3rd Gens Too Old Now?

[Bigmikelakers]

I had a talk with my ex a few months back. I told her I was looking into a 4runner either 3rd or 4th gen. I also told her that I'll take a '99 if I like it. She said 1999 is over 12 years ago and is kind of old now for a car. Personally 3rd gens look just fine. Hell, they look better than a lot of the SUV's made in the 2000s. Has anyone else ever had someone tell you that your 3rd gen is an old car?

 

[Baja Runner]

Most 99's look out dated for sure. To me, 3rd gens do not. But I look past the looks and see the reliability and the rear locker option

 

[raidernation]

I had a talk with my ex a few months back. I told her I was looking into a 4runner either 3rd or 4th gen. I also told her that I'll take a '99 if I like it. She said 1999 is over 12 years ago and is kind of old now for a car. Personally 3rd gens look just fine. Hell, they look better than a lot of the SUV's made in the 2000s. Has anyone else ever had someone tell you that your 3rd gen is an old car?

They look great IMO. Easier to work on as well. As far as it being more than 10 yrs old, I simply reply to those people with, "Ya, but its a TOYOTA....."

 

[4-Ripcord]

My aunt has a 99 exploder, NOTHING works on it. The driver's door is the only one with an interior latch. Drives like sh*t and rattles like it is on a dirt road. Absolute piece of junk. And thats sadly how most 90's vehicles are now.

But 4runners are different. Most people I know on and offline that have a 3rd gen, everything is in perfect working order and the vehicle still has a long life ahead of it. not to mention they still look like they were made in this century.

 

[fightman80]

I've had folks that know nothing about year/models of cars....and after looking at my truck....and my telling them it was a 1998 they couldn't believe it! These trucks have timeless styling......and can look great for years if taken care of.......

I love my rig! After owning it for 7 years.....I still get excited about taking it for a cruise!

 

[Bigmikelakers]

Yeah some people just hear the year and automatically think its an old piece of crap. Its funny a 1999 4runner in 2011 sounds newer to me than a 1989 4runner in 2001.

 

[Brutus]

I stopped at a friend's house nearby a few months ago right after I shined up my truck. His neighbor came over just to jaw a bit and asked me how long I had my truck. I told him two years and he thought I was lyin cause to him it looked new.
I kinda liked that.

 

[electronics4u]

Man, I have a 99 Runner. I recently had to have the tranny rebuilt. After getting ripped by the first guy, I had to take it to a second shop. Long story short, was out of the rig for a month. People at work were sending me e-mails about buying a new car etc. etc. Once I got it back and washed it, some of them saw the truck and were like holy sh!t that is a nice looking truck.

I have had mine for 6 years now and I absolutely love it. If I were to change it, I would go after a 2001 cause after that...I really don't care for them. But that is just my opinion.

 

[ogden8]

I have a 98, and I told my neighbor (female) that it was as old as it was and she couldn't believe it.

 

[Mf Baker]

well, i recently had a similar dilemma. i was in the market for a s/c taco or 4runner, and most of them were 2000 or newer. i was very excited at the possibility of actually owning a car from this millenia. yet alas, i wound up with a 98. lol!

if she thinks they are too old, just go to KBB and look at the value of a 2000-2002 limited, loaded with low miles in excellent condition. its worth as much as some suvs half its age that cost much more new.

bottom line, but a 99 and tell her its 2002, less than 1 decade old, and she'll never know the difference

 

[96743runner]

Same story here...my friends and people who ask can't believe that my runner is 13 years old. 3rd gens just look great overall, even in stock form. They definitely look much, much better than the current ugly, boxy looking SUV's made nowadays. In my honest opinion, current trucks and cars are also nowhere near as solid and well-built as older vehicles, such as our 3rd gens.

 

[Sawgunner]

I own a 1999 Limited in near mint condition with 72,000 miles, and I feel it looks better, is built better, and has way more class than half the new vehicles on the road. Not to mention I traded an '06 Nissan Frontier in order to get a real vehicle that won't fail me. You can take your plastic interior, aluminum front differential, and electronic throttle and shove it

 

[mattstang66]

amen, and not to mention the resale value holds very well. I love my runner and will drive it till it dies!

