1990 Toyota 4Runner | Retro Review
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Even though the SUV market was ruled by Cherokee and Explorer, there was still plenty of room for the hip and sporty 1990 4Runner.
Show 928 | Original Airdate 04-07-1990
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The lack of plastic body cladding makes old school 4x4's seem classier.
The 3.0 blew head gaskets left and right unfortunately. The 3.4 was a much better engine in the 3rd gen. I still like the looks though.
3.4 blows head gaskets as well
@scott8238 and so did the early 1GR-FE engines, but not as much as the 3VZ-E engine.
I just did a quick search for 1990 4Runners for sales near me and well kept examples are going for about the same purchase price in 1990. Slow and thirsty but very capable and will last if you keep up on them.
Oh no the head gasket blowing 3.0 😂😂
800 bucks for extras LOL
Worth more money now than when it was new.
That's because these things rusted into oblivion within 3 years. Nothing rusts faster than Toyota crap
@@Welcometofacsistubedon't drive it on salt roads. Duh🤡
No it's not
@@Welcometofacsistubethis is around the time they fixed the rust issues. Toyota is the best car company in the world regarding longevity and reliability. Honda is very close second. Just research any csr info for the last 30 years
I know what I’ve got! ;)
There's this joke that 4Runners from this era had to be recalled... due to the fact that the owners should seriously have bought a new car by now 😂
because the frame was shieet on the long term
The v6 had head gasket issues.
That's the Camry.
I saw so many of these in Afghanistan back in the day that I thought to myself, if they can survive this hell-hole, they will survive a true nuclear holocaust. Truly built to last...
Boy the 90 explorer didn't age well 😂😂🥶
The song that was playing on the stereo at 4:59 is "The Logical Song" by Supertramp.
Bloody well right
Good thing this isn't a gasoline dodge. Otherwise they'd be taking the long way home
I have three of these trucks and love the rugged and reliability.
im curious what model years you got? they stopped updating the exterior in like 2013 lol
I still see these on the roads. Crazy great vehicle.
And they have to be made of rust and have 300 thousand miles if you want to pay less than 10 grand.
@@philsmgb4393 so true. I priced an 90 with 225000 miles…… 20k!!! But, it was perfect.
I dont see em that often more so the 3rd gen. The 3.0 engine wasn't great
You don’t see them in the rust belt, they disintegrated in a few years.
I have a 95 with 135k here in Texas
My brother has a very well kept 1990 4Runner, 4 cylinder, 5 speed, 4WD. Bone stock, low miles, slow and dependable. Manual locks and windows.
They aren't necessarily slow bud trust me
@@4runnerMancothe 4-cylinder has barely 100 hp it is slooow
@@4runnerMancoI have the 3.0. They call it the 3.slow for a reason bro😭💀
If you can get around how underpowered it is, solved in the 1996 redesign, still a solid vehicle, 30 years later. I drove it back in 1992, and enjoyed my time with it
Some guys will swap that 3.4L 5VZFE into these older trucks with the “3.slow” blows a head gasket
This engine is one of the best sounding truck engines I've ever heard, especially with a severe exhaust leak, as mine had almost all throughout college.
My 2014 FJ Cruiser 4.0 V6 has entered the chat.
You are joking, right? I’ve owned 2 v6 2nd gen’s and 1 22re. The 4 cylinder is certainly the best sound and performance.
The 3.Slow? You’re kidding right? The 3vz makes the same sound as a kid with asthma after running a mile, oh and it eats head gaskets like crazy.
Little tanky SUVs should have a torquey straight six or a V8.
Toyota needs to get back to these amazing trucks! I live in an upscale neighborhood and yet my neighbor a few doors down still drives a 90s 4 runner as his daily! 4 runners are amazing.
5:08 "Headroom is plentiful " right as the tester hits his head on the headliner and glares at it 😊
I like how he says plenty of headroom and the guy gets in and hits his head.
Great vehicle for the time. The 3.0 V6 was underwhelming. The 3.4L that came a few years later was a huge improvement
Great vehicle f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶.
Fixed it.
