Well after 9 months of pain and 10,000$ in repairs that Ford refused to cover (4 turbos, 9 injectors, 4x4 crap, oil cooler, egr system, etc) I finally have the 05 F350 running well enough to sell. So my family and I (did I mention that we have a 10 day old baby?) want to get back into a 4runner for family trips and camping, damn I miss my 89. So with that in mind we want a 4th gen 05+ limited and have started looking. I know what to look at/for on the 1st gen runners and am clueless about the newer ones. Any help would be appreciated.

 

First, check out toyota-4runner.org, specifically their 4th gen section. There is a ton of knowledge over there about issues, mods, etc.

From personal experience, I love my 04 V8 4wd. Yes, it has the all time AWD and it is a little less economical than the V6, but it runs super smooth and has plenty of power. No major issues with 135,000 miles on it!

 

Get one with the 5speed auto tranny don't get the 4speed ones

 

Welcome back dude

I knew you couldnt stay away he he he

I love the wife's '06 Sport and recommend one foooooo show. 4.0 v6 and not full 4wd. Boo that man. Plenty of room and rides like a dream. Definitely check out t4rhomiedawg.org site that was previously mentioned.

 

Thanks folks!


Yeah Logan it was inevitable that I return.

 

Sucker.......

 

Probably the biggest pain that i see alot is going to be the timing cover leaking oil around the power steering pump. Major headache and pretty common

 

on the V6 or V8?


Honestly dude, working in the auto salvage business myself, I don't see a lot of high demand parts for the newer 4Runners, and that's a good sign



I see we share similar stories (accept for the family and baby part ), that is, made a horrible mistake getting a Ford, and found our way back to Toyota welcome back brother

 

The full time 4wd is not bad at all. It is more like an awd unless you lock the center differential (which you should never do on dry pavement anyways). I can tell no difference between driving it and my friends 2wd v6, minus the v8 having a little bit more get up and go. In looking for one of these runners, 4wd vs 2wd would be my first deciding factor, maintenance and condition the second, and v8 vs v6 my third. Either engine is a solid choice!

And yeah, t4rhomiedawg.org is a little "hardcore" sometimes with their floor mat & led cluster mods, but they have some great tech write ups over there as well.

 

Found a freaking NICE 03 SR5 today at the dealer. Couldn't get around being 20K upside down in the Ford... grrrrrrrr.. I'll have to drive the Ford for a while until we can get some finances back in order but damn it felt good to drive a Yota again. I'll keep you folks updated.

Oh I also found an 85 4runner for sale locally for 1200$ but that's just a divorce in the making right there. *laugh*

 

After owning the truck in my sig since new, I figured it was time for a change and now have an 07 Limited V8...and really like it! Power everything and two more cylinders!
Driveline "clunk" is an issue that is on a TSB, but can be remedied by extra greasing or changing drive shafts to an updated one.

The V8 is being heralded as one of the best engines Toyota has ever built. Not that the V6 is anything to worry about.

I've only had it 1.5 months so I'm still learning.

 

I second getting the 5-speed transmission. And go V8!