1997 4runner with 260k miles for $5500

[Pyral]

Aren't the 3rz 4 cylinder engines more reliable than the v6 5vze?

Yes and no. The engines have a timing chain which is superior to the V6 belt. But it is crucial with this engine to do valve adjustments, if you don't the valves burn up and you will have to replace them. I think its pretty much a tossup in terms of reliability.

The 3rz-fe is without a doubt easier to work on than the V6. You get 1 mpg over the V6, but it lacks power on highways. I consider that listing to be a good deal, the interior and frame seems decent and for California its great. 3rz 4x4 are sort of rare.

 

[PlutosT4r]

In this day and age that's a fair price. The market is nuts today. I won't be buying a used car right now.

I wonder how cruising MPG compares between the 4 and 6's. If you put fat tires on both, I imagine MPG is similar. The 4 cylinder is slow as hell, but they're all slow.

I worry about the transmissions going before the engine, but if overheating, the engines will go. Anything can fail, these are old vehicles.

If you find a gem, it might be worth the investment. Some people will buy a project vehicle, something that runs and drives but needs major work. Everything is a gamble. I'm like you, I wanted to pay a little more for a good one.

 

[alan.absalon]

In this day and age that's a fair price. The market is nuts today. I won't be buying a used car right now.

I wonder how cruising MPG compares between the 4 and 6's. If you put fat tires on both, I imagine MPG is similar. The 4 cylinder is slow as hell, but they're all slow.

I worry about the transmissions going before the engine, but if overheating, the engines will go. Anything can fail, these are old vehicles.

If you find a gem, it might be worth the investment. Some people will buy a project vehicle, something that runs and drives but needs major work. Everything is a gamble. I'm like you, I wanted to pay a little more for a good one.

If i get it, it will be a daily driver. Is this a good daily driver?

 

[PlutosT4r]

If i get it, it will be a daily driver. Is this a good daily driver?

Relatively speaking, no, but I daily drive mine. I have a 2000 v6.

 

[alan.absalon]

Relatively speaking, no, but I daily drive mine. I have a 2000 v6.

How is the 4runner I showed you on this thread not a good daily driver?

 

[jsnppp]

How is the 4runner I showed you on this thread not a good daily driver?

My 2 cents - a daily driver means reliability. While 3rd gen 4runners are amazingly capable and reliable, they are also 20 years old at the least. The big stuff won't break if maintained well, but there are many wear items (brake hoses, coolant, radiator, bearings, ball joints, fluids, etc.) that should be replaced (not just inspected) if you want to not think about it any more. Not cheap, but buy once, cry once.

There is no guaranteed reliable vehicle, period. However you can shift the odds in your favor by having these replaced prior to depending on it every day.

This truck looks good and drives good but unless you have receipts for all/most of these items, there will be uncertainty. If you buy it for a low price, and aren't someone to do it yourself, then just budget it in. You will still come out on top probably. I just did a full replacement on my new to me 2002 SR5 4WD. Probably spent $2-3k on all OEM stuff. I did the work myself. Not done yet.

Trying to fill in blanks for you, each situation will be different.

~JasonP

 

[Pyral]

If i get it, it will be a daily driver. Is this a good daily driver?

I daily my 4 cylinder, it's perfect for that. In fact the marginal mpg increase makes it better than the V6 for that.

The lack of power only becomes noticeable on the open highway or overtakes. The engine is adequate for most daily driving, but mine is helped by the manual transmission. The automatic might make it worse, but not that much worse.

The towing weight of the 4 cylinder is lower than the V6.

 

[Brian.]

How is the 4runner I showed you on this thread not a good daily driver?

It's a ~20mpg, 20 year old SUV... it was NEVER a good daily driver in the big picture. Doesn't mean it can't or won't do the job, my wife dailys our 4runner... we also have 3 other vehicles to lean on if it has issues (granted, 2 of those are older 'toy' cars, but she drives those to work on weekends and holidays when the traffic is lighter). Plus I'm free to come get her at a moments notice as I work for myself from home and have a background as a mechanic. That's only happened once with a failed vacuum line, but it's something we take into account.

Anything you plan to push into DD status will really need a Through overhaul. Not just skimming the surface of the couple major items, but a truly deep dive to take care of all the 20 year old rubber bits. You're going to pay through the nose to get someone else to do the job simply because it's time consuming. But if reliably getting back and forth is important, while doing it Safely and comfortably, it must be done. It's arguable whether or not that money is better spent just buying a newer vehicle.

The ideal situation is to be vehicle agnostic, instead of looking for a brand or model you instead hunt for the vehicle with the best maintenance within your price point. Most people can't do that though, a vehicle is too tied to their self image. Still the best use of money for a point-A-to-point-B tool.

 

[alan.absalon]

I daily my 4 cylinder, it's perfect for that. In fact the marginal mpg increase makes it better than the V6 for that.

The lack of power only becomes noticeable on the open highway or overtakes. The engine is adequate for most daily driving, but mine is helped by the manual transmission. The automatic might make it worse, but not that much worse.

