1993 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Just because you buy a Toyota, doesn't mean it's going to be a good vehicle!!!

Faults:

Brake calipers keep sticking and warping my rotors. Replaced calipers and rotors. The problem will not go away. At first I thought it was my driving habits, but this has never happened on any other car I have ever owned. Toyota brakes are hard to work on.

The power steering pump has gone out twice. It is impossible to remove the pump without first removing the pulley; ridiculous! There is no easy way to get the pulley puller in the engine compartment. I had to use a few tricks to pull this one off.

The interior plastic quality, in this vehicle, is poor! My dash is beginning to crack. I have never ever had a dash crack on my American cars! Not to mention the various other plastics around the car that are showing ware. I am not very hard on my vehicles so I think this is a weakness.

General Comments:

Overall, its not a bad... Car. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a truck. Its just not robust enough.

I have to say, the paint for a 1993 Japanese car is outstanding. My 4runner still looks brand new. The Germans didn't even have the paint process down in 1993. The seat material is tough too!

The other cool thing about this vehicle is if you are into off roading, parts are very inexpensive. Used parts are easy to find and cheap too! Just hope you do not have to fix anything internal to the engine or drive train because parts (quality parts from Toyota or NAPA) can get expensive. Toyota's can be great if you are savvy enough to do automotive repair yourself.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st April, 2007

1993 Toyota 4Runner 6 cylinder 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Not the Toyota dependability I looked forward to

Faults:

Radiator blew at 127,000.

Head gasket blew at 129,000.

General Comments:

I would not buy another V6 truck from Toyota.

I traded out my 96 Rav4 for this 93 4runner because I needed more room. What I got was a money pit.

The previous owner maintained the car well and was basically used by a mother to run errands.

I checked with the dealer following the failure of the head gasket and found out the head gasket was replaced by the previous owner in 98 following the recall. Now it needs to be replaced only 50,000 miles later? And the recall is only good for one replacement!

A coworker informed me they had the same problem with their 93.

The car really isn't that comfortable or great looking so I fret I have wasted my money and time on this vehicle. I could quite possibly have to replace the engine for thousands after the $2,000 to do the necessary repair work. Even if the car was immaculate I couldn't sell it for much more than the repair costs!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th June, 2006

1993 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.0 EFI V6 from North America

Summary:

Great, Dependable SUV

Faults:

Brakes went real bad at about 129000miles... Most of the brake lines disintegrated, right front caliper froze.

Rear Window Motor doesn't work which is a common problem with the older generation 4Runners... the rear window seal is bad and the water seeps through and rusts the gears.

Minor Rust not much for the year.

Average stuff such as Tires, oil, air filter, tune-up, etc.

Had a bad idle when I purchased it... Replaced Plugs, Wires, Distributor Cap and Rotor, but now is good.

General Comments:

This car is pretty dependable besides the normal things. I bought it for only $3000 which is $2000 below Kelley blue book value. So I got a pretty good deal, however, I spent $630 to get the brakes repaired, $550 for new tires (Over-sized), and about $100 on the stuff for the tune-up. So that puts me pretty close to that value now. It runs great now on and off-road. A Pleasure to drive, especially on the highway. Off-Road the truck is a beast... She will pull through much of anything.. I even pulled out a G.M.C Jimmy, which was buried in mud up to the fenders, with ease! I bought it with a monster brush guard and recently put some Baja off-road lights on it... Makes the truck look like one mean machine. I would recommend this car to anyone looking for a great, dependable, versatile SUV.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th February, 2006