Georgia4Runner

Hey guys,
I from Atlanta and am a transfer from the JeepsUnlimited.com forums, with my family owning three Grand Cherokees. I am selling my POS 1996 Grand Cherokee with little luck, and once I sell it I will buy a 1996-1998 4runner SR5 or Limited. I am 18 years old and have always owned 4x2's for some odd reason, but this 4Runner will be my first 4wd. I have read about valve problems, the 3.4 head gasket recalls and the rear spring recalls, but did not know how crucial these problems are and whether all 3rd gens were affected or only trucks built on a Friday or before a holiday, lol. I have also heard of a rear-differential lock. Is this an option on both 5-speed and Auto? Where is this switch to find when I am looking for a truck? I really want a 5-speed SR5 with a sunroof and possibly leather in Anthracite with ~100k miles for ~10 grand, but nothing ever goes as planned and will probably settle with an auto. Are there any other problem areas or desirable options? I am a college-bound cash-strapped guy, so this wont get a winch and ARB and 33s instantly. Thanks all for the advice and I am glad to be a part of the Yota community!

li_runner

Welcome. Always nice to see a convert to the true reality, that Toyota makes a great truck.

As for your question's, the early 1996 4Runner is the only year problems with a headgasket have occured in the 3rd Gen 4Runner. You can check the VIN for that. It is not widespread and I myself have never read of anyone with a problem with a 3.4L for that reason. The only other issue with the 96-98 4Runner is the rear suspension recall, that fixes a sagging rear end. Which is just a quick change of the rear springs at any toyota dealership if it hasn't been done yet. The rear diff-lock is something you should look for, it is located on the dash left of the steering column it is labed obviously as such "diff-lock" it a electrical locker for the rear differential. Any other options other than that is just gravy.

I would look for a Limited, they seem to come more often with a diff lock, plus you will have the exterior trim piece's most add at a later date (fender flares). You can find one for the price your looking at, I would not shy away from a well kept runner with higher mileage either, if properly maintained it will last a long time.

Georgia4Runner

Thanks for the reply li_runner, the hardest part of my quest is to find the rear diff lock, as it looks like it will be worth it. Any more replies are much appreciated and thanks for the warm welcome! :guitar:

P.S.- This forum has better smilies than the Jeep forums, and I love the apparent lack of flaming in the Yotatech forums, as every forum in Jeepsunlimited would end in a pissing match!

Stump1883

Welcome aboard, I was about your age when I got started with Yotatech and my first 4Runner, now 3 trucks later, I'm on my 4th and finally finished for a long time. I didn't go through 3 becuase of mechanical issues or anything, it's a Toyota after all. Just financial situations but I've ended with the best my 97' LTD.

I would look for the Limited myself, they come fully loaded for the most part with little to ask for, and the Diff Lock is found on them more often then not. But unfortunatley a 5spd LTD is not available. Most 5spd Runners have cloth interior with the SR5 trim package. I lucked out on my 2nd 96'which now belongs to my dad, it's fully loaded e-locker and all, leather and a 5spd. So it can be done, it's just a bit rare. E-locked Runners may be hard to come by, I've only seen 2 and both are sitting in the driveway, but keep after it, if you plan on ANY offroad adventures you'll be glad you have it. Don't be scared of high milage, it's Toyota their just getting warm around 100K. I've bought all of mine with close to 150K and they look and run brand new.

Once again welcome ask anything, flamming is not an issue here . Use the search, ask whatever you can't find or don't understand, and try your best to NOT open up that wallet.

justinh

I will represent the opposite here....I have a 97 limited, it is pushing 147k miles, runs perfect. The only gripe i have, i would much rather have an SR5 than a limited. I do not like leather very much, especially the crappy fake leather that is in the earlier 3rd gens, the perforated stuff that is in the later models is much nicer. That is my biggest gripe with my limited, it is the only part of my vehicle that shows any wear or age. if i had it do over again i would have bought an sr5, manual or auto is a toss up, this is the first auto i have owned and i really wanted an auto when i bought and now somedays i absolutely hate it and somedays i love it....call me moody. e-locker is a great option, will be very difficult to find in atlanta, most of those seem more common in areas that atleast have bad weather sometimes.

the only options that are important to me are sunroof, and power windows/locks, cd player, everything else is a bonus, all of those can be found easily on sr5's.

best of luck finding one in atlanta, i will keep my eyes open, 4runners seem to still command a premium price in this town where it seems that they have fallen off in pricing in other areas. browsing through the autotrader you will find very few 4x4's. i would keep my eyes out on this board there have been a few forsale recently for very good prices including some fairly modified ones. if i can be of any help let me know, i am in the woodstock/canton area.

HOJU

too bad you're on the other side of the country.... here in Utah there's a White Limited going for $10,000 with 113k and the locker...

Stump1883

Wow that would almost be worth a road trip. I payed around that for my modified rig, a good friend and perfect timing came into play for me though.

I agree with Justin, I much prefer the learther of the later model Runners, but then your talking way out of price range unless you get lucky. Also it's even harder to find a locker on 99+ Runners. Also another gripe about LTD Runners are the flares, I love the look with the flares, but when it comes to getting in the rocks they cause problems, they are the first to take hits and are always out there getting torn up and making tight situations even tighter. Just enjoy the hunt it's half the fun, and don't settle until you get exactly what you want, I'm a testiment as to what happens when you settle, 3 Runners later.