The towing weight of the 4 cylinder is lower than the V6.

How many miles is your 4 cylinder 4runner? What year is it?

 

[alan.absalon]

My 2 cents - a daily driver means reliability. While 3rd gen 4runners are amazingly capable and reliable, they are also 20 years old at the least. The big stuff won't break if maintained well, but there are many wear items (brake hoses, coolant, radiator, bearings, ball joints, fluids, etc.) that should be replaced (not just inspected) if you want to not think about it any more. Not cheap, but buy once, cry once.

There is no guaranteed reliable vehicle, period. However you can shift the odds in your favor by having these replaced prior to depending on it every day.

This truck looks good and drives good but unless you have receipts for all/most of these items, there will be uncertainty. If you buy it for a low price, and aren't someone to do it yourself, then just budget it in. You will still come out on top probably. I just did a full replacement on my new to me 2002 SR5 4WD. Probably spent $2-3k on all OEM stuff. I did the work myself. Not done yet.

Trying to fill in blanks for you, each situation will be different.

~JasonP

I will budget around $5000 for repairs it will need if I get this 4runner I showed you. I will pay a family mechanic. Will that amount be enough?

 

[alan.absalon]

It's a ~20mpg, 20 year old SUV... it was NEVER a good daily driver in the big picture. Doesn't mean it can't or won't do the job, my wife dailys our 4runner... we also have 3 other vehicles to lean on if it has issues (granted, 2 of those are older 'toy' cars, but she drives those to work on weekends and holidays when the traffic is lighter). Plus I'm free to come get her at a moments notice as I work for myself from home and have a background as a mechanic. That's only happened once with a failed vacuum line, but it's something we take into account.

Anything you plan to push into DD status will really need a Through overhaul. Not just skimming the surface of the couple major items, but a truly deep dive to take care of all the 20 year old rubber bits. You're going to pay through the nose to get someone else to do the job simply because it's time consuming. But if reliably getting back and forth is important, while doing it Safely and comfortably, it must be done. It's arguable whether or not that money is better spent just buying a newer vehicle.

The ideal situation is to be vehicle agnostic, instead of looking for a brand or model you instead hunt for the vehicle with the best maintenance within your price point. Most people can't do that though, a vehicle is too tied to their self image. Still the best use of money for a point-A-to-point-B tool.

I have seen 3rd gen 4runners with more than 300k to 400k miles on them with the same engine. Are they not reliable?

 

[PlutosT4r]

You are budgeting almost twice the value of the vehicle for repairs. That's awesome, but then again you could probably allocate some more money towards purchase price, and save on repairs. I think these 3rd gens have such legendary status that the price and what people put into them is getting nuts.. My 04 Sequoia and v8 4runner are much better on the road, but I daily drive the 3rd gen and wheel it so I can keep the other vehicles pristine. The 3rd gen is also a mail vehicle. Mail and trail. Depends on your definition of a daily driver I guess, I like to daily mine so my others don't get beat up. But generally the Sequoia and 4th gen v8 are much better to drive around. Smooth as ice.

 

[alan.absalon]

You are budgeting almost twice the value of the vehicle for repairs. That's awesome, but then again you could probably allocate some more money towards purchase price, and save on repairs. I think these 3rd gens have such legendary status that the price and what people put into them is getting nuts.. My 04 Sequoia and v8 4runner are much better on the road, but I daily drive the 3rd gen and wheel it so I can keep the other vehicles pristine. The 3rd gen is also a mail vehicle. Mail and trail. Depends on your definition of a daily driver I guess, I like to daily mine so my others don't get beat up. But generally the Sequoia and 4th gen v8 are much better to drive around. Smooth as ice.

I plan to budget around $5500 for repairs, as I will take it to a family mechanic to get it updated in terms of maintenance. This is, of course, assuming worse case scenario.

 

[Pyral]

How many miles is your 4 cylinder 4runner? What year is it?

Year: 1998
Miles when purchased: 166k
Miles now: 181k

 

[alan.absalon]

Year: 1998
Miles when purchased: 166k
Miles now: 181k

Thats low mileage, actually.

Is 260k miles too much for a 2.7 3rz 4runner? This is the 4runner I am looking at.

 

[Pyral]

Thats low mileage, actually.

Is 260k miles too much for a 2.7 3rz 4runner? This is the 4runner I am looking at.

Mine did have 4 previous owners, who all seemed to modify the crap out of it. But it did have lower miles.

I wouldn't worry too much about that milage if there are records of stuff being done (fluid changes and valve adjustment). The worst thing about that could likely happen is burnt up valves, so do a compression test before purchase.

The timing chain is a question mark, you replace it when you hear it rattling. There is no interval for when it should be replaced, so unless you hear it during the test drive its anyone's guess. The only way to get a good idea of life left is to take off the valve cover and see how far the tensioner has extended out. Most people who replace the chain on 3rz do it because they already have the engine apart for other reasons, the chain could last the lifetime of the engine.

The other problems that you can (and I have) encounter with this engine are things you can expect to find on the V6 (or any 25 YO vehicle) as well. Oil and exhaust leaks are pretty common, that happens with age. Bushings will likely need replacing too.

