3rd Gen Prices

[violation]

Like a lot of other used cars (especially pick-ups), it looks like the asking prices of our 3rd Gens have shot through the roof (at least on Craigslist).

2001 Toyota 4Runner PRICE - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle...
$10.5k @ 170k miles

◄2002 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SPORT EDITION 2WD V6 MINT CONDITION-3RD GEN!!!...
$14k @ 171k miles

1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER LIMITED 4X4 LOW MILES!! - cars & trucks - by...
$13k @ 158k miles

I know I'm cherry-picking a little bit, and who knows if they're being bought for anything near those prices (other than maybe on BaT). Gotta admit, it's making me seriously consider selling the 4R... except that I have no idea what I'd replace it with. Plus everything else probably has seen the same uptick in prices. Anyone else thinking the same?

 

[Bad Luck]

In general the prices of all used vehicles have gone up. My girlfriend's car is now worth $2000 more than what she bought it for 2 years ago.

 

[Sparky 97Runner]

3RD Gen 4Runners are trending big time on social media and yes, they are selling for these prices. At least they are in Norcal.

 

[Pyral]

Surprising? Not at all

Its basically any used vehicle right now. The 3rd gen just got really helped along by the fact that it is a 4x4 (which is big right now), a Toyota, an SUV that yields well to being used for 'overlanding', and was already on the cusp of collectability.

Throw in a rare manual option + diff lockers and boxy-ish styling and it was always going to be a runaway hit in the 2nd hand market. Plus it has a sweet spot of technology and good engines that we don't see on 2nd gens. Not a surprise at all. Thank god the J80 took the brunt of fanfare, or the 4runner would go up even more.

Oh, and there is a giant shortage of new vehicles because everyone (except the lower class) is flush with cash and wants to spend it on new vehicles to road trip around in. Everyone is either a have not or have want right now.

 

[Romeo1]

It’s al used vehicles that have gone out of sight price wise. I just saw a 97’ powerstroke that is listed for 25k……

4runners have jumped big time. Lots of 6-10k 3rd gens now. I absolutely stole mine at 2k due to blemishes and miles. It’s allowed me one hell of a budget for parts and mods though.

There’s an identical twin to mine that’s cherry for 6.5k……I think it would be the perfect parts rig. Wife disagrees :ballchain::ballchain::ballchain::ballchain::ballchain::ballchain::ballchain::ballchain::ballchain::ballchain::ballchain: lol.

I wonder what the next cult wheeling rig will be?

Any used JKU rubicon starts at 35k. New ones push solidly into the 50k range in my part of the world.

I had a chance to buy an FZJ80 for 4K couple of years ago…..man I hate myself for not buying that one.

 

[TheSaturnV]

Boxyish?

The 3rd gen looks like an '80 Corvette compared to the current 4r offering.

 

[violation]

so nobody's gotten an itch to sell and cash in on this uptick?

 

[Devbot]

What I see go unmentioned a lot is there's somewhat of an unofficial cash-for-clunkers going on. Its not so much average people like you and I that are the problem, many dealerships that buy/sell used cars at all (not necessarily just used car lots) are paying off the charts for anything you bring them, purely to bring incentive to new sales as they're THAT desperate. I even hear ads on the radio of some offering to pay the MSRP of your car when it was new OR MORE. Essentially they don't want you driving your old car, they want you to buy an EV. But nobody wants to buy one or sees much reason to, and since the UN is forcing them to go fully-EV in 2030 that just spells bad news for the future of their business
Literally every week we're fed a new excuse as to why car prices are this way, and that alone should show you that something here is fishy and artificially induced.

so nobody's gotten an itch to sell and cash in on this uptick?

No, I'd rather not encourage and endorse sh*tty economic trends just to make a couple measly bucks. That's exactly how they come to be where they are today. But that's just me.

 

[GhostRing]

so nobody's gotten an itch to sell and cash in on this uptick?

Why? To hurt this very community?

Heck, if nothing else, we should deliberately keep selling them at low prices
so that people will realize how absurd the current market is and force the value back down

 

[Romeo1]

so nobody's gotten an itch to sell and cash in on this uptick?

Sell and buy what though? Even if you do get good money, the next rig is going to be spendy unless you get a fixer, which I am all about that life. I paid 2K for mine and it leaked oil like a sieve which let me bring the price way down because of it.

Still though buy what? A Cherokee? Too small in the rear seat for the 3 kids and all the issues jeep XJ and WJ bring. Dat solid axle doe……Xterra? Sort of want….. wish it had coil rears, but lack of support. H3? A V8 would be awesome. Torsion bars are meh and talk about lack of support. FJ? Sold by the ounce in my area. Wrangler unlimited is apparently the mode of transportation for every soccer mom. All kinds of great tires and parts that are getting eaten alive between their work and the store. The most abusing thing they see is dogs and car washes. Every clapped out JKU on the planet still brings mid 30,000 it seems for one with the better motor meaning you’re stuck 2012 and newer.

All these options outside of Cherokee, TJ, or xterra lack the dimensions that a 3rd gen has. The rest are priced too silly.

