Thoughts on getting a second 4runner

[repo]

First off I'll never get rid of my 3rd gen, we are esoterically connected in transcendental hyperspace at this point. But I've been looking for a second vehicle as a backup and my kid to eventually drive. My budget is pretty tight though, $6-10k ish.

I've been looking at the following with around 150-200k miles on them:

99+ 3rd gen. There has been absolutely no good ones available lately around here.

06+ v8. I have driven a few of these and they don't seem to age that well. Lots of rattles and little broken things. And expensive problems like the 4-LO actuator issue, exhaust manifolds, secondary air, etc. More expensive but has side airbags, A-TRAC, better LBJs, more torque for bigger tires and weight. I dont need to tow though.

GX470. These are usually better maintained but have too much luxury crap, I like to keep it simple. They have a little more "soul" to them like 3rd gens do.

Late 06+ v6. I really don't know anything about these engines. They look easier to work on than v8. Nearly all of them have had or still have coolant leaks in various places.

Stretch to $15k for a high miles 2010+. Overall these are in really good shape compared to 4th gens and I can't find many issues with them. But I don't know these engines at all. I looked at one that had a huge amount of gunk from a timing cover leak which is a big fix. We don't really know what the 5th gen life expectancy is yet. But I see so many 5th gens around the parts should be ubiquitous in a few years compared to 3rd gens I would think.

 

[brillo_76]

First off I'll never get rid of my 3rd gen, we are esoterically connected in transcendental hyperspace at this point. But I've been looking for a second vehicle as a backup and my kid to eventually drive. My budget is pretty tight though, $6-10k ish.



I've been looking at the following with around 150-200k miles on them:



99+ 3rd gen. There has been absolutely no good ones available lately around here.



06+ v8. I have driven a few of these and they don't seem to age that well. Lots of rattles and little broken things. And expensive problems like the 4-LO actuator issue, exhaust manifolds, secondary air, etc. More expensive but has side airbags, A-TRAC, better LBJs, more torque for bigger tires and weight. I dont need to tow though.



GX470. These are usually better maintained but have too much luxury crap, I like to keep it simple. They have a little more "soul" to them like 3rd gens do.



Late 06+ v6. I really don't know anything about these engines. They look easier to work on than v8. Nearly all of them have had or still have coolant leaks in various places.



Stretch to $15k for a high miles 2010+. Overall these are in really good shape compared to 4th gens and I can't find many issues with them. But I don't know these engines at all. I looked at one that had a huge amount of gunk from a timing cover leak which is a big fix. We don't really know what the 5th gen life expectancy is yet. But I see so many 5th gens around the parts should be ubiquitous in a few years compared to 3rd gens I would think.

I have 5 3rd gen 4runners. It's my favorite generation. In the rust belt areas they are getting hard to come by. If you want a rust free chassis you have to go south. All but 1 of mine have frame repairs. However, I can fix frames so that dosent bother me any. :]

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[gamefreakgc]

Have you thought about a more economical vehicle? All 4Runners (except for the V8's) get a measly 16-17 MPG's, where as a sedan nowadays will get 30+ with all these turbo 4 cylinder engines. Would make it cheaper for your kids to drive. I know you talked about it having some "soul", and Honda sedans and compacts are quite souless but they are cheap to maintain and get good MPG's.

 

[suncoug]

I would vote for a GX470. As great as 3rd gen 4Runners are, they are not as comfortable to drive long distance and lack some refinement and power for today's standard.

While I was waiting to get the 4Runner fixed for the frame issues, I thought of getting a GX470, but ended up with a late model Honda Accord. As someone said you can get nearly 40 mpg on highway and it is a lot more economical and comfortable plus all the modern technology.

It is a great time to buy a sedan, however if you want to keep it interesting, I would look at a GX470.

 

[brillo_76]

I would vote for a GX470. As great as 3rd gen 4Runners are, they are not as comfortable to drive long distance and lack some refinement and power for today's standard.

While I was waiting to get the 4Runner fixed for the frame issues, I thought of getting a GX470, but ended up with a late model Honda Accord. As someone said you can get nearly 40 mpg on highway and it is a lot more economical and comfortable plus all the modern technology.

It is a great time to buy a sedan, however if you want to keep it interesting, I would look at a GX470.

Can't blame folks for going to sedans and smaller rides for MPG.. However, I was in a 91 Camry with a front on collision about 5 years back. Never again, will I own smaller cars. My life is worth more then MPG. The Safety standards are higher in the newer rides. Its Just harder to bend Frames then uni-body as it crushes around you to absorb all that energy from a wreck. Everybody has different standards and thoughts on it though.

