1988 Toyota 4Runner Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Well not sure how it is stock but my setup was great! Decent gas mileage. Not a lot of power but enough to do the job I wanted. Lots of room in the front seats and back seats. Removable back top was great for the summer weather. No matter what I came acrossed this thing could handle it, snow, ice, mud, sand, rocks, this rig conqured all. Have no complaints with this rig other then it's a little noisy on the highway and the police really didn't like it. I would definitely own another again, I regret getting rid of it!Mar 31, 2014

My 1988 Toyota Hilux 4Runner is a great vehicle, even though it has 300,000 miles on it and 21 years of hard driving under it. Being an old Toyota performance isn't the greatest, but performance was not a priority, priority was to produce a utility that could be used on tough off-highway tracks, and work sights, and it performs great in thoughs areas. Ole' Rusty as my truck is called was factory equipped with the 150 hp 3VZ-E SOHC V6 which is a great engine that is well matched to the truck. The 4Runner is also equipped with the extremely stout R150F 5 speed manual transmission, the transmission is easy to select gears with and feels very firm when put into gear. It has a great semi low first gear, and all the gears up to 4th are very well matched, and easy to change. 5th gear is very close to 4th gear but allows for the engine to only rev to 2300 rpm when driving at 100 km/h or 65 mph. The rest of the drivetrain is built very stout and has not expierenced any breakage or problems it's whole life. The suspension has alot to frown upon, it is very stiff on my model and will pogo stick over speed bumbs,and it is not to the liking of many that are used to the minivan like ride of other trucks. On high speed dirt driving there is very little bump steer and the suspension is balanced and soaks up big bumps without losing traction. Being that the front suspension is a torsion bar independent set up, it does not have alot of articulation, but the live rear axle flexes very well for being oversprung by thick leaf springs. On road there is a lot of body roll and the 4Runner is slow to respond under sudden manuevers, and can very easily get unstable during quick turns, but the truck manuevers very well in the dirt, speaking that is what it was designed for. When you look at the 4Runner it sports agressive, strong lines that not only look good but add to the rigidity of the truck when in a wreck or fender bender, which allows for the vitals of the Toyota to be well protected. My model was the last year to offer the removable canopy that can be taken off and give the cabin an open air feel even though the front seats are still cover by the cab. The air flow is very nice, and unlike a Jeep it doesnot have turbualnce in the drivers compartment so even cold weather doesn't effect you. Just behind the rear seats there is a 2 inch diameter factory fitted rollbar that protects the occupants and helps to solidify the all ready rigid fully boxed frame. The interior is classic, to say the least it is like the rest of the truck in that everything is very solid and rattle free. The 4Runner has very well placed arm rests and climate controls so driving is very comfortable, and easy. Being that my 4Runner lived in Ohio untill 6 years ago, it accumulated alot of salt and debree that rusted out sections of the body around the wheel wells, the frame has some surface rust but the interior of the frame is clean and blister free. Ole' Rusty for about half it's life, was owned by a ferrior, whom just drove it, and drove it hard, on dirt tracks, and fields, and mud, all while pulling a large trailer and haulling hundreds of pounds of horse shoeing material. This took a toll on the truck and now it does have some play in the rear shackles, and front subframe assembly, which are very simple fixes, if the right tools are available. The rust that has accumulated on the front suspension has created one problem when the drivers side shock mount broke, it was easily repaired with a welder. Finally for people that are looking to buy an old first generation 4Runner, make sure if possible, buy one with no rust, and a good mantenance record. They are very dependable, but because of the age care should be taken to make sure that all fluids and lubes are always topped off. If you are a person over 6 feet it might be for you since the cab is based on the Hilux truck cab and is cramped for big people. It's fun to drive and a joy to drive, and will hopefully keep that way for many years to come.Feb 19, 2010

4Runner are the most versatile vehicle I can think of. They can go from a fully enclosed SUV that seats five comfortably to a mostly-convertible form for summer/beach fun or act as a pickup truck and carry sheets of plywood, piles of dirt or a pear tree for Aunt Mable. They run forever. This one has 200+ on the clock and the engine is still strong. They are great off road. Yes! I take my 4x4 SUV off road! Weird, huh? They are cheap! Bought this guy for under 2K. Hell yeah. I love this truck. Too bad I wrecked it (may be returning from the dead though!)Jun 23, 2008