standard Equipment & Option details of the Deluxe and SR5 packages for the model year 1989.

 

"Deluxe" was essentially the base model. Notable highlights of early 4Runners:
'84 and '85 were the only solid axle years
'84 is the only year it came with a carburetor (22R), all others are EFI*
'86-'89 IFS
'86-'87 22RET turbos available
'88-'89 3VZE 3.0 V6 available


*note- there are reportedly carbs on some early '85's and EFI on some late '84s but these are rare exceptions.

 

Sorry for some of the wrong information I gave ya'.

 

deluxe is the base models of old skool toys.

SR5 upgrades include:
nicer upholstery bucket seats
nicer interior panels
nicer center console
some may have rear heaters
split folding rear seats
SR5 gauges (tach, volt, oil, fuel, temp, speedo)
chrome fender trimming

most of the differences are in the interior.

 

thanx for all the help, this will really help me narrow things down. After all my research and asking q's on here i pretty much know what i want now;

1988-1989 SR5 4 runner with either engine, but i'm leaning toward the v6 if i find a incident where i have to choose, because it will do better with larget/heaver tires... and isn't to much more of a guzzler than the 4 banger...

i can't wait to find one!! during vacation this summer it's possible that we'd find one and get it if we see one in SoCal or oregon...not sure if my dad will go for it though...

 

I'm likely wrong but...Isn't the 22RE not much less powerful than the 3.0? Also more reliable?

 

Price on that is way high IMO. I'd be looking more in the 2-2,500 range. Delux doesn't have the bells and whistles. No RPM gauges, no nice power windows and locks, more basic interior coverings, things such as this. They just had less options and cost less.

 

84 and 85 were solid front axles.
There were Turbo models in 86 and 87.
The v6 appeared for 88.
The 22R was around 96hp
The 22R was around 106hp
The Turbo was around 135hp
The v6 was 150 hp and much more driveable and reliable.
In 84 85, and 86 there were THREE model 4Runners. Standard, Deluxe, and SR5.
I used to be able to quote the model numbers, my father always called them by model - 8201 was a 2wd short bed plain jane pu (the standard,) 8401 was a short bed plain jane 4x4 pickup (Standard model) - sold for $7999 every day of the week in 1985.) The Standard 4Runner did not even have a back seat at first. There were quite a few of those in 84... Very few in 85 and no more after that. The Standard had vinyl seats, no backseat or floor mats. (They were beating the import tariff my importing it as a truck, see?)
There were a few 84 XtraCabs and 4Runners with EFI, and a few 85s without EFI. Almost all 1984s had a white top regardless of the color of the body. The reason was the demand so far outpaced the production capability they couldn't make tops fast enough. Canada still got white tops far into 1985 production. I remember seeing pics of thousand of finished 4Runners all lined up, with no tops on em. The deluxe had a plain dash with a speedo and warning lights, base radio, base cloth seats (not very adjustable etc) plain jane. Black trim and bumpers outside.

The SR5 didn't come standard with power windows and all that stuff. It had nicer seats with very nice cloth interior, full gauges and decent stereo, some add' body soundproofing, rear seat heater w/ separate controls. Option packages were Moonroof, 8way seats, Chrome package, Power package (cruise, wipers, windows,) Tinted Glass, AM/FM Stereo Cass with EQ, Clearcoat Paint (in select colors) and Gold painted wheels in 84 (by the way an 84 SR5 is very very rare!) chrome wheels in 85. (Power mirrors weren't avail till 86) That's about it. Mine had every available option (my color was special order clearcoat Gold Pearl) in 1985 and carried a sticker price of $18,300 - a LOT for those days, just like now! To put that in perspective, I bought a 1985 SR5 short bed 4x4 also with every available option in 84(get this - black was a special order clearcoat paint option - $509! and they were rare! THen they made it a standard color in 86) (I traded it on the 4R at 14 months old.) and the sticker on it was $14,800, and the advertized sales price that ran continually for a Standard 4x4 short bed no frills was $7,987.

I agree, even it was absolutely immaculate, it's worth perhaps 2500 tops with 212k on it. In typical condition not even that much.

 

I'll chime in, mostly just to muck things up even more.

As far as price, I'd say, dependent on whether the truck is as good as the ad claims, it's probably worth it.

There is NO substitute, short of a frame off restore, for proper maintenance.

I would sooner, provided I had the money, pay double a $2500 price if it were to make me far less likely to have to dump thousands into a truck that had never had it's oil changed, or coolant flushed, etc.

Good luck.

 

as others have said, the delux is the base trim and the sr5 is the nicer trim level. i have a '89 dlx that i got last year. i payed 2500 for almost the same truck you're listing. i think i got a really good deal on it, out here in colorado the mark up on used suv's is really high. when i was doing my autotrader search i only found one other truck cheaper and it was in terrible shape.

the 2-door/4-door thing is a stupid thing with the vin look up. i don't know why, but 4runners always come up as 4doors.

