easy fix push up the frame until it's even fit a couple 2x4s into the frame rails JB weld (use the name brand, we're going for a quality fix here) duct tape to keep water out so it won't rot the wood wait at least 2 weeks before loading bed, so put the KLR on the side of the house until then...
MY 89 Toyota 4x4 pickup went 350,000 on the first engine and entire drivetrain including the original clutch. In all that time it had exactly two break downs: a blown fuel pump relay and a bad bearing in the rear end. Total repair cost was way under $1000 over something like ten years. Then I dropped a rebuilt motor into it along with a new clutch and drove it for another 100,000 miles before it was totalled in a crash. The last 100,000 miles saw some rust issues but still no mechanical breakdowns. The truck only even stalled once in all the years I drove it from that relay. The thing that really blew me away was State Farm gave me $3600 for totalling a worn out truck with nearly a half million miles on it due to "local value". I even drove it home from that crash and wasn't sure I wanted to let it go until I saw that ridiculous settlement offer. Then i grabbed the check and cashed it as fast as possible. :eek1 That said, the reason it lasted so long was the pathetic little 22RE didn't make enough power to break anything. And it only got 22 mpg despite being so small and having a gutless motor. But it was absolutely, completely and utterly reliable. I could not break it. Even towing a 4000 pound boat didn't hurt it.
Wow! Your complaining must have worked, because my 2010 Tacoma V6 TRD Access cab has none of the issues you describe, and even has intermittent (adjustable) windshield wipers. Best truck I've ever owned, including the (7) F-150's I have and (1) Silverado. I've been real pleased with it. 17.5 mpg average with an automatic, and 4 x 4 .
I agree, though I would want a 4x4 for Michigan weather (maybe even a TRD). Though I must admit the newer ones, while large, are quite nice to live with. I have an Aunt with one, a TRD 4x4 4 door v6. and it is SO nice to drive. I have taken it out on the beach, on a few road trips, and even a little wheelin, and it tackled all with aplomb. Loaded with 4 people, a bed full of gear, and a hitch mounted bike rack, it still got 20 mpg driving through the berkshire mountains. Pretty sweet trucks. Now if Toyota would only bring the Diesel here!
I had an '89 Toyota 4x4, regular cab, put a pile of miles on it before I sold it, and loved the thing. No digital pics of that one, got rid of it (a decision I regretted for years) before digital cameras were around. I got an '08 Regular Cab, 4x4, 4cyl. Tacoma, very basic, no intermittent wipers, no cruise-control. It does have AC, but you have to roll up the windows manually, which I discovered some younger kids these days find extremely perplexing and challenging. Anyway, it is quite a bit bigger than the '89, but I'm really pleased with it, haven't had any issues with it. I will say that I drove it on a 2800 mile round-trip shortly after buying it and it was fine, but the lack of cruise control was tiresome. And the mileage isn't great, 20mpg highway is pretty standard. Here it is: While I was looking for a pic of the Taco to post I found this one.....was on the aforementioned trip, spending some great time with my girlfriend Lynn. That was the summer of '08, when the truck was fairly new. Sadly, she passed away (of natural causes) almost exactly a year after this pic was taken at the ripe old age of 52. I think of her every time I get into the truck. Can anyone from Montana (or elsewhere, I guess) tell where the pic was taken?
I'm a fan of Toyota trucks. I've owned 3 pickups and recently bought an FJ Cruiser to go with a '67 FJ40. The 40 is getting a 4 wheel disc conversion at the moment.
If I didn't have a Jeep, I'd consider one of these. 2.7L Short Cab built as an Expo rig. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-builds/84335-my-overland-taco-9.html
That has and always will be one of my favorite trucks. I marveled at them as a kid. Gotta love the days of old lifted Yotas!
Did they 4 cyl ones ever have a timing chain? (Think so...)If so, what year did they change to a belt?
I seem to remember the 2.2L, 2.4L and 2.7L all having timing chains. I think only the V6's have timing belts.
I got curious and did the math a couple of days ago. I can't find the scrap of paper, but the weight/power ratio (for both hp and torque) is almost exactly identical for an early 1990s 22re truck and a 2011 4 cylinder. (And so is the mpg, for that matter.) But the raw numbers are only part of the answer. I have a 2010 4x4 with the 4 cylinder, and it feels WAY less underpowered than the old 22re I used to own. Maybe the torque curve is broader, or maybe it's just that it is new instead of old and beat to shit. And the brakes are so much better than the old ones that it isn't even funny.
My wife has an 07 Rav4, I4..... it gets up and goes I'm not sure of the weight difference but the thing is way more zippy than even our last 01 tundra, w/ v-8 The brakes, well ya they suck After seeing those #'s I'm wondering Repo
Ive got a couple Toyota's now, and have had many in the past, from a 79 4x4 with a 20R up to my current 07 Taco 4dr v6 4x4 sr5. Have had a few cruisers as well from 40's, a 55, a 60 and now a 73. Love em all, but they arent without their gremlins... but with that said, I would do it all again. The new Tacoma may be larger, but even over here in Europe its fine on the roads, which are much smaller than most of you are probably used to.
Spring 1993 I bought a new base model 2wd 5spd 22re pickup for $6999.00. Now it has 247,000 miles and is running great. It's been by far the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. I've replaced front brakes, U joints, timing chain, water pump, ECU, and normal wear stuff like tires and batteries. It'll probably go another 18 years.
Major Yota love here. Buddy had a taco with the 22re back in the early 80's. That truck was flat bullet proof. I've had two 2003 tacos with double cab. One with 4cyl. that got totalled in a T-bone accident. Replaced it with the 3.4 6 cyl. double cab. Neither was 4x4. I notice very little difference between the two other than fuel economy where the 4cyl won. The six does win pulling a heavier boat than my aluminum rig. We also have a 2001 rav-4 with 238k miles. Peppy lil rig still, runs quiet and strong. Going for 300k. Between the wife and I we have almost 700k yota miles under us with less than $1500 in "repairs".
Here are the numbers, both for regular cabs, 2wd. 2011: 159hp, 180 lb/ft, 3250 lb 1990: 112hp, 142 lb/ft, 2560 lb Divide them out, and you'll see that they are almost identical. Now, those numbers may not be totally accurate -- this is as reported by Wikipedia, and the way they were calculated in 1990 and now may have changed in important ways. Like I said, the new truck feels a lot more powerful than the old one, and struggles less on uphills or when loaded. Strikingly, the mpg has dramatically improved. The mpg figures from fueleconomy.gov (in other words, using the new standards for both 1990 and 2011 vehicles, for an apples to apples comparison) shows the 1990 as 18/21, and the 2011 as 21/25. More mpg from a larger, safer, and cleaner vehicle is impressive engineering.