Hi. Noob with questions on used 4Runner.

[whodkne]

I am looking for a mid 90's 4Runner for one of my businesses. 6 cyl, automatic. I don't care about 4wd, since I am in CA and don't go to snow, offroad, etc.

Anyone know about the differences in year/models around 94/95? What about items to look for that go out, need to be replaced, etc? I am look for something with around 70-100k miles, what else should I look for that would need to be replaced at that point? Engine seems to last for a good 200k miles on these with proper maintenace and other parts being replaced, ya?

Any other advice or opinions would be appreciated.

I also like the model/year with the hatch back that can be opened without messing with the glass. What year is that?

Thanks!

 

[toybox]

'96 and up has the glass within the hatchback.

The 2nd generation of 4Runners ('90 to '95) had pervasive and well documented problems with blowing head gaskets. Oh, and they are SLOW.

If I were you I would look for a '96 and up and preferably a '98 or better because they did a little refresh on the dash starting in '98.

 

[whodkne]

Thanks for the info! I appreciate it. I drove a 95 yesterday (my gf's) and it is SLOW! haha... but I didn't mind so much since it is a truck and not a sports car.

Cool, I'll look for 96's and go from there.

Anything to know about 96-98 models? Any know problems?

TY

 

[toybox]

Nothing bad stands out for the '96 and up the only thing I hated about my '97 was the cup holder design, worst ever if you ask me but that is nit-picking to say the least.

I don't NEED my truck to be fast but I do like it to get out of its' own way.

I had a landcruiser that bordered on dangerous for highway passing and stuff so its never a bad thing to have a little extra power.

 

[whodkne]

Thanks. My friends have an 80's LC and it is definitely a road hazard, but the cargo space is unbeatable. That is one of my other options for a truck, but $$ might stand in the way.

Thanks!

 

[peter78]

Hey, don't give up on the 2nd generation models. They are thirsty, lack power, but are tough of nails. Here is a site that will tell you the difference between a 94 & 95 model. It will also talk about the other generations as well.
http://www.top4runners.com/ja/runhist.html

I agree the 3rd generations had some nice improvements and are know to last. Here is a thread about the different generations of 4Runners.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=1091&highlight=generations

Good luck in your quest.

 

[khaug]

The '96 model year 3.4 V6 had a recall for failed head gaskets. I'd make sure any '96 I bought had been through the recall.

The 3rd gen 4Runners are prone to failure of the rear axle seals as they age (say, 60 - 70K and up). This allows diff lube to seep into the rear brakes, ruining the shoes. Look at the inside of the rear wheel rims to see if any diff lube is spattered there when inspecting a prospective purchase. Repair isn't cheap and there have been a number of complaints that the problem quickly reoccurs after repair.

My '98 4WD Limited was almost flawless over the 5 years/75K miles I had it, needing only replacement of one oxygen sensor. This included 25K miles of arduous trailer towing. When I sold it, it still looked and drove like a new truck. I probably made a mistake by letting it go.

 

[whodkne]

Head gasket recall, check.

Rear axel seals... so if there is no diff lube visable and say the truck has 80-90k miles on it, is it safe to say it shouldn't had that problem? Or is this something is that is going to happen over time and need to be fixed one way or another?

TY

 

[khaug]

Rear axel seals... so if there is no diff lube visable and say the truck has 80-90k miles on it, is it safe to say it shouldn't had that problem?

I'm not quite sure what you mean here. If there's diff lube on the inside of a rim, it's almost certain there is a problem. On the other hand, the absence of lube on the rims doesn't guarantee there isn't a problem - the only way you can tell that for sure is to pull the brake drums and look. The seal failure appears to be a wear thing, so the higher the mileage or the greater the age of the truck the more likely the problem is to be there.

Or is this something is that is going to happen over time and need to be fixed one way or another?

The longer you have the truck and the more mileage you put on it, the more likely it becomes that the problem will occur.

If you're thinking something like, "There's a bad period during which the seal problem is likely to occur, and if you get past that period you're home free", I don't believe that's so. My reference to 60-70K miles in my original post was simply to illustrate the approximate mileage at which many owners posting about the problem had said it first appeared.