cj_rezz

Hi Everyone,

You don't know me but I've grown to know most of you over the past few weeks as I've been living on these forums researching 4Runners as my potential next vehicle.

I currently drive a '92 Nissan Pathfinder XE 4x4 with 31x10.5 BFG All-Terrains. It's been a great vehicle. I bought it with 174,000 kms on it, drove it for 5 years to 231,000 kms with basically no fixing required other than regular maintenance (front and rear brakes for the first time in it's life, timing belt, water pump, thermostat, PCV valve, air filter, fluid changes, MAF cleans, tie-rod ends, swaybar bushings, you get the idea..). It's a very agile offroad machine. It's got great ground clearance, good approach and departure angles and true 4 wheel drive (none of this electronic 4x4 stuff). Basically it's a simple vehicle with the luxuries of fuel injection. Anyway, sometimes when it's cold out, the auto transmission won't go into reverse. I can shift into reverse but you step on the gas and the RPMs increase but the vehicle doesn't move. I'm starting to take this as a sign of the transmission starting to fail as I've read that reverse is often the first gear to act up in a failing transmission. If any of you have any insight as to other reasons why this is happening I'd love to hear it but it is a little off topic. Morale of the story is I'm worried that I'm going to have to put $3K into rebuilding the transmission in the next few years and I'm thinking it might be best to sell it now before that happens. Plus some body rust is starting to form and, much like some of the earlier model Tacomas, the frame has rusted so badly in spots that I can put a finger through the metal like pie crust. Unfortunately, Nissan isn't buying these vehicles back like Toyota did.

So I've done a lot of research and it seems like the 3rd Gen 4Runners are one of the best, if not the best, SUV of that time. Needless to say, I'm growing to love them the more I read about them. It seems like no one has anything bad to say about them.

I've been watching the used car ads around town and finally found a 4Runner that I like. It's a '99 Limited Auto (don't want a manual, I do too much rush hour driving) with the factory elocker!! The kms are a little higher than I would have liked (160000 kms) but I think I will be hard pressed to find another '99 limited w/ the elocker. I understand that 99's w/ an elocker are somewhat rare (although not as rare as the highlanders or a manual transmission). I want a limited cause I love the look of the color matched flares and the interior luxuries. I know I want a 99 w/ the 265 tires becuase this was the tallest 3rd Gen SUV. And I know I want the elocker (obviously). Plus having the option of driving in 2 wheel drive, all-wheel-drive, true 4 high or true 4 low is mind blowing. For driving around town in the winter, all wheel drive would be great and then shift into off road for fun in the snow or some 4 wheeling off road. Plus, no Atrac or VSC like in the 01-02s to mess around with.

I've attached a couple of pictures and would love to hear your comments, thoughts, suggestions. I've done the research and know what to look for on these vehicles when buying used (rear axle seals, smooth shifting into and out of 4 wheel, etc). The guy is asking $12,500 Candian. I ran the vehicle specs through the Kelly Blue Book Value and for a private sale, it recommends a price of $7,745US for a "Good" condition 4Runner. Converting this to Canadian dollars works out to about $9,061. Now, add a little premium beucause the used vehicle market doesn't have as much supply as the US market and maybe $11,000 would be a fair price? Keep in mind this is the only Limited I have seen for sale in the last few weeks. Everything has been SR5s.

I'm glad to see that there is such an active 4Runner community online just like there was for my Pathfinder. The Pathfinder forums saved me many dollars and added many kms to the potential life of my old truck.

nah2323

welp, I tell ya, there is nothing better than a 3G 4runner IMO. I have had 30 vehicles, including newer and older toyotas than my current 2000 4R highlander. Even the other toyotas arent as good as this one. and they were good..

Godzilla

I have a 99 ltd w elocker and I think it is a great vehicle. At 160k km I dont think you will have many issues. I would suggest to see if it has had regular maintenance and the timing belt/water pump changed as you are at that mileage.
Also give the tranny fluid a look/smell, and the rack play(if any).
Give the climate control system a once over too, as these tend to go tits up after a while.
One thing that strikes me as odd (though not bad odd) is that the SR5 wheels are on as opposed to the 5 spoke limiteds of that year. And based on the image it doesnt really "look" like it has the taller coils.

cj_rezz

Hmmm, I never really noticed that the wheels were from a SR5 and not a Limited. I think I may know why though. The owner was running 20" wheels and is offering them as extra to the buyer. Maybe he sold the stock wheels when he put on the 20s and then found some other "stock" wheels to put back on when he decided to put it up for sale.

