Purchasing a 2000 4 Runner

B

bjai

New member
Hi

I am new to the forum, wanted to see if someone on here can give me some advice on what to do look for on these.

Planning to use the 4 runner all year around.
Notice on most 4 runner I see for sale has high km. over 300,000km

Anything I need to be aware of ?Hope some expert can give advice.

Also I notice on the 4wd there is H2 H4 L2 ?

What do those stand for ?

Not planning to use the 4 runner on off roading just for daily use combination with snow. I am located in Toronto Canada that's why.

Hope you guys can give me some headsup. Really appreciate!!!

:cheers:
 
Register to hide this ad
fightman gave you everything you should need.

A word of advice, the google search works better than the forum search!

Good luck in your quest.
 
Personal perspective and a little biased but, I would say look for a limited 19990-2000. Without going into too much detail, the link that fightman80 provided should give you the information you seek and will help you make a great decision I am sure. Either year 3rd gen 4runner you buy, We will welcome you to our little but growing section :welcome::guitar3:
 
You'll find all you need in Fightman's link. I am also in Toronto and there are still quite a few Runners out there for sale withe a little over 200,000kms or less. Mine had 150,000kms when I bought it last year for $6500.00 for example. Just depends how much you're willing to spend and knowing what you're after. Look on Kijiji there are a couple of decent Runners on there right now I believe.

Good luck.
 
Last edited:
I found a 2000 SR5 V6 it's manual.

I test drove it yesterday and it drives pretty good.
The buyer is asking $2500cdn. But km is quite high though. 420000km

I notice the rpm sits pretty high even when it warms up.

Everything on the car works. No engine light. Heater is working.
Clutch seems to grip.

The throttle pedal seems to be sticking a bit.
 
 
bjai said:
Hi

I am new to the forum, wanted to see if someone on here can give me some advice on what to do look for on these.

Planning to use the 4 runner all year around.
Notice on most 4 runner I see for sale has high km. over 300,000km

Anything I need to be aware of ?Hope some expert can give advice.

Also I notice on the 4wd there is H2 H4 L2 ?

What do those stand for ?

Not planning to use the 4 runner on off roading just for daily use combination with snow. I am located in Toronto Canada that's why.

Hope you guys can give me some headsup. Really appreciate!!!

:cheers:
Click to expand...

Not trying to be negative here but if you don't even know how 4wd works, why are you getting a 4runner? If you just need to get around on snowy/icy roads there are better vehicles out there. The 4runner excels as a multipurpose on- and off-road vehicle but the version with the conventional 4wd (which is what it sounds like you're talking about) is no better than any other 4wd vehicle and a lot worse than some alternatives.

I love my 4runner but if I never went off road, I wouldn't own a vehicle like this.
It would be like buying the most expensive computer in the store because you need a word processor.

Depending on your needs (family size, etc) and your budget, you might want to consider something like a Subaru Outback Wagon or Forester. Both of those will give you superb on-road performance even in snowy/icy conditions. They will also be less expensive to buy and less expensive to fill with gas. Other alternatives could be something like the Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V or Pilot, or similar vehicles. Hell, my wife's Suzuki Grand Vitara is a better snow/ice vehicle than my 4runner because it has full time 4wd and a lower Center of Gravity than my "tall coil" '99 4runner with conventional 2wd/4wd.

None of those vehicles are suitable for off-road use, but it doesn't sound like that's one of your requirements.
 
Last edited:
Martinjmpr said:
Not trying to be negative here but if you don't even know how 4wd works, why are you getting a 4runner? If you just need to get around on snowy/icy roads there are better vehicles out there. The 4runner excels as a multipurpose on- and off-road vehicle but the version with the conventional 4wd (which is what it sounds like you're talking about) is no better than any other 4wd vehicle and a lot worse than some alternatives.

I love my 4runner but if I never went off road, I wouldn't own a vehicle like this.

It would be like buying the most expensive computer in the store because you need a word processor.