 

[Bumbo]

I want a 3rd gen for rock crawling, but I have a 5th gen and a 4th gen... I like them both for different reasons but I prefer my 4th gen for off-road use, which is why I kept it.

While the 5th is nice, I should have probably considered a low mileage GX 470 instead for the motor and 4th gen parts compatibility.

Id get what makes sense to you, but I too wouldn't ignore getting something completely different like a sedan or truck if you would enjoy them. Personally I like the variety.

 

[Team_Jake]

This is why I bought a 4-cylinder 1st gen Tacoma. It has pretty good fuel economy (20/23 mpgs) -- I know it's not the best fuel economy out there, but it's much better than my 4Runner (which gets ~15 mpgs), plus I love the practicality of having a truck. Now the Tacoma is my DD and the 4Runner is my weekend vehicle.

 

[LittleCaesar]

I vote for the Lexus but parts don’t come cheap.

 

[T4R2014]

Only way I'd get a 4th gen is with the V8. I don't see how it is harder to work on.

 

[paddlenbike]

The V6 4th gen and 5th gen feel super sluggish to me. Personally I'd get another 3rd gen but if you can't find a clean one then get the GX and deal with the stupid tailgate or a V8 4th gen and deal with the poor fuel economy.

As long as the 3rd gen is fairly rust-free, you can do a timing belt job and valve cover job all in a weekend and address most of the issues that plague an under-maintained vehicle. I just did mine last weekend.

If you really want some fun, supercharge that 3rd gen. Even the V8 4th gen/GX will feel slow by comparison. And you'll still get 18 MPG with the SC V6 vs 13-15 in the V8s. (I've been supercharged since 2011.)

 

[Bumbo]

The only time I felt the v6 4th was sluggish was after a lift and incorrect gearing for the tire size. Truthfully I think everything SUV & truck Toyota makes is slow, but I also don’t try driving them like sports cars.

I see a lot of emphasis on fuel economy but the OP never said it was something he was after. Perhaps it’s a non-issue. Personally I don’t care about it, gas is cheap relative to how I use my truck and the mileage I do annually. That said, I don't even think its THAT bad.

 

[plcfcng]

When you drive the 4th Gen 4runner the are a nice ride but do have some problems. the 4.7 are pretty bullet proof if you look at 4.0 V6 they have head gasket problems if they are 06 mid perduction or earlier. Look out for cracked dashes on the 4th gen 4runners too. I you do your own work the 4.0 is a way complex valve train I did one for my daughter the first time I spun the crank ended up bending valves costing me another 500.00 for the Machine work. It works great now 12,000 miles and going strong. My friend who works for Toyota says the 06 have less stuff to go wrong in the 4th gen.
:drum:

 

[nissanh]

Timely topic:
I love 4x4 manual transmissions and found a 97 4Runner 4 cylinder 4x4 manual but seller did not respond to my calls/text messages. Now, I found a 99 V6 4x4 manual, one owner and is a friend of mine's relative. I love the simplicity of a 3rd gen 4runner. All newer 4runners/tacomas/LC got electronic 4x4 selector and is not for me. Additionally, the newer 4runner's and LC's got the expensive brake master pump and good luck when it fails (stranded and $$$).

 

[UnderFire]

All good options. We have two of the 1GR's in the family, 200k and 245k respectively. Both great engines, low maintenance and trouble free. I'd probably go for it over the 2UZ personally though I have no experience with it.

I could've easily gotten a 4th gen runner by now. But I haven't, I have 2 3rd gens with 4 cylinders. There's really not much to the choice besides personal preference. My personal preference just happens to be raw simplicity and familiarity over luxury and power I guess.

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[afg10000]

Aloha from sunny Omaha as well - I've had two 3rd gens for quite a few years now. I haven't looked for one for a while but can usually find one when I do. I'll keep an eye out for ya. There's certainly still a lot of them driving around here. My favorite part about the 3rd gens is having no car payments! Also, if you don't know, there's an awesome Toyota specialist shop called Toyotechs, Inc. over on 102nd and J street that we use for bigger maintainence issues. Just in case you can find one that needs a little love that you don't want to deal with. I'm willing to bet you can track one down around here if you keep at it.

 

[rightyouareken]

Can't blame folks for going to sedans and smaller rides for MPG.. However, I was in a 91 Camry with a front on collision about 5 years back. Never again, will I own smaller cars. My life is worth more then MPG. The Safety standards are higher in the newer rides. Its Just harder to bend Frames then uni-body as it crushes around you to absorb all that energy from a wreck. Everybody has different standards and thoughts on it though.

