Anyone with a Toyota 4Runner

ski.the.yeast

ski.the.yeast

Active member
I'm most likely gonna be picking one up in the next few weeks. To those of you that drive them: what do you like and dont like about them? Ive only been hearing good things, and they seem to run up to 350,000+ miles. Any input is appreciated, thanks!
 
my mom has one that i drive occasionally. the truck frame really makes it a smooth ride over rough dirt roads, etc. it has lots of room, lots of trunk space, but the car itself isn't gigantic which is nice. 4 wheel drive is good. you won't be dissapointed.
 
Really fun. I ski 191 cm skis and they can be kinda hard to fit in without a roofbox, but other than that me and my friends have done alot on his 4runner.

dont ask me to explain the picture

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ive got a '97 and a '00 both manual transmission v6 4wd with some big ass tires on them. they are a really fun, durable, and badass trucks. get one for sure
 
Fuckin awesome car. Had one for 4 years, but ran it into the ground so the engine shit the bed on me. I just remember cruising up to the mountain, early in the morning, going like 90 in a snowstorm and shit would not slide at all. I was also young and an idiot, but its a super sick whip. Took it off road a shit ton as well.
 
for an 02 and under, whats an ideal max mileage to buy one. i was thinking like 150k? ive found a couple with 137k or 156k. should they be good to go?
 
They hold their power forever, unlike jeeps: the engine bigs whenyou stomp it after 100,000 miles... But 4runners still toss you back into the seat with what appears to my eyeballs as the same power when it was new wow hey?
 
my dad has a 91, v6 automatic, its a nice car, pretty comfortable, bout 18mpg, only bad thing is it has no balls, no balls at all.
 
My dad bought a 88 brand new off the lot back in 88 (of course). This thing is fucking amazing. Roof comes off, which makes summer cruising awesome. So much fun to bomb around in mud and snow. Throw it in 4L and it'll be awesome (and please, I don't want any off roaders going against me on this comment, I know nothing, and I won't win.)

It's the funnest thing I've ever driven.

The thing about Toyotas though, is that their bodies will go before the truck does. Meaning, it'll rust out on you.

Since we've had ours for the 23 years it's been around, it still runs great. My dad just doesn't insure it, because the rust is starting to eat away at the frame structure, alone with body, causing shorts in the electrical system.

If you can find one with low milage, or a new engine in it. Go for it. I'd love to buy one one day.
 
It depends what V6 you're tallking about. The 3.0L's found in the earlier 90's 4runners had nasty head gasket issues. I owned a 92 and a 94- the 92 blew 5 gaskets over the 330,000kms it was in my family... I didn't know much history on the 94 when I bought it, but it blew a HG within the first 3 months of owning it. Other than that, neither vehicle had any other major issus, although the 3 litres are pigs on gas for the amount of power they put out. The 3.4L's on the other hand (96 and up I believe?) are proven to be way better engines. I know many people who have ran them well over 300,000kms with basic replacements like waterpump, timing belt, etc. I currently have a tacoma with the 3.4L (210,000) and couldn't be happier with it.
 
different engine/might have had work.

I'm not sure on all the work it's had on it. No mods, he put better suspension in it awhile ago. That's all I know.

Back in 93 or something, I deer jumped in front of it when my mom was driving it, so the front end had to be re done. Might have something to do with the engine still going.

Also, I've heard (and again, don't quote me, I know little about vehicles), you can take out the Yota engine, and drop in a 350 engine perfectly in place. Just need to make sure to change the differential and everything.
 
4runners are money fersure, but if you want more cargo room for skis etc. go with a tacoma: same durability, if you go with the v6 its the same engine, the same frame (i think), you'll get better mileage with a v6, and you wont have to worry about fucking up your interior... the only problem you're going to run into with both the 4runner and tacoma is that since they're so reliable hardly anyone trades them in, and even once they do, their re-sale value is ridiculously high... i ended up getting an '01 4-door with 110k and it looks/drives like it was new, but it me a solid 2 months of searching before i found the right one... now that i have it i couldn't be happier though, toyota trucks/suvs take massive japanese stickyrice shits all over any american manufacturer
 
No.

Yes a Tacoma is better than a colorado/dakota/ranger.

But talking about real trucks america kicks ass period.
 
The original 4Runner and Toyota truck (later named Tacoma) have the same frame, just the 4Runner was made into an SUV.

And it's true, no one trades them in. If you find one that's cheap, something is wrong with it, and it usually isn't going to be an easy fix.

At my parents house, we have 3 4Runners sitting in the yard. All 88-89. One was stripped, and the interior and exterior parts have been put on the original one, and the other has a better body, minimal rust, all that jazz, its engine just doesn't run.

My dad wants to take the working components out of the original, and swap them into the better bodied one. This will give it another chance to live again.
 
haha i was waiting for the 'murica, fuck yea comment... most american suv's do suck (except maybe the escape that everyones mom/girlfriend wants to drive), dodge blows, period, and you're right that chevy/ford do make a good full-size (ahem... 'real' truck... not much of a tundra fan anyway)... but in terms of practicality+durability you can't really do any better than a tacoma/4runner... only if you were towing a trailer or boat or some shit would i recommend the 'murican muscle over an import, in which case that person probably wouldn't give a shit about spending a small fortune in gas anyway
 
There are a lot more reasons than towing to get a full sized truck. The fuel economies are also not that much different. I know this because I have owned 4 and 6 cyl toyotas and chevy v-8s.

I don't think the toyotas are much more reliable than the american trucks either.

 
psh, if I can fit 191's in a subaru legacy sedan I think you're fine.

I love how the back window rolls down on 4runners. Always loved the older models.
 
I've got a '99, my brother has a '94, and my dad has an '01 and they are all fucking great. I flipped one once upon a time ago and I didn't die so that's really awesome. I get about 23 MPG in my '99 so that's pretty neat too. Get one
 
my parents drove one a while back. It was a 95 and i believe it was stick. Such a dope car i nicknamed it ruby. However its clutch started to slip and needed mor and more repairs. Then my mom sold it and got a gay ass 2010 prius
 
i have a 97 4runner, it just passed 138k (it had crazy low mileage when we bought it back in '02), and it runs like a champ. I've never had any problems with it ever.

It only gets 18 mpg, which is kinda lame, but so far it has gotten me absolutely anywhere i want to be regardless of shitty road conditions.

I cant wait to rack up another 138k on it. Things a champ
 
word,

my dad bought a v6 manual 91' runner brand new and he thought he was selling his soul to the devil.

well 202K later i am now driving it and the thing is a beast, so much so that i dont ever want a new car because it has just been so good to me and my friends, but i need to get teh power steering fixed...
 
I have a 98' Tacoma. Pretty much the same thing. I liked my 2000 Jeep Cherokee a lot better though. Jeeps have more power for sure, but then again I totaled my Jeep.
 
i've got a colorado right now, but im looking into a 02 4runner. pretty good shape body wise and everything thing else. only thing making me question doing it are the 195,000 miles on it.
 
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