 

[WrexHAmm]

I have always wondered this myself. You can look and find newer cars/suvs for a fraction of the price. The things that keeps me in my 11 year old Toyota:

1.) Whenever I go to get my oil changed, they offer to buy it from me They can never believe the age of the vehicle or the condition
2.) Insurance is significantly cheaper in a vehicle this old. After 10 years registration becomes dirt cheap in CO
3.) All it takes is one ride in a friends Nissan Xterra and listen to him complain about all the money he spends fixing his POS and wish he could have afforded a 4runner. (secretly more people wish they had a 4tr than you would imagine, they just don't like to admit it sometimes)
4.) Car payments suck! If she's paid off and worry free then what more could you want. Now if she was paid off and costs you thousands in repairs each year not worth it. Regular upkeep should keep these things going til at least 250,000 miles and then still have better resale than 90% of the cars out there.
5.) Last but not least... Isn't there are a reason why she is your ex

 

[BTO]

5.) Last but not least... Isn't there are a reason why she is your ex

Exactly the first thought in my mind.

Also, some vehicles are classic in the sense that they will never go out of style. They are simply good designs that will always look good like the early 60's Vette or the 70's Porche 911 or even the 90's Mazda MX6. I think the 3rd gen 4R is one of those.

 

[Shawn5800]

I love my runner, its overall appearance for a 1998 is just immaculate. Besides a few rust spots here and there. Not many 1998 vehicles i look at look as good as my runner does. Besides other Toyotas of course.

Yesterday i went to look at a 1998 Gmc Jimmy with my buddy to help him search for problems. I took that thing out for a drive and was gripping the wheel because it was so out of alignment, the front end was loose as can be, the wheel had so much play in it i would have to turn the wheel 1/4 the way before it would respond. To top it off, it threw a code for random multiple misfires right when i got it on the highway.

Not saying those Vortecs are bad but damn..What a difference in over rigidity. My runner holds the road like no other SUV i have driven and the front end is tight.

I will own my runner until the frame rusts apart.

 

[Stick Figure]

I hope its not too old because i passed up the 4th Gens to buy a 3rd Gen in the first place, and wasn't excited enough about a 5th gen to make the change when those came out. The more new cars I work on the more old cars i want to own.

 

[Nunyabiz]

I do not like the way the 4th and 5th gens look at all.
The 3rd generation 4Runners look WAY better.
Same goes for my wifes Lexus ES300, her 99' looks way better than the new ones.

When I brought my 2002 Sport home a few months ago my next door neighbor thought it was brand new and was totally surprised when I said no its 9 years old with 157xxx miles on it.

I originally wanted to get a 1999 5 speed with Elocker, Highlander etc.

But I am glad that I found this 2002 Sport Edition because I have since figured out that for my purposes this exact year and model was really the perfect choice for me with the type of driving that I do.

 

[Bigmikelakers]

I do not like the way the 4th and 5th gens look at all.
The 3rd generation 4Runners look WAY better.
Same goes for my wifes Lexus ES300, her 99' looks way better than the new ones.

When I brought my 2002 Sport home a few months ago my next door neighbor thought it was brand new and was totally surprised when I said no its 9 years old with 157xxx miles on it.

I originally wanted to get a 1999 5 speed with Elocker, Highlander etc.

But I am glad that I found this 2002 Sport Edition because I have since figured out that for my purposes this exact year and model was really the perfect choice for me with the type of driving that I do.

Lucky! Finding a black or silver 2002 Sport Edition is very rare especially with decent mileage. Thats probably number one on my list. Then a 4th gen 4runner, 1st gen double cab Tacoma, or a 2nd gen Tacoma Prerunner Access Cab/Double Cab.

Oh yeah, I totally agree with you about the ES. The 1997-2001 models still look good today.

 

[Brilliant]

Just bought a 99' this past weekend. I can't imagine buying anything else. A lot of SUVs look like garbage nowadays and are more 4 door minivans it seems.

The runner has no rattles and I am very pleased with its quality (as the 3rd owner). The only other vehicle I was seriously considering was a T100.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better looking SUV than a lightly modified 4runner. I am using mastacox's as reference for my build.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/mastacox/New Tires Rims/4RunnerHDR2.jpg