Mudeprived
New member
Hello fellow 4runner owners. My name is Chris and I'm a die-hard Jeeper who recently purchased a 1999 4runner Limited. I have owned a few TJ's and a XJ but they are old and in need of constant upkeep so I wanted to get a daily driver and occasional off road rig that was reliable and capable. I'm selling my XJ so this 4runner is replacing it as the daily driver for fall/winter/spring and then the TJ comes out of hibernation and does summer duties.
The story of the 4runner purchase:
I was browsing CL on Xmas morning while at my sister's for the yearly Xmas celebration. I just happened to come across a green 1999 Toyota 4runner Limited with 153k miles for $4500. As I read through the description two things caught my attention: Grandparents owned since 1999 and detailed maintenance records from every 5k mile service. :banana: I sent the dude a text and we started talking about a deal. He said I was the first person to contact him and then 18 others followed that day.
We met up a few days later and I test drove it. It was in fantastic condition except for a bad tire(s) (goodyear all season so it that's expected). These grandparents really took care of it. I asked about the maintenance records and they said they forgot them at their house but would mail them to me. I decided to trust them and bought it. One week later I received a 1" thick package in the mail and it was all the maintenance documents since 1999. Knowing what the history was with the vehicle made it so much easier for me to continue maintaining it.
On the drive home I noticed a few things that were needed. Brakes needed bled and maintenance records told me that is due. One or more of the goodyear tires had a bad belt or something because I became a bobble head at low speeds. The shocks seemed tired and that is expected at that mileage.
The 4runner:
Everything "power" works on the vehicle which was pretty amazing considering it's year. The only thing on the interior that did not work were the overhead map lights. I'm guessing they need new bulbs. The overhead cab light is very dim so I will look into brightening that up. I tested the 4wd/locker and both work. So it seems I got one heck of a good 4runner and I'm excited to start repairing and building it to my preferences. My goals are to make this a comfortable daily driver that is capable of off roading and equipped for recovery and extraction.
I will document the modifications and repairs as I go. I hope you enjoy the transformation process.
The story of the 4runner purchase:
I was browsing CL on Xmas morning while at my sister's for the yearly Xmas celebration. I just happened to come across a green 1999 Toyota 4runner Limited with 153k miles for $4500. As I read through the description two things caught my attention: Grandparents owned since 1999 and detailed maintenance records from every 5k mile service. :banana: I sent the dude a text and we started talking about a deal. He said I was the first person to contact him and then 18 others followed that day.
We met up a few days later and I test drove it. It was in fantastic condition except for a bad tire(s) (goodyear all season so it that's expected). These grandparents really took care of it. I asked about the maintenance records and they said they forgot them at their house but would mail them to me. I decided to trust them and bought it. One week later I received a 1" thick package in the mail and it was all the maintenance documents since 1999. Knowing what the history was with the vehicle made it so much easier for me to continue maintaining it.
On the drive home I noticed a few things that were needed. Brakes needed bled and maintenance records told me that is due. One or more of the goodyear tires had a bad belt or something because I became a bobble head at low speeds. The shocks seemed tired and that is expected at that mileage.
The 4runner:
Everything "power" works on the vehicle which was pretty amazing considering it's year. The only thing on the interior that did not work were the overhead map lights. I'm guessing they need new bulbs. The overhead cab light is very dim so I will look into brightening that up. I tested the 4wd/locker and both work. So it seems I got one heck of a good 4runner and I'm excited to start repairing and building it to my preferences. My goals are to make this a comfortable daily driver that is capable of off roading and equipped for recovery and extraction.
I will document the modifications and repairs as I go. I hope you enjoy the transformation process.
