So might get some haters, who knows ?
Might lead to strange debate or opinions, but opinions needed.
not trying to offend those that own a 2001 or 2002

As my sig reads, I had a 2000 that was great. Was almost at the modded level I wanted. I liked that it had less electrics and not the funky $2ooo master cylinder. Or maybe I have been psyched into beleiving those fears. I have put near 5k on it now, and no problems . With my 2000 transfer case I liked the j shift and the elocker I swaped in was great in the back roads.

So totaled the 2000, and up here 3rd gens are few and far between, so ended up with the 2001. Cant afford to go get one out of the lower 48. We have 2 wrecking yards within 250+ miles so picking up used parts is hard. I was not able to buy back my totaled one at the time, sure wish I could have, other life shit was in the way, so just accepted offer. The wrecking yard that got it, I called on and the good mods had been sold on it within 2 days...they said. All the new susension, the TBU, the elocker and the leather interior...gone

Im not gonna go crazy with this one, just a 2 inch lift, bumpers, winch, exhaust, intake ( bumpers and winch were going to go on the 2000, sitting in storage waiting for install when.....bang...totaled the 2000)

but Ive read that the 2001,2002 trannys and transfer case dont hold up. Ive heard others talk about electrical gremlins are more common in these years.

Im not gonna be rock crawling anymore, but lots of back roads in the middle of no place where cell phones and even cb radios can be not effective.

I dont want to get much more of my love and money tied up into this one, only to start having major money issues with regular stuff ( electrics, trannys, master cylinders, trac systems) But I did buy it as a fixer upper and made the needed repairs to get it running right.

I might just be worring over nothing, just loved the simplicity of the 2000 and early 4runners and taco's.

So should I try to hold out and see if a 2000 or ealier shows up on the market.....or just stick with this one ( 2001) and go for it and do a small build thread ?


thanks guys

Personally, I have a 2000 and loved it for the reasons you mentioned. I started with a 98 and sold that 10 years ago, bought my 2000 and built it up (see sig). It's my "forever" SUV.

I avoided the 01-02 for the lack of a locker, the MC issue you mentioned, the transmission that tends to self-distruct and the stupidity of the Trac system.

Based on where you live and the likely desire to avoid breaking down in the middle of nowhere (though really, you should offroad with a buddy) I would pick a 98-00, followed by a 96-97 and I'd just skip the 01-02 completely. If there were no 96-00 available, might as well just get a 4th Gen.

Hold out for the one you want... then sell this one (I'm sure there will be a demand for it, even up there). Maybe even ship one over if needed.

01 Limited 4WD here. Manufactured in October 2000. I can't speak to it as a build platform since I've kept mine mostly stock since I bought in 2003 with 25K miles on it. I haven't had any transmission or transfer case issues. There are a few electrical gremlins (heater fan control, driver side window up/down) but they're very minor and I don't bother getting them fixed because they aren't really worth it and don't really matter.

In terms of what does matter, I don't think the reliability of these trucks can be beat if they're properly maintained. I do the regular stuff, at the regular intervals, all with OEM parts.

The only serious problem I've had is frame rot on the rear passenger side near the muffler. That was at 280K. It cost me about $1,500 to have a SafeTCap installed. Other stuff? I've had the valve cover gaskets done 3 times. I had to get a new radiator installed around 240K. My lower fan shroud broke off. I didn't bother to replace it since there didn't seem to be a good reason to do that. Got a Denso reman starter around 260K. Replaced the turn-signal switcher around 270K. Replaced the antenna once, a long time ago. Probably around 125K.

As long as the frame holds up, I think I can get another 200K out of it easy. That will put me in striking distance of 500K.

Good luck.

For general off-roading like you say, the 01 s/b just fine and plenty, plenty reliable. I've had none of the serious issues others mention like the mc, diffs, rear seals, all original, only replaced the water valve twice and radiator once, the rest is all original, unopened a/c system, 4wd, all electrical stuff inside, it just works, cannot complain. Luck.

I own both pre 2000 and 1 post 2000.

I havent been driving my 2001 at all yet so I cant give much feedback on that side of the 3rd gens.

The good news is the chassis and panels are all the same across from 96 to 2002.

The federal emmisions change for 2001 and 2002 help force the upgrades.

Abs is gen 1 up to 2000. The digital abs master cylinder along with the digital throttle body are costly parts.

The digital change is what needed for throttle by wire and VSC.

2000 was the wiring changed occured so the communication multiplexer was introduced. This is for electrical control units can communicate with each other plus the digital changes

The federal emmision changes in 2001 I believe drove the change in 2001 model year. As the gas evaporator canister all changed at this time with even gas tank and fuel filler tube is different as well.

Technology advancements with the federal emmision changes was a driving factor.

