For Sale • Three First-Gen Toyota 4Runners • Within 500 Miles of Bozeman
Crack PipeOr Nice Price?
A $6,000 flat-black driver in Valley, a $10,000 locked trail rig in Idaho Falls and a $14,000 overland build in Salt Lake City. Same boxy Toyota, three very different ideas about money.
This week's premise
Three First-Gen 4Runners Walk Into the Classifieds
This week the roundup takes a break from Land Cruisers and goes after their scrappier little cousin: the first-generation Toyota 4Runner, built from 1984 to 1989. It's a Toyota pickup with a removable fiberglass top bolted over the bed, which is either the best idea Toyota ever had or a very expensive way to keep rain off your dog.
Same rules as always. I found three ads within 500 miles of Bozeman, read them more closely than the sellers wrote them and checked what these trucks actually sell for. Two of this week's three are 1985s, which matters. The 1984 and 1985 trucks have a solid front axle. In 1986 Toyota switched to independent front suspension, and the off-road crowd has been complaining about it ever since. A 1985 with the fuel-injected 22R-E is the sweet spot.
Usual disclosure: I'm saving for an FJ40 through the Fund the 40 page, not a 4Runner. That makes me neutral, broke and a little jealous. If you want more first-gen 4Runners, I found a whole fleet of them in Bob's secret Toyota stash.
Ad 1 of 3 • Craigslist • Valley, WA • ~360 miles from Bozeman
The $6,000 Flat-Black Survivor With a Fresh Top End
Our first contestant is a 1985 Toyota 4Runner on Craigslist out of Valley, Washington, north of Spokane. It wears flat black paint, white steel wheels and a front bumper that looks like it has opinions. The seller lists a 22R-E and a five-speed, and points out that this is the only year Toyota sold a fuel-injected 4Runner with a straight front axle.
The parts list is short and good. New clutch, new head, new head gasket and a new timing chain. If you know the 22R-E, you know the timing chain is the part everyone worries about, and the head gasket is the part everyone replaces. Both are done.
Then the honesty. The seller says it has "some rust around rear fenders," a couple of dents and no rear seat. The odometer says 289,000 miles. The price is $6,000 or best offer.
Ad 1 • The scorecard
What the Ad Says vs. What It Means
| The Ad Says | Points | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1985, 22R-E, five-speed, solid front axle | + Nice | The one-year-only recipe people actually hunt for. |
| New clutch, head, head gasket and timing chain | + Nice | The expensive, annoying jobs are already paid for. |
| Clean title, runs and drives | + Nice | It leaves under its own power. That's not nothing in this price range. |
| $6,000 OBO | + Nice | "OBO" means the seller already expects a conversation. |
| Rust around the rear fenders | − Pipe | Look at the frame and the rear spring hangers before you look at anything else. |
| 289,000 miles, dents, missing rear seat | − Pipe | You're buying a project with a fresh engine top, not a survivor. |
Ad 1 • The comps
What Rough First-Gens Actually Bring
Running, used-up first-gen 4Runners trade in the high single digits. Hagerty's "Good" range starts above that, because "Good" doesn't mean flat black and no back seat.
Ad 1 • The verdict
Nice Price. Bring a Flashlight.
At $6,000 this is priced under every running comp I could find, and it's the right year with the right engine and the right axle. The seller also did the jobs most sellers say "should be done soon."
The catch is the rust and the miles. If the frame is solid, this is the best value of the week. If it isn't, you just bought a very nice set of new engine parts.
What I'd pay: $5,500 after a crawl underneath, and the full $6,000 if the frame is clean.
Ad 2 of 3 • KSL Classifieds • Idaho Falls, ID • ~160 miles from Bozeman
The $10,000 Trail Rig That Tops Out at 55
Ad two is a white 1985 4Runner on KSL Classifieds in Idaho Falls, the closest truck of the week. Same magic year, same 22R-E, same factory solid front axle. Then somebody kept going.
The seller says it's geared down, runs air lockers front and rear and sits on 35-inch tires, with the wheel wells cut out to make room. The odometer shows 232,000 miles. It's street legal, but the seller is clear that it's "made for the trails not a daily driver" and that it tops out at 55 mph.
I respect that sentence. Most built trucks are sold with the words "drives great on the highway." This one tells you the truth up front. On 35s with a four-cylinder, 55 is the speed limit of physics.
Ad 2 • The scorecard
What the Ad Says vs. What It Means
| The Ad Says | Points | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1985, 22R-E, factory solid front axle | + Nice | Same holy-grail spec as Ad 1, with a cleaner-looking body. |
| Air lockers front and rear | + Nice | Two lockers is a big chunk of money already spent. Ask what brand. |
| Geared down, 35-inch tires | + Nice | The gearing is done to match the tires, which is the part people skip. |
| Wheel wells cut out | − Pipe | You can't put the fenders back. This truck is a trail truck forever. |
| Tops out at 55 mph, not a daily | − Pipe | Plan on a trailer, or a lot of podcasts in the right lane. |
| 232,000 miles, no service history listed | − Pipe | Ask about the engine, the clutch and the axles before you ask about the price. |
Ad 2 • The comps
What Lifted First-Gens Actually Bring
Built first-gens sell for less than you'd think. Buyers pay for clean and original. Modifications are worth the most to the person who already likes them.
