Dan91

The old Grand Wagoneers had it too.

mrfajita

I almost got an 86 for free from my dads friend, and I did some research. SAS are expensive on the post 86 IFS models, even a front axle housing with no internals are up to 800 bucks used. Would never trade my Jeep for a yota but i'd like one for a trail beater

MD XJ

I think they're really overpriced. I recently saw a Tacoma for sale (early 2000s, maybe) for $13,000 sitting right next to a Ranger which was $7000. Why do Tacoma and 4Runners cost so much? They're good vehicles but not that good...

ike1

It really depends on what year runner you are looking at and what your end goal for it is.

84 and 85 are the golden years for a wheeler. They had the solid axle up front and removable tops. They are cheap and easy to turn into a great trail rig. Downside is they only came with the 22r for a motor so if you will be doing a lot of hiway miles they are slow, uoside to this is 22rs run forever.

Then they went to a torsion bar ifs system from 86 until 94 I belive. The runners up until about 89 kept the first body style and removable top. These are more desireable to wheel than the 90-94s due to the newer ones not having a removable top, having more glass and being very heavy. For engine you have the 22re 4cy, 22rte 4cy turbo and 3.0 v6 avalible. The big downside to these is if you want to wheel big trails you gotta solid axle it eventually. There are no really good performing lifts for the front torsion bar suspension.

The next gen of runner in the late 90' to early 00' is the best for a mild wheeler/dd in my opinion. They went to coil suspension all around. Though the front is still ifs you can lift it up to 3 inches which clears 33s. Motors had a lot more power with the 2.7 4cy and 3.4 v6.

I am not very well versed in the newest gen of runner other than that they have power and are great on the road. Too big in my opinion for the trails though.

ike1

Cheap way to sas a yota is to get a 44 and slap it under but yea you are looking at 3k minimum to do it right.

Ifs will suprise you on the trail though. My taco has been on holy cross, highway to hell, pritchett, rusty nail as well as many unnamed trails in utah, arizona and new mexico that I was told ifs would never make it.

basegrinder

just keep in mind the 1990-1995 head gasket problems. If it was fixed they will have a sticker on the left door jamb

if not...I dont think toyota will fix them free anymore.

jazarra

before a cherokee a really wanted a solid axle yota and i liked cherokees and other jeeps for the same basic principles. the yotas will run literally forever and can go anywhere you point them without putting alot of money into them. The only problem is that they were all very expensive and were from the early 80's and thats a little too old for my 1st daily driver. When im older, i will definately want an early pickup as a trail beater though.

cmack

I owned a Tacoma and sold it over a month ago. Owned it since 2008. 4x4, lifted, factory selectable locker in the rear, etc. Solid vehicle. Very similar to the 4runners. Both are extremely reliable. They both come with IFS though. You will not be disappointed in one, that's for sure, and they generally do not require a lot of work. Another plus is they get decent gas milage, all considering. I consistently was able to pull 20+ MPG, even with mods.

That being said, the Toyota plants are in the US. So while it is a Japanese company, the people who built them are US residents.

I do agree they are priced high, however they do hold their value extremely well. Replacement parts and after market parts sure aren't cheap for them though either.

With the older yotas, the 22re was bomb proof! The 3.0 v6 sucked. 3.4 v6 is solid as well. And the 4.0 is also a good engine.