Kinda off topic here, but size matters less than you think in crashes. It's more about design. Crash standards have come a LONG way since the 90s.

1998 Corolla vs 2015 Corolla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ttkVRwOtVE

1959 BelAir vs 2009 Malibu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g

Honestly, from what I've read, our 3rd Gens really aren't all that safe compared to most modern cars, even compacts.

 

[suncoug]

As cool as the 3rd gen 4Runners are, they are probably not that safe compared to the newer cars and SUVs. BTW, newer Honda Accords are quite large and wide. Thus, it is noticeably harder to park it than the 4Runner. Still, I got 38 mpg today driving to work during my long commute.

I personally really appreciate the quality of Japanese cars and SUVs made in the 80s and 90s, but they are not that safe to drive. In term of size, I happened to have a 1-ton diesel 4x4 dually truck with crew cab, but honestly I feel safe driving the Accord, because it is quite nimble and sure footed also. No doubt I will fair better in the truck if I get hit by someone, but it is cumbersome to drive a big truck when I don't need to haul something.

So, in terms of the safety, it is generally better to have more size and weight, but newer cars especially those that were made in the last a few years would be considerably safer than the older ones.

 

[BoomerBob]

As cool as the 3rd gen 4Runners are, they are probably not that safe compared to the newer cars and SUVs. BTW, newer Honda Accords are quite large and wide. Thus, it is noticeably harder to park it than the 4Runner. Still, I got 38 mpg today driving to work during my long commute.

I personally really appreciate the quality of Japanese cars and SUVs made in the 80s and 90s, but they are not that safe to drive. In term of size, I happened to have a 1-ton diesel 4x4 dually truck with crew cab, but honestly I feel safe driving the Accord, because it is quite nimble and sure footed also. No doubt I will fair better in the truck if I get hit by someone, but it is cumbersome to drive a big truck when I don't need to haul something.

So, in terms of the safety, it is generally better to have more size and weight, but newer cars especially those that were made in the last a few years would be considerably safer than the older ones.

Although not apples to apples the 3rd gen vs new small economy car, I agree with your comments on commuting. However comparing a 3rd gen T4R with a new one; there's a huge difference in price. The new T4R's are quite a bit bigger.

The Japanese cars made in the 90's are well built; especially if made in Japan but they are still over 20 years old. They can be restored to like-new condition though and last another 20 years. Parts and engines/transmissions are still available. The coolest thing is we can actually work on the older cars. Not so much on the newer cars with some of the fancy computer systems.

 

[sportscarfan]

I did just that for the same reason - Second 3rd gen [re]build for my daughter

Late last fall I scooped up a 2nd 3rd gen for my daughter (now 14yo). It's a '98 limited auto. with really minor front end damage for $2500. It was originally sold in New Mexico and eventually made it here to CO, so zero rust belt problems. The plan was/is to use it as an educational tool so my daughter actually has a good understanding of how things work. We'll replace the front end parts and give it the full engine maintenance treatment by the time she is able to drive it (legally).
So far, we found and replaced the fender/headlight/corner and just need a non-fat-lip bumper. Then it's on to the engine and maintenance.

 

[brillo_76]

Kinda off topic here, but size matters less than you think in crashes. It's more about design. Crash standards have come a LONG way since the 90s.

1998 Corolla vs 2015 Corolla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ttkVRwOtVE

1959 BelAir vs 2009 Malibu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g

Honestly, from what I've read, our 3rd Gens really aren't all that safe compared to most modern cars, even compacts.

They are when you upgrade their frames .. Being 6 3 tall, I don't fit well in the compacts.. 3rd Gens weigh 2 tons. More metal around us. However, Like you said getting off topic some which was not my attention :[

I just say I rather be in a vehicle with a frame like 3rd Gen 4 runner when on the Roads Tri Axles fully loaded then in a car. Granted you have a point in the technology changes. By even with these changes physics laws still apply.

A Corolla doesn't stand a chance between 2 fully loaded Tri axles or Tractor Trailers on the roads as these vehicles are on the same roads we are. Which would you rather be in a Toyota Yaris or a Toyota Tundra? I know which one I am picking.

The OP asked us our Opinions on which one and for me it would be the one with a frame. To answer the questions on how they hold up in wrecks just look at the junk yard photos of the parts mobiles. You will see that 90% or greater of those wrecks the people walked away from with minor injuries.

Being I was in a 35mph crash when someone pulled out in front of me in a 1991 Camry and how I felt afterwards as it took 4 months to fully heal back up. I just would suggest people look at bigger rides is all. That decision is up to the individuals though.