Anecdotally I hear more about transmission problems than engine ones. I don't have the automatic transmission, can't comment on common problems. Check the fluid at the very least.

A problem common on all 3rd gens is lower ball joint failure. To check condition you have to jack the front up and check for play in the joints. Unless there is documentation of it being done, I would factor the cost of changing them into the price. They fail suddenly and dangerously, so it's something done out of safety.

 

[alan.absalon]

Mine did have 4 previous owners, who all seemed to modify the crap out of it. But it did have lower miles.

I wouldn't worry too much about that milage if there are records of stuff being done (fluid changes and valve adjustment). The worst thing about that could likely happen is burnt up valves, so do a compression test before purchase.

The timing chain is a question mark, you replace it when you hear it rattling. There is no interval for when it should be replaced, so unless you hear it during the test drive its anyone's guess. The only way to get a good idea of life left is to take off the valve cover and see how far the tensioner has extended out. Most people who replace the chain on 3rz do it because they already have the engine apart for other reasons, the chain could last the lifetime of the engine.

The other problems that you can (and I have) encounter with this engine are things you can expect to find on the V6 (or any 25 YO vehicle) as well. Oil and exhaust leaks are pretty common, that happens with age. Bushings will likely need replacing too.

Anecdotally I hear more about transmission problems than engine ones. I don't have the automatic transmission, can't comment on common problems. Check the fluid at the very least.

A problem common on all 3rd gens is lower ball joint failure. To check condition you have to jack the front up and check for play in the joints. Unless there is documentation of it being done, I would factor the cost of changing them into the price. They fail suddenly and dangerously, so it's something done out of safety.

I plan to budget around $5500 for a mechanic to update the maintenance, assuming worst case scenario.

 

[Romeo1]

I wouldn't be surprised... LOTS of original engine 300k+ rigs in this forum, a few 400K+

Mine is almost 380k. No signs of slowing down.

 

[Romeo1]

My take is that it still has the cargo cover. That’s a big deal. It means that it was most likely taken very good care of.

That 4 cylinder is going to be a bit slow. Even the 5VZ lacks what I would consider modern power. If your goal is to buzz around 80 mph on the interstate, you’re probably not going to love the vehicle that much, even if it was a v6. If a high-speed cruiser is a mandatory requirement, you may want to consider a fourth GEN or newer.

Love mine, but I also have a stable of other vehicles. Thing is these are 20+ year old rigs now. They’re great, but they do come with some minor issues given the age.

Do old car issues bother you? They don’t bother me in the slightest, but I do all of my own work. If I had to pay somebody for everything I do, there’s no way it would work out. These 4runners are very long lived vehicles. longevity wise, they’re only beaten by Land Cruiser and I think the old suburbans from the 90s.

Body on frame, reasonably economical. If you’re going to daily it and mpg matters, probably don’t throw a set of 33 load E MTs on. Stick with some stockish SLs. Next best would be some C rated a/ts. They are great run around vehicles. Good family rig. Unbelievably great family off-roader. Easy to park. I love these things, but if I had to put a ton of miles down, I would probably drive something else like a Subaru or rav4 if there’s an AWD requirement.

Truthfully, as a minivan owner, if you’re looking for just a car to haul people around, the sienna awd absolutely kills it in that department. I know, I know, everybody hates minivans, and you lose cool guy points when everybody else in town drives Ford raptors and TRX’s.


It really comes down to what are your expectations and desires.

 

[alan.absalon]

My take is that it still has the cargo cover. That’s a big deal. It means that it was most likely taken very good care of.

That 4 cylinder is going to be a bit slow. Even the 5VZ lacks what I would consider modern power. If your goal is to buzz around 80 mph on the interstate, you’re probably not going to love the vehicle that much, even if it was a v6. If a high-speed cruiser is a mandatory requirement, you may want to consider a fourth GEN or newer.

Love mine, but I also have a stable of other vehicles. Thing is these are 20+ year old rigs now. They’re great, but they do come with some minor issues given the age.

Do old car issues bother you? They don’t bother me in the slightest, but I do all of my own work. If I had to pay somebody for everything I do, there’s no way it would work out. These 4runners are very long lived vehicles. longevity wise, they’re only beaten by Land Cruiser and I think the old suburbans from the 90s.

Body on frame, reasonably economical. If you’re going to daily it and mpg matters, probably don’t throw a set of 33 load E MTs on. Stick with some stockish SLs. Next best would be some C rated a/ts. They are great run around vehicles. Good family rig. Unbelievably great family off-roader. Easy to park. I love these things, but if I had to put a ton of miles down, I would probably drive something else like a Subaru or rav4 if there’s an AWD requirement.

Truthfully, as a minivan owner, if you’re looking for just a car to haul people around, the sienna awd absolutely kills it in that department. I know, I know, everybody hates minivans, and you lose cool guy points when everybody else in town drives Ford raptors and TRX’s.


It really comes down to what are your expectations and desires.

Do you have a 3rz 4 four cylinder 4runner yourself?