Toyota here we cometh...

[BIGdaddy]

Melissa and I are going to pickup a toyota 4runner in the next short while.

Not sure on the 4wd/2wd thing, as this is going to be her commuter and a trip car. (she travels about 10 miles a day total...we live very close to her work and the kids school)

Aside from that our question is about generations.

What year did the 3rd row seating option begin?

Would you buy a late 2001-2002 3rd gen or an early 2003-2004 4th gen?(my cutoff years might be a bit off)

Am I right in assuming everyone likes the 3.4L in the 3rd gens?

We'll be having it inspected by our mechanic, but are there any specific area's that need deliberate looking-over?

Real world mpg's, 3rd gen vs. 4th gen?

Thanks!

 

[Owyhee H]

2WD------Mini Van

Just my opinion but if you are going to get a 2wd why not save $ and get a minivan. They are normally lees expensive, get better mileage, parts(tires) are a lot cheaper, and have more room. I love 4runners, i drive one, but if you are going to get a 2wd and only use a 2wd wouldn't there be better options than a 4runner?

So get a 4wd and go have fun.....3rd gen look better and were the end of their generation so hopefully have more problems worked out.

 

[SilverBullet]

The 3rd row factory I believe was available in 2001 Limited models, but yo can get an additional seat that fits and is made to match online, so don't let that be yoru key. Also, go 4x4.

 

[ywen]

Just my opinion but if you are going to get a 2wd why not save $ and get a minivan. They are normally lees expensive, get better mileage, parts(tires) are a lot cheaper, and have more room. I love 4runners, i drive one, but if you are going to get a 2wd and only use a 2wd wouldn't there be better options than a 4runner?

So get a 4wd and go have fun.....3rd gen look better and were the end of their generation so hopefully have more problems worked out.

ground clearance is a big deal I would think..

 

[Mr. Leary]

Am I right in assuming everyone likes the 3.4L in the 3rd gens?

Real world mpg's, 3rd gen vs. 4th gen?

I like my 3.4L. It is simple, reliable, and easy to work on. It is not a particularly powerful engine, but will do the work when asked. Mine still runs like a top with 196k miles on it.

I get around 14mpg with the O/D off, fully loaded pulling a trailer through mixed flat and hills.

Around town unloaded my average is 15.5mpg. On the highway this increases to around 17.5mpg.

My truck weighs over 5500 lbs. when fully loaded, has 255/85/R16 tires, and stock gears (bad combo, BTW). You should expect better averages.

 

[Memphislex]

If you get a 4x4 which id suggest for awesomeness value. Go 03 or newer. Issues with diffs and so on in the previous model. if you are going 2wd screw a mini van get a wagon. So many nice wagons out there now.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Just my opinion but if you are going to get a 2wd why not save $ and get a minivan. They are normally lees expensive, get better mileage, parts(tires) are a lot cheaper, and have more room. I love 4runners, i drive one, but if you are going to get a 2wd and only use a 2wd wouldn't there be better options than a 4runner?

So get a 4wd and go have fun.....3rd gen look better and were the end of their generation so hopefully have more problems worked out.

check my sig...

minivan. been there done that.

 

[BIGdaddy]

I like my 3.4L. It is simple, reliabl, and easy to work on. It is not a particularly powerful engine, but will do the work when asked. Mine still runs like a top with 196k miles on it.

I get around 14mpg with the O/D off, fully loaded pulling a trailer through mixed flat and hills.

Around town unloaded my average is 15.5mpg. On the highway this increases to around 17.5mpg.

My truck weighs over 5500 lbs. when fully loaded, has 255/85/R16 tires, and stock gears (bad combo, BTW). You should expect better averages.

cool. I'm fine with that. 15-17, with possibility of nearing 18-20. Cars that do everything well (tow, overland, commute, etc) seem to get around 20 mpg's...

Anything that is safe and worth buying due to longevity never seems to get more than that..lol.

oh, and I hear y'all on the 4wd sentiments.

We do have my Cherokee for 4x4 duties, so its not a necessity if we find a good 2wd deal.

Ground clearance and good tires, as someone touched on above are more important to us, for the places we go. I went all over montana's backcountry in a 2wd 2003 expedition working as an architect, for example (We certainly wouldn't pass up a good deal on a 4x4 model, though)

 

[sprale]

I absolutely love my 04 4R. It's 2WD, but I tossed on a beefy set of Yokohama Geolanders (nice ride now). They do just fine in central Texas, no real need for 4WD here (unless you go wheeling), we have the Rover for the really rough stuff. It has all the amenities we'd need and want in a second vehicle that gets driven at least once a week; it's a Sport trim with leather and most power options.

The V6 has more than enough power to pull a load on a trailer, though trailer brakes are very nice to have. The V6 is really easy to work on, everything is easy to reach that I've had to do so far, especially the regular maintenance stuff. I get about 18mpg in city commuting when I'm not on two wheels, which also helps me keep my miles down on the 4R (I plan on keeping it for many years). It sits nice and high, mostly good visibility.

I'm not a huge fan of the dash layout and the controls, but I've been spoiled by Lexus in the past. But I love the way they look on the outside! Go out and drive a handful of examples in the years and price range you're looking at. Don't jump at the first one, lots of people (especially dealers) are overly proud of them and keep the prices high. I got everything I wanted in mine after looking closely at more than a few and am more than happy with it now.