As far as the not so tall look. That would blow if it's a 99 without the taller coils. I guess the only way to find out if they are the taller ones is to count the coil wraps and/or look for the part number on them?

I didn't know the climate control would fail though, thanks for that tip. I thought just the backlights failed often. Glad I learned something!

Jay204

That's a nice clean 4Runner. I'm surprised your pathfinder has lasted this long without and tranny issue's....cause those old ones are finicky. You'll love the 4Runner the first time you sit in it. 4Runner's & Tacoma's are all i'll ever owned....ounce you have a toyota nothing else compares. OK ok....so that may sound a little absurd....but really....there's nothing on the market in the same price range that can compete with the 4Runner, the Jimmy's and Blazer's are GM junk that are meant for mall cruising and groceries. And there not worth anything!! When I purchased my first 4Runner only 3 years ago, I was looking at 2004 Jimmy ZR2, leather, after-market computer for changing the shift rates. Lifted with 33's. And it was 2000$ LESS then what I ended up paying for my 4Runner....and my 4Runner is a 2000!! Get the 4Runner....i'm done my rant

misterzee

aaaahhhh opinion time ....

I think that's a nice specimen of a third gen you're looking at. The mileage is actually pretty low for the year... at least for MY area of the country. The price is a little high though. So it kinda boils down to how bad you want it.

Things to question on a 100k mile vehicle: Timing belt service. Condition of brake linings. Time for a tune-up(plugs). Coolant change. Tranny service. Shocks. Tires. Cosmetics.

But, plan to put some $ into it beyond the purchase price to get it "right". No one ever sells a vehicle that's perfect.

I have an SR5 with an elocker... and I've owned several Limiteds. For ME, they are just too nice to wheel, so the elocker is almost superfluous, unless youre gonna take it out and scrape it up. Of course, if you want that extra little bit of insurance from getting stuck in winter... its cool.
But, in a 'beater-woods-truck' like my first gen, the elocker is AWESOME for wheeling.

WEINERDOGBONE

iTrader: (1)

I have a 99 SR5 and I like it alot. Mine has 128,000 miles now and runs perfect. The only problems I have had are electrical glitches. All of it is minor stuff like door lock switch and trailer wiring harness failed. The clock went belly up and I have a goofy gas guage. I have fixed everything but the gas guage for about $150.00.

For comparison, I paid $7,400 for mine but I knew it needed a little work. It had 118,000 when I bought it and had never had a timing belt. I ended up replacing the belt,waterpump,thermostat, and radiator. I probably have $8,600 in the vehicle as it sits now. I also did a major tune up consisting of plugs, fuel filter, and all fluids. It's a very dependable ride and I would recommend it.

cj_rezz

Thanks guys for the thoughts. It's nice to talk to some people who are as stoked about these vehicles as I am. I have driven a 2000 SR5 and I did fall in love with it when I sat it in it. And driving it is even better. It just feels solid, reliable and more truck-like than another other SUV I've driven. 160,000 kms is enough kms for a '99 but actually very average for mileage around these parts. Seems like most drivers in my area put about 20,000 kms per year on their vehicles. I think the price is higher than what I would want to pay but it actually isn't that high based on what else is on the market around here. I've only seen 2 other 3rd gen 4Runners for sale in this town of 200,000 people and both were about $15,000. I think however that it has been for sale for a while and I haven't seen it but I imagine I could talk them down on price. What do you guys think of the color, I'm undecided as I don't love the color but I don't dislike it either. I had initially wanted a black, white or silver but as this is the only Limited edition I have seen for sale in a while.... Oh, and I think I actually like the SR5 wheels better than what the Limited came with anyways.

Punch

Great find! A vehicle with alot of potential. Couldn't of picked a better year with the e-locker (see sig)

Godzilla

Im pretty sure by the pics it is millenium silver metallic

Bandit Runner

I too went from a Nissan Pathfinder (1994) to a 2002 4Runner. I really liked my old truck, but when I got my 4Runner, it was like night and day difference. You'll definitely like the 3rd gen 4Runner.

Good Luck!

cj_rezz

Hmm, weird. The guy's ad says it's "Pewter". But if you look at it not knowing what color it is, I can see silver too.

cj_rezz

So this 4Runner is located about 250kms from my city here so I haven't had the chance to look at it in person yet. However, I just had a client near the 4Runner's home call and they have some needs that warrant a visit! So it looks like I'll be going out to see it. Assuming I have a good feeling about it after driving it and talking with the owner, I think I'll buy it. The last time I bought a used vehicle, I got a mechanic to do an inspection. This 4Runner is located in a small town and I therefore can't have a mechanic look over it. Not sure how I feel about this....