4Runner 4Ever!

LAST OF THE NORTHEAST 4RUNNERS FROM THE '80S
Today I'm featuring one of those common vehicles that quietly disappeared from the streets when no one was looking (hush up California, we know you still have every car ever made in that dry heat).

This is a 1987 Toyota 4Runner in White. I've got to give it up for Toyota as they had 3 different colors in '87 named White as well as a 4th named Super White. Who knows?

Take a good look people. This is the greatest vehicle ever made! Yes this one has a funky Japanese translation of a Blazer for a body but underneath it all lies the Basic Toyota Truck. Indestructible and reliable are two words that fit the '80s Toyota Trucks so perfectly that they should take those words out of circulation unless discussing one of these rigs.

Peppered with millions of dead insects and sand but this beast still looks eager to go wherever you point it. The license plate is mashed under the bumper because of course it is! This thing probably flattens a hedge every time it leaves a driveway.

This is essentially a pickup truck with a funky fiberglass rear roof section covering the bed. You can see the line behind the front door going across the roof where the metal cab and removable rear section meet. Between 1984-1986 many of the U.S. import models came with no rear seats. This allowed for a lower import tax as it was classified as a truck instead of an SUV.

Dents and bumps abound as they should on such a capable rig. That tall ride height is factory correct.

Making me swoon even more is the fact that this one is a stick shift. The engine is the legendary 22R-E 4 cylinder breathing through carburetors, proving that you don't need a massive V8 to conquer the Earth. The smaller gearshift controls the 4 wheel drive, high and low.

This atomic security sticker confirms what I suspected. The 213 area code is Los Angeles. Of course this isn't riddled with gaping rust holes!

These are tall inside and ride nice and high up. The rear wiper and washer fluid show you how often Toyota thought people would remove the top. I've only seen one or two ever with the roof off.

The glass goes down into the tailgate like a station wagon in this era. This setup would last until 2002 when the tailgate became a lift-up version hinged at the top.

I'll give it up for the unusual assortment of stickers. Look how '80s the emblem logo is on this ride with the 4 and R being integrated! After all this was the same year that brought us Robocop and Lethal Weapon.

This looks like such a threat to the clean green Honda in front of it. It's almost like this thing is taunting it for being too bougie.

The rear side windows are pretty weird. It wasn't until 1990 that the 4Runner would be offered as a 4 door. This is the first generation which was introduced in 1984.

You have to get out and manually lock the front hubs when engaging the 4 wheel drive.

Oh yeah baby she's been around! Beauty marks.

Well there you have it; a 30 year old off-roader that still looks ready for whatever you ask of it. Toyota trucks of the 1980s have long dissolved into dust in the Northeast. Thin metal with plenty of nooks and crannies for mud and salt to get lodged in did away with them. It's a shame though because I'm sure most of them drove until their frame cracked or people got tired of water splashing up at them through the floorboards. To see one in 2017 stopped me in my tracks and make me take notice. Maybe one day I'll have to pick one up in California and drive it back (leaving the masses of smog equipment elsewhere).
Hats off 4Runner owner! Wash it often during winter because, trust me.