It's a shame...

[Chewy]

Early troopers are very cool, and seem to have nice 4wd (never injured mine) but the head design woes, they are worse than MkIII supras for head(gasket) failure.

[Jaz]

So we've actually found a decent enough 94 4Runner for the right price that is 4cyl... seems like we're heading that direction, although there are a couple of things that need fixing, but I guess I need a few more projects!

We're actually steering away from a Trooper due to a couple of weak points, engine inclusive, plus they aren't quite long enough to sleep a couple of 6ft adults in the back, whereas the 4Runner has just a little more length in the right areas. Still going to be tight though... and I think I'll be getting a roof cage for it at some stage.

I think one of the things that keeps people on this site is more a state of mind thing, plus the community is great, constructive and accepting.

[vixentd]

Check out the back tailgate area for rust. The design is to use the back tailgate the window has to first come down, and often the track rusts out. When this happens you can not open the rear area. Very expensive to find a good used tailgate for a forerunner as this is a real problem.

[sasquatch-hunter]

Hi Jaz,

1st gen Trooper (up to 91) , in the LS model, both sides of the back seat can be detached. They insert into the front bottom of the back seat and turn into a bed ( they fill up the gap between the front and the back seat). If you slide the front seats forward, you can fit up to 6' 3".
1st gen Trooper has tons of room (about 2/3 of the space of a Delica) and they all have LSD rear. They have extensive factory skid plates. But the down side is that the GM V6 is legendary for oil burning (if you happen to have no oil leak). Somehow, oil doesn't like to stay in that 2.8. But a 305 can bolt right onto the 5 speed, if you know what I'm saying. You should stay away from the 4 cyl models.

2nd gen Trooper (92 and up), the back seat cannot fold back flat. It folds forward and took the length space away. The engine and transmission parts are very expensive. The good thing about the second gen Trooper is that they are quite powerful, comfortable, and serious rear wheel travel (coil sprung).

4Runner is great if you do a lot of wheelin'. But they have no room. There are tons of aftermarket stuffs though. Toy's engines are more reliable.
Happy truck hunting!

cheers,
sasquatch