Be honest, late 3rd Gen 4Runner a good daily driver?

[Lindenwood]

My wife is doing the paperwork for this! 2002 SR5, 134k, one owner, all MX records, and was recently traded to this dealer! The bull bar is damaged (not keeping it anyways), but otherwise it is a clean car! [Hood is popped in the pic].

Sucks I won't personally see it for another month! Then the fun begins.

 

[Lugo Runner]

We have a 99 T4R with 310,000 on the clock. We also have a 2015 Accord with 20,000 on the clock. My wife is an RN and works for a home nursing service and easily travels 100 miles a day and always takes the runner. She says she knows the runner will always get her home and can go through anything.

We've actually considered selling the Accord and finding another low mileage 3rd gen.

 

[Lindenwood]

Nice!

My wife is actually really excited about having two 4runners. They have been among her favorite cars since she was a young teen in the 90s. Apparently a client asked her what her dream car was, and she said "it's parked outside!" (Quicksand TRDP on 33s).

We were planning on making the drive home in a few months. She has just about convinced me to take both vehicles, even though it will cost another $250-300 in gas, just so we can convoy together and take them camping and wheeling when we get there .

 

[ltsr]

Nice!

My wife is actually really excited about having two 4runners. They have been among her favorite cars since she was a young teen in the 90s. Apparently a client asked her what her dream car was, and she said "it's parked outside!" (Quicksand TRDP on 33s).

We were planning on making the drive home in a few months. She has just about convinced me to take both vehicles, even though it will cost another $250-300 in gas, just so we can convoy together and take them camping and wheeling when we get there .

You should have her try to engage 4WD and the center locker just to make sure it works.

 

[97t4r81]

My friend has a tundra long bed with the 3.4 and a 5spd, I’ve never seen another before or after. That is my dream truck for truck stuff. For the money though those chevys from the early 2000’s are the best work trucks around, for all the reasons above. Happy hunting. My .02

 

[T4R2014]

There’s better options, but still a breeze compared to dailying an out of warranty Euro. You are unlikely to get stranded.

 

[nalbertasr5]

My thoughts:

I have a 2000 manual 4runner. It has an aftermarket bumper, roof rack, winch, lift and 32" tires so it's heavy, not very nimble and doesn't brake very well. The mods don't help much. Gas mileage is not great. It gets tiring driving it in a busy city throughout the day. It's not great at passing on the highway. But I love it! And people that see it love it! I take it wheeling.

However, I also have a 2009 Volvo C30 that I daily drive most of the time. It's low to the ground, smooth, has great handling and is overall way easier to drive and live with. The interior is so much more comfortable and modern. It's just a much more relaxing experience. The 4runner feels like you're flying by the seat of your pants in something that's going to fall apart driving down the highway, but with my little car it feels like I have complete control. It also makes great MPGs.


IMO, if I needed a car for basic commuting I would not choose the 4runner simply because of the lack of comfort and gas mileage. However, I do live in northern Canada, WAY far north and when there is a big blizzard only one thing will do: the 4runner! It's amazing driving 300km on rural winter highways. The Volvo is king when the snow melts.

So in closing, decide what kind of driving you do the most and get the best vehicle for the job!

 

[4rFrog]

I love mine! It's a work in progress, but it's awesome to drive around.

 

[thegipper]

If you don't mind the shitty ride quality compared to newer vehicles, it's a good DD.

 

[SonnySays]

Edit: Please read later posts for clarification of my intent. I might have given the impression i was looking for general advice on what makes a good daily driver. I am really just looking for experiences and anecdotes that might speak to the longevity and day-to-day reliability of well-maintained 3rd gens.

Hello, everyone. I recently bought my wife a 2016 TRDP, and wouldn't you know it, the gearhead in me is back.

So, I have been toying with the idea of trading my 2012 Civic for a 3rd gen 4runner, to have something I can tinker with a bit more heavily than I am willing to with the Pro (Ive got 33s on it now and a 2" lift in the mail, but we want to keep it clean enough that it isn't out of place at a nice restaurant or being valeted).

