Reasons NOT to purchase 3rd Gen

[1beastnstl]

I'm a former 3rd Gen owner (new 98 SR5 back in 98) and now I have the bug to get back into the family. Any reason anyone can share NOT to purchase a 3rd Gen? I love the body style more than any of the other generations but because I will probably be purchasing a 8-12yr old vehicle, I was curious what any negatives might be besides the age from a user perspective. I'm not buying this rig for technology (we have other cars for that) :girl:

 

[bak3rme]

yea because you will spend lots of $$ building it up and spend countless hours lurking around Craigslist finding things.

 

[4Running Daily]

Say good bye to your friends and family. You'll be in the garage or in your room on craigslist, or both. Once the mod bug bites, it's all over.

 

[Volley]

Reason not to buy.....hmmm maybe because you don't want the most awesome Yota you can easily get your hands on...

 

[WERA988]

i'd check the following:

-radiator, they have been known to fail. problem is there is a trans cooler at the bottom of the radiator. they could mix and cause problems.

-engines are solid but poor care could lead to a problem. make sure the oil is normal, not milky.

-excessive rust

-put it in 4 wheel drive and make sure it disengages. thats also been a problem but its easy to fix.

-and i've read about lower ball joint failures. but i'm not really sure how you can check for that. i'd suggest using oem when replacing that if you decide to do that if needed.

mine has 193,000.....still going strong.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

There is no reason not to buy one. Just take your time and look for a good one. Either one that had all the maintenance done or one cheap enough that when you're done doing it you're not buried in the truck.

Take a look at my build thread. I'm into mine for $4500 and it's basically ready for another 150K miles.

 

[Hepar]

Maybe room? It is on the smaller side of SUV's, but that was one of the biggest reasons why I wanted one.

 

[1beastnstl]

Thanks for the WISE responses. I appreciate the honesty and candor in the responses. I have the BEST wife in the world and even at this stage in my life, she indulges me and my toys (no pun intended). Time spent on modding or on CL will not phase her/us TOO much. lol

 

[habanero]

1)Basically a 4 seater.
2)Fun to cram large people in the back seat, especially if there is a kid seat in the middle (uses otherwise useless lap belt).
3)Gas mileage not stellar, and not horrible for what it is, either.
4)Doing stuff to it is addictive. It's annoying to run out of money for 'enhancements'.
5)The horn goes 'meep meep'. Kinda like the road runner. Oh wait, that's another excuse for a mod.


http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/82033-3rd-gen-4runner-buyers-guide.html
in case you haven't been there. Also
Mo4wd - Index has just started up
So far mine has been pretty easy to work on and fun to play in.
And they are both sticks, no pink milkshakes! :biggrin2:

 

[z28forlife]

Not to sound like an ass but if you've had a third gen already wouldn't you know some flaws they might have that would prevent you from buying another one? I understand a first time buyer to ask this question but not a veteran runner owner...lol.

 

[1beastnstl]

Not to sound like an ass but if you've had a third gen already wouldn't you know some flaws they might have that would prevent you from buying another one? I understand a first time buyer to ask this question but not a veteran runner owner...lol.

VERY true. I was young and dumb back in 98 when I purchased it. I kept it for a year then traded it in.

 

[The97Runner]

I didnt know there was reasons not to buy one?

 

[quicksilvr]

Not very much power
Not very much room
Not very good gas mileage


That said, the positives WAY outweigh the negatives, and I will hopefully always own a 3rd gen.

 

[awdjunkies]

Zero, zilch, nada, Nothing.. These are all the reason I could find or come up with for NOT buying a 3rd Gen..

 

[Stick Figure]

Really for me the only downside is the gas mileage. If gas prices were as old as my 4runner that would just be awesome. I am starting to find it a bit on the small side, but that's mostly because I've been looking at too many expedition style builds lately. On most of the trails I think its about the perfect compromise of hauling ability with out being too large for the rock and shrub clearance.

 

[z28forlife]

Gas mileage for me has actually been pretty good for what the truck is......A TRUCK! Haha. A 4wd beast like this, comfortable, and still gets 18-19 around town, you can't beat that. Now after I get some at tires and a lift I'll probably be singing a different tune. Lol

 

[PitbullRescuer]

18-19 around town? You lucky SOB, I get nowhere near that. And I'm not lifted and I still run 265/70/16's.

 

[LittleCaesar]

3rd gens are prone to have their unique problems, usually only solved by OEM replacement parts, which can get mighty expensive.

But at the end, a good litmus test for all current 3rd gen owners is what could I get to replace my 3rd gen? For me, nothing that is less than $40,000, and I won't spend that on a car, truck, or SUV. Even though it is not my DD, and gets driven less than 5,000 miles, I don't want to part with mine.

 

[steezemcqueen]

if the 3rd gen could wear a hat, it would be this one

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

Only thing I can think about is the placement on the cup holders on the 96-98. And for those of you complaining about gas mileage, it's a body on frame truck,, if you want good gas mileage but a Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, Corolla, Yaris, etc.