New 4Runner owner!

[ajsimeon]

My crappy 98 Nissan Altima got hit by a girl in the parking lot and it got totaled. In the parking lot! Little did I know I'd get $4200 to spend on something. I was so happy when I heard I'd get that much. Went looking for SUV's because I have 2 dogs. I've always wanted a 4Runner but I knew a good one is probably out of my range. A couple days of searching I come across a 1999 4Runner Limited 2wd with 225000 miles on it. Immaculate shape interior and exterior. He maintained it very well and gave me all his service records and it looked very good. Timing belt was done at 205000 miles and new tires were put on it and other maintenance stuff he did. Drove like a dream and he said as long as it's maintained that I should be able to get at least 2 great years from it. I graduate in December and was going to hold off for something good until I got this car accident. Picked it up today for $4800. I think I got a pretty good deal considering dealers wanted way more for theirs and it wasn't as good as shape as this one.

Now that I have it, I have a couple questions. I forgot to ask him if it came with a keyless entry and he's hard to contact. I bought one from craigslist but he said the battery is probably dead but looking through the forums I'm pretty sure I got the correct one. I tried programming it but it wouldn't work. So I'm going to get a new battery for it tomorrow.

Also, driving it tonight I couldn't see the climate control panel. It wasn't lit up green like the stock radio. Is it usually dark or has the light in the back gone out? How much would it cost to get that fixed cause I'd like to see what I'm controlling at night.

I'm also looking to upgrade the sound system. I don't think it has the premium sound. How could I tell if it does or not? What do people recommend as far as speakers, receivers, amps. I don't really want a subwoofer because I don't know where to put it because I have dogs. I just want some speakers that hit hard on bass without looking like an idiot. Also is the first thing I should do is to replace the HU? How much better would the stock speakers sound with a better HU?

Last talk to me about mods? I'm as car illiterate as they come and probably wouldn't want to mess anything up. Are there people in the Raleigh area that want to do the easy mods people on here do?

I'll post some pics once I wash the car up tomorrow. Can't wait to see her all prettied up.

 

[rajuncajun]

-Welcome-

As far as the lights in the console - try tapping it fairly hard. Seriously. I had to hit mine a few times and now it stays on no prob. It's just a poor setup from the get-go and many people have successfully done LED's to compensate.

Sound system... I'm not big into sound myself but just upgrading the headunit will put you ahead of the game. Stock speakers are decent - but if you want something killer, maybe someone else has ideas.

Search. Whatever you need has probably been covered on this forum 100's of times. If you need something very specific there are some great minds on here 99% of the time with an answer.

 

[IanV]

I had to replace the worlds tiniest light bulb if you are talking about the light behind your ac controls that's the one. Its just one light and someone has the right bulb number listed on here if you do a quick search it should pop up.

 

[NickF]

Glad to hear about your good luck. Friggen teenage girls don't know how to drive for anything.
About the lights, there is a knob on the right side of the steering wheel that controls the brightness of the lights. I recommend doing the LED conversion if its still not bright enough for you tho :bigok:
As for sound, the stock headunit is a MAJOR FAILURE. You can't turn it up more than half way before you start hearing CRAP. I suggest upgrading the head unit first. I'd suggest a small amp like this one:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_22630_Alpine-KTP-445.html
and this head unit:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18875_Alpine-CDA-105.html
That should bring the runner to life But If you want bass, but don't want a sub, you're going to have to pick up some aftermarket speakers. The stock speakers dont give you much in the bass department. Some aftermarket components up front should help clear things up and give you some more bass. The back you can put some coaxials and it will sound fine.

 

[ajsimeon]

Finally got some pics after a little wash.

 

[LINY4Runner]

whoa...............

I'd never guess by the pics that it has 200k+ on it!

nice find!!

 

[ajsimeon]

yeah like I said...he maintained it great and he gave me a good deal considering kbb was at $6200. Got a couple things I want to work on but by far my nicest car so far!

 

[JWaldz]

she's a bute...looks like mine when I first got it. except mine is 4wheel so it sat a little taller.

looks nothing like that now though haha.

You should def. invest in what we all like to call '99 tall coils. They are the tallest coils out of the 3rd gen bunch and provide a good little stance. Factory too so the ride is still great. Sound upgrading is always a plus, even an aftermarket head unit can really make your factory speakers sound better. After that, maybe a few exterior cosmetic upgrades and call it done.

 

[Hepar]

Welcome. That's one clean looking Runner!

Not sure if it's the same, but I had the bulb go out on my ECT and rear window switch. I just bought a new bulb from Toyota, replaced it and was good to go.