In the market for a 3rd gen. I want a lifted one with an aftermarket bumper and a roof basket, that sort of thing. To be honest, I live in Ohio and there isn't many places to go off-roading, so this will be more for looks, but will find its way off the beaten path if I can find a spot! Anyway, would you guys say its cheaper to buy a stock one and do what I want to it, or buy one with the modifications already done? I am working with about 8 grand, maybe more if I sell my other toy. I cant seem to find many decent 4runners in my area. Just drove 2 hours to look at a 2000 Sport with a 5 speed and a supercharger(didn't even know till I got there!) and it drove awesome! The body looked great as well. Crawled underneath and saw the frame, which looked like the titanic would today. Passed on that one! I am not picky on what I want. Only requirements are rust free, 4x4, and under 200k. I am not ruling out colors, options, or trim levels and yet I still cant find one. Not sure where to look or which route to take? Stock or already modified? Thanks guys!!
Looking To Buy A 3rd Gen, Need Advice
- Thread starter cincykyle
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185Runner
New member
I personally would go with stock. Why buy someone else's project when you can make a stock one exactly how you want it.
That being said if you find one with it set up mostly how you want (aftermarket bumpers, sliders, quality suspension, lockers, etc) price will be much higher, but all the work is already done and it's ready for play.
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That being said if you find one with it set up mostly how you want (aftermarket bumpers, sliders, quality suspension, lockers, etc) price will be much higher, but all the work is already done and it's ready for play.
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Denis_Ruso
New member
Rust-free is what everyone in your part of the world is looking for. Going to tricky but possible. Come to California where every car is rust-free.
As far as the mods, that's a 2 way street. You will be saving money if you get the parts already on the truck. Since the owner cant add the full price of the parts to the cost of the car. ( well they can but no one would buy it)
The downside is, if someone has offroad parts on it, they more then likely drove the car offroad (extra wear and tear on everything).
In my opinion I would only get the modded one if the mods were done very recently.
Good point. That's where I am stuck at. To make it my own, or to buy the one that's already had the time put in to building it
That's a good point about extra wear and tear, I didn't really think of that. I would want one in good exterior shape since itll be a "mall crawler" and any off roading it does see won't be too crazy. Mechanically, I also don't want to spend a pretty penny on something already built, just to have to put more money into making sure its safe to drive
Unner
New member
You'll save a lot of money buying a well built one off the forum here rather than building one. That said would I go back and change my decisions? No. The fun part to me is building the truck and getting out and using it knowing that you built it and everything is exactly the way you want it to be.
Think a clean 200k mile one would be worth buying to modify? I found a very nice one at a good price with lots of recent maintenance but not sure if it's worth buying to build. At the end of the day, it does still have 200k on it and it would be hard to recoup even part of what I'd put into it id say? Or am I wrong?
Scramble
New member
You'll never get back what you put into it but if it's well taken care of you could get 350,000 miles out of it.
I would never expect to get all that I put into it back, but some would be nice. But I see it everyday. I appraise cars for the dealership I work for. People spend 2 grand doing random stuff to their car and get upset when they don't get 2 grand more than the car is worth.
Anyway, my next option is a 2001 Sport with leather. 155k miles and totally rust free, with a lot of recent Maintanence, but the seller is asking 7500. It's stock other than wheels and tires. It's super clean but the price seems a little high.
Scramble
New member
Price is a little high, is it the original owner? All maintenance records? No rust in Ohio...it might be worth it.
Not the original owner. It was a South Carolina truck until recently. Not sure about service records yet, just contacted him. He said he bought it with intentions of doing some major off-roading, but he said it's just too nice for that, so he bought a beat up one and is selling this one. It's sharp. From the pics, there is zero body damage and like I said, no rust. Inside is very nice as well
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
I'm with [MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION] on this one. The best part about owning a 3rd Gen is doing the mods yourself. Your rig is your unique signature and flavor. There's a lot of satisfaction for me when I look in the garage and see my rig knowing I did each and every mod (except the new third members).
I think in the long run, you'll appreciate your rig more if you purchase one with a solid platform (rust-free, decent mileage, 8 out of 10) that you can build on. And hey, you can start your own build thread and give us members on here something to read!!
I think in the long run, you'll appreciate your rig more if you purchase one with a solid platform (rust-free, decent mileage, 8 out of 10) that you can build on. And hey, you can start your own build thread and give us members on here something to read!!
Brique
New member
If my truck got totaled tomorrow, I'd sit in the classifieds here for as long as it took to find a built one I liked and I wouldn't hesitate to travel to it, especially if I lived up north.
If it's a real member on here, chances are it's not only been built well, but loved in the process, and the most cost effective route by far would be buying it built from here.
If it's a real member on here, chances are it's not only been built well, but loved in the process, and the most cost effective route by far would be buying it built from here.
gamefreakgc
Elite Member
I bought mine with 190k, just sayin'. Take care of it and it will take care of you. I even got the faulty 3.0L on my 91 to last 285k miles without blowing a head gasket.
Superchargers are the way to go though... too bad that one was rusty! Others have said it too, but built ones will be MUCH cheaper than doing it yourself. Same goes with the supercharger.
I am so bummed about the one I went and looked at. It is exactly what I wanted. Was pretty discouraging. I am afraid many in my area will look like that. I see them all over with a ton of miles, and I know they are great rigs, Ive just always been hesitant
No doubt! I am just impatient and want one now! But I am being cautious and holding out for the perfect one. It just sucks waiting!
