Endless-Summer
New member
Hi,I just bought a 1997 4Runner, which I'm going to pick up this Monday. I'd like to offer an introduction and request some advice.
First, about me: I'm an American living in La Paz, Honduras, a little town close to the border with El Salvador. There's a shortage of paved roads out here. The highways are well-paved (though slick from constant rain), but the side roads are almost all dirt or gravel. Some of them are so rough they're unpassable without a high clearance vehicle, and even the ones that are passable would tear up a normal sedan pretty quickly. So I'm getting my first SUV.
The SUV in question is a 1997 4Runner base model, with a 4 cyl engine, 2-wheel drive, automatic transmission, and 153,000 miles. It's not the best model of 4Runner, but it's in great condition, and I'm buying it from a trustworthy person. I took it for a test drive, and it drove well on and off the road. The hoses aren't cracked or loose, I couldn't find any rust, it accelerated smothly (though slowly), and it stopped on a dime.
This will be my first SUV (my last car was an MR2 Spyder). Basically, I don't expect it to drive through three feet of water or bounce over tree trunks or accelerate in a flash. I do expect to get through bumpy roads with ruts nearly a foot deep and stretches of foot-deep mud and water. And I expect it to last another 50k or even 100k miles with few major ($500+) repairs. I hope you can give me some general advice on using and maintaining this vehicle. Any likely repairs on a 4Runner this old? Any enhancements you suggest? Any special maintenance I should have done? Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
First, about me: I'm an American living in La Paz, Honduras, a little town close to the border with El Salvador. There's a shortage of paved roads out here. The highways are well-paved (though slick from constant rain), but the side roads are almost all dirt or gravel. Some of them are so rough they're unpassable without a high clearance vehicle, and even the ones that are passable would tear up a normal sedan pretty quickly. So I'm getting my first SUV.
The SUV in question is a 1997 4Runner base model, with a 4 cyl engine, 2-wheel drive, automatic transmission, and 153,000 miles. It's not the best model of 4Runner, but it's in great condition, and I'm buying it from a trustworthy person. I took it for a test drive, and it drove well on and off the road. The hoses aren't cracked or loose, I couldn't find any rust, it accelerated smothly (though slowly), and it stopped on a dime.
This will be my first SUV (my last car was an MR2 Spyder). Basically, I don't expect it to drive through three feet of water or bounce over tree trunks or accelerate in a flash. I do expect to get through bumpy roads with ruts nearly a foot deep and stretches of foot-deep mud and water. And I expect it to last another 50k or even 100k miles with few major ($500+) repairs. I hope you can give me some general advice on using and maintaining this vehicle. Any likely repairs on a 4Runner this old? Any enhancements you suggest? Any special maintenance I should have done? Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
