Should I sell my 4runner or upgrade it?

[Alpha.]

I've been thinking about buying a new car and selling my 99 4runner.
The thing is that it has 300k+ miles on it, still runs like new though.
I've also thought about upgrading it and making it awesome BUT it has 300k+ miles.
Would you mod the car or sell it and maybe buy a new one?
I fear it may be a dumb choice to upgrade a 300k mile car even though it currently runs perfectly.
If you were to keep the car what would you do? A new engine is like $1k so i'm at a dilemma. What else would need to change besides the engine if everything is pretty much stock. (19 years old)

Let me know, what would you do?

 

[dbd6604]

If it runs like new, what are you worried about? Upgrade/refresh the suspension, new brakes, keep up with fluid changes and general maintenance, drive it forever, and brag about your high mileage 4Runner to your friends.

 

[plara]

I had this same debate over the past couple of months.
I had enough money saved up to sell my '99 stock 4runner (265k miles) and upgrade to a newer 4runner, but I decided against it. I ended up buying my wife an '08 4runner cause her POS broke down, so that eliminated me upgrading. I'm very happy that I didn't have the chance sell mine cause I'm only now starting to really make it mine after having it for 5 years.

I'd say you could would probably spend more buying a newer car than you would modding your current one. The decision probably comes down to whether you want to just stay with a stock vehicle and get a newer one or really make your current 4runner yours by modding it.

I'm a little confused by your wording though. You say it runs perfectly, but you need to change the engine? Are you just anticipating having trouble soon?

 

[Alpha.]

The engine doesn't need changing atm but I was researching some engines for sale.
I much rather have a modded car than stock. Just not sure how many miles it TOO many for a 4runner. But I might keep it

 

[tx_shooter]

I have 280k miles on my 2001 4Runner and have no intentions to sell it for at least another couple of years. (Unless someone puts a stupid amount of money in my hand for it.) After that I will inventory what I have, what I need, and what I need to be doing before making a decision. I hate having car payments but I also hate not having the capabilities that I need.

 

[jkeith.w]

the answer to this question is always keep it & upgrade it.

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

So many different ways to justify ( or talk yourself out of ) spending money on an old vehicle. If you have the ability to buy a newer daily driver, that might be a good way to keep the old 'runner and not worry about refreshing everything to use it for daily use.

I'm in that same position- I sold my CRV to buy an Accord to use as a daily driver but I'm not having much luck finding exactly what I want , so the 'runner has become my daily. I cringe as I have to fill the tank twice a week and the forced maintenance to keep the truck running good enough to feel safe to drive it everyday. If the motor or trans blows up, I'll be done with it simply for financial reasons, so I don't want to dump money into it. I've considered a 4th gen with lower miles but they are artificially high priced around where I live plus the ones for sale are generally in need of expensive repairs.

I don't know if my ramble has helped or not, just know that you're not alone in this situation.

 

[Scramble]

Keep the 4runner & get a Honda or Toyota car for commuting.

 

[thecole1098]

I had this same thought process as well.

After much debate to myself, I decided to keep the 96 as purely just a off road toy where I can spend my extra cash on making it a beast. I also just love it. I put so much of my blood, sweat and tears into it in the year I've had it. It has so much character. For my new DD, I found a super clean and low mileage 06 V8 4Runner that I can use to tow the 96 when I go off roading or camping. Plus not having to fill up every 5 days helps

 

[Lindenwood]

Honestly, I put about $1000 into replacing everything forward of the engine block except the fan (pumps, radiator, belts, hoses, starter, alternator, etc), plus I changed and flushed all the other fluids myself. Granted, it only had 134k on it when I bought it. Still, since you already know its history, I think a mild refresh as described would easily take it another 100k miles.

In my experience, most catastrophic failures on older vehicles are still due to neglect (extended or skipped maintenance intervals). With solid upkeep, I think you have a lot left in your vehicle.

And, $1000-1500 (if you extend that preventative MX to things like a new fuel pump and such) sure beats a several-year car note.

Not to mention, if you are buying used, a reliable vehicle with 300k miles, for which you know all the quirks, still beats an unknown history and 100k miles.

 

[4drago]

Wow!

 

[BrianSD_42]

Why don't you fix it, drive it and take the extra money you aren't spending on that new rig and put it in the bank.

