Hey everyone,
I've been looking to get a SUV the past few months and after doing a considerable amount of have research finally settled on a 3rd gen 4runner.. one that i am leaning towards is a 97 SR5 auto with 93000 miles that I had the chance to test drive earlier today..it ran really smooth in 2hi on pavement, was in excellent cosmetic condition except for a small amount of rust on the frame and wheel hubs i could tell had been painted over. Its got a sunroof but the motors shot so that should be replaced eventually. The guys is asking $8500 because he says its in "excellent" condition..I think its a little much for having found those two issues.. Thoughts?
Then there is one last thing...the 4wheel drive system.
While 2Hi and 4Hi seemed to work perfectly.. I am just a bit concerned with its performance in 4lo.
To engage the 4Lo: Put SUV in neutral, shifted from 4Hi to 4Lo and put it back in D. We rolled for a few seconds to let it engage, the green light came on and I gave it a bit of gas. As i would step on the gas, the SUV never seemed to go any faster than a crawl. RPM's would be between 1500-2500 and it just never seemed to break 10 mph, recalling I really dont even think it even broke 5-6mph. It kinda seemed like it would engage sometimes when I gave it gas and respond but sometimes after I let off the gas and reapplied gas and it just rolled without any movement/response other than a idling crawl..I know that with my parents Chevy Suburban in 4lo I can roll along at about 15-16 mph no problem with 1000-1500 rpms depending on the incline.
So I then tested it out on a nearby field and proceeded to climb a 30/35 degree muddy hill. It never seemed to struggle but just moseyed along up in 4lo,very slowly, here no more than 5mph..
I know that the 4Lo sacrifices speed for traction and power but i guess just expected it to respond a bit more to the pedal?? I really just dont know what to expect because I've never had a 4runner nor do i have any friends with one to test and compare..Any opinions and thoughts would be much appreciated! Thanks!
I've been looking to get a SUV the past few months and after doing a considerable amount of have research finally settled on a 3rd gen 4runner.. one that i am leaning towards is a 97 SR5 auto with 93000 miles that I had the chance to test drive earlier today..it ran really smooth in 2hi on pavement, was in excellent cosmetic condition except for a small amount of rust on the frame and wheel hubs i could tell had been painted over. Its got a sunroof but the motors shot so that should be replaced eventually. The guys is asking $8500 because he says its in "excellent" condition..I think its a little much for having found those two issues.. Thoughts?
Then there is one last thing...the 4wheel drive system.
While 2Hi and 4Hi seemed to work perfectly.. I am just a bit concerned with its performance in 4lo.
To engage the 4Lo: Put SUV in neutral, shifted from 4Hi to 4Lo and put it back in D. We rolled for a few seconds to let it engage, the green light came on and I gave it a bit of gas. As i would step on the gas, the SUV never seemed to go any faster than a crawl. RPM's would be between 1500-2500 and it just never seemed to break 10 mph, recalling I really dont even think it even broke 5-6mph. It kinda seemed like it would engage sometimes when I gave it gas and respond but sometimes after I let off the gas and reapplied gas and it just rolled without any movement/response other than a idling crawl..I know that with my parents Chevy Suburban in 4lo I can roll along at about 15-16 mph no problem with 1000-1500 rpms depending on the incline.
So I then tested it out on a nearby field and proceeded to climb a 30/35 degree muddy hill. It never seemed to struggle but just moseyed along up in 4lo,very slowly, here no more than 5mph..
I know that the 4Lo sacrifices speed for traction and power but i guess just expected it to respond a bit more to the pedal?? I really just dont know what to expect because I've never had a 4runner nor do i have any friends with one to test and compare..Any opinions and thoughts would be much appreciated! Thanks!
