Thought on a '91 4Runner.

Hi Angie, while I dont wish to discourage low cost touring, see my post above, I believe you are looking for grief expecting this car to tow a van around Oz. I have
a single cab with the same motor, & a power pack it is not. While a tough & reliable
engine, this has its best years behind it, even with a good service history.Check the
online car sites & I'm sure you can find better value for money. I would be looking
for a petrol six. cheers.....oldbaz.

Ive owned a 2.8 4runner, and while yes it was a great car for 4wdriving I wouldnt buy one to tow a van around oz..a camper trailer maybe, but not a van. the rear window is also a bugger if it fails as if you have a cargo barrier you cannot get your item out of the boot area!
as suggested I would be looking at a v6..a jack or a pajero for the same price range and definately a bit more comfortable than the 4runner, and they will easily handle mild offroading.

Hi Angie,

We dont have a caravan, but I thought the conventional wisdom was to get the van first then find a suitable vehicle to tow it?

Cheers,

Val

Had one. Couldn't recommend it. Things kept breaking. The rear window which can only be opened electrically from inside the cab was a real pain. The motor that drives the window doesn't like dust much either.
We sold it and bought a much older 60 series Toyo diesel. It saved us a packet. Costs a little more in fuel but the other repair costs have been much reduced and the extra power and space have made travel and towing much more comfortable (after we replace the seats in the 60 series) The seats in the 4 runner were the only thing I preferred on it compared to the older 60 series.

We had 92 model with a 2.8d. While it was a good reliable 4x4 it seriously lacked power. We had a 20ft ski boat. I towed it once, to the servo and it struggled. We went to Fraser Is. in it. Good fuel economy. IFS front end is a bit weak. Axle/diff housing seals prone to failure. Otherwise, we had very little trouble with ours. Things like the rear window are easily fixed. Parts are fairly cheap. In the 5 years we had ours I did starter contacts, injector pipe, front diff seals and rear wheel bearings and seals, and some electrical repairs. Wouldn,t have spent 500 on all that.
If you just want to travel around they are OK IMO, but I wouldn't tow with it.

All depends on what you are towing, I have owned a 90 forerunner that I fitted with an after market turbo and a 2.5 inch exhaust for the last 8 years and would not sell it for anything.

Yes it's old and not that fast, it will do 100 easy towing a goldstream van, however it does not like steep hills.

On the plus side, the motor normally goes forever with easy servicing, I use mine to go up dunes that cruisers and patrols fail to make and it has never failed me and has done more than 500,000 kms.

Yes the window can be a problem, however you will know when this is about to happen with more than enough time to replace the motor.

If the model you are looking at is in good condition and for the right price then consider it, modern cars are good but with the electronics they can be a pain, ever tried to fix an ECU or a sensor.

Cannot comment highly enough on the forerunner.

Hi Angie, as Oldbaz has mentioned, there are some good vehicles in and around Melbourne, you should have a look at www.carsales.com.au and search for something under $10,000, eg. Jackaroo, and I wouldn't rule out a twin cab ute with canopy (plenty of storage room), below are two examples that I found.

Jackaroo

Rodeo

Regards,