 

[Tatonka]

The taxes, processing fees, etc that you would pay on a newer vehicle (aka anything less than 10 years old) alone will exceed $1k or more. On a brand new one the taxes and fees will be more like $2 -3 grand. And it’s not “just” the cost of buying the new vehicle you’d be faced with. You’ll pay more for insurance, and in an area like mine the annual property taxes will exceed the cost of any repair my 3rd gen 4runner might need.
If it’s running fine just maintain and fix it. If it breaks down and you love it there is very little that could break that would cost more to fix than the financial penalties built into a new / newer used car purchase.


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[HappyHooligan]

are you talking buying a new car as in 2018 or just new to you? I'd say if you're buying used, you know what's up with the 4runner you already own. You'd put 1K into any new to you car by the time you're done making sure it's ready and safe. Why not just put the money into your truck and if you need a new engine in 100K then buy a used one and go another 400K.

 

[Ifirefight]

I've been thinking about buying a new car and selling my 99 4runner.

The thing is that it has 300k+ miles on it, still runs like new though.

I've also thought about upgrading it and making it awesome BUT it has 300k+ miles.

Would you mod the car or sell it and maybe buy a new one?

I fear it may be a dumb choice to upgrade a 300k mile car even though it currently runs perfectly.

If you were to keep the car what would you do? A new engine is like $1k so i'm at a dilemma. What else would need to change besides the engine if everything is pretty much stock. (19 years old)



Let me know, what would you do?

It’s not costing you a penny right now to keep it. It’s paid for I’m guessing. Look at it this way, every month you keep it , it’s like saving money on a car payment. So , let’s say something breaks, it would be like making a car payment for one month to pay for the repair, just not the other 48-60 months payments a new vehicle costs..and with someone who has a new truck payment of almost 900$ a month, I know what I’m talking about. [emoji849]


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[Z-MAN54]

I've been thinking about buying a new car and selling my 99 4runner.
The thing is that it has 300k+ miles on it, still runs like new though.
I've also thought about upgrading it and making it awesome BUT it has 300k+ miles.
Would you mod the car or sell it and maybe buy a new one?
I fear it may be a dumb choice to upgrade a 300k mile car even though it currently runs perfectly.
If you were to keep the car what would you do? A new engine is like $1k so i'm at a dilemma. What else would need to change besides the engine if everything is pretty much stock. (19 years old)

Let me know, what would you do?

Run her until she dies. Save the money and buy new later. IMO

 

[yella]

I have to agree with the thoughts, that if you would be buying another used vehicle, there could be more wrong with it than with your Runner.

I suppose at the end of the day it simply comes down to, do you want another vehicle?

Personally, I cant stand a lot of new vehicles. Way too much tech for me. The 4 runner is easier to work on and diagnose, even thought half the time everything is rusted on.

I kind of went through the same thing as the OP. Spend the money and fix it up, or buy a newer truck. Right now, including buying it, ive probably got about $8K into a 21 year old truck. But it starts, runs, stops, doesnt burn oil, engine sounds smooth, everything works on it, gets me where I need to go, etc. Its not my daily driver, so I dont really worry about the gas mileage and putting a pile of miles on it every year.


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[zoombyu86]

If nothing is wrong w the engine, an engine swap shouldn't even be on your mind. I had a trans go out at 150k because a solenoid went bad, I added new fluid and it went kaput. I sourced a trans for $200 which had 100k+ miles than my original but it runs good as new now even with brand new fluid (the old trans slipped with new fluid). So even "large" fixes can be done to keep it running for cheap.

It's not my only vehicle so I'm not concerned w it breaking down, I cringe filling the tank since I commute 60+ miles for work, but I wouldn't get rid of mine!

 

[OldRigNewParts]

I've gone back and fourth with this same idea every year since I've owned mine. The idea of a car payment taking away funds for other things I enjoy doing always squashes that idea. If you know your 4Runner is in perfectly working condition and is reliable, do what others are suggesting. Refresh and upgrade at your own pace and not be burdened with a monthly car payment. Putting work into an old car is very rewarding, but don't think it will ever bring you any monetary value.

 

[spartacus]

keep it

I have a 2000 with 386000 miles and two years ago I almost let the insurance company take it when it was hit by another car. it was a long arduous battle with insurance company so I bought a 2016 4runner in the meantime and liked it a lot. until I took it off roading Eldorado canyon CÔ . it performed well had fun but I was constantly worried because it was brand new. I have had a blast overlanding in my 3rd gen t4r over the years and the truck amazes me it has forgiven me for my off road mistakes and brought me and my family home safely every time. I decided to fight and had them pay. keep it, take care of the truck and it will take care of you. in my case I don't wait for a breakdown to fix it with my mileage I upgrade or replace parts as they age.