Thinking about picking up an older 4Runner

[Henrythewound]

Hey all, I have read a bunch of posts (lurking) and now want to ask a question specific to my own needs. I currently drive a 2002 GMC Sierra, 4.8 liter V8. I am interested in selling it and using the proceeds to fund a 4Runner purchase. Ideally I will have ~ $7000 to spend on the new truck. My ideal vehicle would be a manual 4WD, not too picky about the year, could care less about power windows etc, although some things concern me:

1) gas mileage- on yotatech forums people were describing their typical mpg, which ranged fromjust above 10 to about 20 city. I currently get about 16-18 in my v8 Sierra w/ 33 inch tires, I really don't want to go down in mpg

2) The engine issues with the 2nd gen runners up to 95 really worries me as many of the vehicles in my price range fall under this category w/ high mileage. I would love to avoid paying 2 grand for repairs

Mainly I want to be able to drive offroad (no SERIOUS 4 wheeling) (as there are tons of cool places to visit in AZ) and not worry about scratching up the truck, be able to take my dogs along etc. This truck will be my daily driver as well, so mpg is an issue. If there is a link to a site that shows typical mpg for various years I would love to see it, your own personal experiences and opinions are valued as well. Thanks for looking,

Joe aka Henrythewound

 

[Henrythewound]

OK, since there seem to be many views and zero replies, how about just writing your 4 Runner year and approx mpg? That would help me get a feel for things.

Thx,
Joe

 

[mikes4runner]

93 3.0V6 auto 15-17 mpg

With $7K I would look for a 96+ with the 3.4L better mpg and a better engine more HP/TQ I had one in my T-100 and loved it anyone with the 3rd gen runner will tell you.

Oh yea and they make a TRD supercharger for it to boot.


Mike

 

[Henrythewound]

thx for the reply, I like the look of the 1st gen 4 Runners, but I am not proficient (yet) in doing any engine reconditioning/ work myself. I think my options are a better fit for a 96/97 wit my price range. This may be a stupid question, but all the 4 Runners I see listed in my preferred range for these years have upwards of 150,000 miles oon them. As I have never owned a vehicle with that many miles, is this a major concern? What kind of longevity do these newer engines offer?

I tend to put low miles on my vehicles (< 10,000/year) so these Runners w/ high miles scare me a bit