@@doug6191only good for the time because most of these Toyotas with the 3.0 v6 were very unreliable
@@notyourcarNYC Nah. Great vehicle. Not all came with the 3.0. The 4Runner was great.
@@doug6191 clearly missed the point of either of our comments
@@notyourcarNYC Nope. I know your point - the V6 was problematic. That applies to the V6s. The vehicle is great even if the engine had head gasket issues. They became legends among off-road enthusiasts. That means they weren't great "for the time"; they were simply great.
I still see this truck on the street to this day but can't say the same for it's competition.
100% agreed
i work in a toyota dealership and this truck literally has not changed beyond updating small comforts and safety since they released it. i cant tell most of the model years apart unless its from the 90s or im physically sitting in it, but that really doesnt matter anyways. this machine has outlasted every terrible buyers market, government crusade, and safety recall you could throw at it. people love em.
Except for the 3.0 v6 that eats head gaskets...
@@scott8238only if you overheat the engine, proper cooling system maintenance can't be overlooked
I'd rather have Jeeps 4.0 Inline 6. Good power and was good for over 300k miles
Lol, it’s a joke right?
@@JC-xc8rxLol both of my Jeep Zj’s have been super reliable and their 30 years old. The 5.2 is unbeatable for that era
Interesting how the Jeep and Explorer was less money. I guess they didn't consider that those are 100,000 mile vehicles, and this Toyota is a 500,000 mile vehicle.
A friend of mine had this truck in college... we discovered that the cargo area was a thin single wall construction ... and that pony kegs should be well strapped down .... and gained a rugged look with a few circular dings in the back from that bouncing pony keg. Good Times.
What? There's a bonded metal cab frame structure on the insides of the cargo area that hold the interior plastics, panels, speakers, etc. up, just like most any other SUV from the 80s up to today. Was his cargo area gutted out and then the bonded structural metal sawed out to where a keg in the back could possibly make contact with the quarter panel skin?
Why was it so much more money? Because they’re still running and driving 33 years later
In that beginning scene where the 4Runner pulls up in front of John. I want to know how many takes that took to get right? Between flinching because it’s so close and maybe once or twice getting a little too close. 😂
Ive owned my 1994 4runner for a few years now. It has 349 thousand miles and still going. Reliability 10/10. 22re 5 speed
That's awesome. I've wanted a 2nd gen 4Runner for a long time. Only seen 1 in person that was 22RE, but it was automatic. Seems like 98% of them are v6.
Got 3 old 4x4 Toyotas ('87 4Runner, '88 Pickup Xtracab, '94 Pickup Xtracab), all 22RE DLX 5 speed, and they've been great. I've avoided the v6 like the plague haha. Needed an SUV and found the 1st gen 4R a year ago from a neighbor. 1st gens seem to get way more love than the 2nd gens, and it's cool and all, but man I would really prefer 4 doors.
Maybe 22RE 4x4 5 speed 2nd gen 4R's are only uncommon around here in Alabama, but you've got a unicorn as far as I can tell.
Thank you. They are rare here up north. NY. I will hang on to it as long as I can. You have some nice rigs.
Had one to 417,000 miles and sold it running after 30 years. Funny to see it compared to the Ford Explorer. 😂 Please.
I had an old Explorer. They actually aren’t bad vehicles. If you take care of they have a rep for lasting 300k or more. Full disclosure, I have a fourth gen 4Runner now though 😂
Rode in a friend's Jeep years ago and couldn't believe how it felt like the tires were made of carved stone and I thought "Why would anyone buy this thing?"
I remember working at a Toyota dealership when these were sold new. They were pretty good workhorses for their day.
This version of the 4Runner did eventually get 4-wheel ABS. I recommend finding one with the 4-wheel antilock brakes already on it.
God I love these throwback review videos.
It's crazy to hear them describe this vehicle as being too tall for some people. SUVs and trucks have gotten so huge now that the old 4RUnner looks like a sedan in comparison
Vehicles in the USA have had to get larger to match the expansion Americans have had since the ‘80s…
@@stevemcgowen manifest destiny into the middle seat.
