Help With Used 4Runner Decsion

[rox5488]

Hello all
I'm new to this forum but figured this is as good a place to ask as any. I am looking at buying a Toyota 4Runner used. The specs are below.

3.4 L V6
1999 SR5
Moon roof
Alloy rims
Newer Cooper tires
4x4
53,000 miles
Asking $17900

I am wondering first off if this is a good deal. It is in really nice shape with no rust and very very very few paint chips up front. PA winters make cars look awful there.

Do these engines hold up long?

Is it worth the investment vs age of vehicle?

Any known big defects with that model year?

Does this 4x4 go WELL in snow?

Any advice will be great. The reason i'm looking for a 4x4 is my old 91 f150 is getting real tired. I travel over blue knob ski resort daily to get to work and we average about 140" of snow per year so there is a TON of winter driving. www.blueknob.com if you want to check out the ski resort! hehe. Anyway once again thanks for any help in this decision. I see you all own them so your opinions should be the best!

Thank you and I will definatly be reading over the site in the next few days to learn more info in other topics!

 

[peter78]

Welcome to the forum. Here is a thread that answers most of your questions.


http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=787


----------------------------------------------------


Now, let me briefly answer your questions:

1.) Do these engines hold up long? Yes, they seem to last well past 200,000 miles.

2.) Is it worth the investment vs age of vehicle? The price is close to retail (around $18,434), but more than a private seller ($16,281). If correct, the mileage is really low, I think that is worth something. If you read the other thread, you will see the 99 model was a good year for 4Runners. Of course you will have to sink quite a bit of money in it for the 60,000 mile tune up. I think a 99 has a lot of good years left. So yes, I think it is worth the investment.

3.) Any known defects with that model year? Sometimes the fuel guage reads low, there is a fix for this. See the other thread for comments on what to look for.

4.) Does this 4X4 go Well in snow. I will leave this question for someone else to answer. I have a 4X2 and I live in Atlanta.



Good luck.

 

[rox5488]

Can anyone comment on the 'snow' ability of a 4runner? I have not bought it yet but must decide by monday. Thank you.

 

[sgirt]

I think the snow ability is great with the 4runner. In 4wd, they do well on snow packed roads. A stock 4Runner will do well. I have a 99 4runner, that my wife and I drive in the winter. They do great!

 

[Thai]

Remember to get good tires!

 

[rox5488]

Thank you guys for all your help. I think i'm gonna buy it! I'll go see about it this week. I'll be sure to post some pics.

There are two other questions I have related to running boards and a hitch. i will post those in a new thread sometime next week after I'm sure I can buy the vehicle. Thanks again for your help.