New guy!!!

[valentin_84]

Hey fellas!

My name is Val and I'm thinking about trading my tuner style Altima for a '99 4Runner. I'm getting tired of worrying about scratching my 20" rims and ripping off the bumper because it's too low. I want something rugged and fun!:lookout:

I would love to get into going off road for cheap so this trade that came up is tempting. I don't know anything about 4x4ing so any info would be appreciated. What do you guys think of a '99 4Runner Limited V6 4x4 with a 120K miles as a first off road vehicle? Is it a good starter? Anything I should be looking for?

Thanks for the info guys!

 

[Pikeman]

The 4 Runner is a great first off-road vehicle. The 99 and newer ones have the best cupholders and a few other things. Read through the Stickies at the top of the page. They will give you most of the things to look for, answer questions about tires and lift, and the 99 and newer upgrades.

I have 225k miles on my 4 Runner and wheel it often and pretty hard. a 99 with around 120k still has tons of life left and most including myself consider it barely broken in at that mileage.

Common things to look for:
Timing belt changed(usually a decal stuck to the cover showing date and mileage changed)
leaking rear axle seals
Maintenance record in general how it was taken care of.(oil changes etc.)


Most of this is covered in the stickies but figured I would give a few to start off with. These trucks are very reliable and will provide years of enjoyment. Do not expect great gas mileage though as from factory they are rated 16-19mpg.

 

[Mellow77]

They are a great vehicle to start with! From a reliability perspective I personally don't think they can be beat considering all of the things they're capable of.

I personally have a '99 4WD with the rear locker and searched specifically for this vehicle. I did a ton of research on this forum before buying and that's the exact vehicle I wanted based on what I gathered to be the most favorable setup for my mixed use purposes.

As noted, check the overall condition and maintenance and if it looks good then I wouldn't hesitate.

 

[Avarice]

IMO, and many others, the 99 limited is the best year/model of them all(unless you want a standard).

The 99 4wd had the highest ride height, updated dash(automatic climate control, cupholders, revised button layout, wood trim), new bumper with foglights(looks worse IMO but lights are nice), better looking and performing headlights, more 12v outlets, updated steering wheel list goes on.

The biggest improvement IMO, if you live with snowy roads is the multimatic transmission. This allows you to operate in AWD which is great for a multitude of reasons, the biggest being that you don't get any drivetrain binding around town.

Plus with the limited you'll get the e-locker, flares, roof rack, wind deflectors and sunroof, well, I guess I should just say, you get all the options. Though I think some American 4runner limiteds could come without the elocker so check on that. Canadian ones all have it, or at least all the ones I've seen.