I'd say have him buy my '85 EFI 4Runner for $4k then stick another $6k worth of goodies/work into it   
210k, 38k on an LCEngineering EFI Pro motor with all sorts of new stuff stuck on it when it was installed:
EFI Pro distributor, new balanced injectors, big bore throttle body, K&N FIPK, Jet Chip ECU reprogramming, 2 row radiator with 3 row capacity, starter, alternator, 30lb flywheel, more recent heavy duty clutch and pressure plate, throw out bearing, pilot bearing (had a rivet break on the first pressure plate so I stuck in all new stuff), LCEngineering headers, full 2.25" exhaust with their free flow cat and muffler, O2 sensor, battery...
Other bits, 31x10.5 MTRs on black steelies with plenty of tread left, new brake master cylinder, new clutch master and slave cylinders, new calipers, new rotors (one already warped due to the lousy job the shop did installing the brakes that I wound up fixing myself), rear brake cylinders, coarse spline Spicer rear slip yoke and stub, rear ujoint, new fuel pump, driver's side window regulator...yada yada yada...
It does need some love...the front driver rotor needs to be turned, engine has extra wear from installer not setting up the TPS right, Corolla SR5 buckets set in don't adjust well, but I didn't care since I'm the only driver  and best of all, very little 4 wheeling in this trucks life. I'm one of those "use it to get there, not get there to use it" kind of guys. It's been up Top of the World trail a couple times, but that was the toughest duty it ever saw. Lastly, it has stock 4.10s with open diffs, w56 and gear drive stock transfercase so you don't have to redo or undo something somebody else did!
End sales pitch.