Deluded12ga

Iv been looking for a 3rd gen 4runner for a month or so now and man they are expensive. I live in the midwest in Iowa, and found a 1997 4runner sr5 with 190k on it and the dealership was asking 4900 and I got them down to 3500 but am worried about the miles. I have search the threads and see people are getting 250k or so with no problems, but would i be over paying. Its an automatic with no warning light and seems to run strong. there are tiny rust spots throughout, mainly on bottom edge of tailgate, and the undercarriage is kinda rusty, is that normal? One other thing made me curious is there are matching newer tires on the front and different worn tires on the back. Do you think they just threw on some tires to cover up the front wearing bad? Or I could just be paranoid.

Thanks guys

redhawk427

the front might wear bad if its not aligned....i speak from experience lol. but i have a 98 and i absolutely love it. what engine is it? v6 or 4 cyl? undercarriage being rusty is pretty typical as long as the frame isnt deteriorating then it should be fine..the tail gate is rusty? i might be wrong but my 3rd gen has a big door that opens up, and being a 97 that you speak of, i would assume it has no tailgate

Deluded12ga

Sorry, wrong word to use, yes the rear hatch has a small amount of rust on the bottom edge. It has the v6 in it.

mwc0404

I gotta 99 limited and i love it, i will never get rid of it and if you have the means i would say go for it!

revenantdead

GET IT! i got my 97 with 160k and change. she's a brute. definitely the best truck out of the 5 i've owned

cajieboy

I've owned three 4Runners dating from 1986 4cyl Turbo w/digital dash, and currently have the 2002 w/208,000 mi. I've never had a rust problem on any of them. I don't live in the Northern states that salt their roads, but do live on the ocean. If I were you, I'd look around more and find a low mileage 3rd Gen that someone used like a soccer mom w/all dealer maint. records. They are out there, especially in the larger cities. It's worth it to pay a little bit more for a well-kept low-mileage Runner.

redhawk427

go with your instinct. i bought my 98 at 185k and i love it at about 200k now. one selling point that make me go with mine, is the rear e locker. i cant remember if the 97 had that as an option or not but i would definitely check if it does. the locker has saved me WAY too many times!