4Runner Fans?

[wilcam47]

Wow, I'm really just blown away that every single person who has replied can't seem to say enough good things about it. I'd read plenty about it before making the purchase, but it definitely makes me feel good to read this stuff.

Crabby--yes, I was in GW. I do a lot of backpacking, fishing and hunting there. It's kind of my second home. Now that I can drive the unimproved roads, it's much easier for me to get there. I used to have to borrow my brother's Forester or else park my car at the bottom of the mountain and walk up the road. This time I was just north of Ramsey's Draft, in the Camp Todd/Reddish Knob area. The closest town is called West Augusta--sort of west and between Harrisonburg and Staunton. Once I got above 3,000 feet or so there was a lot of ice.

Those of you who have owned them for a while, is there anything I should be thinking about in terms of preventative maintenance that may not be obvious? I've read some stuff about people having rust issues. I just plan to wash the undercarriage any time I've driven it on salted roads, but I've been wondering if it might be worth it to get some kind of sealant applied under there. That stuff is expensive and nasty to apply myself since I don't have any equipment. Otherwise, it seems like with these that as long as you keep up with the regular maintenance, you're pretty much all set. I purchased it from Tysons Toyota but I'm planning to have all the service done at Jack Taylor Toyota in Arlington, since that is more convenient.

Biggest thing for ours was the brake calipers sticking due to rust/corrosion ...just keep an eye on the MPG if it starts dropping dramatically and you smell the burned/overheated brake smell when you exit the vehicle you prob have caliper problems.

 

[atblis]

Flush the brake fluid every so often.

 

[apexinm3]

'02 Sport Edition with 121k. All original sans a replaced front bumper. Been probably one of the best 4x4 vehicles I have ever owned, topping my unstoppable Jeep ZJ Grand Cherokee. Has been reliable, decent on mileage (for a truck) and is comfy to drive long distances. Only gripe: no heated seats with cloth interior - and that will likely be fixed this summer.

They hold their value, are simple to work on as they are a Tacoma with a full body, and parts are readily available. Since I have no kids the size is just right and holds all of my kayaking/camping/biking gear with room to spare. Can haul 3 adults in the back but does get a bit cramped over long distances - 2 would be okay.

Can't go wrong with the T4R!

 

[travistheone]

I sold my '03 with 185k on it. regret it all the time. it was still mechanically perfect.

 

[Jollyllama]

Absolutely. There was no way to turn around and the ice accumulated slowly, so I decided I was past the point of no return and just had to continue on up the mountain. I put it in L4L and just let it creep along. I was amazed that it didn't slip at all. But yeah, I didn't exactly enjoy that and try to avoid ice. I think my dog was more nervous than me. He kept looking at me like "WTF!?" Haha.

Nice ride, Jollyllama. What kind of tires are those? How much did lifting it cost?

I have cooper stt maxx tires on it. The lift was purchased from Toytech and wheelers off road. Got bilstein 5100 shock/ struts, Toytech springs in the back, and old man emu springs in the front. Total of about 2.5" and 3" lift back and front respectively. Don't recall the exact cost but the parts were under $1000 and I paid someone a couple-few hundred to install it. Could have done it myself but he has a lift and needed some work. He also replaced some miscellaneous parts that looked a little rough while he was at it.

It ended up being a couple grand cheaper than having toyota replace the X-reas system after a couple of the shocks rusted out. And it now handles better due to slightly stiffer springs/ shocks.

Preventative maintenance as others have mentioned are the brakes. The rotors are too small for the weight. They tend to warp over time Esp if you happen to brake hard a few times. You can do an easy mod and solve this issue by using tundra brakes when the time comes to swap them out. Not something the dealer will do, but it's not complicated.

Replace the timing belt every 90k miles and while you do it put in a new water pump and belt tensioner.

Change the transmission fluid. Run synthetic oil, and it should last a long time.

Mine has some rust underneath, likely from the winters here and driving on the beach but it isn't bad and according to the shop I take it to it looks better than most trucks of its age. I've done nothing other than spray it down with fresh water after salt exposure.

The skid plate bolts will eventually rust and twist off. I had the shop drill, tap and replace them with stainless hardwear. If your bolts rust and seize up You can still get to the oil filter through the engine bay, but you have to reach way down and if the filter is on tight it is a PITA.

The wheel bearings seem to be particularly susceptible to breaking if you slide on ice into a curb sideways at 40 mph so avoid that.

I still have the original Panasonic battery in it that came from the factory. It is a particularly nice AGM battery that seems to last forever but you can't buy it in the USA.

The JbL synthesis speaker system in mine still sounds amazing with no blown speakers or rattles.

Toyota-4Runner.org is a great forum for information, problem solving, and easy upgrades.

Overall it has been a very dependable vehicle with limited maintenance required, plus the back wind screen rolls down.

