What year to buy?

[Kanoe]

Are there any retrofit or aftermarket options for these older 3rd gens to address the cupholder issue? Thanks.

There is at least one member who sells a nice looking cup holder that he makes.

Another popular option is just hit up the junkyards and get the center console assy. from a newer unit. You get a better armrest in the deal too, and an extra cubby hole under it.

 

[Mark_BC]

They say 1999 is the best year but I actually think 98 is the best. I hate electronic crap and in 1999 they introduced an electronic odometer, maybe electronic climate control too, not sure. Also they introduced the fat lip bumper in 1999 which presumably is safer, but uglier... take your pick. I would stay away from 2001-2002 due to transmission problems. Maybe stay away from 96 too because it was the first year of this run, not sure if there were any bugs with it.

For the cup holders I'm going to rig up something along the foldable basketball hoop design which can go anywhere.

So... 97 or 98 is best. No problems other than the usual LBJ, pink milkshake stuff. Oh but up until at least 98 they had steel coolant lines running underneath to the rear heaters which rust out and drain your coolant and overheat your engine and destroy it... watch out for that. At some point they switched to aluminum which doesn't rust.

 

[TonyB66]

There is at least one member who sells a nice looking cup holder that he makes.

Another popular option is just hit up the junkyards and get the center console assy. from a newer unit. You get a better armrest in the deal too, and an extra cubby hole under it.

Kanoe, just got done watching a Youtube vid of such a swap. Needs some trimming, but looks relatively easy. I won't let a cupholder be a factor in pulling the trigger on a '98. I'll also try to find that member you referenced too...

Thanks again!

 

[ladywolf]

They say 1999 is the best year but I actually think 98 is the best. I hate electronic crap and in 1999 they introduced an electronic odometer, maybe electronic climate control too, not sure. Also they introduced the fat lip bumper in 1999 which presumably is safer, but uglier... take your pick. I would stay away from 2001-2002 due to transmission problems. Maybe stay away from 96 too because it was the first year of this run, not sure if there were any bugs with it.

For the cup holders I'm going to rig up something along the foldable basketball hoop design which can go anywhere.

So... 97 or 98 is best. No problems other than the usual LBJ, pink milkshake stuff. Oh but up until at least 98 they had steel coolant lines running underneath to the rear heaters which rust out and drain your coolant and overheat your engine and destroy it... watch out for that. At some point they switched to aluminum which doesn't rust.

My 99 still has the dial and the levers for climate control. I think the electronic climate control was for the Limited's.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Im biased a bit to the older rigs. I like the open diffs and no traction controls. Lot less to go bad and parts are cheaper. Look up the price on the newer model brake master cylinder.

I agree with you, except I'm jealous about the MAF on the newer 3rd gens, lol.

1997 5VZ-FE MAF Sensor: MSRP $1,063.47

2000 5VZ-FE MAF Sensor: MSRP $188.25


But yeah, otherwise I do prefer the "simpler" '96 to '98. I also loath the fat lip bumper. Totally ruined the look of the 4Runner IMO..... until the 4th gen came along. Sooo ugly.

 

[HammerTime]

Since this was originally posted in 2011, I'm sure the OP has got the answers needed. But since someone pushed it to the top, I cant help but chime in.

I started out in my 2000 Limited. First 4x4, although my dad had an old 22RE pickup. Man, it is so nice in every way. I really like leather, and the seats are pretty durable...although after about 200k miles worth of getting in and out, the leather wears.

I since got a 97 limited. It is a much different animal. Still smooth and powerful, but it just doesn't have the same features. In my opinion, the 99 upgrades made the 4Runner so much better in every possible way. I like the fat lip bumper, multi-mode, cupholders between the seats, relocation of the ECT and rear window buttons to above the climate unit, the climate control unit even though it sometimes has issues, the better headlights and added fog lights. Also, 96 and early 97s (produced in 96) tend to have more head gasket failures. I think they changed gasket material around that time, so I'd take that into account. Manual is a rare feature on 3rd gens, so I probably wouldn't hold my breath trying to find one, but I do wish that I had a rear locker, which was a far more common feature than manual from the trucks I've seen. Finding a nice 99 highlander in good shape with a locker is going to be extraordinarily expensive, not to mention that they are quite rare. Plus I like leather seats way too much to go that route...

 

[tystaco]

I agree with you, except I'm jealous about the MAF on the newer 3rd gens, lol.

Whoa...I just put a new MAF in my 2000....OEM Denso from Amazon for $70

 

[scrapper]

2000, does it have atrac, AWD AND Elocker?

My '02 SR5 4WD damn sure has traction control and a very
easy to see, usually illuminated dash light! :biggrin1:

 

[Horsethief]

There's so much wrong.

96-00 - the same engines and transmissions for the base and SR5. They drive the same. Get the 1999 Highlander if you love fake hood scoops and only two choices of color. The 2000 Sport is pretty much the same and you get Millennium Silver and some color keyed flares to go with your color keyed bumpers. Regardless, it drives the same as a 1996 SR5.