I believe that maintenance will help negate some of the changes in late model years.

If it were these mandates on 2001. Its possible Toyota would have waited to the 4 gen to roll them out.

Just my thought on the differences.

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I have built up a 2001 with no surprises. I bought the 4Runner with what was supposed to be a repaired transmission that was called out. The previous owner thought the supercharger meant it was a race car so he screwed the transmission trying to race it on 33s. I ended up replacing the transmission after 100k miles of my daily driver use. But the vehicle as a whole has never failed to get me home. I now have 350k miles on the vehicle with the supercharger without any complaints. I did the standard 3rd gen maintenance like changing the radiator to prevent the pink milkshake and keep the gear oil changed like normal.

The vehicle as a platform has been great though. The selectable transfer case was great to have the handful of times I found myself having to drive hours on snow/ice patched roads. The "AWD" open transfer case has been a great feature of the 2001-2002 rigs. I find I leave the transfer case open when running off road and the vehicle handles better for it. I have not had any issues getting the rig into 4wd high or low but I try to work the actuator at least once every two months and drive a little to keep the seals good like the manual says.

Overall I think a lot of the naysayers on the 2001-2002 models are people finding the exceptions and making them big deals to make their older vehicle feel better. I have nothing against the earlier years; but after having my Dad's '98 4Runner for a couple weeks I will not go to an earlier year if I lose my 2001. I will end up going to a 4th gen most likely.

If your fan control turns the fan on but has a mind of its own, that is a known pretty easy fix. There are a few people that refurbish the control module and resell them on a core basis.

Found mine on ebay and I think someone on these boards even did them at some point.

thanks all. Makes me feel a little better.
I looked at 4th gens too, but up here they run around 12k for a 2003 and had 260k on it. This rig I got for just over 4 and has 265k on it, but needed about 400 right away becauese of neglect ( bought as a fixer uppper and was advertised as such) and had been maintained.....what little it had.....by a shop who should not touch 4runners. ( after seeing the mickey mouse repairs and cheap parts and what they had charged for repairs was nuts, no wonder the old lady was selling when it had new issuses and check engine light )

thanks for the replies, guess Ill keep it around and start building on it.

I had a 2001 that I bought used with 57k on it in 2005. It was our family hauler for the next 13 years. Ohio salt killed it with rust in 2018 at 265k miles. Almost no off-roading, but a lot of driving. Took it on one 6000-mile trip pulling a small U-Haul trailer all over the western US, including lots of wind and mountains, and not a hiccup. I did the normal maintenance on it, but neglected the transmission, and as far as I know, it had the original fluid in it at 265k.

Besides the exhaust getting cut off by thieves, the only failure I can think of was the return line for the power steering corroded through. Well, the alternator at 250k because I forgot to replace the brushes. That transmission was still the smoothest one I'd ever driven when I got rid of it. I did replace the radiator (as a preventive measure) at about 150k at my parts guy's recommendation.

So my experience was extremely good. Mechanically that thing was ready to go for 200k more, I believe.

The only complaint I have about the 01-02 are the paper mache transmissions. Maybe it's just bad luck, but it does seem to be pretty common. I haven't had any other issues in the nearly 100k miles that I've tacked on.

Mike

I have a 02 and a 96

The 02 does amazing on snowy roads and does just fine in 4x4 Offroad. 350k original tranny and never had any electrical gremlins. Just keep up with the maintenance

The 96. I’m sure is a lot like your 2000 so you already know. Old school 4x4. Can’t go wrong with that

I don’t think there is anything you should worry about.



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@3bears , Guess you can say I'm all in with my 01 Limited build. OE locker rear, Harrop E-locker front, 4.56 gears, Andy Mod, Bumpers, winch, Trans-go kit, Billy 6112's 5160's, list goes on.

The VSC/ABS module, was bad when I bought it, replaced. Trans, Trans-go kit got rid of sloppy shifts. MC, rebuild parts can be purchased for it, no problems so far.
198K miles when I got it, 220,450 mi now, beginning to have some faith in it see what the future holds.

It might be a good idea to get a scangauge if you don’t have one to monitor transmission temps.. I wanted one for years and was on the fence about spending the $ but it’s actually a pretty valuable tool and makes it so you can adjust your driving to potentially make your 4Runner last longer.

have the torque pro app, whatch temps and charging often

@T4topher and @3bears both make really solid points, definitely take their advice. I also have a ScanGuage and it is a huge help with monitoring everything, especially during extreme heat/cold temps. To answer your question, yes, an 01' is definitely a good platform to build upon. I started with a 96' and I miss that thing, the simplicity of it was so, so nice. But I now have an 01' and have daily driven it for the last 8 years, and I've been very blessed, having put 105K on it myself. I say go for it