Third Gen 4Runners

[msommers]

With the potential of needing a work vehicle in the fall, I figured I could start and figure out what would work best and how much money I need to have together. The vehicle would serve both as a winter vehicle instead my of G35 and also as a work vehicle. 4Runner came immediately to mind, I like the look of the 3rd gens and from a couple remarks made by some members, it seems reliability drops off after that. Resale is ridiculous on these things so if I decide to sell it, I shouldn't lose too much on it. Quickly looking on wiki, ideally it sounds like 2001 or 2002 4x4 edition would be best, coming with a different tranny and traction control. Any suggestions otherwise are welcome.

For those who are familiar, owners or previous owners, how were they overall? Reliability, common problems, costs to fix stuff, gas mileage, cargo space etc.

Cheers.

[Kloubek]

I have a friend with a 2001. Been extremely reliable. Engine is pretty much bullet proof - though earlier models (and possibly these years?) often eventually experience head gasket issues.

Gas mileage is marginal at best. But for an SUV, it is not out of line.

[schmooot]

2nd gen runners with the 22R-E engine are essentially bulletproof, the V6 engines have more issues but are still more reliable than most other cars of that era.
Don't know much about 3rd gens except they hold their value real well and are usually worth every penny

[rpalm35]

The 3rd gen 4runners are incredibly solid. I owned one for the last 4 years, and it has been just the best vehicle. It was a 1996, so a little older, and the only things I had to replace over its life was the starter, battery, steering rack, and brakes. Everything else was just solid and never failed on me. My gas milage was absolute crap, but that could be because I put bigger 32' inch tires on her. As for getting a 2002 based on the newer tranny... I never had a single problem with the transmission, and It was even rock solid once the transmission fluid turned basically black. If you're going for reliability and an awesome winter vehicle, get a 4runner for sure. Just make sure you get it inspected. I can see a lot of them not properly maintained because people think they will never break, so they don't get them fixed.

If I remember, don't the 2002 Limited have an available super charged 3.4L V6?

[mo_money2supe]

The TRD Supercharger can be added to any year model of them. I know 'cause I have a '96 TRD S/C Limited 4x4 one (with a 9psi pulley in case anyone was wondering). :D

Reliability is amazing on these motors, but do realize Toyota's reliability only applies to its motors/trannies; the rest of the truck requires maintenance as much as any other car would.

A common problem I encountered was that the front rotors tend to warp really easily. The brakes I find are a tad-bit too small for the 4000lb truck and need quite a bit of foot pressure to stop. A lot of 3rd gen owners upgrade to the 2002+ Tundra calipers/rotors on the front and tend to pick up the Tundra's 17" rims as well. Another peeve of mine is how heavy the gas-pedal is. I have an auto though, so I've kinda attributed it to the tranny. I also find that the gear-ratio on the 4-spd autos are a little too tall; I often have to put it on O/D just to drop it down a gear to get any power, but when it comes, the S/C pulls this truck hard.

Maintenance, I find that because the majority of these trucks are still on the road, they're hard to find parts for at the junkyard. If one were to buy the parts new at a dealer or any parts store, they're comparable to any other older SUV. Compared to parts for your G35, the parts will be a steal. I do find that working on anything on the truck isn't as easy as working on Honda's. Mind you, they're 100x easier to work on than any other domestic vehicle though.

Fuel mileage ranges anywhere from about 11L/100km to 14L/100km depending how often you have it in 4WD. Mind you, I do have to fill mine up with 91-octane and I tend to be somewhat heavy footed, especially when a turbo-diesel truck tries to gun it beside me and I keep up with them the whole way. BTW, my S/C model can easily break into the 14s down the 1/4. :burnout:

Cargo space is pretty good. I've owned a Pathfinder before and have had friends/family members with other CUVs and I find my 4Runner can carry most things those other vehicles couldn't. Even my 60" LED TV fit fully laid down in the trunk!

In any case, you can't ever go wrong with these trucks. Great, reliable vehicles with decent handling. With a somewhat shameless plug, I no longer need my 4Runner since I now bus to work and I do have a Civic as well. With the right offer, I may just unload mine if you're interested!

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t60/simonmctam/4Runner-1.jpg

[msommers]

Great info guys, thanks a bunch.

I won't be buying right now but I may contact you in the latter part of the summer. However I do have one pig that guzzles 91 already haha.

Depending on mileage, stuff online I've found seems to be between 6-12k, so I figure having around 10K is reasonable to find something decent.

Assuming parts have been replaced appropriately, should I be concerned with something over 200,000km?