You should enjoy yours immensely. Most 4Runner owners do.

 

[Sampson]

This isn't mine. I saw it in Abingdon last weekend and thought it was well done.

 

[h2u]

Wow, I'm really just blown away that every single person who has replied can't seem to say enough good things about it. I'd read plenty about it before making the purchase, but it definitely makes me feel good to read this stuff.

Crabby--yes, I was in GW. I do a lot of backpacking, fishing and hunting there. It's kind of my second home. Now that I can drive the unimproved roads, it's much easier for me to get there. I used to have to borrow my brother's Forester or else park my car at the bottom of the mountain and walk up the road. This time I was just north of Ramsey's Draft, in the Camp Todd/Reddish Knob area. The closest town is called West Augusta--sort of west and between Harrisonburg and Staunton. Once I got above 3,000 feet or so there was a lot of ice.

Those of you who have owned them for a while, is there anything I should be thinking about in terms of preventative maintenance that may not be obvious? I've read some stuff about people having rust issues. I just plan to wash the undercarriage any time I've driven it on salted roads, but I've been wondering if it might be worth it to get some kind of sealant applied under there. That stuff is expensive and nasty to apply myself since I don't have any equipment. Otherwise, it seems like with these that as long as you keep up with the regular maintenance, you're pretty much all set. I purchased it from Tysons Toyota but I'm planning to have all the service done at Jack Taylor Toyota in Arlington, since that is more convenient.

Proud owner of a 2000 Ltd w/multi-mode and diff lock. I've owned it two years and have loved every minute. But I admit to being kind of a Toyota geek as I own three trucks presently-including one I purchased new in '88-which is still my daily driver

Derwood- if you aren't already a member of t4r.org-you need to be. It's the go-to place for anything 4Runner. You'll learn more there about these trucks then you'd imagine possible

 

[jhason]

My 2002 4Runner SR4 finally died at 225k miles. I inherited my father's Mercedes 2005 ML350 with 90K miles. Though it's a nice and pretty ride it will probably not last as long as my 4Runner.

 

[photoracer]

I worked for a Toyota dealer when I was between IT jobs (DAR cars). While there I bought a used 02 SR5 that was owned by a friend of the dealership that traded it in. Admittedly that thing is still going strong to this day in the hands of my late wife's ex-nurse at around 200K. Only thing I did not like was the anemic power of the old 3.4L V6.
Personally my favorite Toyota was the older Land Cruiser with the 4.5L in-line 6. That was the vehicle that most of the world developed an affection for. But to be honest when I went to buy another 4x4 for myself last year I bought an 03 Explorer XLT. I have owned 4 Explorers now with narry a problem. And the one I bought had 145k on it (now 166K). Right now too many Toyotas have been fluffed up into Caddy type SUVs especially the Land Cruiser, Sequoia, and 4Runner. Trying to make them all seem like the Lexus division versions. But they all are reliable except like most vehicles of this era the electronics are where the most problems are. If you leave out all the super duper electronic options you are better off.
To be honest my favorite SUV of all time was the Mazda MPV All-Sport 4WD (and we owned Jeeps also). While Mazda could not decide whether to market it as a mini-van or SUV it still landed on Car & Drivers 10 Best list twice in the 1992-98 production run. Multimode 4WD with dif lock, auto leveling rear suspension, 3 full rows of seats including a 4 captain's chair version with a 3rd row bench (or 2 and 2). I used my 98 a couple times to pull Jeep Wranglers out of snowbanks off I-81. Its considered somewhat of a cult vehicle like the Isuzu Trooper. My younger brother the pro photographer had 2 of the MPV and drove each to 250K and then gave them to relatives who got them up to as much as 350K.

 

[Sig Fan]

I picked up a '10 SR5 a little over month ago. So far, coming from pretty much the exact opposite vehicle (an ES350), I love it. I plan on slowly adding some goodies to it. Tires and spacers are probably next.

My mechanic owns a 2002 Land Cruiser with 500k on it. I think he's pretty well versed in Toyota trucks/suvs. He looked it over good and gave it the a-ok. He does recommend synthetic oil over 75K, rotate the tires every other oil change, and regularly lubricate the propeller shaft. Brake calipers were an issue with the 4th gen but you should be good on the 5th. 5th gens also do not have a timing belt they have a chain, so no worries there.

I'm looking to sign up for a green guided trail run up at Rausch Creek this summer. I'll post in this thread when and if it's going to happen.

Like Jollyllama said, check out toyota-4runner.org for any and all answers.

 

[BlackBart]

I picked up a '10 SR5 a little over month ago. So far, coming from pretty much the exact opposite vehicle (an ES350), I love it. I plan on slowly adding some goodies to it. Tires and spacers are probably next.