I would probably buy one with maybe 200k miles, and pretty much take it straight to my mechanic. I figure perhaps $4k (total guess) would be enough for them to replace pretty much every hose, belt, seal, fluid, and anciliary component (alternator, starter, pumps, etc) in the powertrain, plus suspension bushings, LBJs, brake pads and shoes, and the radiator. (Aren't you proud of me for reading the stickies?).

The goal would be to establish a good mechanical baseline.

As most of you know, it is usually the little things like fluid leaks that end up causing catastrophic failures, and annoying things like failing starters and alternators that end up leaving you stranded. Barring all those grimlins inherent to older vehicles (which will hopefully all be put to rest with the refresh), these powertrains are known to go several hundred thousand miles, right?

Assuming it wasn't abused or neglected, and I continue maintenance at conservative intervals, would you guys expect this vehicle to last at least another 100 or even 150k without much drama (that I don't cause myself )? That is how much longer I was expecting to keep the civic.

I am pretty mechanically inclined, and have owned modified vehicles in the past (a couple turbo MR2s and a Suzuki samurai--all of them modded to the point of seeing engines rebuilt and reinstalled by me, etc). So, I will probably do the expected performance upgrades myself once my mechanic gets it running well.

Is this a reasonable plan? Or am I out to lunch?

Thanks!

My DD runner has 170k miles. Just do the normal swaps when you buy it (radiator, timing belt, water pump, fuel filter) and you should be sound.

 

[dogtail]

If you don't mind the shitty ride quality compared to newer vehicles, it's a good DD.

Its not a soccer mom ride, especially after you mod them. I DD mine 1K miles per week. I've been doing about 1K miles per week since 1985, Tacomas (had 2) and its cousin 3rd gen 4r (had 3) are the most reliable things I've driven. Not likely to see a 3rd gen broken down on the side of the road unless they ran out of gas or got a flat tire.

 

[thegipper]

My 97 with 99 tall springs up front and 906's in the rear (KYB gas a-just shocks) rides like a track steer going 50mph down the road......but I still love it!

My Camry/Highlander are just so much nicer on our lousy roads in Wisconsin......

 

[spartacus]

I've been daily driving mine for 18 years with some long breaks when I have had a 3rd car, but I keep coming back to the 4runner.

 

[TheDurk]

19 years for me, and I love it except for gas mileage and the stick is a pain if I have to go to NYC. When it snows, I worship it.

 

[spartacus]

one thing that really improved the over all quality of ride and control of my truck was changing the bushings I've replaced almost all bushings with either urethane or oem rubber and whiteline for lca and uca. what a difference in the over all tightness of the truck. It just makes the truck less sloppy.

 

[kevincva]

99 limited 186k on the clock, it is our only car, we do have a Harley for the nice weather days. Owned it for 2 1/2 years, driven it multiple trips of 800 to 1000 miles at a time and don't hesitate to go. I love this truck. Routine maintenance and fixing the little things keeps it running great.

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

My '99 was never meant to be a DD, more of a weekend/adventure/junk hauler/ crappy weather vehicle. Last month my Civic got totaled, so the 'runner is my only vehicle right now. Honestly, for me, it's not too comfy for more than a few hours in the seat. The brakes are typically weak, so a few high speed interstate stops during rush hour makes it sketchy for me.

It's not overly powerful but can cruise at 70 mph ok on flat ground. Other things make it not ideal as a DD for myself. I wouldn't want one of these as my only transportation but it's a nice 2nd vehicle. I do like the 4th gens, I could see one of those being a DD for me.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

No.
Nope.

 

[Lindenwood]

18 months later and still loving it! Despite getting 15mpg I still sometimes find myself looking for excuses to dtive atound .

 

[UnderFire]

Are you ok with 16 mpg, if so, yes great daily driver, if not, no.

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