How many miles would be "too many" on a 4Runner?

[OilfieldCowboy]

Wife informed me yesterday that she wants a mid 90's to early 00's 4Runner to replace her 2012 Highlander. I've started looking around the usual suspects, and have found a few I would consider but the miles are up there.

What would a person consider as too many miles on a 4Runner in a daily driver application?

Parameters for the "too many" designation:

• Won't be in the shop every week for parts wearing out
• Won't require any special maintenance beyond normal
• Isn't going to need $5,000 in parts before being considered reliable

Now, if 250,000 miles is considered "reasonable" I wouldn't be opposed to purchasing the vehicle along with a reman engine with a transmission/t-case rebuild as well.

 

[eugarps]

Oilfield Cowboy,

If the chassis is good, you can always swap the drive train. Once my 125k miles warranty is up, I'm replacing my gas engine with a Toyota D4D Diesel.

Bill

 

[OilfieldCowboy]

I've found a few locally that are around 250k miles, some body rust (to be expected in Utah) but look decent other than that. I don't know enough about 4Runners to know what kind of price range would be reasonable for a 90% stock vehicle with that many miels.

 

[4wdCamper]

4Runner is one of the most reliable vehicle.there is no too many miles given documented regular maintenance, that's for the power train.
For everything else there is rust

 

[jgilbreath]

I have a 2000 t4r with 205,000 miles. It runs and drives great. We did a 5,000 mile road trip this summer with no issues. Besides regular maintenance items the only repairs i have done over the past 20k miles is a new brake booster and starter contacts. If you find one with a good maintenance history and little to no rust, i wouldn't be worried about "high" miles.

 

[BurbanAZ]

I have a 2004 with around 200k and it still runs like a top. I have no concerns taking it on long remote trips. I'd say as long as maint. was done with stuff like timing belt, water pump, etc.. I would buy a "high" mileage 4Runner without worrying.

With higher mileage trucks I think maint is important or you'll have a big list of parts you want to replace before any major trips.

 

[4wdCamper]

Problem is, as vehicle ages and value depreciates, some owners fail to keep up with maintenance, because they calculate that vehicle low value doesn't justify the expense. So watch out for this on the used market.

 

[SnoViking]

I have a '99 with 244K on it. I bought it back in 2004 with 39k on it (I paid a premium for it back then also). I love the truck! The truck still runs and drives like new and is my baby. I am very proactive when it comes to maintenance since I planned/plan on keeping the truck as absolutely long as possible. It has treated me better than good. Your main concern should be rust and making sure the truck has a decent service history. I have a minor lift mostly for function and a few other things done to it. It has taken myself (+wife+2 kids+ 2 dogs) from Florida to Maine to Missouri to beyond. It has only let me sit once... luckily it was about a block away (when the bottom of the radiator rusted out and dumped all my trans fluid. I knew about the rusty radiators being a common problem but ignored it. I should have replaced it at 150K like everyone says.... ) The truck is a bit "tight" inside It is not a wide truck. With 2 adults, 2 kids, and 2 dogs, I have to get creative with hauling gear. I use the roof rack a lot (which I modified by adding an addition 24" section forward for more room) I manage to get a little under 18mpg (17.8 recorded average since 2009) which I feel is not bad considering what the truck is capable of and what it hauls. I've been contemplating moving "up" to a 80/100 series LC but I can't deny or bury the amount of faith and trust I have in my truck. Yes the LCs are bigger and roomier but also don't get as good of fuel mileage (which I heavily consider since most of my trips involve long distances; 100+ miles just go get to the start of my trip sometimes) and could potentially be more expensive to maintain.

Things I've replaced/repaired: ( I keep every fuel/service record on Gas Cubby)

Lots of oil changes at 3-4k intervals. (I run castrol blend)
Tires- On my 4th set of BFG AT/MTs. (+ alignments each time +plus tire balances every 10k+/-)
Brakes- Pads and rotors all around multiple times.
Battery - x2
Shocks @220k
E-Brake Bell Crank @ 235k
Water pump @ 130k
Timing Belt @ 130k
Serpentine Belts @ 130k
Spark Plugs/wires @120k /220K
Radiator @180k
Coolant/Transfluid @180k
Catalytic Converter @140k (after getting a tank full of bad fuel)
Muffler @212K
Steering rack bushings @240k
Minor hoses/small bits as they wear.

