2wd 4Runner

[supton]

My brother has a '96 2wd 3.4L V6/auto 2 wheel drive one that apparently he wants to get rid of. Said he'd give me a break from KBB "good" condition; it's a southern vehicle so none of our northern rust.

At 20mpg it wouldn't be a daily driver, but rather a backup vehicle for my 40+mpg TDi (which is showing its age). But at upwards of $5k, that would make for an expensive albeit long lived beater. [For the record: 100 mile round trip for work (highway miles). NH winters bring lots of snow. And road salt.]

But at 2wd... What would the point be? I stay home when it snows though, so 4wd is merely nice, not absolutely necessary. The real thing I want in a spare vehicle, other than being in running shape, is the ability to better move the trashcans that barely fit into my Jetta Wagon (45? gallon Rubbermaid ones, usually have two to take to dump on trash day). Since the vehicle is 'bout 1200 miles away, I can't peer into it (and I don't know anyone with a 4Runner around here to peer into).

I'm thinking that this vehicle, with whatever all-seasons it has on it (at 80% tread) is not going to do as well as my TDi with its Hakka 2 snow tires; so it'll make a lousy winter vehicle unless if I pony up for some snows. And even then, it's RWD/auto vs torquey FWD with a clutch--I'm thinking FWD would win out. But rust free, possibly cheap (maybe mom talk him down for me!) and potentially with more/better interior hauling space than my Jetta, with Toyota reliability, and getting me a spare vehicle in case mine is in the shop...

Thoughts?

 

[123Saab]

Imho its a 2k vehicle at most..

 

[chubbs1]

With your driving plans for it it may make a good addition to your lineup. I have a friend who had the same exact model vehicle and I always enjoyed driving it. It has a pretty peppy engine the only thing I am not sure of is how the back seats come out. From what I remember it was great for passengers but a regular trunk could fit more in it. Maybe someone can chime in on how well the back seats fold or come out. It was a good driving and comfortable vehicle.

 

[supton]

Yeah, I was hoping for less--when I first did the KBB lookup, I used the 4 cylinder/5spd manual data, and got a number I could live with. 3.4/auto, not so much... since it looks like a bump from the base vehicle to a "limited", whatever that brings.

Not sure how I'd use it. The kids right now still have problems getting into grandma's CRV (4&6) so definately not much of a family hauler; plus the Camry is a favorite of, well, all the family 'cept me. [I hate the seats. I like the car except for that. The 6spd/manual helps the hate though. The new car smell helps too. But the steering makes me want to fix up my Jetta, no matter what it costs.] So maybe removing the rear seat and making it into a bicycle hauler / trash hauler would cool.

 

[JHZR2]

my wife had a 2wd 4runner. 91 or 92 IIRC, one of the early 4 door ones with triangle windows.

It was like a glorified station wagon with better ground clearance.

 

[supton]

I like station wagons.

But if it rides like a truck, then it oughta be a truck, methinks. I drove MIL's '04 CRV, and the ride was truck like (low acceleration, bouncy ride) but w/o the truck attributes (payload, bed, ability to be beaten, etc).

 

[123Saab]

Its pretty old truck Supton, Might be better for the family peace to have your brother sell it to someone else.

That way there never would be any hard feelings when things break down.

 

[Cutehumor]

$5k?? your bro is scammin you. you should tell him to give you a family discount.

 

[supton]

I was going off KBB values--I'm not actually sure what model it is. He hasn't given a price; he picked it up to flip at some point. So I'm not sure if it's 2k or 3k or 5k. 5k is too much, no matter how good it is; 2k though could be workable--nothing around here at 2k that is rust-free and 'yoda reliable.

Eh, just tossing around options. Hate to pass up a good deal.

 

[supton]

Got photos of it today. Looks clean, SR5 3.4L/auto, alloys, towing package, cloth seats; a stab at KBB shows $4.5k for "good" with 100kmiles. Sounds kinda pricey for something I wouldn't drive in snow.

 

[supton]

Ok, 229k, more like $3.7k.

 

[MrCritical]

Clean $2k vehicles are bringing $4k-$5k today. Sad but true.

Sounds like a good vehicle for someone, but not you.

I'd pass. Time for a t-belt?

 

[supton]

That's what I'm thinking. 4wd for that price, or $2k; and preferably both. Or something with more mpg's, or a bed, or something else to the mix. Too much $$$$ for what I'd get, relative to what I could use.

Dunno on the belt. Sounds like they are non-interference motors, and cost less to do than my TDi though. Probably needs one, per Murphy's law.

Thanks all.

 

[Ausfahrt]

I sold our '96 4Runner with about 135000 on it miles back in '09. Here are some pics from the CL ad:

It was a RWD with the 3.4 V6 and was an SR5 model. I listed it on CL for $4800 and ended up getting $4300 cash for it.

I hope that this provides a little bit of a reference for you. Good luck.

 

[supton]

That looks 'bout the same as the pics I got from him--well, more info, better shots of the interior, so more help. Thanks.

I should track down more info on the rear seats and cargo height--one of my big gripes about my Jetta is the tossing of the 45 gallon trash cans into the back. They're only 29 inches tall, but the Jetta is only 31-ish tall. And the cargo cover-thing has to come out--already lost one or two defroster bars from the window hitting the trashcans when that is in place. Oops.

 

[Swift]

Nobody buys (hardly) a 2WD 4Runner.

 

[supton]

Yeah, it seems odd, doesn't it? I guess some people have their reasons though. Me, I'm not sure if I "need" 4wd (managed for over a decade w/o); I'm more after a spare vehicle with more cargo capacity than my current car (the Jetta Wagon).

 

[addyguy]

I've always liked Toyota interiors - they are very well laid-out.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
I've always liked Toyota interiors - they are very well laid-out.


Most mid-80s to y2k Japanese cars were like this. Nowadays people would complain about the plastic.

But the stereo is its own compartment and switches out easily. If you add fog lights, there's a little plastic square that pops out for the switch. Etc.

If BIL bought it to flip, he should get with flipping it. Some idiot will buy it for his daughter to take to college. Resale is too high for a 15 year old car, because of the name. Good and bad.

RWD is not that horrible in the snow if you have van like weight and decent ground clearance. We all got around before 1980!

Will a TDI pull a 1000 pound trailer? HF sells baby trailers for <$200 that would be great for dump runs. Just add plywood.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Will a TDI pull a 1000 pound trailer? HF sells baby trailers for div>


That's what I would recommend. Even a $500 trailer from a big box store or Tractor Supply Company would do the job here. You could get a small Class II hitch that would remain mostly hidden when not in use.

I was really into the 3rd vehicle thing a while back, but found I never used the truck I had, and decided that I'd rather have the $3000's worth of truck and insurance payments for other things, so I sold it and bought a very sturdy tube-rail utility trailer with a ramp used from a friend for $300.