1997 4runner Limited

[JayGee]

Good Morning,

New to the forums here and have been learning a lot about the 3rd generation 4 runner from this website. I recently test drove a 1997 limited 4x4 with 153,000 miles at a toyota dealership. The vehicle was very well taken car of. It was serviced and maintain by the toyota dealership here in San Diego. A garage queen with car fax that is immaculate. Dealer asking price $10,000 plus tax/license/doc fees.

Something that hit me right away was how sluggish the vehicle felt (Is this normal?). i used to drive a 99 Pre-runner and I remember how quick the 3.4 v6 engine felt. After that, I drove a scion TC then pass the vehicle down to my pops after he totaled the Pre-runner.

My question is..Is this normal how the 4 runner feels in regards to driving. What should I strive for in regards to price? I was thinking 7500 out the door(Is this realistic for garage queen vehicle/maintenance records spot on)?

Note: This would be my daily driver vehicle. I commute round trip 95 miles/day. I just want to make sure as old as this vehicle is that it can hold up to this type of freeway miles driving.

Sorry all, never bought a used vehicle and nervous about it.

Thank You all in advance,

Jay

 

[Tom P.]

Good Morning,

New to the forums here and have been learning a lot about the 3rd generation 4 runner from this website. I recently test drove a 1997 limited 4x4 with 153,000 miles at a toyota dealership. The vehicle was very well taken car of. It was serviced and maintain by the toyota dealership here in San Diego. A garage queen with car fax that is immaculate. Dealer asking price $10,000 plus tax/license/doc fees.

Something that hit me right away was how sluggish the vehicle felt (Is this normal?). i used to drive a 99 Pre-runner and I remember how quick the 3.4 v6 engine felt. After that, I drove a scion TC then pass the vehicle down to my pops after he totaled the Pre-runner.

My question is..Is this normal how the 4 runner feels in regards to driving. What should I strive for in regards to price? I was thinking 7500 out the door(Is this realistic for garage queen vehicle/maintenance records spot on)?

Note: This would be my daily driver vehicle. I commute round trip 95 miles/day. I just want to make sure as old as this vehicle is that it can hold up to this type of freeway miles driving.

Sorry all, never bought a used vehicle and nervous about it.

Thank You all in advance,

Jay

I'm not as informed as most on this board but I'll say a couple of things about buying used:
Previous maintenance is very important,
The 4Runner is heavy and won't have a sporty acceleration,
If it's sluggish maybe a tune or MAF cleaning is in order,
And, regarding price, a few months ago I bought a '99 Sport 4x4 with 137k for $6700 in Houston. (Dealers seem to always add two or three thousand for 'overhead.')
Good luck!
Tom

 

[the great him]

yeah the truck will hold up for your type of driving, ive got 240+ on mine and its still going strong. while no its not a sports car or v8(shut up singtoe), it should not be a dog either. -could use a good tune up like plugs, wires, MAF cleaning, fuel filter, o2 ect... im sure you have read the 3rd gen buyers guide so i wont plaster the link in your face(its at the top few post on the first page if you want to look at it and havent -its a sticky).
the limiteds are the nice runners and have "all the bells and whistles" so they are going to demand more $$ in most cases. i do think that price is a little high though. but like said previously dealers want premium prices for their vehicles even used ones.

IMHO i think your better off buying from a private party, for a couple of reasons. first off you get to meet the actually owner, you can get a feel for that person and maybe be able to read how they take care of their vehicles(with or with out records to back up what it said, -people can fake service records...), and from the looks of their other vehicles if they have any. your also less likely to be lied to about the vehicle buy someone who really doesnt know anything about the car. and secondly you will almost always save money buying private party. -if you bought the same 97 4runner from a private party you would probably save more than enough money to do that tune-up and still have some left over to put into the gas tank for a nice drive in it... just something to think about

 

[8sm]

Ten thousand is to much so is $7500. If your are willing to look around u should find like kind finds in the $5000-$5800 range. Good luck

Regards........ 8sm

 

[JayGee]

Thanks again for the input all. Much appreciated advice on vehicle price. It gives me a solid idea where to start. I will continue on the hunt for that right one.

Best regards,

Jay