My total service costs over the 12 years/200K........ Drum roll please........ $9138.98..... And half of that was tires (+tire stuff).......

I am realistic though and feel like I could fall into the exception area. I'm sure there's more than a few 4Runner which are beat to hell, and the frames are rusting out from the inside (which they do BTW).

Find a little old lady who has a 1999.5-2002 that's been garage kept but has lot of service records with no rust. Then prepare to pay a little bit more than sounds reasonable and get ready for the long haul. The truck will take care of you if you take care of it. (That's my plan B if something beyond my control ever happens to my truck. Plan A is to drive it forever and then hand it down to my kids (or maybe grand kids if I haven't found a replacement yet)

 

[devero4]

Stay away from the 3.0 V6. Period.

As stated by many above, mileage on the 3rd generation 4runner is so irrelevant. Look at the maintenance. Has the coolant been changed, what kind of condition is the radiator in? do the valve covers leak onto the ground? Does it have Toyota Red coolant in it or Green from autozone? All these things will help you in the long run. Also like stated above, find a little old lady that is trying to unload hers. They are out there!

Bought my 99 In Austin with 217k, now have 273k. I have done quite a bit of work to this truck maintenance wise, only because I work at a shop. Good Luck and enjoy the Runner.

 

[mr4x4]

no such thing as too many miles anything that wears out can be replaced

 

[98roamer]

I loved my 98 limited 4x4, locked, 3gen, bought it in 2005 with 69k and sold it last year at 207k with regular maintenance. I replaced the radiator, upgraded the brakes to 199mm and the suspension to OME to handle the gear . I found the 3gen to be the perfect size, its a compromise between size and MPG. It's a little small compared to newer trucks but perfect in the East Coast trails and for just us two. There's ton of aftermarkets toys for the 4Runner.

I would love to have a rust free 3Gen again.

 

[04dblcab]

Let's just say there is a guy, who's 1st gen tacoma I've worked on a couple times at work, he has over 500k on it...the last timing belt was done around 160k. My point, any Toyota with a 3.4...unstoppable. That's why they hold their value forever.


Found a picture of the odo from 2 years ago of the Tacoma. He comes in once a month for an oil change. He gets it done every 3,000. (Crap, for some reason I can't post links on this?) I'll work this out and get the picture.

I doubt you'll be driving 3,000 a month, but you might.

 

[Utah KJ]

Almost 6 years ago, I bought my 97 4Runner that was traded on a new KIA for $1,800; that was below market for Utah at the time. It was in the 190k miles range on the ODO; I am the 8th owner. I spent about $1.5k immediately on timing belt and associated parts, front cv axles, front rotors, and f&r brake pads. The truck has 265k miles now and I'd say that during that my time, I spent about $7k in repairs. The drive train is original.
Over the years I replaced:
radiator
steering rack
fuel pump (last month was original from 1997)
valve cover gaskets
water pump (did the whole timing belt again figured w.t.h)
starter (2xs)
rebuilt the rear double cardan joint (needs it again soon)
pretty much every front end suspension component (this wear is probably more to do with offroad escapades).

Less oil changes and tires, I own a body on frame 4x4 suv for $9k. A new one is a lot more expensive, and I'm not sure that if I bought a brand new one, I'm still driving it 20 years from now with 265K on the ODO.

 

[Catfish37]

I saw a write up on a 2007 tundra that had a million miles on it. Literally! The guy ran hot shot with it hauling oilfield equipment. So those miles weren't easy. I know it's not the same rig but that gives me a lot of faith in Toyota quality. No matter what rig it is.

 

[04dblcab]

I saw a write up on a 2007 tundra that had a million miles on it. Literally! The guy ran hot shot with it hauling oilfield equipment. So those miles weren't easy. I know it's not the same rig but that gives me a lot of faith in Toyota quality. No matter what rig it is.

That truck was a 4.0 V6 too!!!


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