Erik the First Time 4Runner Owner

[ErikM]

hey, everybody

just bought my 1st 4R this weekend...97 SR5 with 210k miles

miles are a little higher than i wanted to start with but i should be able to get another 100k, or more, out of it, at least

sticker says timing belt was done at 120k; so i should be good there for a few

tires have a little life left in them...gonna keep my eyes on the discount direct page...hopefully, i can get a good deal on some tires like some of ya did earlier this month

currently bummed about an issue that popped up yesterday...suddenly, the driver side door will unlock with the key but won't lock with the key...posted in another thread on that so won't bore everybody with the details here

anyhow, been around this site a few months while searching for my first 4R and have a couple posts here and there...nothing of any great value..lol

very much excited about this purchase and about being here and learning from some of the great minds here

gonna go check out some of the new buyer threads and start a list of things i need to do with/to this as a new purchase...really want to keep this 4R up and running, which is something i've never really bothered doing with any vehicle before

i'm not mechanically inclined in the least, outside of changing oil and plugs/wires; so this could get interesting...hoping to pick people's brains from time-to-time to help me keep this beast going

give me a computer and i'll tear it apart and put it back together in a snap...we all have our God-given talents, of which mine are not car related

thanks for reading through this; and, take care, everybody

ErikM

ps: i'll add a few more pics shortly

 

[3rzrunner]

Nice Buy! Welcome aboard! Nice colour as well! lol I could say so much.....
1 question: Why is one of the foglights a different size than the other one? lol other than that looks preeeeety.

 

[Diesel_Dog]

Clean looking runner and great thread title. You might want to think about the timing belt as I believe that toyota recommends changing them every 60-90k.

 

[Skidmarcx]

Grats on your purchase!

 

[jonnieguns]

Ditto on the timing belt, you're pretty much at the recommended mileage interval. I would have a dealer or reputable shop do one of their multi-point inspections on it to see where you stand. That way you can see what you'd like to tackle yourself.

Don't be intimidated by these things. The information on how to accomplish basic maintenance items is all on this site, lots of heavy hitters contribute here.

 

[ErikM]

Thanks for the welcome!

i was hoping i had avoided the timing belt/water pump issue for a few; but sounds like i should get that out of the way just to be safe

3rz, ya know, i was so caught up in the mechanical bits and pieces that i completely missed that the fog lights were mis-matched...doh!

i've got it lined up for a tire balance/rotate then an alignment this friday...hoping the tires are good for at least 6mos; but, then again, maybe i should just bite the bullet on those too and get them done now

i did, after all, save $4500-$5000 on the purchase versus what i had budgeted...and these are things i don't want to be cheap with or reluctant to deal with...i really want this 4Runner to last 5-10yrs, if not more

since i'm going for the emissions tomorrow, i'll know if i need any kind of fix-up to pass...after that are tags this friday after i get the tires balanced/rotated and aligned

or maybe i should hit up the shop for the multi-point inspection before i hit the emissions?

fortunately, i have the rest of the week off from work (spring break and working at a college for the win!) that i should be able to tackle most of these easily enough...then, there are a couple other threads that have suggestions for what to do with the new purchase that i think i'm going to be pretty busy the next few days

i'll be honest, i've really only hung out in the 3rd gen forum on this site, so please forgive me if my ignorance shows...but, is there any kind of thread with shop info across the states?

i'm in Denver, CO, and don't know any reputable shops...other than going to Mtn States Toyota, i'd prefer going to a neighborhood shop like to be able to get that checkup done in the next day or so

actually, just got off the phone with my friend who says his mechanic is solid; so, i'm gonna try to get in to the shop tomorrow and go from there...hopefully, he is as solid as my buddy says and i can mark off finding a shop/mechanic

anyhow, if anybody is in the Denver, CO, area and knows a good shop i'd appreciate the name/info just in case...can't know too many good shops/mechanics, imho

take care,

Erik--

 

[amalik]

Congrats Erik from your fellow Coloradan! Looks clean and if you are able to avoid the major failures (Part luck, part preventative maintenance), you should be able to get another 100k out of it. These 4runners have what we call a 5VZFE engine and they are extremely solid.