Depending on your needs (family size, etc) and your budget, you might want to consider something like a Subaru Outback Wagon or Forester. Both of those will give you superb on-road performance even in snowy/icy conditions. They will also be less expensive to buy and less expensive to fill with gas. Other alternatives could be something like the Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V or Pilot, or similar vehicles. None of those vehicles are suitable for off-road use, but it doesn't sound like that's one of your requirements.
Click to expand...

Yea thanks for your advice. Reason why I look into the 4 runner cause I like how it looks and one of my friend has the 2000 4 runner and he has over 500000km and it's still running strong and he told me these 4runner are really reliable.
 
bjai said:
Yea thanks for your advice. Reason why I look into the 4 runner cause I like how it looks and one of my friend has the 2000 4 runner and he has over 500000km and it's still running strong and he told me these 4runner are really reliable.
Click to expand...

Solid and reliable - yes, but about the same as any other Toyota.

Before you jump, you should ask yourself, though:

1. Are you willing to pay a significant premium to buy, with the understanding that you may or may not get that premium back when you sell? I call it the "toyota tax." Compare the prices of a 99 or 2000 4runner in your area to a similar vehicle like a Trooper, Montero, Cherokee, etc, and you'll see that a 4runner is normally at least double the price of the other one. Sometimes triple (I've seen low-mileage 2000 and 2001 Cherokees around here go for less than $2500. A 4runner in that condition would go for well over $6k.)

2. Are you willing to pay more to fill it up? A 4wd 4runner with a V6 and automatic will get you between 14 - 17 MPG in city commuting. With the factory 18.5 gallon tank you can figure on a workable range of around 250 miles per tank (that's about when the low fuel light comes on. And actually mine normally come on around 225 miles.) It may not seem like a big deal now, but when gas hits $4 - $5 gallon down here (my understanding is that it's even more expensive in Canada) it will be.

The 4runner is a great vehicle, but IMO it's not for everyone. The 3rd gen in particular has some well known flaws that become more apparent with each passing year as automotive technology improves.

I'm not neccessarily trying to dissuade you, I'm just saying look before you leap. Obviously, this is a 4runner board and most of the people who are on here like their 4runners and think they're the best SUV out there, so you have to keep that in mind.
 
^Yeah he said it perfect. In a nutshell you either have to have deep pockets, or be mechanically inclined to own one of these beauties and keep her running good.
 
There is definitely a lot of truth to what Martinjmpr says. I myself had wanted a 3rd Gen 4Runner for years because I too love the vehicles and the reliablity and longevity is pretty stellar (if well-maintained of course), however, I no longer commute to work on a daily basis as I am a 10 minute subway ride away, but if I did, I probably would not own a 4Runner. If I didn't have two kids, I probably would not own a 4Runner and if I didn't spend many of my summer weekends camping and enjoying other outdoor adventures, I probably wouldn't own a 4Runner. I'm not a hardcore wheeler or rock crawler by any stretch but many of my outdoor trips require navigating some rough and often muddy tracks, where the 4Runner excels and I would not want to be in any other vehicle not to mention decent cargo room. IMHO it is a good (not great) winter vehicle and will get you out of most situations, but pound for pound, an AWD Subaru is a better bet if it suits your needs, if only for the sake of winter traction/handling.

On the upside, I ended up getting an excellent vehicle for 6 grand, I own it outright so I have no monthly payments, insurance is reasonable, I can repair many things on it myself and there is a good network of enthusiasts to help out and I'm not doing any huge mods on it. I do love my 4Runner and as many of us do, I often sit there just admiring it from time to time. I look at it like this, if I pay around $5,000 for a 12 year old truck and I can get a few years of fairly reliable use and loads of fun out of it, I'm not doing too bad. When it dies, I'll pick up another reliable used vehicle, maybe a 4Runner. Most of my workmates spent $20-$30k on their cars and I just can't justify that kind of money...my parent's paid little more than that for their first house : )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 370 (members: 6, guests: 364)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,305
Messages
3,554,042
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top