going to get first 4runner, what should I know?

[Gatafly]

I have a '94 Ranger 4x4 with 240k miles and has been a great truck with very little maintenance ever done. I should probably keep driving it, but it is getting rusty and I have decided to get an '03-04' runner. From everything I know and from those that have them I believe they are probably one of the most perfect vehicles ever built.

Anyway, I drive my vehicles for a long time before switching and since I am buying used I want it to be extremely clean and rust free. I know a broker who I am going to have look for one for me in Florida. I am not in a hurry so I am willing to wait until just the right one shows up. I have read the debates about V6 vs V8 and I think there are pros and cons to both. . . . . maybe. . . I don't know. As of right now I am open to either as long as the rest of the T4R is excellent or you all lean me in towards one of them. Since I have never owned one is there anything else I should know or keep an eye on. I know the 6 doesn't need a TB change like the 8, but do they really need plugs changed every 30k miles and why?

Sorry if some of these have been beaten to death in here, but tell them to me again.:lookout:

 

[sandp500index]

I have owned several Toyota vehicles over the years. However, I haven't owned a 4Runner until a few weeks ago. I don't have as much experience as many on this board, but I will give you my opinion.

I bought an 04 Limited with all the bells and whistles for $19.5k. It had 44k miles. The best advice I can give is to convert the price of the vehicle to a cost per mile to own it. You decide on a mileage you plan on driving it to. So in my case I used 150k miles. So...150,000 miles less 44,000 miles = 111,000 miles of useful life in the car. Therefore....$19,500 / 111,000 miles = 17.5 cents per mile to own the vehicle. I use this method to compare various cars and identify the good values from the bad values. When you have used various internet sites and researched many cars, this will help you to instantly spot the good deals. I can tell you that I was prepared to spend 18 cents per mile for a middle of the road 4Runner and determined this was the best I could do. (I was going to drive about 4 hours to get it) When I came across the car I now own at a local Toyota dealer....I immediately bought it.

So my opinion on V6 or V8. I am sure both have advantages. Over a 1 year period let's assume you drive 15,000 miles. The difference in mileage is 1 MPG between the engines. Over 15,000 miles the V8 will cost you an extra 50 gallons of gas. 50 gallons times $4 = $200. But now lets talk about RPM of the V6 vs V8. I can drive most of the time with my engine around 2,000 RPM. I can cruz on the highway at 70 MPH at 2k RPM. I test drove several V6 models and noticed the RPMs being about 500-1000 higher for similar driving. So to me, it is worth having a vehicle in which the engine doesn't work as hard. Just one opinion.

The full-time AWD offered in the Limited.....is totally awesome. I feel it is worth the $$$$$. There is a much greater level of safety driving an AWD in the snow. I had a Pathfinder and I couldn't leave it in 4WD unless the roads were covered in snow. The 4WD would bind on pavement. Being rear wheel drive, it got a little wild at times in the snow with the back end sliding out. With AWD I don't have to worry about taking it out of 4WD when driving on pavement partially covered in snow. Being that you live in Minn, I would say get the Limited if you can afford it.

It has other stuff you would want living in Minn....heated seats.

I need to get to bed....but I will try and post some more tomorrow.

 

[daka320]

Welcome to owning a 4runner! You will really enjoy it!

I've had my 2004 sport 4wd v6 for about 8 months now. We did our research and looked at many 4runners till we bought ours from a private individual. It has some corrosion on it since it came from Chicago, but I'm not too worried about it since we live in AZ. We bought it for $13.5 with 80,000 miles on it.

The V8's are full-time 4wd. The V6's have selectable 2wd/4wd. You can select form 2wd to 4wd hi on the fly as long as you are driving under 62 mph. I've had mine up to 80 mph or so in 4wd on pavement with no problems.

V8's seem to get about 2-4 mph less than the V6's. The type of tires seem to make a difference in mpg. We replaced the crappy dunlop at20 tires with some all-terrain Yokos and get 1-2 mpg less. Better ride and traction though! Good for some off-roading!!!

We have had plenty of power in our v6 going up the mountains on the highway with 5 people in it driving anywhere from 60 - 80 mph. The v6 accelerates up the hills well. If you pull a trailer quite-a-bit, a v8 would be better for the torque. The only thing we have ever pulled is a 4x8 trailer and it did fine.

I was told by the shop I service our car at that in 2004 Toyota put 30k plugs in some and 100K plugs in others. He really did not know why. At 90k I replaced the plugs with the 30k ones since the price was a lot cheaper. The costs are about the same in the long run, so it really doesn't matter too much.

Also, if you buy the Sport Edition it will have the XREAS shock system on it. Apparently it gives it a smoother ride. These shocks rarely fail unlike the 4runners without these. But, if you have to replace them it will cost 2k to 2.5k!!! I was told by my shop that he only had one of the XREAS systems fail on all of the 4runners he has worked on over the years.

Now for the important part!!! One major inconvenience!!! If you are a guy, do not let your wife drive it!!! She will become attached to it and you precious 4runner will no longer be yours! If you are a woman, you will love it!!!

 

[JB.]

I have decided to get an '03-04' runner. From everything I know and from those that have them I believe they are probably one of the most perfect vehicles ever built.

Since I have never owned one is there anything else I should know or keep an eye on.

Check around the black plastic box on the transfer case for any sign of a leak. Fairly rare but pricey.
Make sure low range and center diff lock work.

 

[Gatafly]

Also, if you buy the Sport Edition it will have the XREAS shock system on it. Apparently it gives it a smoother ride. These shocks rarely fail unlike the 4runners without these. But, if you have to replace them it will cost 2k to 2.5k!!! I was told by my shop that he only had one of the XREAS systems fail on all of the 4runners he has worked on over the years. Now that is really good to know, thanks!

Now for the important part!!! One major inconvenience!!! If you are a guy, do not let your wife drive it!!! She will become attached to it and you precious 4runner will no longer be yours! If you are a woman, you will love it!!!

So hide the spare key and keep the other key on you at all times, even at night. . . . . . . . CHECK!:lmao:

 

[Gatafly]

Getting some good ideas and advice. . . keep it coming. I don't care about the full time 4WD or not and coming from a truck without it I actually like not having FT 4WD, but for the 4R I will take whatever, I just want a real clean 100K mile one within my budget.

 

[wombie]

Check for rust around the tailgate (the seals and the license plate garnish).

Check the master cylinder operation - in a few cases it can make the brake pedal vibrate.

If you can get a Limited or one with Limited leather seats then consider it - the leather seats are way more comfy than the regular SR5 ones.

If you don't desperately want a sunroof then don't get a truck that has one (given the choice). If they go bad (and unfortunately people seem to have trouble with them) they are a pain and an expense to fix.

 

[Gatafly]

Check for rust around the tailgate (the seals and the license plate garnish).

Check the master cylinder operation - in a few cases it can make the brake pedal vibrate.

If you can get a Limited or one with Limited leather seats then consider it - the leather seats are way more comfy than the regular SR5 ones.

If you don't desperately want a sunroof then don't get a truck that has one (given the choice). If they go bad (and unfortunately people seem to have trouble with them) they are a pain and an expense to fix.

Great advice, I will make sure that a sunroof is not on the "wanted list"