What? It's because of obesity...@@l.e.miller1208
Head room is plentiful as the guy grimaces after bonking his head on the roof lol😂
That 4-runner is probably still trucking away somewhere
More likely it rusted away or blew a head gasket before the turn of the century.
Lol. Motorweek was definitely carrying the big three’s water in 1990!
The big 3, is called a trash bag of union built crap.
Exactly, complaining about no airbags at @6:24? Lol, a huge reach.
They never asked that about the '91 S-10 Blazer & expensive Oldsmobile Bravada or the '91 Explorer, yet this one got such a ding.
Nothing in this class had a single airbag until 1994 ('95 S-10 Blazer), let alone two ('95 Explorer).
Toyota couldn't install them in the old Hilux based architecture yet, so they opted for a full redesign in late 1995/early 1996.
Toyota was ahead of both GM and Ford by 1996, in having a thoroughly new design and not just a heavy facelift of an existing platform from the 80s.
I'd say Toyota came out on top with a safer design overall until 2001.
Hey John Davis had to eat
The V6 is where I cut my teeth doing tear down and rebuild with the headgasket campaign.
5:00 “The Logical Song”by Supertramp.
I try to figure out the tune, too 😁
i had the 4 banger version. 2nd owner, i got it with 86k miles. still ran great when i sold it at 219k. i wish i kept it tbh
The logical song on the radio.
My head gasket leaked, as did so many others.
had a 94 pickup with the 4cyl auto never any problems except valve adjustments at 80 to 90k dealership charged $400 back in 99 still running good at 190k when sold 4 runner looks like it had more leg room sets up much higher than 2wd pickup
Love hearing that clip of Supertramp on the radio.
The desert that he is standing in literally.That exact spot is my family's old property.That was stolen by demon Californians. I remember them filming this like it was yesterday. . Also we are the creators of 4runner mafia
Still one of the best looking SUV’s built. Inside and out. Straight up. The best feature on that vehicle is that it has an actual tail gate - people forget how useful a tail gate is until you don’t have one lol
I still drive and heavily off-road a 2nd gen, super underrated and underappreciated generation of 4runner
The 3.0 v6 turned out to be a bad design and blows head gaskets.
I'll keep my Jeep Cherokee XJ over this any day
I had a 4Runner a couple years older then this one, and currently have an 06 (with only 96,000 miles on it) and I'd take the old one of this one. For some reason I was so much more comfortable and confident driving the old one. So much so, I just traded my brother an 11 CRV with only 63,000 miles for the 4Runner. It was never the vehicle I hoped it to be.
I still have my 1992 4Runner here in Queens NY. Almost 32 years old! When cars were built like tanks!
Was it built in 1991? I have a press video from January 1992 of the facelifted model, but thought those were already out in late '91.
@@nwezetx1 I'd like to see that press vid! I've got a '94 Toyota pickup 4x4 DLX 22RE 5 speed that of course shares so many parts to these 2nd gen 4R's, but also didn't get nearly as changed during the '92 refresh as what the 4R's did -- just a slightly changed bumper (now 1 piece), valence, grille, and corner lights, still using the old sealed beam headlights, whereas the 4R's got the full flush headlight housings with more modern bulbs that remove from the back side.
@@cbh148 It was generally a B-roll, dated January 1992.
I could be wrong I haven't watched it in one year.
My channel for uploading videos I can't find the password and it predates Gmail being mandatory, so can't retrieve it.
I'm guessing unlike the '92 Pickup, maybe Toyota released a 92 4Runners in January 1992, which is ironically when they began development of the 1996 third gen that same month.
Apparently the '92 pickups got a refresh, at the same time in 1991 when the '95 Taco mockup had been fully designed.
It's interesting how Toyota does that on purpose though.
Some things never change, like the price of a 4Runner. A good condition 1990 4Runner still costs around $20,000.
I bet the one in this video is still running around with 600k miles on it.
Wasn’t the 3.0 like the worst Toyota engine ever
30+ years later and they still can't muster much better than 16 MPG. But I wouldn't trade mine for a Jeep.
