All,

My 2nd 4runner was totalled on Monday on Interstate 5, Central Calif. My gf was driving it and lost control, went of the shouder, rolled 2.5 turns and landed on the side. I walked away with some injuries heplping her to get out on the backboard with a C-colar, she suffers lots and lots of pain but nothing broken. She was discharged from the hostpital same day....well that was 2000 LTD, 4WD with 80K miles.

While shopping for another one, I ran acrossed this '02, silver 4WD, LTD, and SUPERCHARGER with 105K miles on it. The price came down to be about $15K. Is this a good deal? and for those 01 & 02, are there any serious problems compared to '99 & '00? Withe S/C, would the tranny be nuked soon? I looked the fluid and it appears to be ok, the tranny shifts almost instantly at D or R

For some reasons, I think that '99 & '00 are slightly better built and a little more realiable.

Please provide your opinion; should I stick with '99 & '00 or go up to '01 & '02?

Thanks,

Nam

 

wow, that sounds like the accident i witnessed a few years ago on the I5 north wish your gf a speedy recovery.

if i had to buy yet-another 3rd gen, i'd buy a 99 or 00 w/ an elocker. make sure that the EL-010 tsb is taken care of, examine the rear AXLE for leakage, and thats about it. might be forgetting something, but thats the two major things id look for.

bob

 

Thanks Bob!

I am thinking about offering this guy 10.5K for http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/car/237331379.html on Tuesday.

Nam

 

You need to find out how long the SC'r was on there. It most likely doesn't have fuel and timing mods and it probably doesn't have the VB upgrade either. The lack of those mods would be red flags for me.

You can get a pretty nice 4R these days for around $12K with a lot less miles. I say keep looking.

 

I asked and they said it's likely came out as a dealer's option at new!

I'll probably keep looking

Thanks,

Nam

 

beware of any 3rd gen with sc and a stock tranny!!!! unless a 80yr old was driving.

 

Is there a way to tell if these mods have been done on this car?

Nam

 

If it doesn't ping and the tranny doesn't slip on the 1-2 shift at WOT...

No, but seriously, you could shine a light under the SC'r and have a look at the injectors...that would be a good indication. Also, when the fuel tank is low, you can really hear the Walbro 190 from outside the vehicle; it sounds like a strange (constant) humming sound.

It is pretty rare to come across a SC'd 4R or Taco with the fuel and timing mods. Chances are it will not have them. Where you might get lucky is if it has the 7th injector on it. You can see that by looking at the back of the SC'r. If that's the case, you will just need to get a 7th injector controller from URD and you should be good to go.

As for the tranny, pretty much figure it is toast if it's an Auto and doesn't have a firm 1-2 shift. Assume the worst.

 

ill second the tranny comment. if you dont really care about the shape of the tranny and u buy the truck any way i would have LEVEL 10 mod yours

 

Thanks all for the replies,

I doubt that it has these mods; I am pretty much pass this one but my dad likes the look. I may take the 2nd look into these and see if it's worth another consideration.

I still like the '00 LTD 4WD models. Even if it's above 100K miles, I think it's still good.

Thanks,

Nam

 

Maintenance records speak a thousand words...

 

Here is one yota members rig I would be all over if i lived on the left coast...
Maybe he can work with a board member..

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100028

 

Thanks Jim!

I'll contact the member and see what happens.

Nam

 

If you buy a 96-00 without the locker you are sitting in worse condition than if you got a 01-02. If you get the older 3rd gen it needs to have the e-locker. A stock 01-02 is way more capable off road than a 96-00 without that locker. Now a 96-00 with the locker has the upper hand over a 01-02.

If you are set on a 01-02 that you really like then I can tell you from experience that it costs about $1500 to have a ARB air locker installed including all parts. Then you would be set.

Milage is huge on these to me if you plan on having it around for a long time.

 

BTW I have followed Grimpy's build up over the year and that rig is super clean and I have never seen him post up any evidence of abuse or issues.

 

Could you explain that comment?
Thanks, Edy

 

Sure

I plan on having my Runner for a long long time and I drive quite a bit. So starting off with low miles on my rig was really important to me.

 

Alright, thanks all for your unique responses. I settled with a '00 LTD, two tone metalic silver with an E-LOCKER of course!

It got 109K miles and has a dent on the rear quarter bumper. I paid $10K.

Pics to be followed.

Nam

 

Ecchamberlin:: could you please explain why '01-'02 is way more capable off road than a 96-00 without the e-locker?

Thanks,

Nam

 

They have a center dif lock, better than no locker, but not better than a rear e-locker.