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1995 Toyota 4Runner – 3.0L V6, 5-Speed Manual, 4WD, Aisin Hubs - $9,900 (La Jolla)
1995
toyota 4runner
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The time has finally come to let go of the truck that has taken us on so many adventures. If you’ve been looking for one of these, please read on and see if this one fits the bill.
This second-generation 4Runner is one of the most iconic of the Japanese-built era. It’s easy to maintain, short-wheelbase makes it competent off-road, and unlike the earlier generations, it has enough creature comforts for daily use. It’s also the last generation with the fold-down tailgate — probably the single nicest and most useful feature Toyota ever dropped — before the 4Runner started looking more like a wagon.
We maintained this truck with the idea of keeping it forever. Kids are grown, and we just don’t use it anymore. It comes with a thick stack of records from our ownership, a clean history, and it passes smog every year.
Mechanically it’s excellent. I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it to the snow tomorrow, drop it in 4-Lo, and let it crawl up any mountain. It won’t win races, but off-road it’s unstoppable — last trip to Big Bear I cruised past people in brand-new Range Rovers that were spinning out.
Cosmetically, the exterior is mostly original. We swapped the steps for proper rock sliders, and I did a Satoshi grill mod (original grill included). The seats have no rips and the sunroof works without leaks or any issues. The paint is showing its age; you could repaint it or just keep driving it another 100k. No major rust issues, just a few small surface spots (see photos). It has few minor issues as you would expect for a 30 year old truck, AC could use a recharge, starter switch is sticky and probably needs replacing…
Some of the recent maintenance and upgrade items included amount of maintenance (OEM or better, mostly at The Truck Shop, San Diego):
• New clutch
• Timing belt + water pump
• Radiator and hoses
• Valve cover gasket
• Distributor
• Slotted/drilled front rotors + new calipers
• Moog rear springs + sway bar bushings
• Bilstein shocks
• Michelin Defender tires on OEM alloys
• Marlin Crawler short-shift kit (makes shifting a joy)
• Fluids replaced regularly throughout life
• Alpine ILX-650 head unit with dual amps + new speakers (wired CarPlay, sounds great)
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Most bulbs swapped to LEDs
• Cat-back exhaust for a nice tone (and maybe a couple extra hp)
• AC, heater, and even the old-school power antenna all still work
• Rear window motor replaced a few years ago.
• Comes with original owner’s manual, shop manual + a box of “bits and bobs” accumulated over the years (including surf pads). It still has the original mats. Tires are Michelin Defender LTX with plenty of life left.
If you’ve read this far, you probably know these trucks well. I’ll just end with saying that these are getting harder to find in truly well-maintained condition. Many didn’t survive the “cash for clunkers” years, and of those that remain, most were beaten up and have a lot of “deferred maintenance”. This one has been in our family for 25 years, never in an accident, and always cared for.
I wrote this ad 2 years ago and couldn’t bring myself to do it, the thing is like a member of the family. Every time I drive it… But the time has come, and it needs to go to someone who will keep using and enjoying it.