Just picked up a very clean '97 with two previous local owners. loaded SR-5 trim with e-locker and (thankfully) cloth seats. This is my fifth 4Runner, but my first one in a very long time. Previously I have had a 2000 SR-5, 98 SR-5 manual, a '89, and I began my addiction many years ago with a repo-auction '92 with a 22RE and auto tranny. Building that one to the point it required 35" tires meant highway speeds uphill were out of the question! I've also had a couple of Land Cruisers.
The lease on my last vehicle just expired so I was thinking about what to get next. But I drive a company car and put minimal mileage on my personal vehicles. So instead of getting into another lease I thought I'd get myself another 4Runner because that fits me like a pair of comfy old shoes. The intent here is to have a winter vehicle for when it's too sloppy to ride a motorbike or when I don't have my company car. I expect this 4Runner to do less than 3,000kms a year for the rest of its life.
The '97 I just bought was bone-stock when I bought it in August, with 320,000kms (about 200,000 miles) on it. Very well cared for with a complete service history (to the dealer for everything - even windshield wipers!). Second owner had it for 20 years and only used it as a second vehicle to haul his boat. One detail missing was any record of timing belt service. I'm sure it must have been done at some point but to play it safe I did that service within week one. This is a no-salt area so it's virtually rust free... except for the rear bumper which was completely rotted, and some surface pitting on the rear axle housing. Constantly dipping it/spattering it with salt water at the boat ramp was the culprit there. But the body is showroom and the frame is 9/10.
Pretty strange to find a 25 year old vehicle where everything works. Clock, power antenna, 12v socket, ABS, all windows and sunroof... everything!
So here's a good one for ya: when I bought this stock Runner I wasn't going to spend any money on it, except for necessary repairs.
Since purchase:
Necessary: alarm with immobilizer and remote start, baselined fluids, replaced LBJs, did rear brakes/seals/bearings, temporary tires on Taco rims I had in the garage, replaced cracked windshield, addressed leaking trans cooler and removed (poorly installed) trailer brake system.
Fun: modern stereo w bluetooth and all that stuff. Dobinsons/OME 861/5100 2" lift with diff drop, second gen swaybar end links all around, and front/rear bumpers from (local company) Coastal Offroad. Deleted running boards and added Trail Gear sliders. Refinished (powdercoated) 2000 Limited wheels running 255 85R16 Cooper STs. Love the pizza cutters!
Currently in the works: retrofitting multi-mode T-case from a donor 2000 Limited, sleeping/storage platform, Shrockworks front bumper due in April (I had already ordered it, then the Coastal winch bumper I have came up for sale locally - just down the street, in fact!) Probably adding a couple of creature comforts like seat heaters and maybe steering wheel swap for something with audio/phone controls. Maybe modern projectors, but I don't want to lose the stock look. JDM overhead altimeter/compass thingy. Tundra brake upgrade once these (newish) fronts need service. Oh, and gotta add a snorkel since I found a used on on Craigslist!
Pics are day one vs day 30. Not shown: new wheels and tires.
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About me: Canadian Army veteran, former production management for a couple of different TV studios, now loving life as a movie Teamster. "You sayin' I ain't workin'?!"
Other vehicles (right now): '06 Triumph Thruxton, '77 Triumph Bonneville, '80 Triumph TR8 (in several pieces). Next up: '65 or '66 Mustang fastback (what I want), or Porsche Cayman 982 (what girlfriend wants).