I have an '01 with 221K miles on it. It is in great shape mechanically and it has most of the major maintenance taken care of in the last 2 years. I bought it at 173k miles and have already done plenty of work to it including tires, a dual battery system, ham radio, cb, power system, inverter, baja roof rack, etc. I am interested in getting a front and rear bumper but by the time I can afford those items, I might be above 250k miles. I also want to work on the paint as the exterior is in subpar condition. When is it time just to keep things the way they are? Basically, I get more nervous putting money into the rig that are not maintenance related as mileage goes up.

Ive read that a 300k+ motor can take a supercharger and keep going. I havent heard a thing about transmission failure, so thats a huge plus. I did have both rear wheel bearings go out last year that I suspect was caused from fording high water levels without a breather extender. Or someone loosening the axle bolts to cause leaks and play. Im running at 275k IIRC... I havent seen in 4R in a year :/

i plan to quit doing mods and just maintain it at about 3 million miles

Mileage isn’t a measure of lifetime, it’s a measure of distance traveled.

You can’t put a hard number on it. It all comes down to how well the truck has been maintained. Lifespan seems to be pretty long for the meticulous owner and short for those who are not.

Bought mine at 349k. Getting close to have invested almost 10 times the purchase price in maintenance and mods ( I did get it for a good price though). Gonna do the Baja XL in it in January, about 4000 miles around Baja.

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probably in the range of 10 million miles, and mine is probably in worse shape than yours since it's been exposed to PA winters all its life. if the engine blows up i'll replace it and if the frame rots in half i'll weld it. I just like the vehicle and have put too much into it to start over so I'll just fix whatever I need to

Until you can't afford to fix it anymore. I have 321k and just blew a head gasket at 300k, fixed and has been strong since. The car could go another 200k before anything significant or well a 25 year old vehicle could have issues.

Never. Once you’ve done all the mods you want and are super invested, if the engine or transmission blow just replace it.

The only thing that stops it is a wreck.

These engines last to 300K and beyond, as long as you don't do stupid things to it like I do. What's not going to last is moving parts: driveshafts, bearings, bushings, coils, shocks, the list goes on. These parts will start to fail as seals blow and joints wear out. That's where all your maintenance costs are going to be.

Now, is it still less money to repair these parts as they go bad then vs a loan payment? You bet it is.

my buddy has a 3rd gen sitting at 400k+ and it still killing it. he has always taken great care of it, and it seems to have a long life ahead of it.

Based on what you said, it might be a good idea to assess the condition of parts that would fall under 'maintenance', and ask around on the forum about when to replace. Way back, I asked about doing a "3rd Gen Refresh" because mine had 260k on it and I wanted to make it ready to go to 400k. Then the rust killed that idea and I had to get rid of it. But I got tons of great info so I could do some researching of the costs. At the time, I figured $4k-$6k would get me there, and would be much cheaper than another vehicle.

After you're happy with the mechanical soundness of your 4Runner, then you may feel better/more comfortable about doing some fun mods. Just my thoughts.

You have some great points. I have already done the "big" maintenance items just in the past 20k miles. I love my 4runner and finding another one like it would be extremely hard. It is a Limited with heated seats, 4wd, and even dealer installed remote start (from 2001!). I got lucky finding it. I just get nervous as the miles go up as there is a part of my mind that thinks that once I hit a certain mileage, the rig will not be worth driving and the Toyota reliability will cease to exist. I do know that I try my best to take care of the vehicle despite my college student budget.

One thing that brings me down about the 4runner is the exterior. There are alot of scuffs, dents, and scratches on the paint and the clear coat has deteriorated. There is also a decent scratch on the hood that has rust showing (but ZERO body rust). Perhaps I should spend time and money improving the paint and that will help?

Third Gens are surprisingly stubborn when it comes to breaking. You’ll have the occasional thing to fix, of course, but if you use OEM replacement parts, those will last about as long as the originals. If you don’t have a rust monster, you’re way ahead compared to some of us.

You have a truck that you like. Enjoy it for what it is and don’t be afraid of what might happen. Do the preventive stuff when you can, and fix what breaks when it breaks. It’s not going to hit a magic mileage and collapse. As for the paint, you’re talking to a guy who enjoys having a vehicle that he isn’t afraid to scratch. Cosmetics are a luxury on a tight budget. If she’s solid mechanically, that’s the most important thing. Touch-up paint can stop the minor surface rust until you’re able to address the paint job.

No mile limit for me lol. I've had mine for almost a year and has 235k miles on it. Granted it was borderline neglected when I bought it so it has been getting long over maintenance done with mods in between. I need a lift bad or new stock springs/shocks all around as they are sagging bad (113 lb bumper and f150 tank back there doesn't help much either).