Looking at 3rd Gen on 6/18

RedRunner_87

RedRunner_87

Senior Member
Hey guys, taking a look at a 1996 4Runner Limited later tonight. I read over the 4Runner buyer guide and wanted to see what you guys think and see what you think I should look at it. This was she told me over email "The interior is fine. The exterior is good. The one thing I will mention is that the front passenger door won't open from the outside. Other than that, for the age of it I believe it's in pretty good shape." Here is what she posted about the vehicle

1996 Toyota 4Runner
Cost: $ 3700
1996 Toyota 4Runner - Limited Sport Utility 4D
212,000 miles
Regular maintenance - at JK's feel free to contact with questions.
New front brakes - November 2013
New battery - November 2014
Complete Timing Belt Assembly/kit, Starter Assembly, Thermostat, Timing belt tension adjuster - February 2015

Thanks for the advice
EDIT: This won't be a DD. Going to be using it for camping and offroading. The Camry will remain the DD, so the Runner would be driven once a week or so.
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
if maintenance is up to date, do it. Check the vin plates on all body panels, check the fluids, check for toyota parts, etc. When I got my 1st 3rd it was a 98 with 196K, very well maintained, it had extensive records, all original body and glass, no accidents, and we haggled him down to $3k, that was in 2013. My wife still drives it now, has 220,000 on it, and we haven't had a single issue with it. We replaced the rear hatch handle, rear shocks, and rear bumper (because it was ugly and rusted)

run the vin on carfax or toyota.com/owner

I know they fetch a higher price out there, so $3700 doesn't seem bad.
 
Check the radiator and the coolant. That's the one thing I didn't check on mine and it bit me in the butt.

I picked mine up for $3700 and it's loaded out and 4 years newer and had all of the same maintenance done to it (except the coolant). I'd knock them down to at least $3000.
 
Bt08231 said:
if maintenance is up to date, do it. Check the vin plates on all body panels, check the fluids, check for toyota parts, etc. When I got my 1st 3rd it was a 98 with 196K, very well maintained, it had extensive records, all original body and glass, no accidents, and we haggled him down to $3k, that was in 2013. My wife still drives it now, has 220,000 on it, and we haven't had a single issue with it. We replaced the rear hatch handle, rear shocks, and rear bumper (because it was ugly and rusted)

run the vin on carfax or toyota.com/owner

I know they fetch a higher price out there, so $3700 doesn't seem bad.
Click to expand...

The pink milkshake will be checked and I will also be checking the frame. Luckily they don't use salt up here, but have seen some pretty rusted cars. I didn't think $3700 was too bad, hoping I can get it down since it has been listed since May 31st. A big plus in my mind is the timing belt being done, I know that is an expensive project.
 
cashmoney said:
Check the radiator and the coolant. That's the one thing I didn't check on mine and it bit me in the butt.

I picked mine up for $3700 and it's loaded out and 4 years newer and had all of the same maintenance done to it (except the coolant). I'd knock them down to at least $3000.
Click to expand...

Hoping that is where I can start and see where it goes, since it has been listed for a little bit(see above post). Will definitely check the coolant and see if they replaced the radiator or anything like that. That is the biggest issue in my mind right now.
 
Minus the Color, limited status, and a auto tranny and that thing is identical to mine when i bought mine. Same amount of miles and everything.

I would say to look at the guy selling it if its private. When I went to look at mine the guy had his garage open and it was immaculate! I mean Spotless, organized and the 4runner ended up following suit. If its clean and the radiator/ Tranny are in good shape and not getting ready to milkshake then go for it.

Good Luck on your choice!
 
Don Lumberto said:
Minus the Color, limited status, and a auto tranny and that thing is identical to mine when i bought mine. Same amount of miles and everything.

I would say to look at the guy selling it if its private. When I went to look at mine the guy had his garage open and it was immaculate! I mean Spotless, organized and the 4runner ended up following suit. If its clean and the radiator/ Tranny are in good shape and not getting ready to milkshake then go for it.

Good Luck on your choice!
Click to expand...

I really wanted a 5-speed and/or E-Locker but saw this go up on the work trading post. Figured it was a good price and I could always do a E-locker swap. I will be taking a ton of pictures tonight and will hopefully have them up.
 
Alright so I looked at it today. The interior is in pretty good condition, leather is good condition and the only thing that doesn't work is the passenger side door. It has an E-Locker which is a huge plus and I didn't know about it.

Cons: There seems to be some hesitation taking off from a stop when the engine is cold. After I drove it a couple blocks it went away. The engine temperature gauge sits at the normal spot when stop but once you go it drops down to cold and starts bouncing around(send unit maybe?). The wheels are pitted pretty bad, but the from looked pretty good.

Question: Did all the Limited's come with the Multi-mode T-Case? I thought it was only 2000 and up.



 
RedRunner_87 said:
Hmm this is a 1996 and it has it. Only has 4Hi-4Lo with the 4WD button on the side of the T-Case. When you hit the button there is a green light on the far right side of the dash with 4 wheels lit up.
Click to expand...

It is a bit confusing, but that isn't multimode. That is an electronically controlled 4WD system. All Limiteds had that, instead of the J-shift. It still has the standard, locked center differential.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
ShooterMcGavin said:
It is a bit confusing, but that isn't multimode. That is an electronically controlled 4WD system. All Limiteds had that, instead of the J-shift. It still has the standard, locked center differential.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

Oppps right, forgot about the center diff that is on the 99 Limited and 00-Up. You are correct, ok I got kind of confused about that. The electronically controlled 4WD is nice for CO since sometimes the roads will spotted with ice and snow. New to 3rd Gens, and my Grand Cherokee only had AWD and 4-Lo.
 
Last edited:
Frame

Did anyone mention the frame? If it ever was driven in a road salt area there could be trouble. $3400 seems high for a 19 year old vehicle.
 
azcat90 said:
Did anyone mention the frame? If it ever was driven in a road salt area there could be trouble. $3400 seems high for a 19 year old vehicle.
Click to expand...

Frame is rust free. The hitch has rust on it for some reason but the frame is pretty solid. 3400 is the cheapest I have seen here in C0, I have seen 4Runners with almost 300K miles posted for well over 4K. With the E-locker to me seems like a pretty good deal. The timing belt service was done 4 months which is a nice thing. Just have to do the major tune up soon on it.
 
RedRunner_87 said:
Cons: There seems to be some hesitation taking off from a stop when the engine is cold. After I drove it a couple blocks it went away. The engine temperature gauge sits at the normal spot when stop but once you go it drops down to cold and starts bouncing around(send unit maybe?). The wheels are pitted pretty bad, but the from looked pretty good.
Click to expand...

Could the drivershaft require lubing in addition to your hesitation?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 369 (members: 0, guests: 369)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,310
Messages
3,554,078
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top