The real difference is in the 99-00 Limited. That multimode transfer case is by far the most functional and performance oriented upgrade, AND you can get a rear locker. The ABS system is the same from 1996 to 2000, this forum just narrows it down to being a 96-98 problem because they feel like they are disrespecting that fake hood scoop. The ABS isn't really a problem, but I think the pumps wear out after time causing an issue. I have one 96 with good ABS and another with bad ABS. Best advice, slow down when it's snowing so that ABS doesn't trigger anyway.

So yeah, the main functional advantage to 99-00 is multimode and cupholders that work. I guess the clear headlights kind of make a difference, but unless you do a projector retrofit you're kinda just bragging about how your headlights are less shit. Kind of like arguing about who's grandmother was hotter 60 years ago. If you're dead set on a certain color then you need to focus on certain years, disregarding the fake scoop and cupholders, which can be added later.

01-02 - you lose the locker, manual, and 3RZ. You get drive-by-wire and a slightly less durable A340 transmission as a consequence. They are still above average in reliability, but they definitely have proven to be more fragile than 96-00 A340s. The VSC system is an early variant, which just means that it sucks ass and cuts power every time you decide not to drive like a little *****. They all have dual cats which becomes a pain in the ass of P0420 codes after 15 years. They ALL have multimode, but they just made the way to engage it a little easier for stupid people who get scared of moving levers. I will admit that I have a serious fetish for the stellar blue 2002 Sport Edition. That monotone stellar blue goodness and coke bottle wheels just look so right. These years also have better sound deadening from the factory.

So yeah.

Great post! I'm in the market for one of these, and had narrowed it mostly down to 99-00 because of multimode and the locker. Knowing about some of the other differences in the 01-02's has really solidified that choice. Drive by wire and early traction control? No thanks!

 

[T4R2014]

Great post! I'm in the market for one of these, and had narrowed it mostly down to 99-00 because of multimode and the locker. Knowing about some of the other differences in the 01-02's has really solidified that choice. Drive by wire and early traction control? No thanks!

I've driven so many of these that I sometimes wonder if there's a market for me to make buying guide videos for. Btw, drive by wire has its benefits. The throttle cables on the 1996-00 can stretch and wear from lack of lubrication which leads to a crappy, stiff pedal and shifting feel. You can notice a huge difference just by changing those cables. The 01-02 doesn't suffer from that wear pattern. The early traction control can be disabled too. As a benefit of the traction control, the 01-02 3rd gen also got 4-channel ABS compared to 3-channel in years prior. For those saying "96-98 abs sucks cause facelift and I have no other source", this was the only major change in the 3rd Gen ABS in the whole run.

 

[xdustin]

I do know when I started looking, I had it narrowed down to a 99 or 00 limited (sports were all but impossible to find and were a grand or more in money). I tracked down a 2000 limited and haven't looked back. Wish I had a manual, but I can live with it and after not driving an auto for so long, it's kinda nice in the mornings when I'm sitting in traffic, lol

 

[jkeith.w]

1996. still a truck. awesome. get a manual.

 

[Horsethief]

I've driven so many of these that I sometimes wonder if there's a market for me to make buying guide videos for. Btw, drive by wire has its benefits. The throttle cables on the 1996-00 can stretch and wear from lack of lubrication which leads to a crappy, stiff pedal and shifting feel. You can notice a huge difference just by changing those cables. The 01-02 doesn't suffer from that wear pattern. The early traction control can be disabled too. As a benefit of the traction control, the 01-02 3rd gen also got 4-channel ABS compared to 3-channel in years prior. For those saying "96-98 abs sucks cause facelift and I have no other source", this was the only major change in the 3rd Gen ABS in the whole run.

Honestly, if you have that much knowledge, you SHOULD make a buying guide. I'd appreciate something like that. I've watched a few so called buying guides for these, but they turned out to be fairly generic and didn't really mention many of the year to year difference.

I don't know if there's a lot of people looking to buy these now, since they're 16 years old at the newest, but there's certainly plenty of room on youtube for that type of vid. And actually, recently I HAVE seen some youtubers with much pricier vehicles buy these for project vehicles or second rigs. Maybe they're come to the same conclusion that I have: if you want a legit SUV with offroad capability for not a lot of money you have to look back at the late 90's/early '00s, and if you want one that's solid, reliable, and capable (and NOT a Jeep XJ/ZJ/WJ), the T4R is pretty much the only choice. Once I came to that conclusion, finding about the e-locker sealed the deal.

 

[Snowden]

So yeah, the main functional advantage to 99-00 is multimode and cupholders that work. I guess the clear headlights kind of make a difference, but unless you do a projector retrofit you're kinda just bragging about how your headlights are less shit. Kind of like arguing about who's grandmother was hotter 60 years ago. If you're dead set on a certain color then you need to focus on certain years, disregarding the fake scoop and cupholders, which can be added later.

Best synopsis yet!! And OMG this part was funnier than hell... Especially the grandmother analogy... LMAO...!!

But overall IMO. At this point you'd be lucky enough just to get a good one. Any year. These vehicles are not spring chickens any longer and I would think if you are set on a 3rd gen one's priority should be miles and condition above all. And if you ask me the 'holy grail' at this point is to get a native California vehicle. These things suffer for rust from what I have seen. If you are on this board you are most likely going to be into moding it anyway so all things can hange...