My mechanic owns a 2002 Land Cruiser with 500k on it. I think he's pretty well versed in Toyota trucks/suvs. He looked it over good and gave it the a-ok. He does recommend synthetic oil over 75K, rotate the tires every other oil change, and regularly lubricate the propeller shaft. Brake calipers were an issue with the 4th gen but you should be good on the 5th. 5th gens also do not have a timing belt they have a chain, so no worries there.

I'm looking to sign up for a green guided trail run up at Rausch Creek this summer. I'll post in this thread when and if it's going to happen.

Like Jollyllama said, check out toyota-4runner.org for any and all answers.

Looks like a carbon copy of mine........ bought 6 months ago, same color ect... does t have a belt in the 2010 V-6???? (that sux) when to change and yes the brakes initially locked up on hard stops BUT it seems to have fixed itself after taking it back and they claimed nothing was wrong. Nice truck only had 43K on the clock.... she likes it, over priced so that's all that matters.

 

[Sig Fan]

Looks like a carbon copy of mine........ bought 6 months ago, same color ect... does t have a belt in the 2010 V-6???? (that sux) when to change and yes the brakes initially locked up on hard stops BUT it seems to have fixed itself after taking it back and they claimed nothing was wrong. Nice truck only had 43K on the clock.... she likes it, over priced so that's all that matters.

All 5th gens (2010+) have a timing chain not a belt.

 

[BlackBart]

All 5th gens (2010+) have a timing chain not a belt.

Happy to know............. have no idea what gen is what on them... ain't like they're classic cars just dependable transportation I hope.

 

[_JT_]

Have a 2008 V8 SR5, and it's a beast offroad, especially in sand. I had a Blazer ZR2 with the 4.10gears and the 4Runner blows it away imo. My parents have a Pathfinder and I'm always amazed at how it drives like a van, and sounds like a go cart. Someone else mentioned, the only issue is the size. Having a kid under two, and a golden retriever with a head like a bull, room is always an issue. Picked up a Baja Rack years ago and it's great for traveling and for putting beach chairs.

 

[Antarctica]

I have a 96 third gen that I picked up last year. 165k miles and, based on other's reports of longevity, my ability to fix/repair almost anything on these things and the mileage of other 3rd gen 4runners for sale, I thoroughly expect to drive this thing to 300k. There are several preventative 'upgrades' that have been identified that preclude small failures becoming major failures (adding a separate transmission cooler) that I hope will aid in me beating this thing to 300.

Off road, I haven't played with it much. Generally I've just used vehicles as ends to a mean (hunt, fish, hike, skid logs, haul stumps (big ones)) so I never really push vehicles that hard off road. That said, I've had at least one CJ - from bone stock to chevy-powered beasts to the current scrambler that I've had for 15 years and will probably never part with - in the barn for the past 25 years, so I'm fairly well versed with their capability. Off road comparisons aside, the level of comfort of the 4runner is more akin to my BMW where the Jeeps are almost identical to my '64 ford tractor…. my body just can't do the jeeps on a regular basis anymore..

Brent

 

[Derwood]

I picked up a '10 SR5 a little over month ago. So far, coming from pretty much the exact opposite vehicle (an ES350), I love it. I plan on slowly adding some goodies to it. Tires and spacers are probably next.

My mechanic owns a 2002 Land Cruiser with 500k on it. I think he's pretty well versed in Toyota trucks/suvs. He looked it over good and gave it the a-ok. He does recommend synthetic oil over 75K, rotate the tires every other oil change, and regularly lubricate the propeller shaft. Brake calipers were an issue with the 4th gen but you should be good on the 5th. 5th gens also do not have a timing belt they have a chain, so no worries there.

I'm looking to sign up for a green guided trail run up at Rausch Creek this summer. I'll post in this thread when and if it's going to happen.

Like Jollyllama said, check out toyota-4runner.org for any and all answers.

Hey, please let me know when you get that outing together. I've never done anything like that but would love to join! I check this forum fairly often so hopefully I'll see any thread you create.

 

[BlackBart]

They DO get stuck sorta.... high as it would go that night, next day it was in the barn. 11 inches on a STEEP incline.......

 

[wilcam47]

They DO get stuck sorta.... high as it would go that night, next day it was in the barn. 11 inches on a STEEP incline.......

lots has to do with tires, all season dont have much traction in snow..

 

[BlackBart]

lots has to do with tires, all season dont have much traction in snow..

Absolutely.... it has new looking Michelin's but they don't have a very aggressive tred. Already told her when they go say goodbye to the quiet ride because this is what we need.............now a aggressive tred that will wear 50K plus.

 

[wilcam47]

Absolutely.... it has new looking Michelin's but they don't have a very aggressive tred. Already told her when they go say goodbye to the quiet ride because this is what we need.............now a aggressive tred that will wear 50K plus.

I think this is what we had on our 4 runner...Yokohama Geolanders