theryanator

I have a 99 3.4 4runner. Sr5, black beauty. It has about 145k on it and I am the second owner, first owner had put LOTS of highway miles on it. I owe about 10k on it and Kelly Blue Book puts it right around the same value. I have completely tuned it up, all except for the timing belt (still need to get that done at the dealership). No rust or body damage of any sort, in fact I just got the whole front end re-painted. My gas mileage on it seems to be inline with the factory estimates except for in the winter I get only about 13-14 mpg city and 17-18 highway...still decent I think???

Well my main question is in this condition what kind of mileage will I likely get out of it before it quits on me? I have the benefit and blessing of a relative who is a mechanic and can help me tune up/fix/repair/replace most issues that might arise so cost of maintenance is mostly just parts. I am just at a juncture where I am trying to decide if I should sell it or keep it. Any thoughts from experience? I know Toyotas have a great track record, but this is one of my first ones. Thanks!

rimpainter.com

If you maintain it, it will go for 300K or more before a rebuild. I bought a supercharged 97 4Runner with 197K miles on it a while back. If you know anything about the TRD SC'r, you know that you can't just bolt the sucker on. Well, you can, but you will run VERY lean. Anyway, this guy towed a Harley with it and I can only imagine what type of EGT's that sucker saw while towing under boost from CA to ND with no other tuning mods. To make a long story short, I pulled the SC'r off, put the 97 back to stock, and sold it. The thing ran AWESOME stock. The kicker is that the guy had a stack of maintenance receipts (and a couple repairs from the dealer). Again, if you maintain the 5VZ engine, it will serve you well.

theryanator

Thanks 96! I dont know much about some of the technical aspects you mentioned, but I plan to learn! I figured if well maintained it should go for at least another 100k and it sounds like that is very probably as you mentioned. Thanks for your input!

lllateralus

The 3.4 is turning out to be one of the most reliable toyota engines yet.. and thats saying ALOT.

EGT = exhaust gas temperature.
Boost = air under pressure being forced into the intake rather than being sucked in. Typically measure in PSI (6-8psi of boost is typical for stock supercharger or turbo systems). Boost = much more power, with much added engine stress/wear.

*trying to help with 'technical' stuff you might have been referring too.

theryanator

Thanks for the input and the education...I really appreciate it. I am just wanting to make the best informed decision that I can and you two have really helped a lot so far. Sounds like I picked a good model for longevity!

lllateralus

I think anyone here would agree that you picked probably the longest lasting vehicle there is. (toyota trucks in general)

d0ubledown

i would definitely not worry about it. toyota trucks last. period. keep up on your maintenace (definitely get your timing belt done), wheel it, enjoy it..and itll last forever. the body will start to rust & fall off before your motor dies. my last runner (91) had almost 400K km on it...and it still pulled strong. luckily it didnt have any of the head gasket issues thats been reported.

theryanator

My worst fear is that I will end up "upside-down" with the payments on this sucker. Sounds like I will be fine though, thank you for the experienced input everyone!

99_Runner

So it sounds like you bought it with about 135K on the odo. Same as mine. I didn't even blink at the mileage as I know that these vehicles, if maintained properly, will run to 250K+ without any major issues. So you probably have another 100K-150K before things "might" start to go down hill.

theryanator

Thanks, I LOVE to hear that! One of the other reasons I asked about this is because I would like to do some mods (small lift(wife's DD), new exhaust, rims/tires etc...) but did not want to even entertain the thought of doing so if it was possible the truck might die out on me in 50k. Thanks!

forcleanh2o

Yep, it'll last. I had planned to see how long my '97 Taco would last but, it was wrecked in January. I had 150K miles on it (bought in '99 w/ 43K). I loved that truck. Anyway... I have the 4Runner now to replace it.

It only went in for one repair as long as I had it. Something electrical that controlled spark,~$250. Late last summer it quit (AC) cooling (leaking refridgerant). I kept it charged with cans to squeak by and planned to fix it this spring.

Keep it maintained and it'll last. I have a lot of respect for those Toyota engineers- I don't know any personally but, I'd like to shake their hands!!!

Rick F.

Every Toyota I've owned has either gotten near or went over 200,000 miles without so much as a burp (not including typical Preventive Maintenance and wearing out of terminal stuff like brakes, exhaust, etc.). I've also towed a lot with high mileage Toyota's without an issue.

Rick

Fink

I've got a '99 same as yours but lifted and stuff. I have about 106k on the tach right now and I'm expecting to get another 200k or so out of it. Just change the oil every 3.5-5k miles and check your air filter and yada yada and it'll go forever.

Good luck man, post some pics when you get a chance!

Fink

mjwalfredo

Yeah, I've got 190k on my 97 3.4. And I beat the hell out of it for 4 years at college in New Orleans. (The roads down there are worse than some trails ) I didn't do much maintence at all during that time either. After a little TLC these last few months, she is still running like a champ.

inthedesert

As for being upside down, you technically already are. It would be unlikely that you could sell your truck with 145k on it for 10 grand, unless it has some great options, double cab, auto, etc. But that's not that big a deal, most people who buy used cars from a dealer (including myself, several times!) are technically upside down, once interest and everything is figured in. Just keep making the payments, and with a little luck, it'll still be running when you've paid it off!

As other posters have said, as long as the previous owner took care of it, you'll at least get another 50 to 100k out of it easily.

JHupp

Nice, just hit 72k here, and mine has had 0 problems(knock on wood) much better than any Ford Ive ever owned. Had a buddy who put 220 on a 93 Runner with no major problems. Sounds a little steep on the price, Blue Book says that's what mine is worth, and its an '01. But, just do your regular maintenance, keep an ewye on things, and you should be fine. Check the 4Runner sections, you will see that very few major problems are reported with the 3.4, mostly minor stuff, and from years of abuse. For the 1/2 year I've been here, I can't remember hearing of any major woes. Good luck with the truck!