Long Time 3rd gen Owner, New Low Miles 4th Gen Owner

[Unner]

Just thought I'd show my face over here in the 4th gen forum.

I'm a long time 3rd gen owner, have a pretty well built 3rd gen with 281k miles on it. Fully armored, King suspension, etc. I've been to 44 states in it, and wheeled it all over the country. I plan to never get rid of it.

DSC01675 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

DSC08868 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

DSC06775a by Unner Unner, on Flickr

DSC05714b by Unner Unner, on Flickr

DSC05750a by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20180518_192751 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20180524_072514 by Unner Unner, on Flickr


But, I needed something a little more comfortable on the highway and around town, and a 4th gen has the reliability and capability I like. So I started my search. I was looking across the country, ready to fly almost anywhere to get the right one. After missing out on a good deal in Tampa, Florida I ended up finding one at the local Toyota dealer here a few miles from my house. A 2008 Limited V6 4x4, with only 78k miles.

It's got all the maintenance records, serviced at Toyota. Apparently it was owned by a couple in their 80s. The car started in CA and ended up here in AL. I bought it the day after it was posted, before they could post more than one picture of it online.

It's got everything I wanted, including the V6 over the V8. Probably one of the lowest miles and cleanest 4th gens around.

No real plans to modify this one.

I do plan to tint the windows, because I hate clear glass, and I want to keep this interior as nice as possible. The best quote I have so far is $350 for Llumar CTX on all the windows.

Eventually I will put some larger AT tires on it, after I put a few more miles on these highway tires. And when the chip shortage is over she'll get a new head unit with a backup camera.

I need to grease the driveshaft, I've got the clunk when coming to a stop, but other than that there don't seem to be any issues with it at all.

20210427_205948 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210427_205958 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210429_090922 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210429_090939 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210430_135902 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210430_135916 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210430_135924 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210430_135941 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210505_121900 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210505_121934 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20210430_135812 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

Just wanted to say hi, show off the new 4Runner, and start poking around over here on the 4th gen forums.

 

[My064R]

Wow nice catch I'll bet you had to pay up a little on it but looks well worth it.

 

[wsgoat]

That thing is sweet! 4th gen V6 is an awesome platform....your gonna love driving that thing.

 

[montijo505]

And in Salsa, you lucky dog. You’ll love the 4th gen!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Unner]

Wow nice catch I'll bet you had to pay up a little on it but looks well worth it.

Thanks!

I paid a little bit of a premium, but seeing what people are asking for an SR5 with twice the miles made me want to pay the few thousand extra to get a low miles super clean limited. There's even high miles 2wd ones people are asking $13-14k around here. I'd say it was a fair deal, I'm sure the people who traded it in got the short end of the stick though...

There aren't a whole lot of 4x4 down here either, and the ones you find come from up north and have bad rust it seems. Finding one local was a huge plus without having to travel.

That thing is sweet! 4th gen V6 is an awesome platform....your gonna love driving that thing.

Thanks! I do really enjoy driving it. Very comfortable both around town and on the highway. The extra power of the 4.0 vs the 3.4 is great too. Not having 33s and all that extra weight sure does help though.

And in Salsa, you lucky dog. You’ll love the 4th gen!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! Salsa is one of my favorite colors on a 4th gen. I'd have been happy with the galactic grey, black, or dark blue also. It looks good next to the black 3rd gen. I need to get that one cleaned up and take some family pictures.

 

[venomj]

Welcome, the 4th gen looks super clean.

 

[mjg514]

wow...that photo of the frame tho...it looks brand new! very nice find!

 

[4Runner4Runner4]

Huge congratulations. Great find. My 4.0 V6/1GR just hit 250k, and no signs of stopping.

Seeing as you already have an off-road rig, why not keep highway tires on the 4th Gen? They are so much quieter, smoother, better fuel economy, longer tread life...

 

[pauldub]

Does 4WD work? I bought a lower mileage '08 last summer to replace my '00 and the 4WD actuator was stuck and 4 Lo wouldn't engage.

 

[Unner]

Welcome, the 4th gen looks super clean.

Thanks!

wow...that photo of the frame tho...it looks brand new! very nice find!

Thanks! Yeah, when I saw the frame I almost couldn't say no. It's nice having a clean vehicle to work on. I couldn't imagine working on some of those rusty ones up north.

Huge congratulations. Great find. My 4.0 V6/1GR just hit 250k, and no signs of stopping.

Seeing as you already have an off-road rig, why not keep highway tires on the 4th Gen? They are so much quieter, smoother, better fuel economy, longer tread life...

Thanks! Considering Toyota has ran this engine for nearly 20 years in the 4Runner it's gotta be good.

You make several fair points about tires. I'll do more thinking and looking on it. I like the looks of a more aggressive tire, and I like being able to do a little off roading without worrying about getting stuck in mud or so. I will almost definitely go with a P rated tire though. I won't be playing in the rocks with this one so I don't need crazy sidewall strength, or all the weight that comes with an LT tire. I think my 255/80/17 ST Maxx on the 3rd gen weigh like 60 lbs. Rotating tires, especially the bumper mounted spare is a bit of a workout.

Does 4WD work? I bought a lower mileage '08 last summer to replace my '00 and the 4WD actuator was stuck and 4 Lo wouldn't engage.

Yep, I tried it out before buying since I knew it was a common problem on these. Put it into 4wd Hi a few times, took it up to 60 mph to make sure there were no vibes. It went into Lo and locked the center diff just fine too. I actually thought it would take longer to engage than it did since those systems can get a little "sticky" if they aren't used often.

 

[Sean7]

that's one clean 4runner, congrats!

 

[thight]

Wow! What a find! Truly jealous. Enjoy the comfort, cruise control, heated seats, etc. It'll feel like a Lexus to you now haha

 

[Unner]

Wow! What a find! Truly jealous. Enjoy the comfort, cruise control, heated seats, etc. It'll feel like a Lexus to you now haha

Thanks! It does feel very luxury. I always wanted a sunroof in my 3rd gen so now that I have one it's open all the time. The extra safety features are nice too, especially the side curtain air bags. I never hope to use them, but it is nice knowing they are there. I won't be using heated seats here for awhile now that it's summer, but the cruise control is so nice. The weekend after I got it I put about 800 miles on it for a road trip. Setting the cruise and only having it downshift to 4th gear at worst coming up a large hill was so nice.

In the 3rd gen anything more than the slightest incline results in a shift into 3rd, or even 2nd gear at 65+ miles an hour... The 5vz is a great engine, but it's not the most graceful for sure.

that's one clean 4runner, congrats!

Thanks!