My sister is looking for a 97-01 4RUNNER. She doesnt know much about them though. What kind of problems did they have?What should she look for when buying one? Her fiance had a 93 and it was a junker. He is kind of iffy about buying another one. Thx for the help

 

Here's a good one - in Alabama, and can be shipped. See the link for info and pics.

Black '00 SR5 4WD w/ Leather and 61k miles

 

If he is kind of iffy about buying another one, his must be a royal POS. I would buy another one in a heartbeat! I've had no problems with mine.

 

96-02 is a 3rd generation body style and it came w/ a 3.4L V6 that is very reliable and dependable. Early 96's had some head gasket issues, but other than an occasional leaky axle seal, i don't know of any issues with the 3rd gens.

 

I know where you can pick one up for around $8500. It has 140K miles but it runs like a champ after my last service.

 

How much is she looking to spend? I have four 4Runners, 2000 SR5, 2000 Limited, 2001 Limited, and a 2002 Limited. They're priced from $17,950 to $26,950 respectively.

PM me if you want details.

 

I would buy another one in a heartbeat. Small annoyances with 3rd gens (besides the rear axle seals): front OEM rotors are often junk, but you can replace easily with Brembos, a pesky clunk sound when releasing the brake sometimes after a full stop (search here & other forums for "rear end clunk", or just "clunk"), OEM shocks are toast often after about 40K miles (but many nice aftermarkets are available), OEM rear springs also sag early but that problem was fixed in the 99+ Runners, etc. Basically what most people here will say is they are awesome trucks, and even though they have a few quirks there is nothing major to worry about and many of us plan to drive ours well beyond 200K miles.

OH, also if she has any rollover concerns this has not been a big issue with stock 4runners. Starting with the 2000 model they lowered them a tad to further limit rollover potential.

 

Personally, I would go for a 99 - 00 if I had to buy again. 5 speed of course.

 

she wnats to spend anywhere from 16-19 Grand. We are in NJ

 

tacoma,

i bought a 99 highlander edition and after giving it to my older brother, i turned around and bought another 4runner---a 98 w/ 5 speed. if buying an older 4runner is any indication about how much faith i have in these vehicles, i dont know what is!

personally, id buy a 98 through 02 and not have to worry about the HG issue (96-97). besides, the 96-97s are 7-8 years old now and those will probably be above the 100k range by now.

the 99 and some 00s had some minor problems with the fuel gauge needle and sender (TSB EL010), but otherwise, thats about it.

bob

 

My 96 has the fuel gauge issue too...

 

Take mine. $8,500 as is.

 

What the heck is the HG issue?

My 4Runner is a 96, and is still under 100k

 

Some of the early 4Runners had the head gasket issue. However, it's hit and miss. Mine (10/96) isn't covered under the recall, and I have 188k miles.

 

get a 99 or newer. Some of the issues mentioned above will have been fixed plus the styling of the front bumper and cupholders changed. Have a good mechanic check it out. For 16-19K you should be able to get a nice lower milage 4runner, maybe even with extented warrenty.
A 4runner were one of the few trucks I dared buying used, now almost two years later I only had minor problem like the shock bushings and warped rotors

 

It's an external leak that can be caused by a certain HG design flaw. It won't grenade your engine, but it will cause issues. Call the dealer with your VIN and find out.

I had mine done at 67K miles and I made sure the shop foreman was doing the work.

 

i got my 99 for $11k it had 133k miles on it. i love it so far.