@@MrOhcock - Agreed, if it isn't loaded with the latest electronic tech, people won't want it. And the manual only gearbox would be a major show stopper today. Still, it's a classic from a bygone age. It would be interesting to compare it with a 2019 4Runner.
+West Coast Roller How bout them head gaskets though? Don't get me wrong, it's one of my favorite vehicles, but the amount of times I had a 22r or 22re in for a head gasket at the shop is ridiculous.
+Braxton Bunner Head gasket failure can be a combination of many things.....warped head, incorrect torque tolerances after gasket replacement.....most miss this step to RETORQUE head bolts after 500 miles!
thelittlepilgrim I prefer squarebody's as the most beautiful truck but I have to agree 80s and 90s Toyotas trucks are some of the most beautiful vehicles I've seen.
@@LiquidSolids that is actually really funny tbh. My dad daily drives a 1990 K5. My grandpa daily drives a 1988 K5 during the summer and a 86 in winter none of them have major rust which is good because this is a state known for rusting Vehicles out all three running better than any Ford or Toyota this family has ever owned my mom daily drives a 95 4Runner and has had a engine swap because her motor blew up at 250, 000 miles is on and still pulls semi truck trailers with ease and he just has a stock small block 350. His truck isn't a whole lot of modification the drivetrain has nothing to it the suspension not much and that is it. My mom's 4Runner has broke down many times before the engine swap and after where my dad's K5 has never had a breakdown other than a starter going bad after 6 years of owning it other than that basic maintenance and it goes stronger than most. My grandpa is 85 had an engine swap at 70000 miles because the original owner shoved a screwdriver in the cylinder hole and broke it off so we replaced the engine ourselves and had no issues that truck is completely rust-free fully restored brand new engine and more reliable than his wife's brand new Dodge SUV. most people see broke down messed up and brought it out because those trucks were built for beating where the 4Runner was not though people do beat it up the K5 will always take more hits than a 4runner. if taken care of properly I guarantee you GARENTEE you. it K5 will Outlast any 4Runner of the same generation.
Now this actually is a truck. I get so annoyed when someone calls a modern Rav4 a TRUCK! STFU! A modern 4runner is still truck based if I'm not mistaken.
Of course the 4runners a truck! This is how it was made: Step 1: Take a single cab toyota truck and add a camper shell, rear seats and rebadge as 4runner Step 2: success
The current 4Runner is still a body-on-frame truck, based on the Tacoma chassis. The Rav4 is based on the FWD or AWD Corolla platform, with independent suspension and a unibody.
Man do I miss the mid 80's-90's imports! Addicted to watching these retro reviews. I'd love to see cars & trucks like these hit the streets again one day but sadly it's all about plastics and weaker construction. I cannot think of many mid-sized 4x4 that were any better than this 4Runner - legendary driveline!!
Don't forget this beast had a turbo 4 cylinder option, 135 hp / 173 ft. lbs tq. I owned the Xtra-Cab 4 cylinder turbo pickup of the same year. I loved this truck!
@@williamhussey1611 yeah, but you could get the super rare Digital instrument cluster. And manual swaps really are easy. Most 4x4 turbo trucks were sold as Automatic too. Seems about 30% of 2WD Turbo trucks were manual. Keep In mind, the top of the line, expensive, luxury turbos and SR5s were being driven by professionals, Women, older people. Sticks were for muscle, and economy cars back then.
I have a current video of a friend who bought one of these with great views and insights. I will say, I used to remove the top on my own...solo, while the truck was lifted on 35's...lol. Not easy, but I had a method...no ropes or hoists either...just me...lol. Unbolt it, get behind the truck and slide it backward. Once far enough back, pitch it down to the ground. Then get underneath and I would walk like a turtle with it on my back...lmao. That top is heavy asf...lol
I got a laugh out of "multi-purpose vehicle." I kept expecting him to say SUV, but it was never there. I can remember watching these old episodes in the 80's with my dad. I thought every car was cool back then.
Technically SUV doesn't exist, they're actually registered as a Carry-All, there isn't an SUV registration. Its truck, car, or Carry All, unless maybe they've changed it recently. I know my 1988 Ford Bronco 2 says Carry-All on the registration, as well as the 94 4Runner.
The term SUV arrived sometime in the ‘90s. I remember getting mad when the newspaper changed the classified category from 4WD to SUV. Felt like such an insult.
These 4Runners were great. My brother-in-law bought a brand new SR5 3.0 Liter V6, 4-speed automatic transmission model in 1987. It was nice to drive with its new independent, torsion bar, front-end, taking the top off was nice too. The video's comment concerning the A/C's lack of cooling ability is correct. We spent a week in Palm Springs, Ca in the middle of summer in '87 and try as we may, the interior would just not cool off. Nice truck though.
