CoupeSprinter
New member
Aloha, new to the forums. I've been lurking the 3rd gen section for a couple of months now while I was searching for my own 3rd gen 4Runner. I have found many of the DIYs, build threads, and buyer's guide as excellent sources of information. It appears T4R.org has not seen the type of rapid decline of activity due to social media that is apparent in other forums I participate in.
While not new to Toyota or wrenching, I'm new to the 4Runner. I was given permission (by the wife) to purchase an extra larger vehicle this year under one condition: automatic transmission. With that restriction my search began for either a garage queen Tacoma Prerunner or 2WD 4Runner (my wife really wanted a Lexus RX330/350).
The Toyota Corolla, Tacoma, 4Runner, and Lexus RX is Hawaii's bread and butter. Because of that, resale values are very high. We can expect to pay 1.5 - 2x the KBB value of the above cars.
After looking at several 3rd Gen 4Runners and Lexus RXs I finally found "the one": 2001 Sport 4WD in Millennium Silver with 180k miles, originally a California car.
I purchased it from the 2nd owners (who owned it since 60k miles). This car has always been serviced at a Toyota dealer except for the last 10k miles. The overall condition of the car is GOOD; paint is in great shape, body/underside has no rust, but the interior is a little dirty (mostly the carpet, probably due to their toddler). This car spend the beginning of it's life as a garage queen and was eventually used as their daily beater. No signs of off-road or recreational use (despite the 4WD). No accident car, all original body panels however the front and rear bumpers have been repainted at some point in it's life.
Current Issues:
With the broken-in mileage, the car does have a few issues
1) Some play in steering. Approximately 1" of play (steering wheel circumference) up to the rack input shaft/universal joint with no movement of tie rods. I'm thinking a rebuilt rack will remedy this.
2) Driver's door lock is finicky. Replace locking actuator.
3) Power antenna mass is missing/broken (motor still winds). New antenna mast or fixed/Tacoma antenna.
4) Blown rear shocks. Replace, likely fronts need replacement too.
5) Broken clock, just stopped working. DIY solder fix or replace.
The intend of this thread is to document the progress of this car (maintenance, repairs, and modifications).
While not new to Toyota or wrenching, I'm new to the 4Runner. I was given permission (by the wife) to purchase an extra larger vehicle this year under one condition: automatic transmission. With that restriction my search began for either a garage queen Tacoma Prerunner or 2WD 4Runner (my wife really wanted a Lexus RX330/350).
The Toyota Corolla, Tacoma, 4Runner, and Lexus RX is Hawaii's bread and butter. Because of that, resale values are very high. We can expect to pay 1.5 - 2x the KBB value of the above cars.
After looking at several 3rd Gen 4Runners and Lexus RXs I finally found "the one": 2001 Sport 4WD in Millennium Silver with 180k miles, originally a California car.
I purchased it from the 2nd owners (who owned it since 60k miles). This car has always been serviced at a Toyota dealer except for the last 10k miles. The overall condition of the car is GOOD; paint is in great shape, body/underside has no rust, but the interior is a little dirty (mostly the carpet, probably due to their toddler). This car spend the beginning of it's life as a garage queen and was eventually used as their daily beater. No signs of off-road or recreational use (despite the 4WD). No accident car, all original body panels however the front and rear bumpers have been repainted at some point in it's life.
Current Issues:
With the broken-in mileage, the car does have a few issues
1) Some play in steering. Approximately 1" of play (steering wheel circumference) up to the rack input shaft/universal joint with no movement of tie rods. I'm thinking a rebuilt rack will remedy this.
2) Driver's door lock is finicky. Replace locking actuator.
3) Power antenna mass is missing/broken (motor still winds). New antenna mast or fixed/Tacoma antenna.
4) Blown rear shocks. Replace, likely fronts need replacement too.
5) Broken clock, just stopped working. DIY solder fix or replace.
The intend of this thread is to document the progress of this car (maintenance, repairs, and modifications).
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