thegipper
New member
Hey guys, new to this forum!
So my brother who lives in Arizona offered to give me his 97 SR5 auto 4runner with approximately 200k miles on it. It was originally from Illinois/Wisconsin but has spent the last 6ish years in Arizona. The body is in pretty decent shape, it has some rust and dents but is still structurally sound. The intention of this vehicle would be to replace my 305k mile ZJ grand cherokee that has many issues but still runs. We also have a 2011 Camry SE and a Highlander Limited so we are definitely Toyota fans =) This would be my extra vehicle for hunting trips, pulling my small boat, running to the dump, spare vehicle for shitty weather and so on. Doesn't need to be perfect but reliable is key. I also have many years of experience working on cars/trucks so I'm no stranger to getting my hands dirty.
So here's the deal, I live in Wisconsin and after doing a brief search on some sites, it looks like it would be about $1000 to ship it back here to Wisconsin (if anyone has any suggestions on sites or companies to use I'm all ears). Doing the math of flying out and driving it back isn't worth it IMO.
What I know about the 4runner as it is right now:
He experienced the strawberry milk shake symptom about a year and half ago while driving it to work but caught it almost immediately and towed it back to his house. After a couple days of work and gallons upon gallons of flushes, he removed every trace of coolant from the transmission. He replaced the filter, radiator and everything required. He put it all back together and said the transmission has never shifted as good as it does now. Since this happened he hasn't had any issues with the tranny and has put over 5k miles on it. I've read a lot about this issue and it appears he is one of the lucky ones and was able to save the tranny.
It has a small AC leak somewhere, if he charges it at the beginning of summer it will last all summer until it sits over winter (assuming some of the seals dried out) and needs to be recharged at the beginning of the season.
Needs shocks, front and rear (I would replace all springs and struts)
Needs tires (old ones are bald and mismatched)
Needs a cat back exhaust. He currently has it patched together as the old cat got stolen in a parking lot. He installed a universal cat and a cherry bomb to get him by as money was tight. It just passed AZ emission last year no problem. When the dirt bag cut the Cat off, he hit one of the coolant lines that goes to the back heater. He had to close it off so if I want that to work, I would need to replace/repair the lines. If you turn on the rear heat, it doesn't leak anything out as he has it temporarily capped off.
No check engine lights, engine runs perfectly.
He said it drives perfectly straight, no clunks, pops or any other noises it shouldn't make.
No leaks anywhere, nothing on his garage floor as it has been sitting for a couple months.
No recalls on it. I checked the information on it on the Toyota owners website. It had every oil change maintenance service done, on time and at the dealership essentially up until my brother bought it. He has done the standard oil change, replace brakes ect that would be expected. He hasn't had to really replace anything else on it.
All the power windows, door locks and features work. Interior is in ok shape, has cloth seats. No tears but the entire inside could use a good cleaning.
No axle seals leaking (I know its a known issue)
I have read extensively on the buyers guide so I'm aware of the known issues.
SO now that you know what I know, should I go for it? I am STRONGLY leaning towards yes. I figure even if I get it out here for 1k, plus another 1k - 1500 fixing the exhaust, tires, AC, and any other odds and ends I should have a pretty sweet "beater" for 2500ish. It would be my summer project this year and would be commissioned around fall before bow hunting starts. That would be the time I would sell the Jeep (assuming I still have it).
My brother bought a new battery for it a couple days ago as the old one was shot. He is going to drive it this weekend as he has a lot of errands to run and report back. Assuming that it still runs good and everything checks out, I think I'm going to further pursue having it shipped back.
Thoughts?
So my brother who lives in Arizona offered to give me his 97 SR5 auto 4runner with approximately 200k miles on it. It was originally from Illinois/Wisconsin but has spent the last 6ish years in Arizona. The body is in pretty decent shape, it has some rust and dents but is still structurally sound. The intention of this vehicle would be to replace my 305k mile ZJ grand cherokee that has many issues but still runs. We also have a 2011 Camry SE and a Highlander Limited so we are definitely Toyota fans =) This would be my extra vehicle for hunting trips, pulling my small boat, running to the dump, spare vehicle for shitty weather and so on. Doesn't need to be perfect but reliable is key. I also have many years of experience working on cars/trucks so I'm no stranger to getting my hands dirty.
So here's the deal, I live in Wisconsin and after doing a brief search on some sites, it looks like it would be about $1000 to ship it back here to Wisconsin (if anyone has any suggestions on sites or companies to use I'm all ears). Doing the math of flying out and driving it back isn't worth it IMO.
What I know about the 4runner as it is right now:
He experienced the strawberry milk shake symptom about a year and half ago while driving it to work but caught it almost immediately and towed it back to his house. After a couple days of work and gallons upon gallons of flushes, he removed every trace of coolant from the transmission. He replaced the filter, radiator and everything required. He put it all back together and said the transmission has never shifted as good as it does now. Since this happened he hasn't had any issues with the tranny and has put over 5k miles on it. I've read a lot about this issue and it appears he is one of the lucky ones and was able to save the tranny.
It has a small AC leak somewhere, if he charges it at the beginning of summer it will last all summer until it sits over winter (assuming some of the seals dried out) and needs to be recharged at the beginning of the season.
Needs shocks, front and rear (I would replace all springs and struts)
Needs tires (old ones are bald and mismatched)
Needs a cat back exhaust. He currently has it patched together as the old cat got stolen in a parking lot. He installed a universal cat and a cherry bomb to get him by as money was tight. It just passed AZ emission last year no problem. When the dirt bag cut the Cat off, he hit one of the coolant lines that goes to the back heater. He had to close it off so if I want that to work, I would need to replace/repair the lines. If you turn on the rear heat, it doesn't leak anything out as he has it temporarily capped off.
No check engine lights, engine runs perfectly.
He said it drives perfectly straight, no clunks, pops or any other noises it shouldn't make.
No leaks anywhere, nothing on his garage floor as it has been sitting for a couple months.
No recalls on it. I checked the information on it on the Toyota owners website. It had every oil change maintenance service done, on time and at the dealership essentially up until my brother bought it. He has done the standard oil change, replace brakes ect that would be expected. He hasn't had to really replace anything else on it.
All the power windows, door locks and features work. Interior is in ok shape, has cloth seats. No tears but the entire inside could use a good cleaning.
No axle seals leaking (I know its a known issue)
I have read extensively on the buyers guide so I'm aware of the known issues.
SO now that you know what I know, should I go for it? I am STRONGLY leaning towards yes. I figure even if I get it out here for 1k, plus another 1k - 1500 fixing the exhaust, tires, AC, and any other odds and ends I should have a pretty sweet "beater" for 2500ish. It would be my summer project this year and would be commissioned around fall before bow hunting starts. That would be the time I would sell the Jeep (assuming I still have it).
My brother bought a new battery for it a couple days ago as the old one was shot. He is going to drive it this weekend as he has a lot of errands to run and report back. Assuming that it still runs good and everything checks out, I think I'm going to further pursue having it shipped back.
Thoughts?