Ad 2 • The verdict
Nice Price, Barely. And Only for the Right Buyer.
If you want a 4Runner to drive to work, this is the wrong truck at any price. If you want a locked, geared, solid-axle trail rig, $10,000 is fair. The lockers and gearing alone are a big part of that number, and the seller has already done the cutting you'd be nervous to do yourself.
The comps say lifted, unlocked trucks with better miles sell for $12,500 to $13,500 on Bring a Trailer. This one has more hardware, more miles and less highway.
What I'd pay: $9,000, with a trailer already hitched to my truck.
Ad 3 of 3 • KSL Classifieds • Salt Lake City, UT • ~340 miles from Bozeman
The $14,000 Red Overlander With 360,000 Miles
The last truck is a red 1989 4Runner Deluxe on KSL Classifieds in Salt Lake City, and it is the most built thing on this list. The seller has owned it for more than 13 years and describes it as "fully built."
The list is long. Rebuilt engine with about 50,000 miles on it, rebuilt transmission with about 60,000, a new clutch 10,000 miles ago, 4.88 gears, an ARB rear air locker and compressor, a winch, an Old Man Emu lift, an ARB canopy, a header kit, front and rear steel bumpers, a new radiator, new CV axles and a custom roof rack. It comes with both a soft top and a hard top. The seller stripped the body rust and repainted it.
Now the fine print, which the seller also wrote. The odometer shows 360,734 miles. There's a filled but unpainted dent in the hood. The interior is "a little rough." It has a four-cylinder, so on the climb up Parleys Canyon you will be "hanging with the Semi drivers." It "stops like a boat," and the seller suggests a rear disc conversion. The rooftop tent isn't included unless you negotiate for it.
Ad 3 • The scorecard
What the Ad Says vs. What It Means
| The Ad Says | Points | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Rebuilt engine (~50k) and transmission (~60k) | + Nice | The odometer number matters less than the rebuild receipts. Ask for them. |
| 4.88 gears, ARB rear locker, OME lift, winch, bumpers | + Nice | A lot of the right parts, in the right order. |
| Body rust stripped and repainted | + Nice | The best line in the ad, if the frame got the same treatment. |
| 13 years with one owner | + Nice | Somebody knows every noise this truck makes. |
| 360,734 miles, rough interior, hood dent | − Pipe | Everything that wasn't rebuilt has done 360,000 miles. |
| Four-cylinder, "stops like a boat," tent extra | − Pipe | Heavy truck, small engine, rear drums. Budget for brakes. |
Ad 3 • The comps
What Built 1988–89s Actually Bring
Late first-gens with good builds and lower miles sell in the mid-teens. The best ones break $19,000. Very few of them show 360,000 miles.
Ad 3 • The verdict
Crack Pipe, Mildly. The Parts Are Worth It. The Truck Costs Extra.
This is a good truck with a great owner, and it's priced like the parts list instead of the vehicle. The V6 truck with a similar build sold for $15,750 with 116,000 fewer miles. The cleanest 4-cylinder Deluxe I found brought $19,000 and didn't need brakes.
$14,000 isn't crazy. It's just a little optimistic for a 360,000-mile truck with a rough interior and a known brake complaint.
What I'd pay: $12,000, and I'd ask very nicely about the tent.
The scoreboard
Three 4Runners, Ranked
| The Ad | Asking | Verdict / What I'd Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 4Runner, Valley, WA (Craigslist) | $6,000 | Nice Price. $5,500. |
| 1985 4Runner, Idaho Falls, ID (KSL) | $10,000 | Nice Price, Barely. $9,000. |
| 1989 4Runner Deluxe, Salt Lake City, UT (KSL) | $14,000 | Crack Pipe, Mildly. $12,000. |
Overall pick: Valley. It's the cheapest, it's the right year and the scariest engine jobs are done. Check the frame and buy it.
Best for the trail: Idaho Falls. Best for a long weekend somewhere with no roads: Salt Lake City, if the price moves.
For reference, 21 first-gen 4Runners sold on Bring a Trailer in the last 12 months. The median was $17,500, and the middle half sold between $13,500 and $19,500. Most of them were nicer than anything here. My Land Cruiser Market Tracker doesn't cover 4Runners yet, so those numbers are from my own count.
Your turn
Scan Your Own Marketplace Gem
Next time you see an old Toyota with a removable top, point the Car-Dex at it. It's free, it runs in your phone's browser and it'll tell you what you're looking at. Then come back and tell me whether it's a crack pipe or a nice price.
And if you want the full treatment on a single truck, here's how I scored a $15,000 1987 Toyota pickup with the same 22R-E.
Photos and listing screenshots come from the sellers' public ads on Craigslist and KSL Classifieds, shown here for commentary and review with links back to each listing. Prices and details are as listed on Oct 27, 2026 and may have changed. Seller and want something removed? Contact me and I'll take it down.
Seen a Listing We Should Talk About?
My friends keep sending me ads, and I keep writing about them. If you spot an old truck that's too good, too weird or way too expensive, send it my way.
If one of these is your 4Runner, good luck with the sale. I'd love to hear the story.
Never Lift.
Drive Fast · Take Chances · Never Lift
