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get an 80-85 toyota, preferbly 85 cuz thats with fuel injection and the straight axle and bob the frame and you have a super capable trail rig thats incredibly easy to work on. The toyota is much more simple than the wrangler, take a look under each and you will see that the toyota has a lot less stuff that can be broken and that makes it easier to work on as well. I have an 86 but i just finished the straight axle swap and now i think i am going to put a diesel into it
every toyota truck before 1985 has the straight axle, it was 86 when they began using ifs
Just gona throw this out there, what about you get a good gas mileage car? Something that might get over 25 mpg.
But if ya really want one of those go with the toyota, by far more reliable and way easier to work on.
I'd go the route of Toyota, although I'm a bit biased as I've owned 3 yota's. First off, you'll love having the bed even if you can't think of a use for it right now. I'd be a bit careful around the 3.0L engine that came in those years though... I've owned two 4runners with that engine and both were troublesome (compared to something like a 22re or the newer 3.4L.) Headgaskets were recalled, and it's for a good reason- they go quite freqently... I had 3 done in my 92. Other things that come to mind are crappy fuel pumps and leaky valve covers. They are also a slower, less efficient engine. Don't plan on seeing good gas mileage if you end up getting one, I was getting around 14mpg in mine. Body rust can be a problem depending on the area you're in- here in B.C. it is practically impossible to find a toyota 4x4 of those years without rust or significant body work. Parts are expensive and can be a hassle to replace... Even something as simple as the fuel filter had to be located in a god aweful place above the frame rails.
Having said all that, they are still very capable trucks and I'm sure someone knowledgable about Jeeps could come up with a similar list of problems found in those trucks. If you find a 3.0 for a good deal, just get it checked out by a mechanic before sealing the deal so that you know if you're going to be dumping tons of money into it in the near future. If you find an old 4 cyl, good on ya- it'll still be ticking when you have false teeth.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the 93 4rnner uses coils in the rear, not leafs. When I was thinking about lifting my old 4runner I browsed around the net and found that lots of people just swapped in some springs off Landcruisers and added new shocks, giving them 3". Searched 4runner "landcruiser lift" or something on goolgle and find the part numbers. You could probably find some landcruiser springs in a junk yard or something for super cheap