Oh and, minivans are a tangible sign of evil! :violent-smiley-031:

 

[toy_tek]

3rd gen (96-02) has no issues w diffs, not sure where that came from. The common issues are rear axle seals, front rotors and steering rack bushings.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Some of the later 3rd gen 4runners have been having issues with the transmissions as they got into the higher mileage numbers (google Toyota Pink Milkshake for more info.) I believe this is mostly the 01-02 models. All 01-02 and all 4th gen V6 models with 4wd have a multi-mode system that's pretty cool, though not really needed where you live.

I don't know if the transmission problems on the 01-02 models happened in 2wd models as well. On the 4wd models it's quite an expensive fix, from what I've heard.

I think if it was me I'd look into a 4th gen 2wd, probably quite common in SoCal, but then again, you've got to be willing to pay the "Toyota Tax." I liked the 4th gen 4runners I test drove, there were three reasons I didn't buy one: 1. Cost (buying an older 3rd gen saved me $10k 2. 4wd system (wasn't a huge fan of the electric T-case and 3. Ground clearance (3rd gen has a lot more.) A road-bound 2wd vehicle in a place that doesn't get snow pretty much eliminates no. 2 and 3, and if you're willing to pony up the bux for a later model 4runner that is bigger, more powerful, and has more features you probably won't be disappointed. MPG should be the same on a 4th gen as on a 3rd or maybe even a little bit better.

FWIW, my 3rd gen 4x4 with an automatic gets ~16 - 18 in the city depending on how I drive and as high as 21 on the highway. It has also gotten as low as 14.5 in the city but that was under pretty extreme conditions. I'm pretty conscious of the MPG trends as I'm anal enough to check my MPG every time I fill up, and I even correct for my tire size (265/75/16.)

 

[RusM]

Where there factory thrid rows seat available at all? I wasn't aware that there were. You can get a pretty good set-up, google 'intervention into a short bus'. As far as mileage I get anywhere between 14-21.5 mpg in a built truck. Also, miles are just a number on the dash for these trucks if they've had minimum maintenance, so don't be afraid of higher miles if you find a deal. Good luck and welcome to the dark side! :clapsmile

 

[BIGdaddy]

Where there factory thrid rows seat available at all? I wasn't aware that there were. You can get a pretty good set-up, google 'intervention into a short bus'. As far as mileage I get anywhere between 14-21.5 mpg in a built truck. Also, miles are just a number on the dash for these trucks if they've had minimum maintenance, so don't be afraid of higher miles if you find a deal. Good luck and welcome to the dark side! :clapsmile

Different drivetrain, but my both my 1st gen 4runners had close to 200,000 and 240,000, respectively. Sold them both to happy owners, and I'm pretty sure both are still on the road.

Doesn't seem like they strayed far from the original intent of a solid, low maintenence vehicle with these 3rd gen's.

Got to love a truck that fetches $8k, and garners comments like, "drives/looks new" from most reviewers on sites like carpoint.com, 5-10 years after rolling off the factory line.

 

[BLKNBLU]

Some of the later 3rd gen 4runners have been having issues with the transmissions as they got into the higher mileage numbers (google Toyota Pink Milkshake for more info.) I believe this is mostly the 01-02 models.


I liked the 4th gen 4runners I test drove, there were three reasons I didn't buy one: 1. Cost (buying an older 3rd gen saved me $10k 2. 4wd system (wasn't a huge fan of the electric T-case and 3. Ground clearance (3rd gen has a lot more.)

Not sure, but I think the "pink milkshake" is possible in any of the rigs with auto that use the radiator as the tranny cooler when the radiator eventually fails. The solution is to run completely seperate systems with a dedicated tranny cooler? Someone correct me here if I'm off as I'm kinda outside my area on this. I just don't think it's a tranny problem per se as much as a tranny cooling problem.

The 01-02 4runners also had the electric T case which can be problematic.
http://www.yotatech.com/f66/doh-no-more-4wd-152798/

 

[Martinjmpr]

Got to love a truck that fetches $8k, and garners comments like, "drives/looks new" from most reviewers on sites like carpoint.com, 5-10 years after rolling off the factory line.

I'm not sure I can say mine drives or looks "new" but everything works, including all the lights, power windows, RKE, etc. To me that is astonishing, I'm used to "small" things starting to fail on a vehicle once it gets to be 5 - 8 years old. Mine is 11 and it's still going strong at 130k.

I wouldn't hesitate to drive mine to Alaska. :elkgrin:

EDITED TO ADD: Actually, there's one thing that doesn't appear to be working: According to the manual there should be a light on the dashboard that comes on when a door is not completely closed. If there is such a warning light on my dash, it doesn't work.

But everything else does including the oh-so-awesome factory locker. :drool:

EDITED AGAIN: Now that I think about it, the retracting antenna was broken when I got the truck. It made a god-awful dying yak sound every time I turned on the radio so I just pulled the inner fender liner off, found where the power cable was for the antenna, and disconnected it. I've never had a vehicle with a power antenna so I don't really "miss" it.