4runner nuisances
 

Greetings all;

I am in the beginning stages of looking for an SUV to replace my aging Jeep Cherokee with. Toyota 4runner, 3rd gen, is on my radar screen. The intended use will be exploring backcountry roads, combined with camping, on 2-4 day trips. I am not planning on doing any lifts, but I am sure I’ll do tire, gearing, locker upgrades.

The first order of business for me is to get in one and see how I fit inside (I am XXL size), if I can sleep inside, and how I like the power of the 3.4L versus the 4.0L in my Jeep.

While doing that, are there any nuisances with the 3rd gen 4runners that I should check and see if I can live with them?

Thanks for any tips …... sibil

first off they dont have the power the 4.0 jeeps do.. second if you want to do all those upgrades you might as well jack it up an inch or two. plus you wont have the room the jeeps have. sad but true

BUT

what you do get is a very reliable vehicle even more so than with cheep jeeps. trust me, i used to own jeeps (grandcherokee and wranglers) the wranglers were ok but my 01 grand was a POS by all means.. you are just going to have to test drive the 4 runners first man its that simple. you may not even like them. they are different than jeeps..

Look for one with an e-locker in the rear.

I try to explain this to my wife but she doesn't listen. She wants either a Grand Cherokee or an Explorer.

The 4runner will basiclly take you wherever you need to go and the build quality is a lot better than any Jeep I have owned or driven.

Well you just cant beat the toyota reliability.

are you saying she is a biggen? lol jk!! sorry i had to do it........... i love the comfort of the grandschero's BUT they are crap imo.. few and far between willyou get one with little issues over 80k miles esp in the tranny and electrical components

I have read about that, but it seems that's a hard to find option. I haven't seen any.

Stock 3rd gens will go alot farther off road than a stock GC will and you can put 32"s under one w/o a lift and a factory equipped rear locker is a huge plus. I just think 3rd gens look better overall and more tough/trucklike than the especially soft Explorers and GCs.

Mine is stock other than the larger tires and I do pretty well on intermediate trails. I also have 136k on mine and just have had to do maintenance and rear axle seals at 100k which is kinda common.

I love mine........

Good clearance...
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...March07266.jpg

And fun off road.
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...0th2006116.jpg

Even looks good covered in snow....
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...er62007009.jpg

I know that i was in the same boat as you a few years ago when i was trying to pick between the 4runner and the jeep. After a lot of reasearch i went with the 4runner and have never looked back.

Mine has 125k miles and i have not had a single problem with it. I have a friend that has a 96 with over 300k on it and the only non normal maintnence part he has had to replace was a $15 heater valve.

These things will really last forever. And the comfort inside is so much better than a jeep.

Plus stock it will go a lot further then a jeep.

Dude X-AWDriver, I love your 4runner. The color is sweet and I just love the look of the highlander editions. I'm in search of one myself...can't find one with the lower miles I want...ugh.

Haha. No. If I did she'd probably kill me in my sleep with a steak knife.

sibil, if i were you, i would just lift it a little
you can do a cheap lift for a few hundred and it will make it look so much better.

for starters, take off your runningboards if you get your runner (will make a huge diff). since you are going on offroad trips, think about getting a rack (costco!) with some lights you can put on top.

i think 4runners get better gas mileage than jeeps as well.

i wouldnt ask the yotatechers whats better a jeep or a 4runner. we know the answer. its up to you man...

I've also owned a ZJ, and 4Runners feel so much more solid. The ONLY thing I liked the Jeep over the 4Runner was the SFA. If you're looking at the older 3rd Gen's, 99% of them are in need of suspension maintenance (replacement). I'd just go ahead and do a lift for increased ground clearance and an improved ride.

pkt1213 -- Have your wife go on jeepsunlimited.com and ask on the Off-Topic forum about their thoughts on Jeeps vs. Toyota. Their answers will be surprising.

That won't change her mind. I am going to get her an explorer if my 4runner sells. She wants an SUV to haul around the dogs and the 4x4 in bad weather. She doesn't like 4runners, I don't know why, and since I am going to be in Iraq for over a year I might as well buy what makes her happy cause then she can't say anything when i come back and buy another Porsche.

I'd be sad to see my 4runner go since I spent a long time trying to find a 5 speed. But then again maybe she doesn't like it cause I bought it for my ex wife. Haha.

haha thats probably it. that sucks that she doesnt like it. ask her why!!! shes probably just a bandwagoner because some other dumb lady down the street has one.

lets hope you dont have to go to iraq for much longer...

from a fellow new 4runner owner buy a runner from 1999-2000. i purchased a 2001 and it seems im spending money trying to make it like a 99.

[QUOTE=mkgarrison5;50751603]first off they dont have the power the 4.0 jeeps do.. second if you want to do all those upgrades you might as well jack it up an inch or two. plus you wont have the room the jeeps have. sad but true


Interesting, my 3rd gen 4runner has WAY more room in it than my wife's cherokee sport (as well as my friends grand cherokee), even if you took out the spare tire from the back of her jeep. So I am not really sure what mkgarrison means by jeeps having more room, if that's what he means. I find my 4runner to be way more spacious; my wife often complains how compact her jeep cherokee is for my son in the back seat.

Powerwise, they have almost identical power except the 4runner I find to be much smoother/quieter in power delivery and general driving. The power seems slightly less in the 4runner due to the 4runner being heavier than her 4.0 cherokee, otherwise I'd take my 4runner any day over her jeep. I've pulled the same trailer with both vehicles and found little to no difference between the two other than where the power band exists.

Good luck, cheers

You won't need to get new gears. Most auto's came with 4.30 gearing .

Wow, one thing is for sure. This Forum is active!!! Thanks for all the replies within a few short hours.

Somehow my initial post left the impression that I am comparing the 4runner to some kind of Jeep. Far from it. All I said is it's time to replace my aging (1989) Jeep Cherokee XJ with something newer. The 4runner is the only SUV of that size that I am considering for now. I am a fan of Toyotas, and do own a 1986 2WD pickup right now.

I am off from work tomorrow and will be checking out a couple of 4runners (1998 and 1999.) While at it, I was looking for pointers on what to look for.

Also, I guess mentioning gears/tires/lift was premuture on my part. That was getting ahead of myself.

ive had several 4runners....they are nice...but im XXL too..... i like the room of my landcruiser a little better