Ditto what Justice said. After owning both a 95 SR and a couple of 98's the difference in power & torque is negligible compared to the complexity of the DOHC motor.
2 good examples: a one owner 98 w/ 124K orig. miles $3400. A second one owner rig w/ 135K miles $3200. Add tires, rock sliders, and a few bits and your still under 5K. Build a bulletproof trail rig, and you can spend untold $$$, but starting with a well maintained, relatively low mileage example is usually key...