If a guy wants to quit and be done with an off-road capable SUV, then fine, but otherwise the question is what do you really do next without getting caught in the inflation tsunami That can legitimately replace with a third gen 4runner does? I know after going wheeling in a skinny rig, I’ll never go back to a fat wide rig.

 

[Romeo1]

Why? To hurt this very community?

Heck, if nothing else, we should deliberately keep selling them at low prices
so that people will realize how absurd the current market is and force the value back down

Pricing on everything will continue to escalate as long as monetary policy is permanent stimulus.

I don’t want to get into a political discussion, but this child tax care credit payment business is quite the scheme. We are certainly testing out new economic theory boundaries here.

 

[Skulking]

What I see go unmentioned a lot is there's somewhat of an unofficial cash-for-clunkers going on. Its not so much average people like you and I that are the problem, many dealerships that buy/sell used cars at all (not necessarily just used car lots) are paying off the charts for anything you bring them, purely to bring incentive to new sales as they're THAT desperate. I even hear ads on the radio of some offering to pay the MSRP of your car when it was new OR MORE. Essentially they don't want you driving your old car, they want you to buy an EV. But nobody wants to buy one or sees much reason to, and since the UN is forcing them to go fully-EV in 2030 that just spells bad news for the future of their business
Literally every week we're fed a new excuse as to why car prices are this way, and that alone should show you that something here is fishy and artificially induced.


No, I'd rather not encourage and endorse sh*tty economic trends just to make a couple measly bucks. That's exactly how they come to be where they are today. But that's just me.

That's a fun conspiracy theory, but the reality is that the manufacturers dropped the ball big time which has lead to a shortage of new cars. Combine that with rental companies that sold off their fleets early on in the pandemic and now need to buy to fill out their fleets again, as well as people who sold their cars when they were working from home full time, and have now realized they actually need a car, and you have a market with high demand for cars both new and used. Dealerships aren't trying to get you to move to an EV, or trying to get incentives. They are trying to buy your car because they know that right now they can turn that around and sell it for a profit immediately. Right now, dealerships are selling allotted cars that haven't even been built yet for MSRP, and some are preferentially selling new cars to people who have a trade in so they can turn the trade in around as another sale because the manufacturers can't provide the volume of cars that they need.

 

[Bad Luck]

GM has such a chip shortage that they have started manufacturing full size vehicles without the modules being able to activate the dynamic fuel management (GM's idea on how to make active fuel management even worse) just to shave a few chips off the build. They're also eliminating hd radio and steering column locks to save chips too. It's a crazy time right now for vehicle manufacturing. There hasn't been a new vehicle on our lot for a full day in a couple months (Buick/GMC/Chevrolet dealership). New vehicles are being sold before they are delivered or within a couple hours of being delivered by the transport trucks. We've got more used non-GM vehicles than we do anything else right now.

 

[CoCoCo4Runner]

Like a lot of other used cars (especially pick-ups), it looks like the asking prices of our 3rd Gens have shot through the roof (at least on Craigslist).

2001 Toyota 4Runner PRICE - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle...
$10.5k @ 170k miles

◄2002 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SPORT EDITION 2WD V6 MINT CONDITION-3RD GEN!!!...
$14k @ 171k miles

1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER LIMITED 4X4 LOW MILES!! - cars & trucks - by...
$13k @ 158k miles

I know I'm cherry-picking a little bit, and who knows if they're being bought for anything near those prices (other than maybe on BaT). Gotta admit, it's making me seriously consider selling the 4R... except that I have no idea what I'd replace it with. Plus everything else probably has seen the same uptick in prices. Anyone else thinking the same?

I just picked up my 98 for under $3000. I’ll be putting some sweat equity but there are deals to be had.

 

[spartacus]

You can get a decent 3rd gen for around 6k but they are gone quick.

 

[pluton]

Boxyish?

The 3rd gen looks like an '80 Corvette compared to the current 4r offering.

Between the 4th and 5th gen, 4Runner styling crossed from conservative/rounded/boxy to post-modern senility. It happened to GM cars in the early 1970's, big time.

 

[TheSaturnV]

Post-modern senility, I've gotta use that one. :tongue1:

 

[R3Z3N]

When just about everything costs more money, it's inflation. Dumping trillions back to the people from the taxes they already paid, along with promoting welfare and unemployment payments from those that ARE working? This is part of the downfall of America; the socialist takeover.

 

[Zorrota]

In answer to the initial question, yes I've been toying with the idea of selling. My 3rd Gen is wonderful and I love driving it (wife is not as much a fan) but we're starting to RV more and are considering a Wrangler because of the ability to flat-tow it.
Problem is, the cost to change. If you could flat-tow the 3G it would be an easy thought process.

 

[Romeo1]

In answer to the initial question, yes I've been toying with the idea of selling. My 3rd Gen is wonderful and I love driving it (wife is not as much a fan) but we're starting to RV more and are considering a Wrangler because of the ability to flat-tow it.
Problem is, the cost to change. If you could flat-tow the 3G it would be an easy thought process.

I can appreciate your plight…. I have the exact same problem.