[mo_money2supe]

Mileage I find is reasonable for the engine size. My co-worker had a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a slightly larger motor (3.6L I believe, correct me if I'm wrong), and his got no better than 15L/100km. :eek: It was only a V6 too! The extra $0.12-0.13 / L for the premium fuel does add up though for me.

If I was to sell mine NOW, I'd try and ask for $10k obo, but only because the TRD S/C is $3,500 new to begin with. Add half of that value to your typical '96 Limited 4Runner price ($6k-$9k), $10k is fair. That and the fact that the vehicle I want isn't coming out to 2012 (fingers crossed) so holding onto it for another few months for me isn't a big deal. Besides, it's my winter vehicle...not that my Civic on its studded winters don't do the job though.

Anything close to 200,000km is just the motor breaking in on these trucks. These engines will easily get into the 500,000s with regular maintenance! Mine only has about 220,000kms and it purrs like a brand new car. Albeit, the S/C whine does drown the motor sound quite a bit. :poosie:

[FreakinPrince]

i used to own the 08 and i love that truck...i missed it and will look forward to owning one again in the future

if you drive it properly the milage i got was at least 650-700 on a full tank

if you drive it regularly it would be around 600 - 650

its the best bang for your buck truck..

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Best to find a limited with the central differential awd transfer case. They are very tail happy trucks and its best to leave the truck in AWD mode during the winter.

Nothing really problematic with these trucks, just normal maintenance and the odd axle seal (which are a pain and quite expensive to do)

They are only going to get cheaper as time goes on, they held their value really well but now they are finally becoming affordable as the newer generations are coming out.

I hope to get one this summer if I can find a decent one for around 6-7000.

[rpalm35]

Yeah mine was at 230 000km. And it drove just awesome.

I agree with mo_money2supe about the brakes.. I just got so fed up with machining them every 10 -20 thousand K i just bought larger better rotors. Because the rears are drums, I think that the front breaks take most of the abuse on these guys.

Also like AE92_TreunoSC had stated, the rear axle seals LOVE to give out on these Trucks. Mine had been replaced 2ce in its lifetime. It is a really easy spot thought to see if its been leaking. If any of the rear drums are stained a darker than usual color, its the oil from the rear axle, and thus giving it away that its faulty. They are about 800-1200 dollars to replace. Which is a pretty costly thing.

I would suggest getting a limited with the locking centre diff as well... Even though I've personally never needed to use it... It's apparently really nice to have just in case.

Now even with the V6 (non-supercharged) I noticed that they are rather slow vehicles. 182bhp, 202 ft/lb tourq, or something along those numbers. Mine was just a slow pig haha. During the winter I was barely getting 400km on a supposive 70L tank, or decent driving. However, mine was only regular so it felt a bit better. But then again, you're buying it to get you through the winter, and not race lol. That's what the g35 is for =)

Once again, I wouldn't be concerned with milage though. Ive been in ones with 330 000+ km that drove just as good, or if not better than mine did... And looked just as good. So as long as its maintained and inspected. Getting a 3xx xxx or a 2xx xxx km one shouldn't be too big of a deal.

[RY213]

I used to own a 2000 SR5 for about 3 years. I never really spent any money on it besides oil changes. My only negative comment is that it is fairly underpowered. It was really solid though, and drove nice. I miss mine sometimes...

[msommers]

Originally posted by AE92_TreunoSC
Best to find a limited with the central differential awd transfer case. They are very tail happy trucks and its best to leave the truck in AWD mode during the winter.

This is referring to the limited editions? I take it not all had central diffs? Good piece of advice, I'm wagering that roads close and on site will not be the greatest.



Nothing really problematic with these trucks, just normal maintenance and the odd axle seal (which are a pain and quite expensive to do)



Originally posted by rpalm35
Also like AE92_TreunoSC had stated, the rear axle seals LOVE to give out on these Trucks. Mine had been replaced 2ce in its lifetime. It is a really easy spot thought to see if its been leaking. If any of the rear drums are stained a darker than usual color, its the oil from the rear axle, and thus giving it away that its faulty. They are about 800-1200 dollars to replace. Which is a pretty costly thing.



Is the rear axle seal difficult to change on these or best left for a shop to take care of?

Thanks for all the comments guys. :)

[nobb]

Have you thought about a Pathfinder as well? I know many people may argue on either sides that one is better than the other, but for intensive purposes these are two very similar vehicles. The depreciation is greater on the Pathfinder so for the same price you can possibly get a vehicle that is newer and has more features. Sucks for the seller, but good for the buyer.

I have a 2001 Pathfinder incase you might be interested. Was originally planning on selling it, but I love it so much that Im thinking maybe Ill just keep it until the fall (which is when you plan on getting a vehicle).

