Buying a 3rdgen. Need help/advice/tips
 

Hey guys. I am going to buy my first 4runner soon and am really looking forward to it. I made up my mind on the 3rd gen because i love the body style and i know i want 4x4. I will use it for off-road purposes and mostly a weekender. I am just stuck on what year to buy and what i should look out for. EX. ( i heard if the water pump has been replaced thats a bad sign. How many miles is too much if your gonna buy? is 99 the only year with the rear E locker? do i need the rear E locker?) Sorry its a lot at once but i could use all the help i can get. Thanks for reading my speel.

This doesn't have everything but it's a great place to start:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...ers-guide.html
99 is not the only year with e-locker, can't answer as to whether you need it though.
Why would a replaced waterpump necessarily be bad? Just curious.
Lots of good info here- that search button is annoying but you'll can get a lot of answers with it, even to questions you didn't know you had.

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated im reading up on it at the moment.

There is not a whole lot to look out for on the 3rd gens, but I would definitely recommend sticking with the 3.4L.

The '99 is not the only year for the e-locker. As far as whether you need it or not, that depends on how hardcore you are going to be wheeling it and whether or not you would prefer to upgrade it to a selectable locker such as an ARB.

As far as the water pump, saying that it's a bad thing for it to have been replaced is like saying it's bad to buy a truck that has had the spark plugs replaced. Water pumps go bad, especially with as many miles as most 3rd gens have on them. I would say if it's been replaced, that is actually a good sign - it at least shows that whoever owned/maintained the vehicle was proactive about maintenance.

I had a '99 and I loved it - out of the 5 Toyota trucks/SUV's that I've owned, it's my favorite.

Do you have a budget figured out yet?

Fink:devil:

Around 8k, little more little less. The cheaper the better that way i have some extra cash to pour into it. Tires, lift, bumper. Ill be going snowboarding a lot this season and hopefully start trailing. Iven always wanted a runner but never had the cash. I only mention the waterpump because i heard something along the lines that it was bad. It might have been something else but your reassurance is all i need lol

You could buy a pretty sweet 3rd gen for $8k. That could get you a really clean one with low miles, or even an already semi-built one if thats what you want. At least here in Cali, it seems like the average price for a 3rd gen is aroud $7k. Keep your eyes peeled, you shouldnt have a problem finding a good one

There is a coolant related nasty to watch for, the infamous pink milkshake in the auto tranny trucks. It's in the link I posted. Some of the earlier 3rd gens had head gasket issues. Rear heat coolant lines corrode and leak- not all 4Runners have rear heat- dunno if that's problematic or maintenance though. That's all the 'water' related 3rd gen issues I can think of off the top of my head. I changed my waterpump as part of a timing belt job because of where it is in the 3.4 and the mileage it had.

Hab is right, strawberry milkshakes most definitely do not bring all the boys to the yard.

Have you tried looking on AutoTrader.com? I always start there, just to get an idea of the car I'm looking at is actually going for. Then start narrowing it down from there, based on the prices you see.

Fink:devil:

Im looking autotrader, craiglist, ebay motors and others. Still just trying to narrow down which one i want. If i can find a highlander thats in decent condition that would be perfect.

How many miles to too many to buy a used 4runner? 150k? 200k? Does it just depend on how it was maintained? Cuz i am skeptical about buying anyone over 150k.