payyourtoll

I love my 91 3.0 4runner, but I'm considering selling it soon to grab a 3rd gen. Anyone who has made the jump add your comments - good or bad thanks

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Rob

havic

I haven't made the swap because I've always had the 3rd gen, however, my father had a 91 4Runner and I remember when he upgraded to a 96, it was a lot more powerful, roomier, and handled better. Plus, there are a lot of mods for it (s/c, headers, exhaust, fuel upgrades) that can put you above 260hp. That's not easy to do with the 2nd gen.

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98 4Runner SR5 V6 4WD, stock with a lot of dreams for my Runner. So much to do, so little money............ Oh yeah, the elbow mod. I live in NYC. With all the bumps and potholes, I don't have to go off-roading.

tulsa_97SR5

Since I have & had the 4cyl + 5spd in each gen my comments may not mean as much, but the extra power going from the 2.4 to the 2.7 is fantastic. The ride is better but I don't sense a huge difference. The interiors aren't as different as I expected.

Silly things I miss are the tailgate vs liftgate, and the e-brake in the dash. Overall I think they are very similar, which is a very good thing in my book. I can't think of any substantial reason against the switch, and plenty of pluses.

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Brian
85 sr5, 5spd - back on the road, doing DD duty for now
86 2wd reg cab - future project
90 sr5, 97 - gone

DavidA

I moved from a 1987 to a 1999. HUGE difference. Much more powerful of course, but I love the ride also. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The 3.4 rocks.

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2002 Stellar Blue 4Runner Sport Edition
Cold Air Intake
Magnaflow Exhaust
Iridium Sparkplugs
Kenwood KDC-MP628
Blaupunkt Separates in all of the doors
Two RF P2002 amps
Kenwood 12" Subwoofer

My baby: Pics

DrumheadAR

I went from a '91 4runner 3.0 V6 to a '98 4runner 3.4 V6

The power difference is incredible and the money I'm saving on gas is very nice, especially right now. I towed with the '91 and was frustrated everytime i had to do it. The '98 is a lot better at towing (not the greatest, but still WAY better than the 3.0). Plus the 3.4 gives you the option of the Supercharger. I have not regretted the switch at all...
Well, except for my brand new truck payment

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'98 4Runner SR5
Anthracite - Elbow Mod - Custom bungy cord battery holder

Laid to rest in 2003:
'91 4Runner SR5 4WD
Rear-Mounted Tire - 5 of 6 cylinders firing

rimpainter.com

Haven't made the switch, but I have owned 3 3rd gen's and they all were amazing rigs.

Do it!

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www.rimpainter.com

Get your O Gasket Mod Here!

My SC'd 4Runner's Profile

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payyourtoll

nothing but positive feedback

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Rob

lee

id wanted to get a 3rd gen for the last 4 or 5 years. when i finally got mine last october, it had 45K miles and was an absolute find. whoever had it before me loved it, and took amazing care of it. since, i have put about 13,000 miles on it, and it has been terrific -- smooth, powerful, fun, useful.. everything i thought it'd be.

i love it

shazaam

I say go 4th gen ..

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Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, and the lesson afterwards.

<-- the artist formerly known as sdastg1

havic

sdastg1, I say do that only if they come out with the s/c for the V6. Also, the new V6 hasn't been out for a while, so we don't know what issues it may have, and future models might have the kinks worked out. The 3.4L has proven to be a reliable engine. But it's a Toyota, so either way your not going to have major issues.

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98 4Runner SR5 V6 4WD, stock with a lot of dreams for my Runner. So much to do, so little money............ Oh yeah, the elbow mod. I live in NYC. With all the bumps and potholes, I don't have to go off-roading.

gwhayduke

Sure...if you want to pay about $0.20 more per gallon of gas than you already do. The SC has to use premium. Not all of us are into speed, and a good lot of us would rather keep the extra $2200 doing other things for us...Like getting out to places ya have to use the 4wd and locker.

Still have the '95...but thinking about the change myself. The 2001 Limited I test drove recently was nice...but not that much nicer than my '95 Limited. Especially at the $24000 the dealer picked for his "rock bottom" price. He still has it on his lot 2 months later. But it had no locker. 2000 was the last year for the locker I think, and that's the last year I'll even consider.

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'99 4Runner SR5 4WD, 5-SPEED. Abzug's vehicle for urban expeditions, navigating flash floods and debris flows (try 12-15 inches of rain in one week). It always gets her home.

'95 4Runner LIMITED 4WD, 5-SPEED, over a quarter million on the original 3vze & headgaskets. TRD heavy duty clutch, TRD heavy duty flywheel, OME 900 springs and shocks. This old gal has gotten me out into the field, and back for 8 years, never failed to start or gotten stuck.

Nam

Yeah, if budget is one of your concerns, I's say go for the 3rd Gen. If not, go all the way to the 4th Gen. Even with V6 of the 4th Gen, the power is amazing.

It's a major difference between the 2nd and 3rd Gen. in term of power and reliability of the V6 engine. I personally like the 1st Gen. better than the 2nd Gen.

JM2C,

Nam

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2000 4Runner Metalic Silver LTD 4WD!

Rick F.

I went form a '90 3.sl0w to a 2000 3.4, as much as I loved my '90.

Positives:
1. more power
2. quieter
3. more power
4. equivalent fuel mileage
5. more power
6. better towing capability (goes with items 1,3,5 and 7)
7. more power

Negatives:
1. I found the hatchback to be less useful (other than in the rain) than the tailgate.

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'00 SR5, Desert Dune: 4" Deckplate, Amsoil TS-115, Bilsteins, Brembo rotors w/Performance Friction pads, Fiam Highway Blasters, Sylvania Silverstars, Hella Micro DE Fog Lights w/Hella Yellow Star Lamps - SOLD 1/24/09

'08 Sport, Salsa Red: Hella Optilux fogs, Silverstar Ultra Hi beams. Pending: Borla dual catback, CAI, shocks

KLOUN

my company truck is a 97.. and my mom had a 92..

i like teh 97 much better.. alot better ride... but to me the 92 was a little bit more rugged

payyourtoll

very good point, I like the tailgate very much, but just so long as the dog can jump in the back with the window down, she will be all good!

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Rob

havic

There is a positive to having the hatch though. If you can't get the window down for whatever reason, you can still open the back. In the 2nd gens, if the window is stuck, you can't open the back, and makes the back cabin hard to use. Just my $0.02 + tax.

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98 4Runner SR5 V6 4WD, stock with a lot of dreams for my Runner. So much to do, so little money............ Oh yeah, the elbow mod. I live in NYC. With all the bumps and potholes, I don't have to go off-roading.

Highland Runner

Since my wife and I own both, I can compare. If you get a 3rd gen get at least a 99. There were a lot of little changes from the 98-99. My wife owned a 98 before she owned the 99. Many of the little things like the cup holders on the dash weren't fixed untill 99. The power is the big difference between the 2nd and 3rd gens. The difference in size between the two is minimal.

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Chris
Mine-94 SR5 4-Runner, 3.0, 4X4, Aisin Hubs, Yakima Load Warrior, 210k Miles | Wifes-99 Limited

bamachem

I bet I know where you can get a '00 SR5 w/ less than 60k miles all blacked out w/ some 265/75-16 Dueler MT's on it...

http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=37646