The 2001+ R50 series Pathfinders with the VQ35DE engine are essentially bulletproof as well.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

2001+ Pathfinders are much better then the old 3.3 models. The VQ is a much better engine and has lots of pep. They just suffer from poor front suspension, which constantly needs front struts, which in turn warps the front brakes.


The axle seal is a pain because the seal is on the axleshaft and needs a full shop press to change. I often change the wheel bearing while I'm at it. Along with brake shoes of course.

The limited's have a special t-case specific to only them and I believe some SR5's had it. But if the truck has it, it will have a button on the transfercase shifter as well as a pattern for 4H and 4L.

As well the limited's come with locking rear differentials.

[rpalm35]

Originally posted by msommers






Is the rear axle seal difficult to change on these or best left for a shop to take care of?

Thanks for all the comments guys. :)

Well, I've had mechanics tell me it's not the hardest thing to do if you have the right tools, and lots and lots of grease. I had thought about doing it myself the first time, but I just didn't have the time or another vehicle to rip it all apart.

However, you have another car to use while this ones M.I.A so I would suggest getting a buddy, a 12 pack of beer and save yourself a few hundred dollars in labour.

And to reply to the 4runner / pathfinder argument.

I've had both vehicles. 1996 4runner, and 2003 Pathfinder Chilkoot. We got rid of the pathfinder in 2007, but until then, never had a single problem with it. I found the pathfinder much more tail happy than the 4runner, primarily because the pathfinder was MUCH more powerful.

Really, you can't go wrong with either vehicle. Loved them both.

[msommers]

So I'm trying to explore a few more options for this as 4runners are both hard to come by in the 2000/20001 years and have insane high km on them with high price tags still.

Other options I'm considering:
- Jeep WJ Cherokee
- Ford Ranger
- Toyota Tacoma
- Pathfinder

I don't know if some years are better than others for these vehicles, so please chime in. I'm definitely open to other suggestions as well.

AE92_TreunoSC, you mentioned the pathfinder has poor front suspension. Can something be replaced to or upgraded to correct this problem?

All of these would have to be 4x4. Essentially I just want a smaller-ish truck/suv. I don't need a huge vehicle as I have no intention of towing and would prefer the better gas mileage.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

I've been working on them for 6 years and I've yet to see any standard OEM aftermarket replacement last any better then OEM. Every 80,000-100,000k they usually are bad enough to replace. Not terrible, but annoying.

I think the biggest thing is braking which kills them, so driving in a sane manor will help the most.

Try and test drive a 3.5 pathfinder. You'll find it more refined and peppy then the others listed and it has the "import feel" that most of us Beyonders like :)

[kaput]

.

[tch7]

My family's had a '92, '96, '03, and now a '10 4Runner as field vehicles and they've all been great ('03 - 4th gen was the best). Put 300k on the '03 before selling it last year, and it still practically ran like new.

If you're looking for something a little cheaper, I'd suggest the XTerra. First gen was underpowered and the second gen is thirsty, but otherwise they're solid and very functional.

[Errol.]

Take a look at the xterra too. Almost as big as a pathfinder/4runner but pretty much just as useable.

Only problem is theyre really slow unless you get a second gen or supercharged one. I have a supercharged frist gen xterra and its enough power for everyday use but no where near "fast". IMO theres no point to get a first gen if youre not getting a sc one.

PS, my xterra is for sale haha.

[nobb]

Depends on what you are looking for. Xterras are more rugged than Pathfinders and have more offroad capability. They have a tougher body on frame construction, whereas the R50 series Pathfinders are unibody. The Pathfinders are more focused on luxury and will be much quieter in terms of road noise. If you get a Pathfinder definitely get the VQ35DE engine...it's very peppy and does not feel slow at all.

[badatusrnames]

Have you thought of a Chev Trailblazer/GMC Envoy?

I've got a co-worker with one that really likes his. Hasn't had any major issues with it either and I think he's up to 170,000 kms. I've driven them for work before and thought they were pretty good.

Inline-6 has decent power, but is still manageable on gas. Size is a good compromise between being too big and too small, with five seats and a decent cargo space. 4X4 and all wheel drive, and seems reasonable enough to drive in the city.

There seems to be plenty around for reasonable prices. And you can get into a fairly new one.

Although on here, it seems you shouldn't dare mention anything GM.

[msommers]

I kind of feel like a fool now after having dinner with my parents tonight. My potential job would be driving out to wellsites. However for these kinds of jobs, you're essentially your own company. Right away my Mom just suggested to lease a work vehicle and write it off :banghead: Of course!....ahhhh I'm an idiot haha thanks for the effort though fellas.

[Supa Dexta]

All depends on how much milage you're going to put on, it gets pricey if you go over the allowance..

I bought my truck, but my company pays for it..