I was wondering if anyone has heard of a starter going @ 60,000? It is a 3rd gen runner. It just sits there clicks about 10 times and then will start to turn over and fires up. It seems the battery is good.. Just wondering?

 

Just as with any other mechanical thing--there is no set date/mileage when it will go out.

 

Another thing to check is the battery. My wifes did the same thing about 6 months ago. The battery had a short or somthing in it. Sometimes it would start fine other times it clicked like you said. I bought a new battery and within a month it was doing it again. The third battery has worked fine since.
If it is the starter its most likely just the contacts. They are very easy to replace and cost less than $20 from Toyota. The starter will also come out easily even though it looks like its buried. I did the contact replacement on mine, and it took less than an hour total. Has been 60,000 miles and still works great.
I would recomend aginst an aftermarket starter. They may be cheap but will not last long at all.

 

Also check the starter contacts. They sometimes get corroded and need to be replaced.

 

I just had the starter replaced on the wifes 99 4Runner with 58000 on it.

Dealer wanted $273 just for the starter.

I got the starter through friend's garage and he installed it total $220.

BTW if you do it your self it comes out the wheel well easier than
out the bottom.

 

I had the same thing happen at around 70,000. I replaced the contacts and voila it has worked fine ever since then.