93 4Runner: Repair Vs. Replace?
 

Also posted on Reddit:

So recently, my 4Runner has started dying while idle, or when I take the foot off the gas to start driving, it'll shut off on me. Lights and everything still work, but the rig stops running. Took it to a trusted mechanic in town, and they gave me a rough estimate of 2k to fix everything, and they listed coolant leaks, power steering leak, 2 exhaust leaks, etc. They also mentioned the issue of trying to find parts, some can be found through manufacturers, some need to be from junkyards because of it's age.

EDIT: It's a SR5 V6 3.0.

Thoughts:

Option A: Pay to get everything repaired.
Pros: This is my first vehicle, there's a lot of love for it, and I have new tires on it.
Cons: Time to find parts + potential unavailability of some parts.

Option B: Sell the 4Runner and buy something else
Pros: New vehicle, more recent year, no issues+warranty from dealership
Cons: Potentially having to take out a loan to buy a new vehicle, 4runner might not get much back. I DO have older tires for the 4runner, so I could remove the new ones, sell/keep those, and then sell the 4runner to a junkyard for parts.

All input is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read!

TLDR; 4Runner broke, 2k to fix, do I A: pay up and fix, or B: sell and buy a newer car?

You don't mention what engine this is or what they said was causing it to stall. Did you get compression numbers? Taking a 24 year old vehicle in need of repair to a mechanic will almost always result in a multi thousand dollar estimate.

Hi, my apologies! It's a 3.0 V6. I haven't gotten compression numbers, and I'm not sure what that means. Googling it as soon as I'm done with this reply.

Listing details of the needed repairs would also help. I hope with a 2 grand quote you got a detailed breakdown in parts/labor. Lots of things can make this engine stall. Without knowing the general health of the engine, this is where compression info can help, it's hard to say what your time is worth to repair it or not.

Listing details of the needed repairs would also help. I hope with a 2 grand quote you got a detailed breakdown in parts/labor. Lots of things can make this engine stall. Without knowing the general health of the engine, this is where compression info can help, it's hard to say what your time is worth to repair it or not.

You apparently do not have any mechanical experience, sell the truck and buy new

I'll be dropping the 4Runner off sometime this week and should be able to get a detailed list of parts/labor within the week. I'll post here what all it needs, and then get opinions on whether or not I should sell and replace or keep and repair.

Make sure your sitting down when you get the quote..............:barf:

There is really not a good answer .

Mechanic and a vehicle this old never go good together .Kinda like Sharks around a clueless owner they see easy $$$$

Not knowing where you live are winter chemicals going to be causing more issues $$$$$

What is the rest of the 4Runner like Transmission/ Clutch ? Brakes Suspension and steering parts are those areas going to need major work in a few months or next year

Up grading to a newer vehicle is going to cost much more then the $2000.00 or so to fix this one with the current list of issues .

With your 4Runner without knowing mileage it could just be in need of a tune up. When was the last one ?? Is the normal maintenance done or neglected ??

Bottom line only you can make the decision Spend the money to bring this one back to being dependable or get something much newer .

Looked into fixing what I could, I know for a fact I need a new radiator, but that's not too hard. Some of the coolant hoses leak, and there's two exhaust leaks, I'm not sure where. The diagnostic box has a couple of plugs inside of it that look like they're coated in caramel. I'm gonna try to replace those ASAP and see what that does for the rig.