 

OMG thank you guys for all the replies, this was a rather old topic and i hadn't been on in a while and wanted to thank the others for their help, and i didn't mention that truck hasn't been for sale for a while so my guess is that it sold, but your info still helps because i'll know what is too much next time i see a 4 runner... thank you all so much for all you've done...this is amazing. I'm so glad i found this forum, i don't even have a truck yet and you all are so kind in helping me!! But i will have my license soon, and all this will come in handy, i wouldn't be suprised if i print all this later down the line for reference.....

The funny part about this kinda, is I have my first drivers training session tomorrow at 12!!

I can't wait until i get my truck... my bud just got a 1990 dodge avenger with 97k on it, the dodge counterpart of the mitsubishi 3000 GT, which is a car i've had my eyes on....he's really lucky... but he'll probably wish he had a truck when I drive past him where there arn't any roads...

 

You mean stealth I assume. The avenger didn't come out until the mid/late 90's.

Stay away from the stealth's man. Those have major rod bearing failures, even on the non turbo's, and you're talking big $ to fix it. Stay with something light and easy to work on if you want something sporty (celica/civic) that won't kill your wallet with repair bills. Remember you pay to play. I think you're on the right track looking for a 4Runner, they have proven reliability, are quite durable, and very fun to play with.

Whenever you find the right truck, get all the details of it and come here for any help/negotiation points that we may be able to offer you.

 

yes stealth sorry, he HAD an avenger...or at least his mom did... i mixed them up...lol

 

>>In 84 85, and 86 there were THREE model 4Runners. Standard, Deluxe, and SR5.<<
I believe they also referred to the base model as "Utility". Definitely no frills on them which if you are after cheap it can help insurance wise. When I got my '85, the Deluxe model was actually slightly more to insure than a Utility model, but I was happy enough to find one of any kind in decent shape that I didn't care. It only costs me $30 a month to insure now and I could get it even cheaper if I jumped up my deductible. Makes it hard to part with when it costs less than cable to have a spare 4Runner

 

Yep, 3 models. If you read my post above, I referred to my Dad. He was Toyota dealer. Trust me on this stuff, I was 25 years old in 1985 when I bought my SECOND new Toyota 4x4. I emailed my post to him to see how accurate I was, and this was his reply:

The only thing s you missed (I think) are, standard reg cab short bed was an 8501, not 8401, and only the black SR5 pickups and 4runner had something called a "black package" which was the black special paint and the extra chrome strip. The deluxes in black were not the same paint. I still have one of the metal trays that covered the back seat attachment points in the 4runner "trucks"

One other thing, the ancestor to the 4runner, available by special order in 82/83 was a conversion done by Winnebago on a short bed called the Trecker. I only ever saw two of them. They cut the back of the cab and the front of the bed out, insalled a flexible seal and a back seat and the necessary upholstery.

 

I disagree on the Stealth/3000 GT. I bought a 91 Stealth with 40k on it and sold it at 100k, ZERO defects. I then bought a used 94 3000 GT VR4 and drove it for 4 years and sold it for what I paid for it - again with not one single repair. Oil and filter, that was all. Very happy with those cars. Of course, I may have just been lucky, but I have never heard of any problems with them at all. The newer Mitsu products (like in the last 3 years) are amazingly crappy - nothing ever works!

 

My mom had 2 as well, drove the 1st N/A until 120k and then sold it. It ran fine. Ran the 97TT until about 65k miles and timing belt went, taking out some valves. Never had rod bearing failures. If you frequent the 3si board however, you'll see it's an obvious problem, and I also had friends who owned import shops where I'm from and they worked on them a plenty for this type of problem. I'm not sure if it was due to improper lubrication or what, but it's not just an isolated case, it happens on a good number of them. Nonetheless, the n/a versions don't offer a whole lot of performance, just more luxury, and therefore, I would not suggest someone who is on a limited budget purchasing one. Just my .02 though, and I'm not sure if you could talk me out of a 3si and into a civic/celica for the same money when I was that young. Live and learn.

 

I just was looking for a 4Runner not that long ago (I've only had mine for about 6 months). Personally if I had to choose between a 4cyl and a 6cyl I'd still go with the four. Its more reliable, and if something should happen, its way way way easier to work on. You always hear about the 22r/re's that go 400,000 miles, but I haven't heard that much on the 3.0's going that far. Not to say they won't though, my mother's 94 has a 3.0 and its got 200,000 with no problems at all (except normal maintainance) and its still goin real strong. But personally, I'd stick to what I was looking for and bought, a 22RE and a 5spd.