@@jamesdewer The 3.0 Liter V6 was first shipped out and sold in mid August 1987 as an 88 model. This has been and is still today common practice. 1986 was the first model year for independent front suspension for the 4runner in the United States, Canada had a few 1985 models sold with ifs for testing. Solid axle stayed for many years in Japan, South America, Africa, Australia, etc into the mid 90s and beyond for truck and 4runner
Fun fact, 88 and 89 V6 3.0 were solid as a rock, as a Toyota mechanic for 20 years I've known many first owners that went 250,000 miles and beyond on these 3.0 V6 with ZERO Head Gasket issues. 1990 on they had SEVERE issues, many failing at 50,000 to 80,000 miles. Quite sad.
HAHA today it would sure cut down on the number of drivers if manual transmissions were still the only option. Gone due to the laziness of people today. Many other countries though the manual transmission is still the only option.
Have ‘86 4Runner that my mom purchased in 1989. Still runs good on original engine with 150K miles. Obviously not used as a daily driver, but get it out every month or two.
I remember first seeing the Toyota 4Runner. I found it more versatile than the pickup truck it was based on. It could carry people if one is so inclined, or you could use it for carrying things, or even both. I find this generation 4Runner more attractive than anything that came after this. :)
I have fond memories of buying a new early '84 4Runner, 4 cyl (carb), 5sp man, man locking hubs, rubber flooring & no back seat (had to order it through the parts dept). It only had 3 options: a/c, a cheap radio & power tailgate window. Exterior...there wasn't a speck of chrome in sight. On the road, it wouldn't get out of it's own way, but off road (where it went a lot) it climbed like a billy goat. The good ole' days.
Shit, I would just keep the top off. I never understood why 4runners were two door models at one point. But since it was a truck first it makes a lot more sense now. Also I am surprised a 1985 truck had a roll bar. Way to go!
It is cool to see a review of a first gen 4runner, if only there was a review of a toyota pickup. I am curious to see how my 86 pickup fared when it was new.
I don't remember this kind of truck, but when I was about 4, or 5...I rode in the truck itself....nice riding when up that high...which what most of the Toyota trucks were like...awesome ground clearance
+Jorge Bobe Final year for the first gen 4runner was 1989. I have an '89 with a removable top. The truck was upgraded in '89, but the 4runner didn't get the same treatment until '90.
I drove my 1988 from 1991 to 2018. it survived 30 years and was great till I got side swiped and damaged beyond repair. Someone ran a red light into me. anyways love this truck soooo much, i just purchased another on and will pick it up this week, Looking forward to many fishing trip with my new, to me, ride.
The 22R was a workhorse. I had a '88 4Runner with the new V-6. Terrible motor. Under engineered oil delivery ports left this engine to seize up at 50,000 miles or so......so very un-Toyota like.
I have a 1985 4Runner SR5 at the moment. Best of both worlds. Last toyota 4x4 truck in America to come stock with the solid front axle, plus it was the 1st year for the fuel injected 22re. Unfortunately I may have to sell it soon due to an unexpected surgery, sad faces
The first generation Toyota 4runner was basically a Toyota pickup (similar to the one Marty Mcfly drove in Back to the Future) with a back seat in the bed and a shell over it and WALA it became a success.
A couple things. I like how the driver has a band-aid on his thumb. And I also like how he totally rips it through a smooth section of grass in a city park.
I always liked these 4Runners, although they were slowrunners and tended to rot prematurely. (The V6 4Runner tested on the Jan 2020 Retro Review was much quicker although it remains slow by today's standards.) These first-gen 4Runners had a solid appeal and look-good factor - and in all my days, I never once saw one on the road with the top removed. It looks hilarious!
This 1984 nearly fully loaded 4runner had Sunroof (300.00 dollar option), and equalizer radio (700.00 dollar option) and many more. Anyway if you telaported this into the future, this perfect condition, with a few hundred miles 4Runner would easily be worth 100,000 dollars USD Today !!
Okay for you historical buffs, this is a test of an '84 1/2 4Runner. The true '85s had EFI not carburetion as shown in this video. Also, he states it had power windows but the video shows window cranks.
I have the 22RE in mine, but I think the 22R was still an option for 1985. Just not too sure how many people took the lower powered carb'd engine though
An SUV that can turn into a truck by taking off the top and you have basically a full side truck bed or Just use it as a convertible SUV? They were ahead of the time!!
This video inspired me to do a current walkaround and buyer video with a friend of mine. We did some canyon runs and went for some great footage. I just posted it on my channel to add to the great 1g 4runner content on RU-vid!