The new one's weigh almost 1k lbs more
Just bought a 2013. Look forward to owning it the next 10 years
Best SUV of Toyptta 4Runner 80s amd 90s
That 3.0 was such a mixed bag. Either you got a good one or you got one that blew head gaskets and was slow
They only blew head gaskets if the engine got over heated, usually due to low coolant....lack of maintenance
My head gaskets got changed under warranty in 1991, but they were not leaking.
About 6 years later the the gasket blew around the #1 cylinder, I changed them myself. If I remember right there was around 6 upgrades to the gasket
For those of you saying "I bet it's still running today" the 3.0 V6 would gain a bad reputation for blowing head gaskets. It is the worst V6 and one of the worst engines Toyota ever made.
These things were also death traps, even by early 90's standards thanks to absolutely no reinforcement in the doors, what you can see from the outside is all the side impact protection you got. The 2 door sold version as well as ventilated condoms, and was discontinued relatively quickly.
I have an early 3rd gen, but I always loved the styling of these, and it's even smaller. The drop down tailgate was great.
Despite all this I would still buy one today if I had the room for it
My original 3vze and loads of other's whom I regularly see on the road are still running today well past 300k after the massive service campaign that basically fixed the issue save for a few morons constantly redlining it with a broken cooling system. I'd still take a 3.4 over it but not much else..
@@godstrashman Knew someone would say this. Yes, lots of people owned them and were happy. But it undeniably failed to live up to the expectations of a Toyota engine where it can take a beating and keep going.
Its more on the level of a German engine that'll break the moment you do something mildly abusive. I've seen enough of these for sale with "blown head gasket" to convince me that these engines are so worthless and your better off swapping in a 5vz if it gives you problems. Even the 4 cylinders (3rz 22RE) are preferable, none of these engines make huge power, but at least the I4 will last
wish they kept the drop down tailgate
yeah, good thing the fine folks at Motorweek opted for the domestic competitors. real tough decision between this, the jeep, and the ford in 2023 🤔
Slalom tests should be excluded from all non-sports cars. Trying not to loose points on that is why modern cars all have rock hard suspentions. I hit about thousands of bumps on my daily commute and I feel every one of them but rarely ever have to zip around cones as fast as possible.
Its funny how the 4Runner went from a pickup with a factory camper top/bigger back seat to a legit go anywhere 4wd mid sized station wagon. The leap in refinement/usefulness to the family man was just astronomical.
I like this
I’d pay top dollar for one of those 💯
For anyone wondering that as tested price is $56,741 adjusted for inflation.
One of my neighbors has a 2 door version of this. I had no idea they even made the 2nd gen 2 door, the things are crazy rare. There was definitely a switch to 4 door SUVs in that era.
Wow, I'm amazed to see car The 4 Runner is called a Hilux surf car for Indonesians, like driving a super 5k 1.5 cc model box Kijang car and an MPV-based Grand Extra 7 k 1.8 CC with a luxurious interior in the 90s, the ignition key is similar It's really like a 4 Runner and 4 Runner SR5 car, the sound of the ignition key is the same as His voice rattling
I drove the 1990, that looked this very same through high school, I graduated from High school in 97’ and I can say that 4Runner aged better than me 😂. That body style still looks good compared to the current SUVs.
Definitely a beautiful vehicle. A very close second in my garage to the XJ Cherokee with 4.0 4x4 and LSD If I were back in 1990.
3 point sloooooow v6
hahaha...i turned 19 when these second gen 4Runners came out and never knew that these reviews existed. thanks youtube! my 1990 4Runner with the V6 auto is my camping and motorcycle towing vehicle. they are well built and have a solid feel. fold down the rear seats to create a truck with a camper...that was the original concept of the 4Runner.
Out of the box, not anything spectacular off road. Fantastic platform for building a trail rig. Solid axle swap, toss the trash 3VZ or horribly underpowered 22RE and swap in a 5VZ or 1UZ + R150f.
These old vehicles are more reliable than new crap produced by American companies.
Sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night
The 3.0 had a penchant for eating head gaskets and was underpowered. The 3.4 was worlds better. The 22re had timing chain guide issues that could be easily corrected. They do rust some. Decent but overpriced now in 2024. Il take the monero/sport, rodeo and Pathfinder instead. Reasonable price in decent shape. No Toyota tax.
Y'all had me loving believing shit you say till you said the ford explorer could out handle off road better than Toyota.... Now I question everything you say.....
Nothing but the best. Toyota 4Runner!!! I've owned generations 1st-4th and they keep getting better. Waiting on the 6th Gen.
Between the sluggish performance, quirky handling, awful gas mileage, high price, uncomfortable seating position, rust issues, and tendency to blow head gaskets, these were pretty terrible SUVs in their day.
Haha yeah my next door neighbor had a 94 4runner v6 5 speed.. bought it new.. sold it 2021 with 122k on it... he got 14k
Wow what an INTRO!!
Did John script that?
But seriously, I mean there are way more old Ford Rangers on the road than these.
Have been waiting for this video for a while. I have a 95 4runner. So much fun offroad.
16mpg? underpowered, bad brakes top heavy expensive at the time, but still see them on the road.
Great 4x4s.... But like Subaru 2.5 EJ engine plan for a Head Gasket replacement on the 3 slow
The 2nd gen sold well when it was new but the the headgasket failure prone 3vz-e sent many of them to the junkyard early on and it tarnished the reputation of the 2nd gen 4runners.
$23,776 in 1990 is $55 grand in 2023. I don’t think new 4Runners start at $55k.
The term "SUV" wasn't coined yet
Well the 1974 Jeep Cherokee was the first car to ever be called an "SUV".
It had been in sporadic use for 2 or 3 years back then.
This is basically a Toyota Hilux badged as a 4Runner.
OMG, dude! You cracked the case! 😮
@@doug6191, I know!
Still have my 91. Almost 280k on the original chassis.
Best 4 runner ever ….
3.blow
1990 4Runner still on the road. All others died after 5 years.
Even when this thing was brand new, it looked like it’s been sitting in a driveway for 30 years. 🤣🤣
This is basically the SUV version of Marty McFly's pick up in Back To The Fyture
The ‘83-‘89 runner is the McFly equivalent.
@@poivre22 MCFLY!!!!!!
@@82_KIDMCFLY... Yeah you don't know what you're talking about.
@@poivre22Exactly lol
@@nwezetx1 MARTY! (And. Yes I do lmao)
23,000 if you had a mint one, it’s probably worth 60 now
🤣🤣🤣
When it was literally just a trust with a shell on the back.
Was there a difference between the 4Runner V6 and the 1MZ-FE they used in the Camry, Avalon, ES300, etc ? I had a 1999 Camry XLE V6 and even past 300,000 miles it was still the smoothest engine i’ve ever owned
They are different engines yes
This 4Runner has the 3VZ-E (and later the 5VZ-FE in the 3.4). Early V6 Camries used the 3VZ-FE before being replaced by the 1MZ-FE
The 4Runner had the 3VZ-E from May 1989 to December 1995
The Camry had the *3VZ-FE* from October 1991 to September 1993, debuting in the redesigned 1992 model.
It switched to the 1MZ-FE in September 1993 and used it until 2003, through two redesigns in 1996 and 2001.
@@niia.3642The 1992 and 93 Camrys had the 3VZ, but not so much the earlier 2nd gen with the 2VZ-FE from 1987 to 1991.
Been looking for an 84 to 1992 Toyota 4runner or Pickup for years. I've seen these models listed at 30k and above.
A Hilux with a covered bed. Solid truck.
4x4x4 drive a 4 runner specialty 😮
I remember my sister buying a new 1990 4Runner for like $26,000. What is crazy is that same month my brother bought his first HOUSE for $25,000. Gotta love the 90s and inflation. Zillow says that house is worth $145,000 today.
Funny how all the review complaints are about the benefits of this great vehicle. "High to step out of", "Top heavy" that's what you get with high ground clearance. This is the reason why North America has been left with fwd based 4 door minivans as "SUVs" rather than great little truck based machines like this.